TheWashCycle

Another crash at MVT crossing of GW Parkway

One reader writes in with the story of another from this past Friday morning at around 8:00 am. It doesn't involve a cyclist, but it is nonetheless relevant

I was on my motorcycle in the right lane, northbound, and part of a pack of about 4-5 cars going approximately 30-35mph (no really, it’s true).  Since we were already going kinda slow, at least one of the lead cars in the group decided to stop for two peds in the crosswalk.  Being on my motorcycle, I was keen to avoid getting rear-ended, so I slowed and repeatedly tapped my brakes and moved to the outer-right side of the road.  As I was checking my mirror, I heard the car in the left lane at the crosswalk squeal its tires and I saw legs fly in the air.  Thankfully, traffic had pretty much already stopped, so the driver who hit the pedestrian wasn’t going very fast.  I called 911 and the medics showed up very quickly.  The ped looked to be okay when the ambulance took him away…he was conscious and able to sit up, but he clearly had taken a good blow to the head, as he couldn’t remember what happened to him (although he was able to tell me how old he was when 911 asked me).  Since I was in the right lane and focused on my mirrors, I couldn’t tell exactly why the driver hit the guy, since the bunch of cars had come to a stop.  I think maybe the woman didn’t see the stop, hit the brakes, and swerved and hit the guy while he was on the path…but that’s just a guess.  She also may have seen the first ped cross, then re-accelerated, not realizing a second guy was on the road.  Maybe a report somewhere has better details.  As the Park Police were taking my statement, they remarked at how horrible that intersection is…not that much is being done to fix it, but I guess it’s something that they know there’s a problem.

Here's more.

Monday Morning Commute - Scare Tactics

Happy Halloween.

• At the T-intersection between the 14th Street Bridge ramp and the MVT they put a little more pavement down, making it easier for cyclists to make the turn. I still wish this had been made into an A-intersection.
• The first platform for the CaBi station at Courthouse in Arlington is under construction.
• MD and VA residents - contact your Senators. A couple of letters to the editor defend TE as well. Also, the Senators who oppose TE are saying things that aren't true. In fact of the 39 items Sen Coburn listed, several are flawed examples.
  • No transportation aid was spent on the coffee pot's $100,000 restoration, said Olga Herbert, executive director of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. The money was raised entirely from preservation and civic organizations and local supporters.
  • Also on Coburn's list was a lighthouse renovation in the harbor of Toledo, Ohio, that would be partly funded with $500,000 in federal money. Actually, no transportation dollars have been authorized or awarded.
  • Coburn's list includes a 1996 grant for preservation of a "factory used to make saddletrees" — the foundation of a riding saddle — in Madison, Ind. Not mentioned is that the grant wouldn't qualify for enhancement money under current program rules
  • The Texas Department of Transportation is described as spending $16.2 million in enhancement money to restore the Battleship Texas, docked in the Houston Ship Channel. U.S. transportation officials said an application for the money was turned down.
  • The list cited landscaping to screen a junkyard in Aiken, S.C. After checking with state and local authorities, federal officials said the project was canceled years ago and again, no funds were awarded.
  • The simulator theater is really a driver-education classroom for free driving classes for older people and teenagers, not a chance to pretend to be behind the wheel of a Corvette, museum officials said.
  • The "Turtle Tunnel" was paid for with stimulus money, makes driving safer and came in under its $3M budget. Coburn said it would cost over $9M and wasn't finished.
• One again, the difference between a bike critic and a bike advocate is a 2 hour bike ride. "It was a revealing experience for a guy who had thought of bikes as more of a toy than a real vehicle, one that should be tried by any driver guilty of making the same mistake."
• High school cycling teams hit the new section of the Three Notch Trail. "So far, St. Mary’s is the only public school system in the state to start a cycling program. He said there has been interest from other counties, including neighboring Charles County, in starting cycling programs as part of the corollary sports initiative. The corollary sports teams were created to give students with a variety of disabilities the chance to participate in team sports, he said. The teams are open to any students, though, and there are a few without disabilities participating now, he said."
• Some unauthorized, but much-wanted, pavement markings in Portland are going to be removed by the state DOT. I like these, and I really wish we had more on-pavement directions on trails. I think they're much easier to understand. 

Photo of Courthouse CaBi station construction by Chris Hamilton

Sunday Video - Beyond Whiskey Drome

Saturday Afternoon Ride - Let it Snow

Happy Halloween (observed, drinkers) and really? Snow? There is some in my back yard now.

• Tree branch over RCP may not be a hazard.
• Washingtonian has a Winter Biking Guide, and based on the photo, I'd recommend avoiding SmartBike.
  • The organization hasn’t yet announced its winter plans, but, like last year, a portion of the bikes will likely be taken out of commission, according to Jim Sebastian, the DC Department of Transportation bicycle coordinator. “It’s because of lesser demand rather than a need to tune them up,” he says.
  • Enriquez says it’s best to buy new tires or ride with them fully inflated. If you hit a pothole with underinflated tires, you can easily pop the tube or bend the wheel.

Friday Afternoon Commute - Catch and release

I guess I'll have to watch Game 7 - I mean if you won't watch a game 7 of a World Series then you might as well declare baseball bankruptcy.

• Watch out for that tree!
• 13 year old bike thief, caught and released. But since his father now knows what's going on, I dount he's going un-punished. 
• Is the transit death spiral that is brought on by underinvestment increasing bicycle trips?

Cost of putting trail and light rail through Bethesda Tunnel rises

The Post has the alarming news that the costs associated with the Capital Crescent Trail, related to the Purple Line project, have gone up from $65 million to $103 million.

The rising cost estimates from the Maryland Transit Administration reflect more detailed designs that illustrate the difficulty and “risks” of trying to build the trail and rail line through the tunnel beneath Wisconsin Avenue and two office buildings, according to the 80-page report.

This comes less than a year after the price rose from $25 million to the $60-65 million price. Wayne Phyillaier pointed out then that that wasn't actually the price for the trail - and those comments are still valid and worth rereading now - but nonetheless this could be a setback to those who want to see the trail go through the tunnel. 

MTA officials say more detailed engineering has revealed potential problems with the tunnel design, including the need to strengthen or rebuild at least 35 columns that support the Apex office building on the west side of Wisconsin. Excavating to lower the train tracks to provide enough head room for trail users also would be costly, transit planners said.

In order to make room for the trail, they have to excavate to lower the tracks about 8-10 feet. But doing this exposes the bottoms of the Apex Building supports as well as the piers of the previous Wisconsin Avenue bridge, which were not removed but rather cut off and buried. The Apex building supports will have to be strengthened due to the exposure for which they were not designed. That's what makes that the trail expensive, but

While MTA has not advanced the design of an option with only the Purple Line in the tunnel to a level where a firm determination of these impacts and risks can be made, it is likely that some columns or bracing grade beams would still be impacted.

It matters because...

The MTA has asked Montgomery County to decide whether it still wants to build the trail in the tunnel. County officials say they would be responsible for paying for the trail construction, but they would seek some money from the state.

Montgomery council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), whose district includes the trail, said the county remains committed to rebuilding it, but cost will be a factor.

“We’ll have some interesting negotiations ahead with the state as to what its responsibilities are and what our responsibilities are,” Berliner said.

Right. Montgomery County is paying for the trail, and Maryland is paying for the train. So I'd be suspect if Maryland is assigning the cost of each part too. It's like letting someone else divide up the bar bill without looking at it yourself.

The state’s latest cost estimate puts trail construction at $93.9 million. But if costs for safety lighting, landscaping and benches are included, the total increases to $103.3 million. About 43 percent of the total trail costs stems from the 1,000 feet inside the tunnel, planners said.

The other option would be to reroute the trail onto local streets to avoid the tunnel, requiring trail users to cross Wisconsin.

It will not take long for the anti-Purple Line groups to grab onto this.

There are some other interesting tidbits from the white paper summary.

• The industry standard for lighting is that there be for facial recognition. Montgomery County wants to provide less and thus save $4M
• "The type of landscaping and hardscaping that is envisioned with the current cost estimate is not as extensive as has been depicted in some of the renderings"
• All the landscaping between the trail and the rail is considered a trail expense.
• MTA would like guidance on whether to continue to design the connection between the Capital Crescent Trail and the Rock Creek Trail.
• It might be cheaper to buy and tear down the Apex building than to try and stabilize it. Either way, they'd still need to excavate to get under the Wisconsin Avenue bridge. 
• The truss for the trail would have to be built outside the tunnel and then moved inside it and jacked into place. That isn't easy or cheap.

The paper notes that if the Air Rights Building were to be redeveloped, that could lower the cost by as much as $19 million, but even that isn't guaranteed.

Friday Morning Commute - 5500%

Good Morning

• Yesterday I reported that the year-over-year increase on CaBi was over 3000%. But what I didn't mention was the comparison to the SmartBike days. I don't have numbers on SmartBike for the months when it overlapped with CaBi, but the system had 55,465 trips from August 2008-September 2010. Or about 43% as many trips as CaBi did last month. From September 2008 to September 2011 bike sharing is up ~5500%. I know it's apples to oranges, but still fun.
• Maintenance!
• Rand Paul wants to defund biking and walking to pay for repairing America's bridges. Using the same logic, from now on I will order my Chipotle burrito without lettuce, to lose weight.
• In Hull,WI a proposed law would require biking, running or walking groups to register their travel plans with the town or bans them from using roads outright.
• Your child should be wearing a helmet right now."Children can face a lifetime of problems after suffering head injuries from falls, car accidents and other mishaps, according to a new study....Many of these injuries can be prevented by using bicycle helmets"

VDOT Bicycle Policy Plan

Some highlights from the Plan, which is a little dry (and has an unfortunate habit of saying things like "VDOT has made tremendous strides in establishing policies that address the needs of bicyclists." Which might be true, but still comes off as bragging.)

• Goals: Increase the use of bicycling in Virginia to include a full and diverse range of the population for all trip purposes; and improve safety and comfort of bicyclists throughout Virginia, reduce bicycle crashes.
• According to the 2000 U.S. Census, in Arlington County, 12.4 percent of households have no motor vehicle
• "the likelihood of a motor vehicle driver being responsible is greater for crashes involving adult bicyclists."
• "For motorists, failure to yield is the most common cause [of crashes] while for bicyclists, failure to yield, stop sign violations, and riding against traffic are the most common causes."

Thursday Morning Commute - 3000% increase

Good morning

• What's the best way to see the Marine Corps Marathon? By Capital Bikeshare of course.
• Speaking of CaBi, official September 2011 numbers are out. As mentioned earlier ridership was again down from the mid-summer highs. It's about 11% lower in September than June. All the other indicators are down a little too - probably due to weather and reduced tourism as previously discussed. Trips per bike per day was down to 4.8 - which isn't much off the peak of 5.1. On the up side, ridership in September 2011 was more than 3000% larger than in Sept 2010 (I know it was only open a few days that month, but it's still a fun number). There have been 1.05 million rides so far and only one serious reported injury.
• More than half of the speakers at the Virginia Transportation Plan public hearing expressed interest in better bicycle, pedestrian, and transit solutions. But others came to support the outer Beltway. 
• Not sure this guy knows what walkable means. If there are a lot of pedestrians - it's probably walkable. And sidewalk cycling in legal in Takoma Park. 
• The Boeing deal in Arlington may clear the way for phase II of the Long Bridge Park, which may include a new connection to the Mount Vernon Trail. Maybe. Phase I is coming along nicely and will open soon.

WABA and Area Nonprofits To Raise Millions As Part of Give to the Max Day, November 9th

Times are tough for WABA, who, since 1972 have been advocating for cyclists in the DC metro area and promoting bicycling for fun, fitness and as an alternative transportation method.  With decreasing funding, and an increasing demand for services, resources are stretched thin.

To help generate donations, and possibly win thousands of additional dollars in awards, on November 9th WABA will be competing in Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington (www.give2max.org), a massive one-day regional online fundraiser to support local programs. More than a thousand  nonprofits that serve the greater Washington region will ask donors to display their generosity in a region-wide competition to raise as much money as possible, and gain as many supporters as possible, in order to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in awards for WABA.

For 24 hours, starting at 12:00 AM on November 9th, nonprofits will drive their supporters online to donate, creating a huge display of support for one of the region’s largest sectors.  There will be more than $100,000 in cash awards available for local nonprofits who generate the most in donations, and those that attract the most individual donors. WABA has our sights set on the $10,000 grand prize for most individual donors and we’re busy rallying our members to participate.

To help WABA, and the great work we do every day,

• Sign up to be on our email list. 
• Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/WABADC and on Twitter at twitter.com/WABADC
• Pledge your support to WABA on November 9th by donating online
• Learn more about Give to the Max Day at give2max.org

The Washington area nonprofit sector is one of the region’s most important economic drivers.  To help local nonprofits, Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington was created by online fundraiser Razoo, and organized and supported by The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and United Way of the National Capital Area.This inaugural one day giving event is being held in conjunction with Digital Capital Week, which is a series of Web 2.0 events from Nov. 4-11.  Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington encompasses nonprofits serving Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, The City of Alexandria, Falls Church, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Charles County and of course, Washington, DC.  All registered United States 501(c)(3) organizations that have been vetted by the IRS are able to participate in the event.