Tuesday Morning Commute - Mr. Plow

Good morning

• WABA forum on women and bicycling scheduled for December 12. They had to change venues due to popular demand.
• The new 11th Street Bridge, which will feature a vastly improved crossing for cyclists, is ahead of schedule and will open in spring/summer of 2012.
• Another Lynn Street/Custis Trail crash?
• FABB gives advice on winter biking. I like Lake boots, lobster claw gloves and a snowboarding helmet when the temperature drops. And a thermos of hot cocoa in the water bottle cage. Includes this fantastic news "The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, which maintains the W&OD Trail, recently purchased a snow plow and they plan to plow the trail for winter bike commuters." Which is a good idea for more reasons than one.
• "For every $1 of beer sold — $700,000 granted in 2011 and $4 million over our 20-year history — we donate to causes like The League of American Bicyclists, which is working to create a bicycle-friendly America."
• Good question.

Comments

[Froggie]

After I asked, DDOT posted the 4 photos they got of the 11th St Bridge on Flickr.

[Alex B.]

That's my name
that name again
is Mr. Plow.

[Crickey7]

Those winter tips are pretty close to what I do. I admit on really cold days to popping some of those activated charcoal warmers in my shoes and/or hands.

And I have learned to accept that streaming fluids from most of the orifices on my head is just a fact of cold-weather cycling.

[Greenbelt]

I hope MNCPPC considers doing some plowing this winter. Even a thin stripe of clearedness would be very helpful.

[Crickey7]

If you're talking about the CCT, then no. MNCPPC says they will not clear trails for liability reasons, on the grounds that if they do and someone slips on ice, they could be sued. But if they don't and make it clear they don't, they're covered.

[Greenbelt]

So we shouldn't plow roads then, for liability reasons? That liability dodge sounds like, well, a dodge. Suing the government for clearing snow and ice off a public trail? By that logic they wouldn't be able to plow streets for fear of liability either.