More on Bike to Work Day 2009

Here's something from the Wall Street Journal's blog

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu puts his policies where his pedals are: saving greenhouse gasses on his top-of-the-line Italian bicycle.

The Nobel-winning physicist rides a $5,000 Colnago C40, a first-generation carbon-fiber bike tested at Ferrari’s labs and ridden by the sport’s top athletes.

“It’s my only extravagance,” Chu said Friday after biking from his home in Chevy Chase, Md., the wealthy enclave of D.C. policymakers and lobbyists.

The secretary rode about 10 miles to Freedom Plaza, a few blocks from the Department of Energy’s national headquarters, to attend as a special guest for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association’s annual Bike to Work Day.

It’s only the second work commute for the secretary since the Secret Service apparently doesn’t like him on the capital’s roads. But last weekend he clocked 47 miles on the Colnago.

Why the long ride? “I took a wrong turn,” said Chu. Not the California slopes he’s accustomed to, the secretary says he keeps getting lost in the Potomac hills near his home.

Already a rock star in the science world, Chu quickly gained celebrity status within the sweaty ranks of D.C. cyclists.

“It not only saves gasoline, it really gets you in great shape,” Chu told the gathered crowd.

Later, he was invited to join the “Potomac Peddlers Touring Club” and other local freewheeling enthusiasts. Chu said he’d advocate for bike lanes in the District of Columbia.

And from the Examiner

Nationals Stadium. WABA, with the help of the Nationals, held its first ever "pitstop" there. When I was there (around 7:00 am), attendance seemed pretty dismal. On the upside, that meant I got a free t-shirt without signing up, and my odds of winning the raffle prizes skyrocketed (Lucky me, I went home with two water bottles, some socks, and a seat bag).  

The Undersecretary at the Department of Transportation, DC's City Administrator, and a few others whose names I didn't catch gave mini-pep talks to the ten or fifteen cyclists who were standing around. Overall, though, I'd say the highlight of the Nationals event was seeing the mascots tooling around with bikes.  But, hey, I'll give the organizers some slack. It was the first year, and the free muffins were excellent. 

And a pre-BTWD interview with Eric Gilliland.

And more from MetBlogs DC

And an article about mycommutesucks.org

Bicyclists write about avoiding swerving cars and drivers’ curses. Those behind the wheel bemoan the lack of a timely bus alternative. And some wonder why their trips keep getting longer.

The site, which started Friday in conjunction with national Bike to Work Day, is meant to be an outlet for people to vent, according to its organizers, but also to “redirect rage.”

» “It’s bike to work day! Too bad it is raining and I have a 35 mi commute on highways.”

» “My commute isn’t bad, it’s 6 miles round trip on my bicycle. I live and work in DC, and most days I take 16th. The sucky part about it is that DC does rush hour lanes on 16th and Connecticut, my two main options, and the cars are thick, angry, and aggressive. Some days it is pretty sketchy … We need better infrastructure for those of us that choose not to drive. Cars got all the space that was available to ‘alleviate congestion’ and guess what, it’s still congested and sucks for everyone.”

And

Comments

[Eric]

I was out town on vacation on BTWD, but wish I had been in town and able to participate! :-( . My first season as a bike commuter, and I didn't even get do BTWD. Oh well, next year... Hope it went well and there was good turnout!

[Eric_W.]

I could not go either. My son was sick and I worked from home... Bad day for Erics on bikes, I guess... ;-)

[Catherine]

I'm so disappointed I couldn't do BTWD. I recently broke my foot and while the cast hasn't stopped me from riding around Old Town for short distance errands (with permission from the orthopedist), it does not seem comfortable, safe or practical to do the Old Town-Capitol Hill run with this particular handicap.

I'll be doing it as soon as this stupid thing comes off, though, and look forward to participating in BTWD next year!

[Bikedude08]

Chu said he’d advocate for bike lanes in the District of Columbia. We need Secretary Chu to advocate for bike lanes in Prince William county which is more car centric then DC. It would make it safer to ride a bike there and get some cars of the road.

[Lars]

Three cheers for Dr. Chu. So where were the heads of the EPA and the DOT?

[Washcycle]

LaHood of DOT was going to show up at the Nationals Stadium pit stop, but at the last minute had to cancel (I think). Lisa Jackson was on her way back from New York where she'd been on The Daily Show the day before.

[Anon]

I'm a contractor at DOE and was very pleased to see Chu at the event. I actually sent him an email yesterday with suggestions for making the Forrestal Building a better place for bike commuting. I doubt he'll ever see it, but if he does I like to think he'll be receptive.