TheWashCycle

Metro bridge, with guard rails now, along the MBT

New garden box (and the metro bridge) along the MBT

FedEx's "It is a daily challenge to find parking space," claim debunked in one photo

Does the @FedEx truck need to block the NY Ave. bike lane? No. Does it anyway? Yes. #bikedc pic.twitter.com/ScWsPqiIGn

— Peter Krupa (@peterkrupa) November 26, 2014

Quote from here

Southwest Neighborhood Plan provides some added connectivity, but street grid is still damaged

The DC Office of Planning recently released the Southwest Neighborhood Plan.

The Southwest Neighborhood Plan (The Plan) is a framework to shape the future of the neighborhood over the next five to ten years. It focuses on a Planning Area that extends from South Capitol Street, west to Maine Ave SW; from P Street SW, north to the I-395 Freeway.

The study area currently has one CaBi station and a few bike lanes and signed routes. For the future it notes that

With a growing legion of residents who bike for commute or recreation, Southwest can enhance its bicycle infrastructure to better tie into broader District greenways, like the Anacostia River Riverwalk Trail, The Wharf development and Potomac River, as well as major bike routes. Additional Capital Bikeshare locations should be identified to accommodate needs as demand grows.

The study calls for M Street and Maine Avenue to be made into complete streets, bike lane identified in the Move DC plan, more CaBi stations and a MUT along P street to connect the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail to the Wharf (nee Southwest Waterfront). 

Bike lanes would be on 7th Street between 4th Street and Maine Avenue, 3rd Street between ‘I’ Street and M Street and First Street between M Street and P Street.

CaBi stations would be at ‘I’ Street at Randall Recreation Center, P Street and South Capitol Street, ‘I’ Street and Wesley Place at Library Park and at the new Wharf development.

It further recommends reinstating K and L Street between Half and Delaware to create more connectivity and increased access to Lansburgh Park. 

If I bike through this area, it's usually E-W along Eye, M or P Street, or along Maine Avenue so seeing those roads improved would be great. I think they should also connect N Street and O Street between Canal and 4th - at least for cyclists and pedestrians. And then also connect K to 6th, the circle on the north side of Delaware to G Street and rebuild 3rd south of M. Heck, in the LONG term they should reconnect H Street through the area and in the really long term, reconnecting Delaware north of the study area would be a big boon for cyclists as well.

Basically, they should rebuild the street grid that was destroyed by the freeway and urban renewal. This neighborhood has less of an urban feel - lots of off street parking lots and dead end streets - than the rest of DC and it would improve it a lot to rebuild it to its previous form, one that better matches the rest of DC. That would make it much more bike friendly too.

The Plan is open for comments from now through January 30, 2015.

Contributory Negligence Bill officially dead

Tabled in committee. 

DDOT Statewide Transportation Improvement Program Meeting

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will hold two public meetings to present for public feedback the transportation projects included in the Fiscal Years 2015 to 2021 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The public is invited to participate in one of the following meetings:

When: December 2, 2014 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Where: Petworth Neighborhood Library
4200 Kansas Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20011

When: December 3, 2014 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Where: Department of Employment Services
4058 Minnesota Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20019

The STIP is a statewide prioritized funding program of transportation projects covering a six-year period that is consistent with the long-range statewide transportation plan, also known as moveDC. The STIP includes those projects with federal funding and/or regional significance, but it does not include individual projects with 100% local funding to address local transportation needs (these are included in the District's Capital Budget process). At the meetings, DDOT will present the Draft FY 2015 to 2021 STIP Project List, which includes information on the type of project, project funding, and the estimated project schedule. In addition, DDOT will provide an overview of the STIP and how it was developed. The Draft FY 2015 to 2021 Project List is located here on DDOT's website.

2nd day in a row with a fatal Maryland bike crash

For the second day in a row, a Maryland cyclist has died as the result of a collision with a car. This time a left hook in Gaithersburg

A bicyclist was fatally struck by a Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) truck in Gaithersburg Monday morning.

Police say the man was struck on Darnestown Road at Quice Orchard Road around 10 a.m. The intersection is located near Quice Orchard High School.

"At this time, we believe that the truck was traveling westbound on Route 28, attempting to make a left-hand turn into that shopping center. The adult male cyclist was traveling in a lane of travel; they collided in the intersection near that shopping center," explained Rebecca Innocenti with the Montgomery County Police Department.

The driver stayed on the scene.

Update: More information here. 

Update 2: The cyclist's name has been released. "Police identified the man as Andrew Gerard Malizio, 60, of Gaithersburg."

Update 3: It looks, at this point, like the driver was primarily at fault.

Police said a Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission truck traveling west on Darnestown Road was attempting to make a left turn on a green light into the Shops at Potomac Valley shopping center near Washington Avenue when it struck Malizio, who was traveling east on Darnestown Road in the far right travel lane.

Police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks said the green light was not a green arrow. A sign posted at the intersection warns motorists to yield while turning left on green.

The driver of the WSSC truck was identified as John Phillip Kline, 52, of Hagerstown. 

What happens to the Pike now?

Arlington cancelled the Columbia Pike streetcar (and the Crystal City one too) last week and it's unclear how that will impact biking in the corridor. The streetcar was one of the main motivations for the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards, and those were on the verge of starting construction according to the project website, so it remains to be seen what happens now. Will a more bike-friendly Pike be built? Will the bike boulevards be cancelled?

The Doctor's Run Trail Improvement project is nearing completion, and the boulevard projects are separately funded, so it appears that those projects are safe. 

 

Cyclist killed in hit and run crash in Lanham

Early this morning a cyclist was struck and killed on MLK Highway near Forbes Boulevard in Lanham County. The driver left the scene.

The hit and run accident happened at about 1:55 a.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway near Forbes Boulevard in Lanahm, police said.

Police were called to the area, and when they arrived they found the victim in the roadway suffering from critical injuries, police said. The victim passed away from his injuries in the hospital soon after, police said.

Police continue to investigate

Police ask anyone with information to call the department’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit at (301) 731-4422. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), text “PGPD plus your message” to CRIMES (274637).

Police say the car involved is described as a black sedan that would presumably have front-end damage, a broken headlamp and a piece of its bumper missing.

The victim’s name has not been released.

It's the second fatal bike crash in the area this year, both hit-and-runs; and the first in PG County since the summer of 2013. At this point, even if the driver is found, it will be too late to do an alcohol test which would be relevant at that time of day. 

Trail along Washington Avenue part of disabled American veterans memorial

Not sure if anyone will actually ever bike this half a block long trail.