TheWashCycle

Peril for Pedestrians

IMAG0267, originally uploaded by volcrano.

This is a view looking back from the entry point to a crosswalk a the intersection of Greenbelt Road and Hanover Parkway. As you can see, the election signs block the view of traffic heading for the slip stream (this is not a hard right turn and cars can and do take this turn fast). I often bike on the sidewalk on this section/direction of Greenbelt Road, because I'm on my folding bike, about to go up a steep hill and trying not to sweat through my clothes as I move between meetings.

Tomato Bike Parking

Tomato Bike Parking, originally uploaded by Eric Gilliland.

50 States Ride 2010

Saturday, September 25- The legendary 50 States and 13 Colonies Ride is back in 2010. Are you ready to try one of the hardest rides in DC? We provide the Start/Finish area and 3 pit stops fully stocked with water, food, and a bike mechanic.

The Rides

50 States

The most unique and challenging bike ride in DC! This 60+ mile ride is for cyclists experienced and comfortable with riding through the city streets with traffic. The 50 States ride covers all 50 state streets in all 8 Wards in search of the District of Columbia's statehood. Often been referred to as "brutal," "insane," and "engrossing." You have not seen the city of Washington by bike until you have done the 50 States Ride.

*Cue sheets will be available the day of the ride. Because some of the cues may change last minute due to construction projects and road closures, WABA will not provide cue sheets in advance.

13 Colonies

Not quite as challenging as the 50 States Ride, but equally as enjoyable. Ride on all the streets named for every one of the 13 original colonies. This ride is a little under 15 miles and is also for cyclists who are comfortable with riding on city streets with traffic.

*Cue sheets will be available the day of the ride

Register Now>>

Ride Information

Ride Check-In & Start:

Kalorama Park
1875 Columbia Road NW, WDC

8:00 am - Ride Check-In
8:30 am - 50 States Ride Begins
9:00 am - 13 Colonies Ride Begins

Getting There:

Kalorama Park is conveniently located to the Adams Morgan/Woodley Park Metro Station on the Red Line. If you are driving, limited street parking is available.

Lunch:

Those who choose the California Tortilla burrito lunch option will receive their food at the Capitol Hill Pit stop no earlier than 11:30AM.

Post-ride Happy Hour:

To celebrate your hard pedaling, come on over to The Grill from Ipanema for a post-ride happy  hour! Located right across the street from the finish area at Kalorama Park, there will be bike parking out front, a delicious brunch offered until 4pm and a full menu after that, and 1/2 price beers and $1 off drinks and appetizers for riders! Check out the brunch menu here>>

Capital Bikeshare Newsnami: Day 8

First of all, Montreal's paper fails.

• The Montreal Gazette's headline is "Bixi goes to Washington, but mostly Arlington" and they get the numbers backwards "Most of the bikes -about 1,000 - will be on the streets of Arlington, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, where 100 bikes will be in service." Whoops.
• Rob Mandle writes about his experience

I know that people have been wondering about the usefulness of the Crystal City connection so here are some key findings from my ride!

• I made it from Crystal City to Petworth in 42 minutes as a casual ride.
• I crossed Rhode Island Avenue on 11th Street just under my 30 minute free ride window.
• My trip to Petworth only cost $1.50. With newly adjusted fares, my Metro trip would have been $3.25.
• On a good day without any delays, the Metro trip would have taken me about 30 minutes.  Add in wait time at the metro and my walk to the metro and you have about a 40 minute trip – Virtually a wash.

• Mike Madden at CityPaper likes them too, but worries about helmets and locks. [A lock becomes less of an issue with each additional station]
• The press release notes that Bixi is now in the Capitals of Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. What's cool is that I think you'll be able to use your key and account in any of those places. As Bixi and B-Cycle grow it will be interesting to see how much they compete and overlap. Will they be mortal enemies like Duff and Fudd, or will the merge like flexcar/zipcar and XM/Sirius? Will people from Bixi towns shy away from vacations to B-cycle towns?
• Also, I heard that the Lincoln Park station - which was to be on the sidewalk along the park - is being reevaluated after neighbors complained about the impact on traffic. They're looking at putting it into the park, but that involves NPS. It no longer shows up on the proposed map. Nice job NIMBYs.
• The current map now shows 52 stations (and counting)
• CaBi plus Zipcar...that was the plan all along!
• 14th and U writes briefly about it and about the 14th Street Streetscape project. "DDOT will be holding a public meeting to discuss the project on that date from 6:30 pm - 8:00 PM [on Wednesday, 9/29/10] in the second floor community room at the Reeves Center, located at 14th and U."
• NotionsCapital, WAMU, VaBike, RTC and inhabitat contribute stories as well.

Photo by DDOTDC

 

Pettigrew Death Investigation Continues, Vigil Planned

Natasha Pettigrew, the 30 year old Green Party nominee for the U.S. Senate, died late Monday night, after being hit by a Cadillac Escalade during  and early Sunday morning bike ride. Pettigrew was hit traveling south on Route 202 near the intersection with Campus Way.

The driver, Christy R. Littleford, 41, claims that she thought she hit a deer or a dog and did not stop. However a witness says that she saw the SUV stop and pull over. It was not until reaching home that she realized she had hit a cyclist and she called the police. According to the police, the crash happened at 5:30 am and that she called the police some time before 6:30 am.

Initially it did not appear that Pettigrew was wearing reflective clothing or lights. But her mother claims that she always rode with reflective gear and a News9 team found "found pieces of reflective plastic just a few feet from the accident scene as well as a reflective sneaker which Pettigrew's mother identified as the victim's."

Police say they needed to extract the bike from underneath the Escalade's frame to retrieve any additional evidence.

The witness claimed she saw sparks and smoke flying from it as it slowly drove away.

A candlelight vigil will take place at 6 p.m. Friday at the accident site, Henry said. Her daughter was an avid runner, swimmer and cyclist, and she had long complained about the lack of designated bike lanes. Henry said she hopes her daughter's death can draw attention to that need.

The Green Party has not decided if will find a replacement candidate or not, and if so, who.

The videos from WUSA and FOX are below the fold.

While this is scary and sad and can make one angry. I think it's important not to get ahead of the facts. I can believe the driver didn't see her (which doesn't mean that she wasn't visible). And I can believe she thought she hit an animal - it doesn't sound like she got out of the car. And that she drove home with the bike scraping the ground - perhaps she thought it was her bumper. She may have not been thinking straight with the adrenalin and fear. It's shocking on its face, but it's not impossible.

Speculation that someone was drunk or that there was a cover-up are just that - idle speculation. Some have claimed there was a four hour gap between the collision and Littleford calling the police, but so far I can't find a source for that. If Littleford wanted to get away with a crime, the easiest thing to do would have been to just not call the police. So many fatal hit and run drivers get away with it.

Before we label the driver a murderer, let's wait for more facts.

Meanwhile, the police should really just stop saying anything other than "we're investigating." As a commenter wrote

Janet Harrison represents the Maryland State Police on the state's bike-ped advisory committee. Perhaps it would be a good idea for people to express their concerns to her, and ask what the State Police plans to do to correct their repeated tendency to issue preliminary statements that either criticize a dead cyclist or defend the killer before the investigation is even complete.

Moonlight Ride!

Thursday, September 23- Join WABA, the Capitol Riverfront BID, and Forest City as we celebrate the full moon and the opening of the brand new Yards Park! The Yards Park is a beautiful new park along the SE Waterfront close to Nationals Stadium and is a great location for the start/finish of our bike rides and fun before hand!

The fun will begin as WABA watches as the Washington Nationals take on the Houston Astros at 4:35pm. Tickets for this game are available now through WABA's online registration! And don't forget- the Nationals offer free bike valet parking! Following the game, we will walk over to the Yards Park where there will be food trucks if you're hungry, community groups and bike shops to talk shop with and more.

Beginning at 7:30pm, riders can check-in with WABA or register on-site for one of our two rides. At 8:30pm, WABA will lead an 11-mile ride leaving the Yards Park heading west along the Potomac River taking in sights along the way including Hains Point, the Lincoln Memorial, and National Mall. There will be a turn-around point for those wishing to make their ride shorter.

Date- September 23rd, 2010

Location- The Yards Park

Time

4:35pm - Nationals vs. Astros Game

7:30pm - Ride check-in and on-site registration opens

8:30pm - 11-Mile ride departs

Capital Bikeshare Launch Event

Capital Bikeshare Launch Event, originally uploaded by DDOTDC.

Mayor Adrian Fenty officially launches the Capital Bikeshare system.

Pettigrew dies from injuries in bike crash

I'm super busy at work, and some of you have done a great job with updates to this story, but for those who don't follow the comments. Nancy Pettigrew, the cyclist hit on Sunday, died as a result of her injuries. It appears that she may have been wearing a reflective belt and shoes (though no reports of a tail light). I personally find it hard to believe that the driver stopped, didn't notice the bike or cyclist, and then drove on. More likely that they didn't stop. I suppose it's also possibly they drove on to hide some other bad fact, but I'm less likely to believe that without some other evidence.

Maryland Senate Candidate in Critical Condition after being hit by an SUV

It is so important to wear lights and reflectors when riding in the dark. And to stop when you think you hit something with your car.

Natasha Pettigrew, 30, of Bowie, the [Green] party's nominee for the seat currently held by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D), was transported to the Prince George's County Hospital Center in Cheverly after police found her near the site of the crash off Central Avenue and Campus Way early Sunday, said Cpl. Darryl Clark of Maryland State Police in Forestville.

According to Clark, Pettigrew was riding a bicycle just after 5:30 a.m. Sunday when she was hit from behind by a Cadillac Escalade.

Although the driver, Christy R. Littleford, told police that she stopped her vehicle after the collision, she allegedly told police she thought she hit a deer, Clark said, citing reports from the investigation.

Littleford, 41, of Upper Marlboro called Prince George's County police after returning home and finding Pettigrew's bicycle underneath her vehicle, Clark said. A witness called Maryland State Police after spotting Pettigrew after the incident.

Pettigrew was believed to be training for a triathlon, and did not appear to be wearing any reflective or bright clothing during the early morning ride.

The Post adds

He said "while the investigation is continuing, there is no indication at this time alcohol or drug use was involved in this incident."

No one has been charged or cited, Clark said.

How could she not see the bicycle underneath the car. I believe her (she called the police on her own), but it's just shocking.

Capital Bikeshare Newsnami: Day 7

Photo by artboredom

There were some really good articles, photos and posts on CaBi yesterday. Currently, we're third largest in the U.S. right now, and we should be largest by Halloween. But who's counting?

• The New York Times covered it on their green blog with a lot of good info I didn't know (and couldn't find on Sunday). "The system officially opens to the public on Monday with 400 bikes at 49 stations....In June, Minneapolis launched its Nice Ride program, with over 60 solar-powered stations and 700 bikes. A similar effort got under way in April in Denver, with 425 bikes. A major program is set to make its debut in Miami this fall, and New York is studying a massive program, with 30,000 bikes." And "[Capital Bikeshare and Smartbike] will coexist for a month before SmartBike begins to be phased out."
• This didn't take long.
• WTOP asked the Mayor what happens when he's gone. "We're gonna keep being a national leader in biking and intermodal transportation," says Fenty. "Mayors just hire peope. These are the guys who did all the hard work, and we've got lots of them at DDOT." And Jay Fisette added "Alexandria, Falls Church, Montgomery and Prince Georges [Counties] are next!
• Which is what TBD would like to believe.
• The Post is all about the Benjamins. "The District's $6 million share of the cost came in a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Arlington's $835,000 share came from several public sources in Virginia, officials said."
• Grist adds some nice facts and quotes "Lyon wasn't considered a particularly bike-friendly city. Since the introduction, though, officials there say shared bikes have increased bike use by 500 percent...Gabe Klein, D.C.'s Director of Transportation, wants to increase the number of bikes to 2,200 within a year."
• Andy Clarke of LAB was among those in yesterday's ride - he notes that in Montreal Bixi recorded 3 million trips this year.
• So did Mark Blacknell of the Arlington BAC - and he took a bunch of great photos
• The Bike Sharing blog has a post natch. There are now about 200 bike sharing systems in the world, up from 17 just three years ago.
• Other coverage: Dr. Grildlock, DCist, NBC, Patch, and Arlington Now.

 

And Fox covered it