Today's the shortest day of the year [But don't mention it to him, he's kind of sensitive about it].
- New Jersey Avenue redesign is out. It still has bike lanes, but "The corner of K Street and New Jersey Avenue (point C) will no longer get the "innovative" bike lane treatment that routes cyclists next to the crosswalks at corners. Meanwhile, at New York Avenue and New Jersey Avenue, instead of having the tiny islands to route the bike lanes at all 4 corners, there are only 2" And they end one block shorter.
- Speed limits are not going up, but traffic fines are going down - and by more than the Mayor asked for. As for speed limits, those that were raised by the Mayor will be going back down.
- "Maryland Transit Administration officials on Tuesday unveiled new renderings for the Bethesda station on the Purple Line, a 16-mile light rail planned to connect Bethesda with New Carrollton. The new designs include a five to seven foot sidewalk alongside the light rail through the Wisconsin Avenue tunnel." [See image] I think this is a good compromise. It splits the "trail" into a ped section through the tunnel and a bike and ped section out of it. And it serves as a placeholder for when the buildings are re-developed. [But then, it's possible the sidewalk was originially my idea, so of course I like it]. "Montgomery County is funding a project to re-build a portion of the Capital Crescent Trail alongside the light rail line. The Purple Line project has been hotly contested by some trail advocates."
- Chain Bridge and bike commuting.
- NYC bikeshare gets a loan from Goldman Sachs. Debt, bailout, biking (all near the UN) - the tea party will love this.
- LeBron James - America's Biggest bike commuter? Fly him in for BTWD. And it doesn't end there. He got teammates Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers to participate in a Critical Mass ride with him.
And the 2012 award for whining goes..... to the cyclists interviewed about the chain bridge crossing. Really?!?!? You have a separated protected wide bike path crossing the bridge, with almost no congestion. You have to deal with one nasty intersection but otherwise its clear and safe. Try crossing Key Bridge during rush hour. Or maybe the Roosevelt. Both hell. The Memorial Bridge is great, but the ends - the GW and the Lincoln Circle are both forms of cyclist roulette. Chain Bridge is one of the best, protected crossings of the river that on one end has dedicated bike trails and on the other has a nasty intersection but then a bike route into Arlington.
Oh, sorry, I missed the part about these being *McLean* riders. Wait, someone from McLean rides a bike?
Posted by: Stanford | December 21, 2012 at 11:09 AM
Stanford: Have you tried doing that crossing? The bridge itself is nice, but the connections on both sides are challenging and dangerous. Yes, sucky infrastructure is better than none at all, but it's still sucky.
Posted by: Jonathan Krall | December 21, 2012 at 11:43 AM
If we can fix it, then we should. Even if that means there are still other bad segments for biking elsewhere, one fewer counts as progress.
Posted by: Crikey7 | December 21, 2012 at 12:00 PM
@Stanford
I cross that bridge everyday and was interviewed for the article. I wasn't quoted but was included with the many cyclists.
Yes, Key Bridge and Memorial Bridge crossings are problematic. That however, does not make the Chain Bridge Crossing any less tricky.
What if the article said that "even though there may be some issues with the crossing, the cyclists don't mind. If fact they grateful for sidewalk across the bridge and rather enjoy scooting between parked cars to climb the hiking path up the hill."
Would that gain your respect.
Posted by: Tom | December 21, 2012 at 01:46 PM
The Bethesda tunnel proposal looks interesting. Too bad that the Purple Line may never get built. I don't see where the state is going to get funding for it.
It's unfortunate because the D.C. region badly needs better east-west transit connections. The Purple Line would help in MD. Hopefully someday, Metro can build a Beltway Metro line, or at least a direct connection between Bethesda or White Flint and Tysons.
Posted by: Michael H. | December 21, 2012 at 03:00 PM