TheWashCycle

Search Bleg

Does anyone know why Google news has lately decided to suck? It used to search just articles, but now it searches all the links on an article page, so if there is an article entitled "Bike to Work Day" that shows up on the links at the side on the Post, I get every single article on the Post website when I search for "Bike". This was not true until this week.

If I can't figure this out, I'm going to need some other quick way to search local news sites. So suggestions would be great too.

Monday Morning Commute - What did I miss

Photo by M.V. Jantzen

Back to the grind.

• Arlington considers three strategies for expanding Capital Bikeshare: Adding density to existing corridors, connecting the existing corridors, and creating new corridors. I kind of like a combination with some addition to the existing corridors, expansion to Columbia Pike, and connecting all three along the W&OD corridor.
• Tales from the Sharrows is named City Paper's Best Local Bike Blog. I guess I shouldn't go on vacation any more. The Capital Crescent Trail is named DC's best bicycle trail. [Frankly it's better for running or walking - on the weekends at least, if you want to bike away from the crowds, try the Anacostia Tributary Trails]
• The King Street Metro station will get a complete overhaul that includes more bike parking and less car parking. "Under the plans, riders will say 'goodbye' to the 30 parking spaces and 'hello' to new landscaping, bicycle parking, larger bus waiting and layover areas." 
• It looks like the parking lot just south of the Bethesda Trailhead for the Capital Crescent Trail will finally be developed. The plan includes a new, direct trail connection to Woodmont avenue.
• The newly restored O and P streets in Georgetown are much better for bicycling than they used to be. But sorry Crickey, it's still illegal, so you'll just have to take Topher's word for it.

Friday Afternoon Commute - Island in the sun

Good Afternoon

• Massive spike in CaBi use to show up in statistics this week. 
• The Cherry Blossom Bike Ride and Cycle Expo is this Sunday at the Georgetown Waterfront. 
• Bike commuting can be a useful part of a company's health and wellness program, thereby reducing health care costs and significantly increase employee productivity."HealthPartners reported that participants in the “Bike to Work” program (about 100 of QBP’s 464 employees) cost approximately $200,000 less per year in health care claims annually, based on a comparison with employees who don’t participate in the program." Of course, there is a massive self-selection bias there, but I think the basic premise is probably true. It drives me a little crazy that my employer will give me money to join the gym, but not to bike to work (despite the tax advantages we can now get for that). 
• "The push to encourage and develop bicycle and pedestrian paths — and cycling at a time of high pump prices — isn't confined to Washington."
• Cyclists are better customers. 
• I will be on vacation next week. I have some blog posts in the queue and I may add some more as I see fit, but I may not. See you in April.

Luggage is Awesome.

Without it you'd have to carry everything onto the train or plane bundled up in your arms like a college student carrying his clothes down the dorm hallway to the laundry room. Who wants that? Not me. That's why I'll be doing a review soon of WAGBRAD sponsor CSN's luggage website soon. Also, they're giving me free stuff.

Comment Spam

I've been hit by it a lot lately. Since it's getting past captcha I know it's human driven. I'm going to try holding comments for review in the hopes that they move on. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Washcycle Banner finalists

I got two entries, so I have two finalists.

Banner 1

 

Banner 2

If you're going to comment on the designs, please remember that the artists will probably be reading them.

I also created an incredibly simple one question survey to let you. the readers, weigh in. But like DDOT with the name of Capital Bikeshare, I reserve the right to completely ignore the results.

Click here to take survey

 

Banner Contest Reminder

Don't forget, entries for the Washcycle Banner Design contest are due next week on Oct 21, 2010.

Design the Washcycle's new banner!

As was pointed out so graciously in the comments yesterday there is actually a grammatical error in the banner for the blog. It reads "Cycling Advocacy in the Nation's Capitol." Which is wrong because Capitol refers to just the building, not the city.

In addition, WABA and I have been discussing removing the "Sponsored by WABA" part. It's no longer true. I'm worried about embarassing them (and they have no editorial control). And they have their own blog now.

Finally, it's just old (and it's too small because I resized the page, but not the banner). Most of the people in that photo have moved away. And we've got a bike station, CaBi, new trails, the Wilson Bridge, etc...And a whole region to represent.

So I'm stealing a page from Stephen Colbert and having a contest.

If you'd like to try your hand at designing a new banner for washcycle, send one in and I'll pick the best ones to be voted on. Some rules:

1. If you use photos, they should either be your own, or ones for which you have permission. You do not have to use photos.

2. It should be something close to 1000 pixels by 200 pixels (the one there now is 800 x 205 I think)

3. It should match the existing color scheme. I don't have it in me to redesign the whole blog.

4. It should have the name of the blog on there somewhere.

5. No pornography and limited profanity. This is not a Catholic wedding.

If you'd like to use the "Cycling Advocacy in the Nation's Capital" line, that's fine, but you don't have to.

Prizes include: The admiration of all you know, leftover BikeArlington SWAG from WAGBRAD III and a bellyful of beer bought by me at the Washcycle 5th anniversary happy hour - which is still TBD.

Entries are due by Oct 21, 2010.

Email them to dcwashcycle@gmail.com

Five Years of Washcycle

Five years ago yesterday, this blog started with a post about some crazy idea where people in DC would share bicycles. And to celebrate we're going to have our first ever happy hour sometime this month (Date, time, place TBD, when I get back from vacation). In the meantime, enjoy the only song I know about being five years old.

 

Vacation!

Washcycle, Mrs. Washcycle and Trike are going on a vacation to their ancestral homeland of Texas (actually my family is from Kentucky) and blogging by me will be light and of poor quality until I get back. We may have guest bloggers. We may not.

If we lose to UCLA, my blogging will be bitter and full of uncorraborated claims about the evils of Los Angeles.