Tuesday Morning Commute - satin scarf

Good morning

• Citizen volunteers are patrolling the PA Ave Cycltracks and reporting scofflaws to the police. "I think he sensed my general question of "why are you doing this?" (which I'm not totally sure if I actually asked) and he told me that he once got a ticket for running a red light and he didn't want bicyclists to run red lights any more."
• NPR had a story on Black Women Bike:DC and Veronica Davis. "With Black Women Bike: DC, Davis works to change the perception of just who is a cyclist. It's not just spandex-clad weekend warriors riding 30-speed carbon fiber bikes. It's moms who want to ride with their kids. It's women who are training for their first triathlon. And it's utilitarian commuters like her."
• Former County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, running to regain that office said that "Montgomery needs an “all of the above” approach to its transportation conundrum that includes more transit, bike trails, and lane capacity"
• Bridge idea across the Potomac in the vicinity of the CIA HQ. Would include a bike ped lane in the middle. 
• Metro's Strategic Plan includes a goal to increase mode share for pedestrian and bicycle access to transit. 

Comments

[DE]

If Maryland is involved in that bridge, they'd promise the bike lane, then once the project was approved, they'd say they couldn't do the bike lane because it would have too much of an environmental impact. You know, like they did with the ICC.

[Crickey7]

Good for you, Veronica. Not everyone can bike, but lots more could--and would enjoy it--than do now. There's still plenty of room for growth in modal share for cycling. Realistically, it could easily double.

[T]

I opened the bridge article expecting the great debate about another crossing up by Gaithersburg (errr, "North Potomac")/ Darnestown to Sterling, but instead the guy was proposing a crossing between the Chain Bridge and American Legion Bridge. Nevermind there are two bridges less than 3 miles from it. Just build another! If he was really thinking big he would try to suggest connecting the Red Line (Shady Grove) to Silver Line (out by Herndon) and having the bridge out there. It's sort of the last missing link given to go from Germantown to Dulles is a good almost hour drive, yet it's only a few miles as the crow flies.

And I could stand another round of Doug Duncan. I actually respect the guy and think he gets a bad rap too often.

[Tara]

"Citizen volunteers," to me, denotes individuals in service to something greater, like clean rivers, or world peace. Whereas this group's purpose seems to be tattling to the police.

[Michael H.]

I probably wouldn't use a bike bridge in that area too often. But I think a direct Metro connection between Tysons Corner and the Red Line would be great for alleviating traffic congestion in general.

Right now it's impractical to use Metro to go from Shady Grove/Rockville/Bethesda to Falls Church (and Tysons Corner later this year). You have to travel all the way to Metro Center and then head back out to Virginia.

Not so thrilled about the comment to the article that proposes using a section of the Capital Crescent Trail for this proposed Metro/light rail extension.

Will a Tysons/Bethesda (or White Flint) Metro connection ever be built? Maybe, maybe not. In 30 years?

[Froggie]

I like the bridge idea, though I can easily see both NPS and the wealthy homeowners on the Virginia side of the river near CIA crying foul. On the transit side, it'd be one way to route the Purple Line across the river.