TheWashCycle

22nd Annual Tour du Port

It's on Sunday, September 27th

Bike Maryland's 22nd Annual Tour du Port  

With a route for every cyclist, Bike Maryland's Tour du Port is a fully supported bicycle ride out of Canton Waterfront Park in Baltimore City.   100% of the proceeds raise funds for pro-bicycle advocacy, education, and infrastructure initiatives across the state, through your statewide bicycling non-profit organization Bike Maryland!

Choose from four bicycle routes that give you the best Baltimore has to offer, cruising through parks, charming neighborhoods, past historical monuments and active industrial sites.

New this year, The Urban Adventure, a 36 mile mountain biking route!   Your chance for a knobby tired, gritty view of Baltimore.

Your registration includes lunch and other benefits.

 

From the archives: DC's Bicycle Coordinator abolished in 1991

I've been going through the Washington Post's older bicycle articles, from before the blog and even before I moved here. Some are pretty interesting, like this one about Mayor Sharon Pratt Dixon's 1991 decision to let the bicycle coordinator go as a cost-saving measure.

The post, created by the D.C. Council in 1985 and funded almost entirely with federal highway money, has been filled for six years by Tom Pendleton, a professional bicycling specialist. Pendleton's last day of work was Friday.

Public works officials defend Pendleton's firing, saying it will free up federal dollars to be used for more bicycle paths and programs.

But bicycling advocates, buoyed by the mayor's reversal on staffing the city's tree maintenance division, have flooded the offices of public works officials and D.C. Council members with letters denouncing the layoff.

It sounds like Pendleton did a good job

They also credit Pendleton with major contributions in bicycle access and expanded routes for two-wheelers, including ongoing negotiations with landowners to make way for the Metropolitan Branch Trail bicycle path that would run alongside the CSX train tracks to link Union Station and Silver Spring.

Pendleton, who sat on various city and regional planning boards, also was involved in ensuring that bicycle lanes were included in major street resurfacing projects and in plans for the Barney Circle interchange proposed to link the Anacostia Freeway with Interstate 295.

It's interesting to hear that "at least 10" other major cities had a bicycle coordinator at the time. I'd bet there are few that don't have one right now. And that the position was then a part of the Public Works Department. 

Because 86 percent of his $42,000 salary is federally funded and the city must pay Pendleton 18 weeks' severance pay for abolishing his job, he could stay in the job for two more years for what it costs the city to fire him, Nathanson said.

"That's the kind of shortsightedness that led them to eliminate the tree people," said D.C. Council member William Lightfoot (I-At Large). "They've eliminated another amenity that makes it worthwhile to live in the city."

"There's a significant lack of interest {in bicycles} in the rest of the department, which is why we fought so hard to get the bicycle coordinator position in the first place," said Bill Silverman, president of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. "His loss would be enormous. Removing Tom is a big blow."

[I was wondering what happened to Thomas Pendleton. It looks like he got involved in the founding of the East Coast Greenway and then...well...hopefully not this (even though the name, age, interest in biking and residency in Michigan match).]

The Grand History Trail - A Trail of Two Cities

The Grand History Trail is in the news again as supporters are on a six-day tour to support the multi-state loop trail. 

The "Grand History Trail" would link York to Baltimore, Washington, Annapolis, Frederick, Gettysburg and Hanover — allowing folks to bike or hike through locations that are steeped in history.

The cyclists are scheduled to arrive in Annapolis on Tuesday. The following day, they plan to congregate before the Maryland State House at 9:30 a.m. to talk to legislative leaders before biking to Baltimore. On Thursday, the cyclists hope to meet city leaders at City Hall at 9:30 a.m. before returning to York.

As you can see on the map, the trail passes through the DC area and would include the C&O Canal, Capital Crescent, Metropolitan Branch and Anacostia Riverwalk/Tributary Trails. One of the loop's gaps is in Prince George's County between the Tributary Trails and the WB&A Trail.

Knoch, who is 68, half-joked that he isn't sure he will live to see the Grand History Trail finished.

"I think the trail moves at the speed of money," Knoch said, noting that feasibility studies on a trail between Hanover, Pa. and Gettysburg and a path between Gettysburg and Emmitsburg have been completed. "It's an idea that has been out there for nine years now. Let's build some momentum and get this thing done."

Knoch may be right. Not much has changed since my first post on this back in 2009, but some work could be forthcoming on the Jones Falls Trail.

And of course if one wants to go back farther, there is this Washington Post article from 1991 about the effort to build a trail connection from Washington to Baltimore. 

An auto-free, tree-covered greenway for cyclists and walkers should soon stretch from the National Mall to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Yes it should. But it won't...not soon at least.

Within the District, the greenway will use National Park Service land connecting Civil War forts, then turn south at Fort Totten through Catholic University on the route of the proposed Metropolitan Branch Trail. From Brookland almost to Union Station, the Met Branch will use former siding land, about 100 feet wide, that will become a linear park. 

Even this isn't yet finished - but soon!

At its northeastern end, the Fort Meade/Patuxent/Research Station greenway core will be connected to Baltimore in two segments. It will get as far north as Baltimore-Washington International Airport primarily using WB&A road, a lightly traveled road built on the former Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis tracks. Under plans now being developed by the Maryland Department of Transportation, the trail will go from BWI to downtown Baltimore along the Baltimore Light Rail line.

Not yet. The trail ends just north of BWI, near Linthicum; and then doesn't pick up again until Gwynn Falls. The WB&A doesn't connect across the Patuxent River and there's really no way to bike from there directly to BWI. Nearly 25 years later, there is still no Greenway to Baltimore. I'd love to see that map though.

Update: The Heritage Rail Trail County Park in York County and the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail on the Maryland side, which make a the main connection between York and Baltimore on the Grand History Trail, were coincidentally inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame yesterday

Here are some numbers from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy on rail trails:

1,920 total rail trails

22,108 miles of rail trails

714 current projects

8,074 miles of potential rail trail

New Freedman's Village Bridge includes wider sidewalks, but lights slow down users

Freedmen's Bridge, which carries Washington Boulevard over Columbia Pike near the Pentagon in Arlington, was just rebuilt. So was its underpass. The project means wider sidewalks for people on foot and on bike, but there are a few obstacles that make using them difficult.

The new bridge is wider, longer and more attractive than the old one. It has a light well between its east and westbound lanes, and for westbound traffic there is a longer acceleration/deceleration lane between its ramps, which makes it easier to merge onto Washington Boulevard. The project also included a new 10-foot shared use path along Columbia Pike where it passes under the bridge.

Also, to make room for a streetcar in the future, clearance under the bridge is now 16'8".

Today, VDOT will host a ceremony with Gov. Terry McAuliffe to dedicate the project

 

While the new, wide sidewalks on Columbia Pike are nice, flaws in both the project design and the road just beyond it make them hard to use for anyone walking on the street.

New, wider sidewalks along Columbia Pike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lightwells allow for more natural light in the underpass

A more troubling issue has to do with the pedestrian lights along Columbia Pike.  The lights to cross one of the Washington Boulevard ramps only turn green when someone activates them. That means that to cross, you have to first get to the intersection, then push a button, and then wait for the green light. And this will have to be done three times in each direction. This makes navigating the area very time-consuming. It's also confusing when you see a green light in the road but a red light for the sidewalk.

Also, people on foot or bike on the south side of Columbia Pike have to first cross Queen Street diagonally and then back across the Washington Boulevard ramp; in other words, continuing straight is a two-intersection maneuver that could require waiting two light cycles to get to a destination that's 25 feet away.

Few cyclists are going to choose such an inconvenient route along the sidewalk, rendering the path useless for them. 

 

 

 

Telephone pole blocks the sidewalk past the project area

View of the intersection looking east.

Crosswalk across the on-ramp.

Eastbound underpass

The new underpass is better than the old one, but it's unfortunate that space could not be found for a real bike facility and that it was designed with light cycles that inconvenience pedestrians so much.

Adverse Possession and the CCT

Found this old article about the Capital Crescent Trail. Does anyone know what happened with these lawsuits:

Read has filed suit against the county, along with 11 other Chevy Chase residents. They cite a law that grants ownership through adverse possession, which states that a person can become the legal owner of a piece of property simply by using it for a long period of time.

The plaintiffs claim that they have been using part of the right of way, approximately 10 feet, for over 20 years, and that the county would be infringing on private property were it to take that land for the construction of the trolley.

In the meantime, another lawsuit is pending, filed by the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase.

The proposed line would run through the club's golf course. The country club is arguing, under adverse possession law, that it owns the 1,800-foot right of way.

Seems relevant with the whole recent fence debate

Virginia Cyclist awarded $300,000 after collision with runner on trail

Serious bike-ped crashes don't happen that often - even on busy trails - but they can result in serious injuries or death. In a case in Roanoke, the cyclist suffered bleeding and bruising of the brain.

According to Shepherd’s complaint, Bundy, now 64, turned around suddenly while running on the path to head back in the opposite direction without determining whether it was safe to do so. Shepherd, now 57, did not anticipate Bundy’s movements and they crashed, causing her to fall off her bicycle and hit her head on the pavement.

The impact cracked Shepherd’s helmet and caused bleeding and bruising of the brain, Russell said. Bundy was “badly bruised” on his left hip and arm but did not require medical attention, Bundy wrote in a statement to Newswire.

Shepherd’s wound on her scalp still “oozes and crusts at unpredictable times, and her brain injury, while she is able to live her life, affects her on a daily basis,” Russell said. 

Shepherd’s injuries resulted in retrograde amnesia and she was unable to recall if she alerted Bundy that she was approaching from behind

But Shepherd claimed that she was in the habit of calling out and had a witness who backed that up. Bundy has hearing issues, but wasn't wearing a hearing aid. 

At the location where the collision occurred, the path is about 10 feet wide. Both Bundy and Shepherd were traveling on the right side of a divider. Bundy wrote he “always” runs on the “extreme right-hand side” of the path and that he took “two steps away from the curb and was hit by Shepherd. There was ample room for her to pass since nobody was coming in the opposite direction.”

No one witnessed the incident, according to a defense motion filed by Bundy.   

Bundy wrote to Newswire that Shepherd did not announce herself and that although he did not indicate that he was going to turn around, he did not hear a cyclist approaching.

Everybody needs to be careful - for their own sake and that of others - when passing on the trail, but Bundy lost me when he said this:

Bundy believes there is nothing he could’ve done to prevent the collision from happening, claiming it is the responsibility of cyclists to pay attention to what is ahead.

Of course it is, but clearly there is something that Bundy could have done to prevent the collision - he could have looked behind him before turning around. Whether that is reasonable or not is another question, but he COULD have prevented this. 

A jury in Roanoke City Circuit Court awarded Ann Shepherd $300,000 plus $55,000 interest in July after it concluded William Bundy was at fault for triggering the collision, which took place midday on June 11, 2012. The jury unanimously found that Bundy was negligent and that Shepherd did nothing wrong,

Cycling: A low carbon strategy for cities

The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate has a working paper out that discusses ways for cities to accelerate low-carbon development and reap large benefits for small investments.

Cities are engines of economic growth and social change. About 85% of global GDP in 2015 was generated in cities. By 2050, two-thirds of the global population will live in urban areas. Compact, connected and efficient cities can generate stronger growth and job creation, alleviate poverty and reduce investment costs, as well as improve quality of life through lower air pollution and traffic congestion. Better, more resilient models of urban development are particularly critical for rapidly urbanizing cities in the developing world.

Altogether, low-carbon urban actions available today could generate a stream of savings in the period to 2050 with a current value of US$16.6 trillion.

It should be no surprise that the report looks favorably on cycling and one of five case studies they performed was on promoting cycling.

Like bus rapid transit, cycling has multiple benefits for cities. It costs far less than motorised travel, both for the public and in terms of infrastructure investment needed. Cities with convenient cycling infrastructure benefit from significant health care savings from increased physical activity, reduced air pollution levels and reduced road fatalities. Importantly, cycling is an equitable transport mode that can enhance mobility for the urban poor and increase interaction among nearly all groups. There are therefore compelling economic, social and environmental reasons for cities to invest in safe and well-connected cycling infrastructure.

Recent analysis of the costs and benefits of cycling in Copenhagen, Denmark, found that the net social gain is US$0.21 per cycled kilometre, mostly from health care cost savings. This compares with a net social cost of US$0.12 per driven kilometre. Accounting for indirect benefits in this way means that Copenhagen’s planned Cycle Super Highways are estimated to have an internal rate of return on investment of 19% per year.

While it can be difficult to retrofit cycling infrastructure into mature cities, there is scope for fast-growing cities in developing countries to leapfrog the hyper-motorisation of transport that has proven so costly and unsustainable in many OECD countries. Local authorities in these contexts should therefore prioritise the development of good pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and ensure that future transport investments enhance the safety and convenience of non-motorised options.

Bishop in fatal Palermo crash pleads guilty, prosecutors to ask for 20 year sentence

Former Episcopal bishop Heather Elizabeth Cook pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts related to the December drunken-driving death of bicyclist Thomas Palermo in North Baltimore.

She pleaded guilty to one count of automobile manslaughter, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years; leaving the scene of a fatal accident, which also carries a maximum penalty of 10 years; and driving while under the influence and texting while driving, which both bring a maximum penalty of one year.

I can't say I'm too surprised, since in cases like these, it's my experience that the accused usually pleas, but the sentence prosecutors are seeking would be the longest I've ever heard of in the region. 

Prosecutors said they would ask for a sentence of 20 years, with all but 10 years suspended, to be followed by five years' probation. Judge Timothy Doory scheduled sentencing for Oct. 27. He said he would not sentence Cook to any more time than prosecutors are seeking but could give her less.

Still local bike advocates don't think it's enough.

Bicycle advocates Liz Cornish of Bikemore and Nate Evans of Bike Maryland attended the hearing and said they did not believe the sentence prosecutors are seeking is sufficient. Tougher penalties would deter others from committing similar crimes and contribute to a greater awareness of the "immense responsibility that comes with operating a motor vehicle," Cornish said.

Capital Crescent - Little Falls Trail Connector Meeting tonight

The second community meeting on the Capital Crescent - Little Falls Trail Connector is tonight. Here's a link to my post on the first meeting. 

The objective is to improve safety, efficiency and reduce conflicts on current route used by bikers near the Bethesda Pool and adjacent parking lot. The connector plan includes the crossing of Hillandale Road.

 

The meeting is from 7-9pm at:

Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
Room A/B
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814

The presentation from the last meeting has more detailed views of the options.

Option A is $345,000, 525 foot long trail with an 18' vertical gain that goes just north of the pool. Other than Hillendale Road it will require no other grade crossings. It would require ~350 feet of decking in the center section, as well as the removal of 3 large trees and pass through a stream buffer. It was the favorite option of the public at the first meeting and scored the best in the assessment. 

Option B is a $325,000, 880 foot long trail with a 12 foot gain built between the pool grounds and the roadway. In addition to crossing Hillendale, it has three grade crossings of pool parking lot entrances. It is not a particularly scenic or direct route, but it is cheapest and has the lowest environmental impact.

Option C goes north along Willett Parkway to cross Hillendale at a point farther north than A and B do, then passes just south of the Kenwood Forrest II Condo Building connecting to the trail with a staircase and switchback.It's a $525,000, 700 feet long trail with a 21 foot gain. It cuts down on environmental impact by using Willett Parkway, but requires the construction of a new bridge (requiring Army Corps of Engineers involvement), crosses Hillendale on a curve and passing through a parking lot. It was the least desirable option for those at Meeting #1.

To compensate for the added pavement, a micro-bioretention facility or a pair of rain gardens will be built in the pool's parking lot. 

Here's an artist rendering of Option A. 

And an elevation...

Personally, I agree that Option A is the best and I'm glad to see that it is likely what will be built. 

They hope to finish design in the spring and sent it out for bid at that time. 

[I have to pull this out of the meeting notes for obvious reasons: "Light pollution from a traffic control device for the trail connector crossing at Hillandale could negatively affect firefly breeding habitats in the vicinity"]

Celebrate the 125th Anniversary of Rock Creek Park

From the Rock Creek Conservancy

Please join Honorary Chairs His Excellency The Ambassador of Italy and Mrs. Claudio Bisogniero at the Italian Embassy for the Rock Creek Park 125th Anniversary Gala. 

At 125 years, Rock Creek Park is the third oldest National Park and the first and largest urban park in the country. This very special evening, commemorating the signing of legislation in 1890 establishing Rock Creek Park, will feature culinary delights and refreshments from the capital area’s finest restaurants and will include silent and live auctions. 

When: Saturday, September 26, 2015 
7-10 pm 

Where: Italian Embassy 
3000 Whitehaven St. NW, Washington, DC 20008 

Tickets can be purchased until the September 21st deadline. 
Click Here for Tickets

I think the existing trail pavement is a few years younger than 125.