TheWashCycle

Sunday Video: Bikeswell

Take the Washington Bike Survey - It's for science!

Researchers at Portland State University would like to invite you to participate in their national study of protected bike lanes.  They are asking bicycle riders in six cities across the county to share their experiences riding on protected bike lanes in their cities. In particular, in Washington DC, they are looking for feedback about your experiences on the L Street cycle track. 

After conducting targeted "intercepts" of bicyclists on L Street (you may have received a postcard invitation from them already), they are now opening the survey up to get as much feedback as possible.  You can take the survey by going to this website:

http://tinyurl.com/DcBikeSurvey

The survey should take about 10-20 minutes, and will give them valuable insight into what makes a good protected bike lane.  They ask that all surveys be completed by November 30th.  They’ll be sharing feedback, including what works and what doesn’t work, with the District Department of Transportation, and with a national audience. 

Your participation in the survey is voluntary. We will protect the confidentiality of your individual survey responses. If you have concerns or problems about your participation in this study or your rights as a research subject, please contact the Human Subjects Research Review Committee, Office of Research and Strategic Partnerships, Market Center Building Suite 620, Portland State University, 503-725-4288 / 877-480-4400. If you have any questions about the study, contact us at 503-725-2875 orstreets@pdx.edu.

Greyhound site to be redeveloped - Connect to MBT?

According to Elevation DC, a mixed use project is set to break ground on the site of the old Greyhound terminal at 1005 1st St NE. This is on the block south of the "terminus"* of the Metropolitan Branch Trail at L Street. 

The building will also have an elevated park open to the public, which a landscape architect is currently designing, Cohen says. "We're talking about a water feature and other features up there to activate it and make sure it's not just looking pretty." 

What would be great is if this park could be accessed directly from the MBT with a bridge over L Street and then an at grade connection to K Street. I doubt that is in the cards, but one can dream. 

*the trail actually continues to Union Station on both sides of the track, but it changes to an on-road and on-sidewalk trail at that point.

Broad Branch EA includes possible climbing lane

DDOT has finished producing the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the rehabilitation of Broad Branch Road NW, between Linnean Avenue and Beach Drive (and thus the Rock Creek Park Trail). Broad Branch is found to be deficient in its roadway, stormwater management and access for pedestrians and cyclists and DDOT would like to improve it. 

Not much has changed as it relates to cyclists since a meeting last year presented the preliminary EA.

Alternative 4, which is the widest and most expensive option, would include a 4' bike lane in the uphill direction on the east side of the street.  This would also modify the Broad Branch Road intersection with 27th Street and the bridge over Soapstone Creek to be wider for the bike lane. The provision of a shared-use path on the west side of Broad Branch Road or of a bicycle lane in both travel directions were eliminated because or concerns about cyclists and pedestrians sharing space and because of width considerations. 

This represents an improvement over the current state. As the EA notes

Broad Branch Road is currently signed as an on-street bike route, however only the southern portion (south of Brandywine Street) is officially mapped as such. The 2011 DC bike map lists it as having poor biking conditions, with no on-street bike lanes. The northern and southern termini of the project are located near on-street signed bike routes

The southern terminus of the project area is located near a signed bike route on Beach Drive, an on street signed route with fair suitability for bikes.

Broad Branch Road averages 30 pedestrians and 21 cyclists with its current design - which includes neither sidewalks nor bike lanes. 

The data reflect an average that could vary significantly based on seasonality, day of the week, and time of day, i.e., counts could be higher during warmer weather, on weekends, and at times others than morning and evening commutes.

In addition to the 4' climbing lane, Alternative 4 would have two 10' wide traffic lanes and a 6' wide sidewalk.

A preferred alternative has not been selected yet, but for cyclists that option is likely Alternative 4. Broad Branch has been under discussion for bicycle improvements since the Bicycle Trail Study was started in the 1970's. In the 1990’s WABA got close to getting improvements, but they were shot down by the ANC’s. So, it's unlikely that advocates will get another bite at this apple any time soon.

DDOT and the Federal Highway Administration will hold a public hearing related to the EA on Nov 5th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Methodist Home of DC, 4901 Connecticut Ave NW. So if this is project you support, you should drop in an say so.

By the way, here's an interesting factoid from the report that is not mentioned often enough

Rock Creek Park was established by Congress in 1890 as an open space for the enjoyment of the scenery, bicycle and horseback riding, strolls, picnics, and pleasure driving.

Not on that list: car commuting.

Proposed transit mandate should help bike commuters, but can do more

At the beginning of this month, Mayor Gray submitted a package of 11 bills as part of the Sustainable DC Act of 2013. Included in this package is the Transit Benefit Establishment Act of 2013. The measure would require that employers with 50 or more workers provide their minimum wage-eligible staff with some form of transit benefit. Employers have three choices. 

1. A pretax election fringe benefits program providing transportation benefits at a level at least equal to the maximum amount that may be deducted from the employee’s gross income. Those benefits need not include parking.
2. An employer-paid benefit program where the employer supplies a transit pass for the public transit system requested by each covered employee, or reimbursement for vanpool costs.
3. No-cost, employer-provided transportation in a vanpool or bus operated by or for the employer.

The first option could include the bicycle commuter benefit - if the employer chooses to offer it - because it is a qualified transportation fringe as defined by the IRS. 

The second option does not include bikesharing as a public transit system that employees can choose, but it should (an employers would likely support that since it is surely much cheaper than any of the other options). 

The third option does not relate to cyclists.

So this is a good bill, that could be made a little bit better if it included bikesharing as transit. [Bikesharing could be included as transit if the Commuter Parity Act of 2013 is passed at the federal level, but why wait]

In addition, DC does not currently offer it's employees the option to choose the bicycle commuter benefit in place of a transit benefit. 

Gray claims that this bill, ....will move the District “even further along on the path to becoming “an international destination for people and investment, and a model of innovative policies and practices that improve the quality of life and economic opportunity for all District residents.”

Expanding the commuter benefits of DC employees to include the bicycle commuter benefit would help with that too - and at almost no cost to the District. 

The 2nd Annual Fairfax Bike Summit - Nov 2nd

Register now for the second annual Fairfax Bike Summit, at George Mason University from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 2.

The theme is making mixed-use, transit-oriented developments bike friendly. Can Tysons become a bicycle-friendly community? We think it can, and we’ll explore the many challenges and opportunities for making Tysons and similar communities in Fairfax more bikeable. Additionally, vendors will have lots of interesting bikes and gear on display. Bike advocates and community leaders will have an opportunity to network and learn how to make Fairfax a better place.

The registration fee is $25 and includes lunch and other refreshments. Register online. A limited number of slots are available for the pre-summit workshop, Infrastructure Advocacy 101, that will be held from 9-9:45 a.m.

Jeff Olson of Alta Planning + Design, author of The Third Mode: Towards a Green Society, will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers include Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists and author of Smart Cycling: Promoting Safety, Fun, Fitness, and the Environment, Bill Nesper who directs the Bicycle Friendly America program at the League of American Bicyclists, Robert Thomson (Dr. Gridlock), and representatives from WABA, WMATA, Fairfax County DOT, VDOT, and several other organizations/companies.

Fairfax County is undertaking a major transformation of Tysons in an effort to create a livable, walkable, automobile-independent community. Four new Silver Line Metro stations due to open in Tysons in 2014 are part of the foundation of that transformation.

The Summit conversation:

• Importance of bicycling to the future of Tysons
• Bicycle and transit integration
• Access and encouragement for all
• Bikes and business
• Safety, law enforcement, and evaluation
• Where to next for Fairfax biking?

The success of the Tysons transformation could influence transit-oriented developments across Fairfax County for the next 40 years. From Merrifield to Springfield, Huntington to Reston, bicycle-oriented transportation options must be integral parts of future developments.

The summit is staged by Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, in partnership with George Mason University, Fairfax County, and the city of Fairfax. If you are interested in volunteering or exhibiting at the summit, contact us at bikesummit@fabb-bikes.org. Hope to see you there

Snow hearing right now

Sorry about the lateness of this, but Mary Cheh is holding a hearing on the city's snow readiness right now.

"The hearing will take place at 11 a.m. in the Council Chambers, Room 500, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW."

If someone can go, it would not be a bad idea to ask about trails, cycletracks and bike lanes. 

The Bicycle Safety Amendment Act passed and signed

WABA reports

On Oct. 17, the D.C. Council passed the Bicycle Safety Amendment Act of 2013. It was then signed by Mayor Vince Gray and will be submitted to Congress for a 30-day legislative review.

You can read about the law at the link. This is all pretty common sense stuff and it clears the way for the bigger legislative goals of bike advocates. 

ABC7 had coverage of the law and, naturally, it devolved into a scofflaw cyclist discussion.

The new rules also place more responsibility on the drivers. If a driver fails to yield to a cyclist, he or she could get three points on their license, along with a $250 fine.

And if a driver collides with a cyclist, there could be six points on your license and a $500 fine.

As a result, some District drivers are not at all happy with these new rules, saying they aren't fair.

That drivers can be punished for driving badly and that the punishment is worse for driving badly than cycling badly is not necessarily unfair. Just as robbing a bank with a butter knife is often treated differently than robbing it with a bomb.

"All bicyclists don't operate their vehicle like they should," says Bradford.

In fact, while we saw many cyclists being responsible, there were plenty of others blowing through red lights and cutting around drivers who have signaled they are turning.

Which has nothing to do with this law. 

"And if we hit them, we're automatically wrong because we're in the car and they're on the bike...and it's just not right," says driver Anderson.

It's also not true. You're not automatically wrong because you're in a car. In fact, some might assert that the bias goes the other way.

Cyclists say the laws are needed because they are the most vulnerable out there on the road – but drivers tell us it has to be a two-way street.

When cyclists start running down drivers from behind and killing them, then we can start talking about a two-way street.

"I definitely support all types of transportation, but I would like if they would compromise," says Clarke. "I'm going to be aware of you, and you need to be aware of me."

That's not a compromise. That's the law. There's no quid pro quo there. You're legally obligated to be aware of others on the road - whether they return the favor or not. And now if you aren't while driving, it will carry a larger punishment. 

Also, we don't need bike bells anymore. Sorry all-powerful bike bell lobby.

Still 1 hour to comment on the CCT/Purple Line

Tonight is the deadline for the public to comment on the Maryland Transit Administration’s Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Purple Line.

WABA strongly supports the long-awaited completion of the Capital Crescent Trail. As long as the interim trail remains unpaved, with at grade-crossings and no connection into downtown Silver Spring, this section of the trail will continue to be underused and undervalued. We see how critical the portion of the CCT from Bethesda to Georgetown is because it is well-paved with grade separated crossings and connects two population hubs.

Click here to comment.

DC Zoning Hearings - Now overflowing

GGW reports on the upcoming zoning hearings.

Tuesday, November 12 on car and bike parking, the most talked-about part of the update. This hearing is actually full, but there is an overflow night on Tuesday, November 19 where you can speak.

Even if you don't speak, I predict a high level of entertaining crazy. But from a policy standpoint, this is the once a generation change that will do a great deal to improve bike parking and commuting in DC. The most common excuse I hear for not bike commuting is lack of a shower, among other things this will require more showers and changing rooms for bike commuters.