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He doesn't know if it's "humanly possible"?? Wow.

Madison & Jefferson (along the mall) have 15 mph speedlimits.

I ride on Jefferson and Madison every day at just about 15mph and have yet to encounter a car that was content to drive behind me at the speed limit. Even when cops are parked there people figure that 25 mph qualifies as significantly reduced speed.

In Europe, there are plenty of streets with 30 km/hr speed limits (just a hair faster than 15mph). People drive on them just fine, usually slower than necessary, because they're residential streets, and drivers respect the fact that people may cross the street.

There's research on the difference in injury/fatality rates in car/ped accidents with the cars going different speeds. If I remember correctly, the difference between 35mph and 25mph is dramatic.

bakfiets dealers: New York is the closest place I know of. Maybe after Bicycle Space relocates they could become a WorkCycles/Bakfiets dealer.

I have a Cetma bakfiets style cargo bike. The bike is good, but I can't recommend it because dealing with Lane (the man who builds them) is a huge pain: incessant delays and very poor communication.

There is a local framebuilding shop: http://www.sumoudcycles.com/ One of the builders built one for himeself.

Aren't school zones usually 15mph? And both the Coast Guard base I lived on as a child (Governor's Island, NY) and the CG Reserve Training Center, Yorktown, VA, were 15mph for the entire base. I just keep my car in second gear, and I have no problem doing 15. And for those with automatic transmissions, there are settings below "D".

the inability to drive slowly is partly due to everyone having automatic transmissions. if people still had to drive stick, they could just keep it in second and lay off the gas pedal. modern automatics seem designed to constantly speed up.

also, most people are stupid,
selfish idiots, so....

Trophy Bikes in Philly has sold Bakfiets in the past. The shop still keeps one on hand, but they don't actively stock them. Mike McGettigan would be the guy to talk to.

That 30 km/h residential speed limit in continental Europe translates to a nice slogan in imperial England - "Twenty's Plenty". While 15 mph would be a dream (and an equalizer for bikes and cars), I'd be happy with a 20mph blanket speed limit on residential streets complemented by traffic calming elements to ensure compliance.

I ride on Jefferson and Madison every day at just about 15mph and have yet to encounter a car that was content to drive behind me at the speed limit. Even when cops are parked there people figure that 25 mph qualifies as significantly reduced speed.

I'm usually doing about 17 mph on my bike through here, and have been honked at from behind several times. Of course, at the next light, I rode up to the driver side window and yelled "HONK!" so loudly that I hurt my throat.

I think the driver may have soiled their leather interior.

[Stupid comment engine ate my long-winded comment, so I'll repost the abbreviated version--you lucky devils, you.]

Drivers shouldn't have it both both ways. Over the years, they've somehow rigged the system such that the "speed limit" means +5 mph over the posted speed. But to enforce that unofficial speed limit would be unfair and draconian. So the official unofficial speed limit is +11 mph.

That means the enforceable speed limit where the posted speed limit is "25" would be 36 mph. Which is frankly, fucking ridiculous.

Since that's the way we, as a culture have decided to convey speed limits, the posted speed limit should be 15 if the target is 25.

Or is the AAA now start fiercely advocating for 10,000 new speed cameras in DC to be installed over the next year or two, with a trigger speed of 26 mph?

Comparing DC to American Samoa (same article) was a nice touch.

I find it physically impossible to ride 15 mph. Particularly on the CCT, MVT and W&OD.

American Samoa is beautiful.

@wash, No doubt, just doubting the Examiner or AAA spokes meant it that way.

BicycleSpace sells BoxCycles, which includes the Christiania bakfiets.

RSM, I was making fun a little. I was at a meeting where someone said "We don't want to be the next Adams Morgan." and I joked "Oh, then I'm at the wrong meeting because I love the pizza." You could've heard a pin drop.

Here's an article from Bicycling magazine that I thought was fantastic. It provides a lot of links to bakfiet stores and manufactures.

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/coolest-bike-ever-made

Thanks for the bakfiet posts. I just called Trophy Bikes in Philly and they don't carry them.

The three wheel cargo bike at bike space seems nice. However, it's not as cool or fun as the two wheel dutch bakfiets
http://www.mydutchbike.com/bicycles/bakfiets-trike/

I'm planning to buy one of these even if it means paying through the nose to ship it here. I'd be open to partnering with a local bike shop if they were interested in becoming a dealer for bakfiets - even if it meant putting their logo on the box. These bikes are supper cool and I can't understand why they haven't taken off in DC.

@oboe: before posting a long reply,I always highlight and copy it. That way if it gets hosed I just paste it back in.

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