Post joins AAA spin machine

I missed the Post's article on the Pennsylvania Ave bike lanes and what AAA thinks of them when I was recapping them this morning. It was actually the best article in the batch and at least had a good response albeit from DDOT. The problem with using DDOT as the response to AAA is that DDOT is an agency of the government and is concerned with moving people and things in all kinds of ways.

The Post article adds info about the project and its status,

The signal work is necessary because the two bike lanes are at the center of the avenue, which still will carry three lanes of vehicle traffic in each direction on most blocks. To avoid collisions when cars and bikes are attempting left turns, traffic light cycles are being changed so that bikes will have an exclusive green light to turn left when all other traffic is stopped.

and about how the CFA forced them to downscale it: no paint or pylons. But then they jump in with another AAA quote

"Lane closures must be approached with extreme caution to avoid excessive traffic delays," AAA spokesman John B. Townsend II said. "I think what's confusing to us is that they're taking out complete lanes."

Townsend said he feared that the loss of lanes would cause congestion on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Townsend is peddling fear (pun intended) and DDOT comes back with science.

Sebastian said modeling done by DDOT indicated that those fears are unfounded.

Again, I wish they'd have interviewed someone who could make the point that bike lanes increase cycling and cycling reduces congestion, so - as long as it's reasonable - bike lanes can reduce congestion; that Penn is massively overbuilt so it has room for bike lanes; and that even if there is a little added congestion it will be somewhat compensated by less pollution and CO2, improved safety and improved public health. But they didn't.

They did mention how this is one of many new bike lane/cycle tracks headed for downtown and that bike commuting in DC doubled over the last 8 years. So it is small, but is growing fast.

Comments

[Eric_W.]

I really should not have renewed my AAA membership. These guys become more ridiculous by the day.

[Early Man]

Why is AAA Mid-Atlantic a sponsor of Bike to Work Day? It is right there on WABA's poster. Does this mean they will have a table set up at Freedom Plaza? Don't you hate it when peanut buttered bagels fly out of your hand uncontrollably?

[Eric_W.]

Early Man:

Not sure what you want to say. If AAA is a sponsor of Bike to Work (did not check the referenced material), then they should indeed consider whether that involvement is defensible. Maybe they should just save the money and use it to publish more fact-free press releases when the next bike lane is proposed or implemented.

[washcycle]

Excellent point Early Man. Why sponsor bike to work day if you don't think people will actually bike to work?

[Anon]

It's probably sponsored by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety which actually does some good work. That said sponsorship for the event is handled by a group that promotes alternatives to SOVs.

[Neil]

The Post has been part of the AAA spin machine for a while. Finding a Washington Post transportation article without a quote from AAA (Lon Anderson or John Townsend) is difficult (not impossible, but difficult).

I respect the AAA, in the sense that they're the automobile association and have no reason to support anything that isn't an automobile. I just want no part of short-sighted transportation advocacy, and encourage people to drop their membership.

[Erica]

Eric W.,
It's not too late to cancel your AAA membership and switch to Better World Club instead. Same roadside assistance protection, but they lobby for transit and bicycles. You can get most of your membership dues back if you cancel AAA (tell them why) and BWC will give you a special discount for switching.