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I was glad to read about the 36 new stations the other day. I don't know where the DC stations will go but if the Arlington stations go in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, that will prove to be very useful. There a lot of residents and businesses along Wilson and Fairfax Blvds so that means many potential subscribers and many opportunities for CaBi bike use.

Just as importantly, those stations will provide a much better way to travel between Arlington's two main commercial centers of Rosslyn/Ballston and Pentagon City/Crystal City without having to worry about bike parking at the end of the trip. Metro is inconvenient because it requires a roundabout route to Rosslyn and a transfer.

I think the bike route system could use some improvements between Ballston and Crystal City/Potomac Yards. But that's a topic for a separate post.

As for the photo, that doesn't look safe. Can't imagine that those two are stable on the bike. And the extra weight puts more stress on the bike. Oh well. At least I haven't seen this happen myself.

Merry Christmas to all.

Question: how to balance extending the geographic reach of the system vs. closely spacing stations to maximize uptake/usage within the existing footprint? For example, should bike stations be added in neighborhoods at both ends of the Red Line corridor (Fort Totten, Friendship Heights, Takoma) or at major activity centers like Walter Reed that are located well to the north of the urban core? Or should the perimeter of the existing service area be expanded gradually outward, adding stations at the edges and only when the core area is fully built out (such that stations are, say, no more than 1/4 mile apart)?

Personally, I lean towards covering new areas before adding density, but in some places where stations are routinely overused (empty or full) some redundancy is needed.

As a resident of Mount Vernon in VA, I am increasingly envious of the CaBi system. I think this is a terrific idea and really enhances the livability of Arlington and DC. I can see how it would easily work in other cities (Boston/Cambridge/Brookline comes to mind). And now that the price of gasoline is edging back over $3/gallon, I expect CaBi's popularity to increase.

While we didn't get the TIGER 2 grant, Alexandria is working towards getting some smaller grants that would allow for some stations in the Potomac Yard area.

I think that stations should be added based on that "gravity" model, to build usage in the places where the bikes are likely to be used.

In other words, Fort Totten = no. I would even be doubtful about Takoma, because adding a couple stations doesn't add the network density you need.

E.g., it would be interesting to look at the three stations in Brookland (CUA next to the Metro, next to Brooks Mansion, next to CVS on 12th Street) to get a sense of use patterns. I think they aren't likely to be very high, because the stations are more like outposts, seemingly not part of an integrated network of stations.

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