A Virginia lawyer who specializes in bicycle cases wrote a book, available for free download, on 10 Mistakes that Can Derail Your Bike Injury Case.
His list of 10 mistakes: 1. Being Unprepared, 2. Failing To Get Help, 3. Not Having Any Witnesses, 4. Not Having Any Evidence, 5. Not Contacting The Authorities, 6. Failing To Follow Up, 7. Not Having "Show & Tell", 8. Failing To Document, 9. Talking Too Much, and 10. Losing Track Of Time.
City Paper covers the opening of Champlain Street.
Via GGW, MARC explains why they don't allow full-sized bikes on board.
Our solution was a vertical bike rack mounted to the side of each passenger coach. The bike storage area would be separated from the rest of the car by a partition. Our design was tested at the Federal Railroad Administration’s facility in Colorado. However, since it would have meant the loss of two rows of seats in each car we ultimately decided not to proceed. Adding a dedicated car for bikes is not an option for us because we are short on mid-day and overnight storage space.
I can see taking seats out as an issue, but I've seen other trains (NJ Transit) that allow bikes on without special racks.
ACT has published an article in their latest newsletter criticizing Montgomery County for being "hostile to transit riders and pedestrians" Among the specific claims are
MCDOT opposes provisions of the White Flint master plan that would make Rockville Pike more friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists. It insists that the road's overriding function is to carry high-speed traffic into D.C.
Pointed out that the county DOT has stalled completion of the Metropolitan Branch bicycle trail through Silver Spring
Richard Layman lists the top 30 DC regional transportation stories, including:
13. DC Bus shelter improvement contract (2005) including the creation of bicycle sharing (2008) and the funding of streetscape improvement projects.
15. Efforts to make the Metropolitan Branch Trail off-road walking and bicycling trail from Silver Spring to Union Station in DC, first conceived of in 1988, reality.
26. Increased focus on pedestrian and bicycling matters in many of the region's jurisdictions.
27. The failure of the forthcoming Silver Spring Transit Station to include a dedicated bike station. (And the building of this station.)
28. A bikestation just opened in the past year at Union Station.
GGW links to a Georgetown writer who wrote that cyclists should stay off the road until the snow is cleared. I can't get to the link, but SJE pointed out in the comments that she is
getting hammered on her blog. She wants us to believe she was being humorous.
Portland cyclists ride through the snow, FABB notes.
Thank you for the link to Doug Landau's book! Saved and will print it out for reference. I think it is also a good idea to discuss the worst-case-scenario with you spouse or significant other so they know what options are out there if you cannot talk anymore.
Posted by: Eric_W. | January 02, 2010 at 09:46 AM
Happy 2010, Washcycle.
Here is the link...
http://www.georgetowndish.com./thedish/snow-cycling
Posted by: SJE | January 02, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Doh! Sorry, you already have that link. Not sure why it isn't working for you.
Anyway, if you CAN get to see it, it is nice to see that most comments are civil, and address the assumptions she brings to her writing. It seems that her plea for cyclists to stay off the road was out of concern for their safety, but overlooks the reason that it is unsafe has very little to do with cyclists, and almost everything to do with (a) cars (b) driver attitudes (c) policies that force cyclists onto roads, because they are the only ones plowed.
Posted by: SJE | January 02, 2010 at 12:55 PM