Friday Morning Ride - Not Humanly Possible

Good Morning - there's going to be a ribbon cutting on the new Anacostia River Trail in Maryland with, it appears, Gov. O'Malley, Secretary LaHood and Secretary Salazar today at 10am.

• The family of the cyclist shot and killed in DC last year is suing the District for $20M in a wrongful death suit. "The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in D.C., alleges that the accused shooter was a juvenile criminal offender who was in the custody of the city's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services at the time of the shooting."
• More Capital Bikeshare station expansions are planned for today. But it's a secret as to which ones, which means it must be the White House one.
• The DC Tweed Ride is scheduled for Nov 13th.
• If you ride the NW Branch Trail and you've been wondering why there is a detour off Rhode Island Ave in Hyattsville, it's because of work on the park itself - including a skate park. The trail should reopen this month and when it does it will be wider, it will stay on the east side of the other park features instead of zigzagging through them and there will be new bike parking.
• The WB&A and South Shore trails in AA County might move forward soon. As Jim pointed out in his post at GGW, one thing to focus on now is making sure that the ROW on the Two Rivers property is left untouched. If it's built on, that can probably never be undone.
• This is driving me crazy. I know I've had brilliant ideas for bicycle research proposals that I've shared here, but now that the FHWA is actually asking for ideas I can't think of any. And I'm pretty sure the best idea wins pie. Anyway if you want pie that may or may not exist, and have a good research idea you can submit it here. 
• Readers want to know: Where can one buy a bakfiet?

And I have to separate this out. In an article on the proposal to lower the speed limit to 15mph on some residential streets, AAA Mid-Atlantic's John Townsend said

I don't know if it's humanly possible to drive 15 miles per hour. I've tried it. You almost have to tap your brakes repeatedly. To have a blanket speed limit like that would almost make traffic worse in the District of Columbia and may lead to more road rage.

I do know of one road in DC where the speed limit is 15mph - the illegal route to the Barney Circle underpass and based on the drivers I see using it illegally he may be right. No one seems to be able to drive that slow, or keep themselves from using a road that is for authorized vehicles only.

And if it would "almost" make traffic worse, then it wouldn't make traffic worse.

Comments

[jj]

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

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

[Early Man]

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.

[GMB]

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.

[jeff]

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.

[Joe D]

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".

[jdub]

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....

[KG]

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.

[oboe]

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.

[oboe]

[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?

[Read Scott Martin]

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

[I forgot]

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

[washcycle]

American Samoa is beautiful.

[Read Scott Martin]

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

[BFM]

BicycleSpace sells BoxCycles, which includes the Christiania bakfiets.

[washcycle]

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.

[Matt C]

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

[JM]

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.

[dynaryder]

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