Thursday Afternoon Commute - Guardian Angel

Good afternoon

• More MBT attack follow-up here. WABA's planning a safety walk. And those cameras DC installed? Almost entire for show.  It's clear we're going to need an Enforcement Droid* 209. 
• The complete history of road lanes and how cyclists got kicked out of them. Long, but good. "The UVC therefore gave bicyclists the superficial appearance of being drivers, but without the right to use travel lanes like drivers. Although a travel lane is intended for a single line of vehicles, bicyclists were told that they could not use travel lanes like real drivers. Bicyclists were told they had to ride at the right edge and if they strayed from the edge, they were doing so at their own peril. Bicyclists were now officially second-class road users."
• "Crashing without a helmet exposes the head to accelerations and forces – or loads - up to 9.5 times greater than with a helmet and so greatly increases the risk of head, skull and brain injury, according to a detailed biomechanical study published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention."
• Because only rich people live and work in Manhattan and Brooklyn and only poor people live in the other bouroughs, bikeshare is part of the dividing of people into haves and have nots leading to a dystopic future from out of a sci-fi novel. Or something. 
• Is it possible to create a cycling superhighway parallel to Route 50?
• Dockblocking makes people sad.

*Since George Lucas owns the word "Droid" I guess he makes money off the Robocop franchise?

Comments

[Brian Ogilvie]

FYI, the last link is actually to the safety walk article again.

[Michael H.]

I saw the famous, ground-breaking documentary "Escape From New York" from 1981. That movie shows that Manhattan is the true problem zone.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082340/

[JJ]

The TNR article makes a very valid point. One can be a strong supporter of bikesharing programs while pointing out that its value so far has been disproportionately skewed towards affluent neighborhoods, in both NYC and DC. Of course, part of this is a demand issue, but with bikeshare programs, new supply can create demand where none existed before.

[washcycle]

fixed it

[Michael H.]

Capital Bikeshare hasn't avoided less affluent neighborhoods. There are many stations in Anacostia, for example, with more on the way.

Until recently, there were relatively few stations in affluent Upper Northwest. Even now, the coverage is still sparse, though improving.

[Zach]

In addition to the Guardian Angels, Friday morning on the MBT I saw two DC bike police riding north, around S St. or so.

[SJE]

re: bike share and access by the poor.

If poor people don't want to ride however, that's not bike share's fault. I think its incumbent on those who accuse bike share programs of discriminating against the poor to assist the program in improving access AND demand. If there is not the demand, then the stations will be pulled and moved to areas where there is demand.

Right now in DC, there are plenty of areas with demand greater than supply.

[david]

America is not now nor has it ever been a society of equals.

[DaveS]

Walked with MPD, ANCs, GAs, and WABA Friday.

It was actually my first time on the MBT, and -- it's nice! I won't have much reason to use it until it comes closer to Union Station (I'm usually south of there and it starts at M) but if I happen by I'll get on just because I can.

What will really make a difference to the billions of people who aren't me is when it lives up to its billing as a complete 9-mile route to Silver Spring.