Good morning
- WABA is asking cyclists to testify to the DC Council in favor of safer streets and more protection.
- Kidical Mass' last ride of the year is this Saturday and includes a costume contest.
- Humpback Bridge MVT work to be completed in about two weeks.
- Compete coverage of Alexandria's entrance into CaBi.
- Residents are advised to continue to avoid any direct contact with waters in Holmes Run downstream of the Ripley Street fair weather crossing in the City of Alexandria. A portion of the bike trail on the north side of Brooke Valley Park has been closed due to the spill and emergency construction now taking place on site; however, trail riders may use Holmes Run Parkway. The City and Fairfax County are working jointly to address the two broken sewer pipes identified on Friday, October 7. The spill is currently contained; however, repairs on the broken sewer pipes will be ongoing.
- Reportedly a group of cyclist riding on the GW Parkway this weekend - which is illegal - were buzzed by a diver. No biggie. Happens all the time. But then the car turned around, made a loop and came by again, passing the cyclists again and then, this time, quickly slamming on his brakes causing one cyclist to crash into the back of the car. The car sped away before anyone could get the tag #. The cyclist was taken to the hospital with a broken hip.
- Though linked to earlier, here is the WABA post on the extension of the WB&A trail across the Patuxent and south to the ATTS. One plan to cross the Patuxent involves a 1 mile detour. Considering the distance people are willing to bike to work or errands (3-10 miles), a 1 mile detour will really reduce utility.
- GM ran a set of ads targeted at college students designed to make cycling and walking look like transit for losers. It appears to have backfired and they have pulled the ads. I don't find it offensive, if anything it's a compliment and tacit recognition that younger people are interested in biking and walking. They're a car company; of course they don't want you to go car-free or car-lite. You don't hate a shark for killing, that's what sharks do. As is often misattributed to Ghandi "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Coincidentally, this was just after the League of American Bicyclists named their bike-friendly universities - which included both George Mason and the University of Maryland at the bronze level (Texas got an honorable mention).
* The actual quote is "First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you. And that, is what is going to happen to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America." and it's from a 1918 US trade union address by Nicholas Klein. USA! USA!
driver attacks cyclists, causing a broken hip...
What the...!? What an awful story. These bikers need to come testify at the November 2nd hearing. I'm sickened by this.
Posted by: Viola | October 13, 2011 at 10:30 AM
(CAUTION - the user "general contractor" links to a compromised site that launches attacks, and "cebu pacific..." is plain old spam - don't click on those profile links!)
On top of everything else, thanks for clearing up the source of that quote. The way things were going with the "occupation" forces I almost expected them to attribute it to Che Guevara next.
Posted by: DaveS | October 13, 2011 at 11:38 AM
Let's not rush to judgment. At that very moment, a cyclist somewhere in the Metro region might have been running a red light, or been coming very close to being very near to almost hitting Chuck Thies' kid.
Posted by: Crickey7 | October 13, 2011 at 11:51 AM
Wow, that GM ad campaign was fantastic. Evidently they also had a pedestrian version, with a woman getting soaked by a puddle-splashing car. Foolish loser! She wouldn't have gotten wet if she had been waiting to cross the street in a car...
Posted by: Max | October 13, 2011 at 12:01 PM
Leave it to GM to make soaking a woman with water unsexy.
Posted by: washcycle | October 13, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Didn't GM just get bailed out by the federal government recently?
Did any of the management team that presided over their financial difficulties lose their jobs or pensions or bonuses or anything? Just asking.
Posted by: Greenbelt | October 13, 2011 at 02:12 PM
I'm guessing GM doesn't go to Chiat-Day for their adverts.
Posted by: Riley | October 13, 2011 at 08:09 PM
Of course the real joke for many years had been GM's cars, so perhaps their own sense of humor was miscalibrated.
Posted by: SJE | October 13, 2011 at 09:34 PM