Monday Afternoon Commute - Here's to the losers

Good afternoon

• Mayor Gray's Sustainable DC isn't as ambitious, when considering bike lanes, as it would appear "But as WABA noted in its action alert at the end of 2011 about anemic progress in bike lanes, DC had installed 4-8 lanes per year from 2006-2010, which if continued should put the District at 130-210 by 2032 rather than just 100. Gabe Klein's Action Agenda set a target of 80 miles by 2012, so only 25% more than that 20 years later seems a bit underwhelming." Of course, you could argue that adding 5 miles a year gets more difficult each year as the low-hanging fruit gets picked (more and more often you have to take out parking to get in bike lanes). On the other hand, it gets easier as more cyclists and more cyclist-friendly voters creates greater political will. Which force is larger, I can't say.
• WABA is hiring.
• Virginia's transportation plan will lower the tax on gasoline (and thus driving) while using more of the sales tax to make up the difference (among other things). Since much of the money will go to roads, and cyclists mostly use roads, it's hard to say if they'll be winners or losers. A 100% cyclist will definitely pay a larger percentage of Virginia's transportation costs, but they may get more of the benefit too. Drivers are clearly winners and transit users are clearly losers. 
• More on the dud of a year that the Virginia legislative session was for cyclists. 

Comments

[david]

The bike lanes are the result of the will of the people carried out by their elected officials. Gabe was an employee carrying out the orders of the Mayor. Had he shown some manners had he not been a racist and a crook he might still be here. WABA is more about race and class then biking. Face it Gabe was a bigot and a crook. WABA is a racket to fill the pockets of a few kids. Bike lanes were here long before Gabe or WABA . For them to try to take credit for what was started by M. Barry , who by the way they hate just shows that they are liars.

[Jonathan Krall]

Killing the hated gas tax was a brilliant political move by McDonnell and a big win for Big Oil, which funds McDonnell's political party. I am proud to say that I asked my Senator to vote against it and he did. I wish more Dems had taken the long view and voted against it (IMO, time is on the side of transit support).

"Drivers are clearly winners and transit users are clearly losers."

I think that pretty much sums up the viewpoint of McDonnell's supporters. Then again, one of the great appeals of transit is that it gives people time to read books.