TheWashCycle

Stimulus is not bad for bikes, to the chagrin of some

Smart Growth America recently reported on how the states are doing on their stimulus spending.

The 120-day mark is significant because it is the point by which states and territories are required to have obligated 50 percent of the flexible money granted them for transportation projects by the federal government. The money is meant to stimulate the economy, but also — in the language of the Act — “to invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits.”

The stimulus funding arrives at a time of embarrassingly large backlogs of road and bridge repairs, inadequate and underfunded public transportation systems, and too-few convenient, affordable transportation options.

Did states use their flexible money to make progress on these pressing needs?

DC and Maryland did well. They was two of the 11 states (I know) that dedicated 100% of the stimulus money they chose to spend on roads towards maintenance work. Maryland came in 5th (based on % and roads in need) and Virginia in 39th. DC was among the top 11, but the percentage of good roads wasn't known.

Furthermore

The District of Columbia committed 41.5% of its funding toward public transportation and non-motorized projects, including facilities to make walking and biking safer and more convenient. Only 6 other states spent over 10% of their budgets on these types of projects: Delaware, Massachusetts, Oregon, Iowa, Colorado, and Hawaii.

Maryland was 10th at 6.1% and Virginia was 11th with 5.2%. From the report:

The data are clear: an ARRA portfolio that spends most of its STP funding on increasing conventional roadway lane miles and relatively little on public transportation, repairs to crumbling infrastructure, or bike and pedestrian routes, would not get the biggest short‐ and longterm economic stimulus bang for the ARRA buck, nor would that portfolio fulfill the other ARRA goals.

Every city in the country has substantial needs for expanded bicycle and pedestrian mobility.

The $600 million in STP funding commitments to non‐motorized transportation is better, but also fails to meaningfully respond to the public’s need for more affordable and healthy transportation options. This level of spending for bicycling and walking will have minimal impact on the nation’s stock of bicycle and pedestrian routes, or on individual mobility.

[The report also features a photo by Washcycle Flickr group contributor M.V.Jantzen and another by BikePortland on the cover.]

It's not a fair comparison really, since DC isn't like other states - it's built out and there are no rural areas; but it's nice to do Maryland and Virginia doing better than average.

The Post covered this, but spent most of it's time criticizing Virginia (and got the percentage allocated to road preservation wrong). It did have this:

D.C. Department of Transportation Director Gabe Klein said the District has used its stimulus money to invest in alternatives to driving while improving existing roads and bridges.

"The District recognizes the need for a balanced transportation system, and our stimulus spending reflects that," he said.

Meanwhile Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is not loving that the federal government is paying to invest in alternatives to driving.

The Obama administration's stimulus program is fraught with waste and incompetence...Millions of dollars are going toward bicycle lockers, bike paths, walking trails and a skate park, Coburn said.

Like the C-470 path (pictured above) that just opened in Colorado.

Dr. Gridlock Bikes the Wilson Bridge

Of course, he had to drive there to do it.

To reach the trail, I drove south on Interstate 295, then got lost wandering around National Harbor before I found Oxon Hill Manor on Oxon Hill Road. No more than a dozen cars were parked there and it's close to the trail head, so I'd do that again, when starting from the Maryland side.

He mentions the speed limit, and the problem with trying to enforce it (which it seems they are not - if someone gets a speeding ticket, do let me know).

Two Maryland National Capital Park Police officers were on duty along the route. They moved from spot to spot on motorized scooters. Cyclists have been chafing over the 10 mph speed limit on the trail, but the officers weren't there to ticket anyone. They were just out to offer information and make sure trail users were safe.

I had no idea how fast I was going as I cruised up and over the span, stopping at several of the observation points that bulb out from the trail.

And he has some concerns

There should be better signs on both sides of the river and there should be more options to continue travel on the Maryland side. The new trail map, showing connections for hikers and bikers indicates the Potomac Heritage Trail continues south from the bridge trail. But it would take a cyclist braver than me to ride down two-lane Oxon Hill Road from the point where the bridge trail ends.

He has a photo of a hand written direction sign, so I'll agree with him on that. The Wilson Bridge Map is frankly a bit useless unless you already know the routes described.

On his chat yesterday someone asked about connecting the bridge to Bolling Air Force Base.

the biggest problem is that on the Maryland side, there really are no connecting trails. (On the VA side, you have the Mount Vernon Trail.) I hope trail users keep the pressure up for a fix.

The Maryland side needs five new connections.

1. Along the west side of I-295 from the north side of the bridge on the Maryland side to the southern terminus of the South Capitol Street Bridge.

2. An improved connection to DC Village Lane SW (the top left of the orange line shown on the map).

3. A connection from the Oxon Hill Road bridge over the Beltway to Seneca Drive (via either Bald Eagle Drive or a connection to Cree Drive). A continuation of the green line on the map in Maryland.

4. A trail built along Oxon Run from the first connection listed above all the way into DC and connected then to the (soon-to-be improved?) Oxon Run Trail.

5. On the south side of National Harbor to Clay Drive.

DC is working on part of #1 - the South Capitol Street Trail, but even if they push it as far as I'd like (and as far as they can) it still leaves a gap from the bridge to the south shore of Oxon Cove. Unfortunately there isn't a single agency to work with, but Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club is the best place to start if you want to fix this.

Four Mile Run and Custis Trails get paving

Arlington is just a hotbed of trail improvements lately. Kevin Stalica, Arlington Parks Trails Manager writes:

We are pleased to announce that we have been fortunate enough to have some last minute funding come our way from our Facilities unit for paving.  A portion of the Four Mile Run Trail in Glencarlyn Park was paved this week.  A portion of the Custis trail near Spout Run is scheduled for paving the week of July 6-10.  It will include expansion joints at the edges that are expected to prevent surface irregularities like those currently present.  Watch for detours during construction.

Photo by Mo Kaiwen

Lefty and Enhanced Bike Lanes

Planetizen recently posted responses to five common complaints about bike lanes that are going in in Hoboken, NJ. One new question/response was this:

Comment #5: The bike lanes are on the wrong (left) side of the street, isn’t that illegal?
 
Response: Precedents in other American cities (New York City, Minneapolis) have shown that on one-way streets with parallel parking on both sides, bikers benefit from a much lower risk of being "doored" (unexpectedly hit by a car door opening) when the bike lane is on the left side of the street adjacent to the passenger-side door (instead of the driver-side door).  This is particularly true during peak traffic periods when many vehicles have no passenger (solo commuters).  Also, since drivers sit on the left side of cars, they have better visibility of bicyclists of all sizes.  On streets with bus stops, left-side bike lanes prevent bicyclists from jockeying with buses (currently not the case in Hoboken, but also a design factor).  Nonetheless, bikers should watch out for passenger doors opening, keep a reasonable distance from doors by staying in the far right portion of the bike lane, and remember to slow down or stop to avoid swerving into the vehicular lane if a door appears to be opening.

The Times wrote about lefty bike lanes as well (in NYC cyclists nominally have to use a bike lane if one is present)

A study of lefty lanes was done in Minneapolis, but it wasn't conclusive - in my opinion, but the idea has enough logic behind it to have possible merit.

And in Portland, they're experimenting with Enhanced or Buffered Bike Lanes (as well as cycletracks).

The six-foot-wide bike lane will be buffered by a two-foot striped "shy zone" on both side, separating bike traffic from parking and motorized traffic.

The cycle track, on the other hand, will remove one of three automobile lanes on Southwest Broadway for a dedicated 7-foot-wide bikeway between Clay and Jackson streets. Parking spaces on the west side of the street would be moved several feet to the left, away from the sidewalk, creating a barrier of parked cars between cyclists and auto traffic.

There would also be a 3-foot painted shy zone between parking and the bikeway, allowing people to get out of cars without disrupting bike traffic.

DDOT's plodding along towards it's goal of 50 miles of bike lanes. It would be nice to see them try some of these tools, and bike lanes that have a foot or two of "shy zone" between the bike lane and the parked cars. Studies show that cyclists tend to ride just outside of the center of the bike lane. If you move the center, that should encourage cyclists to move away from the door zone.

Summer Streets on Kansas Avenue?

Richard Layman writes about ANC4's negative response to the idea of closing part of Kansas Avenue NW on a Sunday in August for a Summer Streets-like experience.

Darren Laing of the D.C. Department of Transportation presented the concept at the June 9 meeting of the Petworth advisory neighborhood commission: His department had hoped to close roughly 12 blocks of Kansas Avenue on Saturday, Aug. 22, to make way for a “DC Summer Streets” initiative.
The event, which would feature activities like fitness training and children’s bike rides, aimed to tout the District as “the “premier pro-pedestrian/ bicycle city in the U.S.”
The agency was working with the National Park Service and Washington Area Bicyclist Association on the idea, Laing said.
The proposal called for the closure of Kansas between Georgia and Missouri avenues for six hours, blocking cars from parking on the strip. At the meeting, Laing said the street would remain accessible to emergency vehicles.
The Petworth commission did not vote on the proposal but pointed out the potential inconvenience to residents.
In a later interview with The Current, Laing reported that his agency opted to cancel the event. He referred to concerns about parking for elderly and disabled residents

Richard is worried about such a program in DC

not because I don't believe in feet first programming, but because for these programs to really work, you have to have a lot of participation, and population density. The fact is that this area isn't that dense and is somewhat spread out. It's not the ideal place to launch such a project, if you want to ensure a successful launch.

I'm not sure if he means "around Kansas Avenue" or "DC", but from later comments it seems he means DC. It's true that a summer streets program in DC would probably have less participation than one in NYC, but, we do already have a summer street (and winter, and fall and spring) in the form of Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park and it is a roaring success.

Still I share his concern that the people of Petworth feel they can't close 12 blocks of Kansas for 6 hours for a program like this.

Update: Richard Layman wrote about this again, this time about DuPont Circle, which he does think would work - so maybe he didn't mean all of DC.

LightLane

A while ago everyone was smitten with the virtual bike lane idea. Someone actually made it happen.

As you remember, Lightlane was just a very clever concept in a design competition. Apparently the response was so overwhelming from bicyclists all over the world that the inventors actually decided to make it into a commercial product. Apart from the "super-bright red LEDs," LightLane uses two high visibility Diode-Pumped Solid State green lasers to draw a path that "protects" the biker on the street.

Personally, I think the LED does way more good than the laser, but it is a marginally cool effect.

Tour de Creek

The Tour de Creek was a children's bike race at Fox Run Community Park in Clinton, MD.

More than 30 youths turned out for a recent bicycle competition hosted by the Willow Creek community in Clinton, pedaling through a 50-yard sprint and other races.

Fox Run Community Park, the staging ground for the "Tour de Creek" competition June 13, has been allotted $425,000 beginning July 1 under the Capital Improvement Program after residents lobbied for nearly four years.

The money will transform the 21-acre park from a grassy field with a baseball diamond and football field to a park with a playground, paved walking and biking trail, two lighted tennis courts and two covered pavilions.

It's hard to say if the bike trail will connect in with the Prince George's County bike network, since the county is about the only local jurisdiction without a bike map.

Free Bike Clinic at DC Farmer's Market

Via DCist

Tomorrow, a cadre of local bicycle enthusiasts will be gathering at the Bloomingdale Farmers Market to help you navigate those tricky mechanical issues with a free repair clinic designed for the less mechanically-inclined among us. The clinic will run from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., and will feature "DC Bike Ambassador" Ben West of WABA and others who will bring tools and pass on some of that sweet technical knowledge

And from Flickr

Come out and meet DC Bike Ambassador Ben West to see how it works.. He and Mount Pleasant Manager and Brookland resident and BFM Fan, Rebbie Higgins, will be bringing their tools and leading the first ever Bloomingdale Bike clinic. Bloomingdale Farmers market is located right next to Big Bear Cafe at 2nd and R street NW from 9-2pm.

Has Your Bicycle Been Stolen (in Arlington)?

Police ask for information regarding thefts

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Arlington County Police Department is currently is investigating bicycle larcenies that occurred in the area of Lee Highway and North Harrison Street in the end of May and beginning of June. The police department recovered several bicycles that may have been stolen from their original owners.

If your bicycle has been stolen, and you have not reported the theft, please call the Arlington County police Department Non-Emergency Line at (703) 558-2222. If you witness a theft in progress, immediately call
911.

VRE to allow full sized bicycles (w/limits) starting tomorrow

(This post got lost in my queue so it's not tomorrow, it was over a month ago)

Here, via GGW

Virginia Railway Express will begin allowing full-size bicycles on trains starting Friday as part of a pilot program, according to an agency report. The commuter train service that runs from Manassas and Fredericksburg into the District previously allowed only folding bikes on its trains. Bicyclists have been asking to take regular bikes on the trains for years, but the new rules have some restrictions. Bicycles will be allowed only on the last three northbound trains, the midday and the last three southbound trains of the day. VRE is limiting bikes to two per train car and says they must be tethered to train seats.

Those specific trains are

Fredericksburg Line
Northbound	306	308	310
Southbound	301	309	311	313

Manassas Line
Northbound	328	330	332
Southbound	325	333	335	337

• Bicycles must board at the northern-most car on the train and use the southern half of the car.


• No more than two (2) bicycles are allowed on the car. If the car already has two bikes, you cannot bring your bike on the train and must wait for the next one.


• Bicycles must be tethered to the bench seats using a bungee cord attached to the eyelet on the seat frame. The south end bench is distinguishable by only having four (4) folding seats. Bicyclists will be responsible for securing their bicycle.


• The bench seating on the north end of the car is priority seating for passengers with disabilities. This area is located directly across from the restroom and cannot be used for bicycles.


• If the bench seating for bicycles is occupied by passengers, the bicycle rider may ask the passenger to vacate the seat or ask the conductor for assistance if the passenger is unwilling to move. The priority will be for the bicycles.


• For the safety and convenience of our other riders, bikes will be boarded and removed last after all other passengers have boarded or detrained.


• Passengers are not permitted to ride bicycles on the platforms or trains.


• Bicycles must be clean and free of grease.


• VRE will not be responsible for the security of bikes brought on board.