TheWashCycle

National Airport Bike Parking

Airport Bike Parking by M.V. Jantzen

The trail that led here was closed for a while. But this is a good option for airport parking.

Capital Bikeshare closed for Irene

Due to expected high winds, heavy rain and potential flooding, Capital Bikeshare will be closing down the system at 6pm tonight (Saturday).  During the shutdown those members that have bikes out will still be able to return them, but new rentals will not be possible.  We regret the necessity of doing this, but we take the safety of our members very seriously.  We will reopen the system as soon as it is possible to safely do so and notify all members when we are operational.

During the storm if you witness any damage to a Capital Bikeshare station or bikes please contact our customer service line at 1-877-430-BIKE, or email [email protected].  Posts to Facebook and Twitter would also help Capital Bikeshare track and respond to damaged equipment. 

 

CaBi: One of the region’s biggest success stories

David Alpert has an article in the Post today about Capital Bikeshare, using CaBi's utility during the earthquake evacuation as a starting point. The article is about what a success the program has been and how to make it better.

But Capital Bikeshare became one of the region’s biggest success stories of recent years. It’s obvious that more people, of all shapes and colors, are now biking around Washington and Arlington. Many say that drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians are even respecting each other more.

That’s not to say the system is perfect. Too often, Bikeshare users seeking to get or return a bike come upon stations that are empty or full. That can be frustrating, but there are two silver linings to this: It points out the need for expansion, and it encourages regular riders to use their own bikes.

A fascinating consequence of CaBi’s success has been more people taking their own bikes. Many people started riding around the District or Arlington with CaBi then began riding more overall. I’m one of those people. Previously, I used my bike only on occasion, but I now ride it, or CaBi, much more often.

His suggestions are solid.

Keep expanding. The District is adding 25 stations, Arlington 30, Rockville 20. More would be better, and Alexandria, College Park, Bethesda, Fairfax and others should join.

Add bike lanes and “cycle tracks.” Novice cyclists feel especially vulnerable on the roads. Bike lanes, especially the “cycle tracks” on 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, help. The D.C. Department of Transportation has wavered on adding similar lanes elsewhere downtown. It should move decisively to build them and to complete the 60 miles of lanes in the city’s Bicycle Master Plan. Other jurisdictions can do likewise.

Don’t cut federal bike (and pedestrian) funding. Twelve percent of all trips nationwide happen by bike or on foot, but states spend just 1 percent of transportation funds on bike and pedestrian facilities. Yet Congress is looking at eliminating dedicated bike/pedestrian funding entirely.

Add stations on federal property. Look at the Bikeshare map, and you see a giant hole amid Crystal City, Rosslyn and downtown D.C. It’s called the Mall and its associated parks. Yet the memorials are almost perfect places for stations.

Saturday Morning Ride - Eye

Good morning

• Unsupringly, Capital Bikeshare may close if Hurrican Irene related weather creates conditions on the ground warrant it.
• Surpringly, my work sent out an email announcing that all bikes have to be moved in because of the storm. And that any bikes left locked to bike racks outside will have the lock cut and be brought inside. Bikes are normally not allowed inside. This email was sent 2 hours before lock cutting was to begin. Lock cutting began at 4:30 when many people might still be at work.
• Also, the Oxon Run Ride has been cancelled.
• The MBT is having a day of service on 9/10.
• With the sidewalk along 15th closed due to earthquake damage, the cycletrack has become a MUT.
• "Pentagon Police briefly shut down Washington Boulevard in both directions between I-395 and the George Washington Parkway. Authorities were looking at an unattended bicycle on the fence line of the facility."
• The Fairfax County cyclist hit by an ice cream truck on bike to work day this year - on his first ever bike commute - suffered broken ribs and a punctured lungs, but appears to have recovered. "The truck’s driver, Impha Gassama, 52, of New Carrollton, Md., was charged with failing to yield the right of way from a private drive"

Not of a highly controversial nature

As noted in the comments yesterday, NPS has reconfirmed and restated the rule against bicycling on the GW and Clara Barton Parkways.

They claim that it is unsafe, not feasible, not in the interest of resource protection or the avoidance of visitor conflicts.

Let's knock them down one at a time.

Unsafe - cyclists use them now (illegally) without crashes. And cyclists often ride on similar roads safely. That storm drains are not bike friendly is an argument for bike friendly storm drains, not a bicycle ban

Not feasible - It was legal until 2007 and it currently done illegally. So it's clearly feasible.

Resource protection - What resource are cyclists a threat to that cars are not?

Visitor conflicts - Was there a history of conflict prior to 2007 or is this just another way of saying "cyclists get in the way of full speed driving?"

They go on to say that cyclists have an available and safe alternative to use because of the MVT and the C&O Canal.

Both of these have speed limits and neither is available all year as they aren't cleared of snow, flood before the roads or - in the case of the C&O Canal - can be washed out. Nor does the MVT go all the way to the American Legion Bridge.

They claim that

Less resrtictive measurs will not suffice because of the serious safety hazards presented by having bicyclists and motorists travel on the same roadway.

Odd. It seems to work everywhere else.

They claim that

It is not of a highly controversial nature because bicyclists have an alternative means of travel

I don't know about that.

There was, of course, no outreach to cyclists or the public, for input on the rulemaking. Same as in 2007.

Friday Morning Commute - Irene, you rene

Who is that young man on the right? Why that is Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Riding without a helmet will surely cost him the nomination. Scofflaw! Get out of the road!

• The Center Hiking Club will host an Arlington history bike tour on Saturday, Aug. 27 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Ballston Metro station.
• NPS is going to rehabilitate and improve two small bridges on the MVT near mile marker 1.75.
• The new Lewinsville Road Bridge over the Beltway is now open with new pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly sidewalks.
• Vienna will participate in "Hail the Trail,” a celebration of the W&OD Regional Trail, on Saturday, Sept. 3 from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Followed by hours of fighting all the crime that everyone knows trails bring.
• The editors of the Sun Gazette support Vienna's child helmet law proposal. "any adult who rides without a helmet in Northern Virginia is being a bit foolish"
• The Post promotes the B&A trail as an off-the-beaten path....path.
• The NYC 9/11 museum has a bike rack among its artifacts

Shape the next 5 years of bicycle advocacy in the Washington, DC region!

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is pleased to announce its Regional Call to Action Summit on November 3rd, 2011 in Arlington, VA. At the Call to Action Summit, WABA will be presenting a five-year plan of regional and local priorities for bicycling in the Washington Region. The summit will include presentations on the Metro's long-term bicycle and pedestrian plans, health planning and bicycles, a panel discussion on the economics of the bicycle industry and much more.

We want your input on the regional plan!

1) Please attend a Local Stakeholder's Meeting

We will be holding short, two hour meetings in the six local jurisdictions that WABA serves in order to gather your ideas and give you--the region's local bicyclists--a chance to provide input for the regional plan. We ask attendees to please download and complete the Pre-Meeting Planning Sheet prior to the meeting.

9/13 - Prince George's Co. - Greenbelt Library Aud., 6pm to 8pm - More Info & RSVP
9/20 - Montgomery Co. - Kensington Park Comm. Library, 6pm to 8pm - More Info & RSVP
9/27 - Arlington Co. - Shirlington Branch Library, 6:30pm to 8:30pm - More Info & RSVP
10/4 - Alexandria Co. - Nannie J Lee Rec. Center, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm - More Info & RSVP
10/11 - District of Columbia - Benning Library, 6:30pm to 8:30pm - More Info & RSVP
10/17 - Fairfax Co. - Patrick Henry Library, Vienna, VA, 6pm to 8pm - More Info & RSVP

2) Can't make the local meeting?

The one page PDF planning sheet gives a basic framework for providing input for the five year regional priority plan we are creating. Whether you are at your local meeting or not, WABA and your fellow bike advocates want to hear from you!

Please submit your input by emailing [email protected] by October 21st, 2011

 

Attend the Regional Call to Action Summit on November 3rd, 2011

Time: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Call to Action Summit Location
Waterview Conference Center
1919 N Lynn St
Arlington, VA 22209

Google Map Link (create bicycle directions!)
Metro Accessible via the Rosslyn Station on the Blue & Orange Lines
Bike Accessible via the Mount Vernon Trail, Custis Trail & the Key Bridge

More information and to RSVP for the November 3rd Call to Action Summit

We hope to see you at a local meeting or the Call to Action Summit on November 3rd.

Thank you!
Washington Area Bicyclist Association

New Pavement under the Wilson Bridge II

New Pavement in the Safety Zone by Rootchopper

"There was a stretch of new pavement on the Mount Vernon Trail underneath the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. It wasn't any smoother than the pavement it replaced and it ended at a paved but very bumpy section over which the cyclist in the picture was riding."

Crashes per capita and bike lanes

In the comments of yesterday's post on DDOT released bike data, John Cruz expressed surprise that crashes haven't dropped as bike lane miles went up. I pointed out that if crashes remained the same, while ridership went up, that meant the streets were getting safer.

Using only DDOT's data I made the following graph.

Some caveats:

• It uses commuter data as a proxy for trips, which may not be perfect.
• It uses percentages instead of actual counts. I could get the actual counts if I just knew how many commuters there were in each of those years - which is probably in census data, but I don't have time to look it up
• I combined 2001 bike lane and crash data with 2000 bike commuting numbers, to cover a longer period.

Still I think it shows that DC is becoming safer for cyclists. It does NOT show that bike lanes are the cause of this. There could be any number of explanations. But bike lanes could be a reason or even the main one.

Gazette Letter-to-the-Editor fight, round 5

Linda Need weighs in now, trying to be the voice of reason, but she misses in oh-so-many ways.

Motorists want bikers on the bike paths, and bikers want motorists to toodle behind them while they pedal at various speeds up the road.

See, what motorists want is simple - bikes on bike paths, but what cyclists want is to inconvenience drivers.

Motorists and cyclists both break the law; unfortunately it's the motorist who will go to jail if the two collide.

Oh, if only she knew how untrue that was. Unless the motorist was drunk or left the scene (and was caught) they will almost surely do no time - even in the rare event that they are found at fault - and might not even have to show up in court. Besides, is going to jail really worse than dying. Why wouldn't she say "unfortunately it's the cyclist who will go to the hospital or morgue if the two collide?"

No wonder motorists are unnerved driving around cyclists.

Yes, that's been my experience.

When cyclists yell obscenities and spit on motorists (both have happened to my family), it just inflames the situation. Neither side has been polite about this.

Well then, why are you focused only on the cyclists? Has someone in your family been run off the road by a cyclist? Because I've had a driver do that to me. It inflamed both the situation and my knee.

As a motorist who doesn't have the privilege of having time to cycle,

Cyclists are so privileged. You know how she could free up some time? Start biking more. Oh wait...

I think the cyclists should be on the bike paths, as it is much easier for bikes to dodge pedestrians than cars to dodge cyclists.

But what about when there are no bike paths? Or people want to ride fast? And is it really easier? Maybe drivers should slow down instead of trying to "dodge" cyclists.

However, I think the only permanent solution is to put in bike lanes

Hooray! We agree,,,

and make cyclists pass a "driving" test and get licensed to ensure that they all know that they must follow the same rules as cars when they are on the road.

...and the moment is over.

Until that happens, we will continue to have frustrated motorists and angry cyclists.

And see, drivers are frustrated - which is a reasonable, thoughtful reaction, while cyclists are angry, which is emotional and scary.