TheWashCycle

Fenty admits to intervening on Penn Ave Bike lanes

Last May, when the Penn Avenue bike lanes were installed, not opened, and then changed, Gabe Klein claimed that changing them was all his idea.

Did the mayor make him do it? Did AAA? No, he says, put it on him.

But David Alpert interviewed Mayor Fenty about it, and it sounds like the Mayor was more involved than Klein makes it sound.

But then what about the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes, where the experts designed an arrangement which the traffic analysis backed up, but then DDOT ripped it out before even launching it? Well, that time, Fenty did intervene in engineering, but that's because the first draft hadn't taken everything into account, he explained.

Bleg: Biking on the mall advice

A reader writes in that they are new to biking and bike on the Mall to get to work. She finds that pedestrians on the sidewalks and paths either don't move when she rings her bell or calls out, move the wrong way and/or give her a nasty look. She's tried many different calls and ringing early or late. But many don't move even when they see her coming at them. She is not interested in biking on Independence or Constitution because she's new to cycling and those don't feel safe to her.

I don't bike on the Mall (in part for the reasons she mentioned), but does anyone have any advice for her? If you bike commute on the Mall, how do you safely and courteously handle the crowds? The only thing I can think of as advice is "patience," but it hardly seems satisfying.

BicycleSPACE is now open

At 459 I Street, NW, the BicycleSPACE is DC's newest bicycle shop. I've been meaning to stop by, but I'm suddenly much busier than I used to be.

Forget the stereotypical spandex and lycra image, this is normal bikes and gear for normal people who have discovered the convenience of getting around by bicycle.  Co-owner and bicycle visionary Philip Koopman describes it as “creating community in the center of the city” by hosting fun events such as free bike rides to introduce residents and visitors to the world-class cycling facilities in Northeast and Southeast Washington DC, rolling away the display fixtures and hosting community events at the store, providing world-class bicycle service by career mechanics like Paul Reighard, who has over 25 years of experience and sets impeccable quality standards, and introducing the community to bikes that fit its transportation and health needs by carrying everything from cargo bikes which are designed to carry several suitcases (or shopping bags) to hand-made Brompton folding bikes, to the finest active clothing and accessory lines available.

I would love an interior photo if someone stops by.

Ward 6 performance parking goodies

Tommy Wells points out a bike rack on Barracks Road (which desperately needs more bike parking) paid for by the Performance Parking program.

A time-line of the Metropolitan Branch Trail

I thought it might be instructive to create a time-line for the Metropolitan Branch Trail, both past and present, to give an idea of how much has been done and how much there is to do. This is a pretty complicated project with many moving parts including DC, Montgomery County, PG County, CSX, WMATA, PEPCO, Catholic University and other private land owners. A project like that takes a while to finish.

1988 - The idea is conceived and pitched by Brookland resident and planner Patrick Hare.

1989 - The first exploratory ride was held.

1997 - The DC Department of Public Works completed an engineering feasibility study.

1998 - Congress allocated $8.5 million in demonstration project money to fund the trail.

1999 - WABA published the concept plan for the trail. A formal groundbreaking ceremony was held. The first section of the trail, a one mile long side-path along John McCormack Dr NE, was built.

2001 - WABA published a study describing the necessary acquisitions needed for the trail.

2002 - WMATA agreed to build a section of the trail as part of the New York Avenue Metro Station project. M-NCPPC completed a feasibility study and concept plan of the Maryland section of the trail.

2003 - Bike lanes painted on 1st St NE from G St to K St. 2004 - The New York Avenue Metro Station opened with 2000 feet of trail. A half mile of the trail was built, unpaved, in Takoma Park, MD along Takoma Avenue and Fenton Street. A bridge over the railroad tracks to Jessup Blair Park was built.

2005 - DDOT completed a comprehensive concept plan

2006 - Takoma Park trail section is paved.

2008 - Stairs from the New York Avenue Metro Station section to L Street NE, a sidepath section of the trail under the tracks along L Street NE and along a three-block portion of 2nd Street NE were completed.

2010 - Prince Georges County Connector in Avondale, MD from the DC/MD line to 19th Avenue opened. A 1.5 mile section of the trail rom New York Ave to Franklin Street opens.

Future

Fall 2010 - Completion of the Rhode Island Avenue Bridge design. Design begins of the trail from Michigan Avenue to 1st St, NE.

Spring 2011 - Work begins on the Art Walk development and with it a one block section of the trail between Monroe Ave and the CUA Metro.

Spring or summer 2011 - Completion of the Silver Spring Transit Center. This includes the northern trailhead and a temporary section of the trail. The section will be finalized when the Purple line is built through the center.

Fall 2011 - Rhode Island Avenue Bridge to open

2013 - Completion of the Transportation Access Improvements for 1st Place and Galloway Street, NE. This will include a section of the Met Branch Trail to Riggs Road, and the Prince Georges County Connector to South Dakota Avenue

2016 - Completion of phase 1 of the Montgomery County Section, from the Silver Spring Transit Center to Georgia Avenue - including the bridge over Georgia Avenue

2019 - Completion of phase 2 of the Montgomery County Section, from Georgia Avenue to Montgomery College

Indefinite hold - Prince Georges County Connector from 19th Ave to Chillum Road

TBD - Construction of section from Michigan Avenue to Fort Totten

TBD - Design and Construction of the 1st St, NE to DC-MD line section

TBD - Design and Construction of the PG County Connector from South Dakota Avenue to the DC/MD line

TBD - Ramp built from 1st St NE to trail above L Street (This is dependent on construction beginning on a building to replace the parking lot at the NE corner of 1st and L).

Regional biking on Kojo Nnamdi yesterday

David Goodman, Bicycle & Pedestrian Programs Manager of Arlington County; Jim Sebastian, Bicycle Coordinator, DC Department of Transportation and Gail Tait-Nouri, Montgomery County Bike Coordinator were on the Kojo Nnamdi show to discuss regional biking yesterday. I didn't hear the show live, and the beginning was cut off on the online version, but below is a rough outline of what was discussed, with approximate times.

The only things that might be new to frequent readers are that Arlington is applying to the FHWA for permission to put bicycle signals at two locations on the Custis Trail and Montgomery County is planning to install it's first sharrow late this year or early next year.

(00:00) Sebastian talks about what DC has done to be ready for Capital Bikeshare.

(01:20) Tait-Nouri on the TIGER II grant and Goodman on the expanstion of the system from Crystal City

(2:20) Sebastian on bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue NW "bicyclists love those lanes and they want more like it, we've seen an increase in users." and on whether they've had any safety issues "it's taken a little bit of education..but essentially you follow the signals. We have a little friction with pedestrians...but we have to share the space." They've installed 3 miles of bike lane so far this year and hope to get to 10 by the end of the year. The 15th street cycletrack is to be extended all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

(04:30) The first caller thinks the fee is too high, which David Goodman doesn't address, but instead talks about the fee structure. [I'd say you're paying $10-35 more per year for a system with 12,800 more possible point-to-point trips. That sounds like a bargain].

(06:30) Tait-Nouri discusses the many challenges that Montgomery County has, which includes narrow ROW, heavy congestion, environmental concerns, federal facilities and security issues, community concerns, etc... MacArthur Blvd - bike commuters going 20-30 mph want to use the roadway and get to work as fast as everyone else. Worked with community and will add shoulders - not wide - so that road can be more easily shared. How to get more bike lanes in rural areas? - MoCo is trying to get more bike lanes in these resurfacing projects.

(13:00) Sebastian talks about the New Hamshire Avenue contraflow bike lane

(14:00) Goodman: Bike signals are considered "experimental" so they need to get  permission from FHWA to install them. Arlington County has applied for two locations on Custis Trail. There are a lot of conflicts on the Lee Highway section, so they'll install one light at Scott Street and one at Oak Street. Looking to get them installed this fall. This year they launched a bicycle initiative that incorporates the four E's. They have 25 miles of bike lane and want to add 8.5 miles of bike lanes and sharrows this year.

(15:40) Goodman explains what sharrows are.

(17:20) Tait-Nouri announces that MoCo to install first sharrows near Forest Glen Metro, by the end of the year/early next year.

(18:00) Sebastian talks about sharrows in DC

(18:45) Caller asks if CaBi is similar to Bixi, and Sebastian notes that it's identical, with similar rates. "You wouldn't want to take the bus and then keep it at your house until you're ready to go somewhere and this is the same situation."

(20:30) Realtor calls in to talk about real-estate and biking

(21:10) Goodman talks about signage and wayfinding. They have an ambitious plan to improve it in Arlington.

(22:00) Caller asks about plan to add a bike trail along the north part of Beach Drive. Sebastian says that there is interest, but there isn't room. So it will probably be a share the road situation.

(23:30) Caller asks about making schools safer for biking in PG County and Tait-Nouri recommends joining WABA.

(25:00) "Is biking on the sidewalk illegal and what about scofflaw cyclists?" Sebastian explains the law and their education and enforcement efforts.

Here Wait Bikes

Here Wait Bikes, originally uploaded by M.V. Jantzen.

New pavement markings in the New Hampshire Ave NW contraflow bike lane (north of U St). Washington, DC.

Charges Pending Against Driver in Tuesday Fatality

Failure to yield

Arthur John Martin Jr., 51, of New Windsor was riding his bike on Shepherds Mill Road when a tractor-trailer driven by Anthony Edward Woodie, 37, made a right turn onto Route 75 in front of him, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Based on preliminary investigation, troopers say that Woodie failed to yield to Martin when turning, but do not believe alcohol or high speeds were a factor.

Charges are pending against the truck driver.

From the brief amount of information we have, there are many similarities with the Swanson crash.

New Bike Racks on H Street

More (temporary?) bike racks were recently placed on H Street NE thanks to Tommy Wells and DDOT. Awesome.

And Tommy Wells is busy spotting other places that need bike racks.

Gray on Bike Lanes pt. 2

He seems much more for them here, this week (tip)

Gray not fan of bus lanes of 7th/9th. 'I'd rather put bike lanes on every street...because they're the way of the future'

than he did a few weeks ago.