Monday Morning Commute - Better know a bicycle

The question "Is this recyclable?" must be one of the most asked questions in America.

• Greg Billings of WABA sits down for a 3-minute interview. 
• Stephen Colbert was spotted Friday riding a bike in the Longworth Building with Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa.
• What can DC do to make cycling better?
• DC is installing HAWK signals.
• Biking is part of this complete commute.  
• Underground bike parking at the Mall. 
• Another reason to oppose bicycle registration - it leads to communism. 
• Streetsblog: "Two Oregon researchers observed people’s behavior and eye movements as they operated a driving simulator to see if they noticed pedestrians. David Hurwitz from Oregon State University and Christopher Monsere from Portland State University found that danger increased with more cars and fewer people walking. There is safety in numbers: The more pedestrians there are, the more drivers pay attention. But if there are more cars, they take up more of the drivers’ attention."
• Guerrilla flex post installations. 

Comments

[T]

I question the 97.1% statistic for that HAWK crosswalk in upper GA Ave right by Silver Spring, but it was helpful. Honestly they're great (I used the same one myself several times), but they are a bad idea in high pedestrian traffic areas imo. I wish they had a motion sensor for bikes--would make them great for crossing some of the annoying roads where traffic thinks the speed limit is 60 yet it's 30.

[Michael H.]

Arlington is supposed to add a HAWK signal on Crystal Drive sometime this year, between 23rd and 26th Streets.

[oboe]

I've actually read and talked to people who absolutely hate driving in DC. It seems it's extremely confusing--what with all the pedestrians and bikes--and you have to go very, very slowly to avoid hitting anyone.

[Kathy]

I encountered Hawk signals for the first time in Tucson two months ago. They are very eye catching and seemed good at stopping traffic though I must admit I was completely mystified as to what I was supposed to do when faced with an empty crosswalk and multiple flashing red lights. I finally took my cue from other drivers and went thru the flashing reds when no one was around but was not sure if that was legal or not.

[UrbanEngineer]

@oboe,

I drove through the city this weekend and it was absurd how many pedestrians jay walked right in front of me. I came to a complete stop a dozen times to let jay walkers finish crossing. Some of them were the zombie type, too busy messing with their phones to pay any attention to anything. others were the lemming type, mindlessly following those in front of them. Driving through this city is definitely not a stress free, leisurely drive.

[JJJJ]

Kathy, flashing red means stop, like any stop sign. After stopping, you can continue when clear.

That being said....HAWKS suck. Theyre pointless, and confusing.

Standard rule: When a signal is dark, treat as broken and come to a full stop. But HAWK says....treat off as green.

Standard rule: Two flashing red lights = railroad = DO NOT PROCEED YOURE GOING TO DIE. Hawk says: Stop and proceed.

Its BS and will cause more harm than good in the long term, as people treat all blank signals as green and all flashing reds as stops.

There is ZERO reason they couldnt have just installed a standard traffic signal for the same exact purpose, without confusing people.

Like LA does
http://goo.gl/maps/Ztjlj

Or NYC
http://goo.gl/maps/4WQh0

Everyone knows what a traffic signal is and means. Screw HAWK.

[JJJJ]

Kathy, flashing red means stop, like any stop sign. After stopping, you can continue when clear.

That being said....HAWKS suck. Theyre pointless, and confusing.

Standard rule: When a signal is dark, treat as broken and come to a full stop. But HAWK says....treat off as green.

Standard rule: Two flashing red lights = railroad = DO NOT PROCEED YOURE GOING TO DIE. Hawk says: Stop and proceed.

Its BS and will cause more harm than good in the long term, as people treat all blank signals as green and all flashing reds as stops.

There is ZERO reason they couldnt have just installed a standard traffic signal for the same exact purpose, without confusing people.

Like LA does
http://goo.gl/maps/Ztjlj

Or NYC
http://goo.gl/maps/4WQh0

Everyone knows what a traffic signal is and means. Screw HAWK.

[JJJJ]

Kathy, flashing red means stop, like any stop sign. After stopping, you can continue when clear.

That being said....HAWKS suck. Theyre pointless, and confusing.

Standard rule: When a signal is dark, treat as broken and come to a full stop. But HAWK says....treat off as green.

Standard rule: Two flashing red lights = railroad = DO NOT PROCEED YOURE GOING TO DIE. Hawk says: Stop and proceed.

Its BS and will cause more harm than good in the long term, as people treat all blank signals as green and all flashing reds as stops.

There is ZERO reason they couldnt have just installed a standard traffic signal for the same exact purpose, without confusing people.

Like LA does
http://goo.gl/maps/Ztjlj

Or NYC
http://goo.gl/maps/4WQh0

Everyone knows what a traffic signal is and means. Screw HAWK.

[JJJJ]

Kathy, flashing red means stop, like any stop sign. After stopping, you can continue when clear.

That being said....HAWKS suck. Theyre pointless, and confusing.

Standard rule: When a signal is dark, treat as broken and come to a full stop. But HAWK says....treat off as green.

Standard rule: Two flashing red lights = railroad = DO NOT PROCEED YOURE GOING TO DIE. Hawk says: Stop and proceed.

Its BS and will cause more harm than good in the long term, as people treat all blank signals as green and all flashing reds as stops.

There is ZERO reason they couldnt have just installed a standard traffic signal for the same exact purpose, without confusing people.

Like LA does
http://goo.gl/maps/Ztjlj

Or NYC
http://goo.gl/maps/4WQh0

Everyone knows what a traffic signal is and means. Screw HAWK.

[JJJJ]

Kathy, flashing red means stop, like any stop sign. After stopping, you can continue when clear.

That being said....HAWKS suck. Theyre pointless, and confusing.

Standard rule: When a signal is dark, treat as broken and come to a full stop. But HAWK says....treat off as green.

Standard rule: Two flashing red lights = railroad = DO NOT PROCEED YOURE GOING TO DIE. Hawk says: Stop and proceed.

Its BS and will cause more harm than good in the long term, as people treat all blank signals as green and all flashing reds as stops.

There is ZERO reason they couldnt have just installed a standard traffic signal for the same exact purpose, without confusing people.

Like LA does
http://goo.gl/maps/Ztjlj

Or NYC
http://goo.gl/maps/4WQh0

Everyone knows what a traffic signal is and means. Screw HAWK.

[JJJJ]

Kathy, flashing red means stop, like any stop sign. After stopping, you can continue when clear.

That being said....HAWKS suck. Theyre pointless, and confusing.

Standard rule: When a signal is dark, treat as broken and come to a full stop. But HAWK says....treat off as green.

Standard rule: Two flashing red lights = railroad = DO NOT PROCEED YOURE GOING TO DIE. Hawk says: Stop and proceed.

Its BS and will cause more harm than good in the long term, as people treat all blank signals as green and all flashing reds as stops.

There is ZERO reason they couldnt have just installed a standard traffic signal for the same exact purpose, without confusing people.

Like LA does
http://goo.gl/maps/Ztjlj

Or NYC
http://goo.gl/maps/4WQh0

Everyone knows what a traffic signal is and means. Screw HAWK.

[JJJJ]

I really hate Hawk signals!