TheWashCycle

Wednesday Afternoon Commute - 4 More Years (for LaHood?)

Good afternoon

• The new head of the Georgetown BID wants to make Georgetown easier to get to, which means congestion parking and "more bike racks, cabbie stations, and Circulator service. I think of transportation the same way DDOT does: considering all options, including cars, buses, bikeshare, pedestrians—it’s all a single system." Wouldn't it be great if they took out the on-street parking on M, widened the sidewalk, added bike lanes and paid some of the underground garages to stay open for the same cost of on-street parking?
• Richard Layman makes an excellent point about reducing parking minimums and that is that it should be coupled with more bike parking. 
• BAC on reducing speed camera fines "the BAC supports the expansion of automated enforcement and a fine structure that contributes to the existing trend of reducing traffic related injuries and fatalities. We believe that the goals of this legislation are to strengthen the automated enforcement program and improve safety, and those are goals that we support wholeheartedly. We ask for two key elements to ensure these goals are met: 1) the legislation should link an increase to the number of cameras in D.C. to the proposed fine reduction to ensure that the legislation as a whole is safety-enhancing, and 2) there should be a robust study of safety outcomes after the changes are made to ensure that the positive safety trend we have been experiencing continues."
• It looks as though attendence at the Tweed ride was high. And some rode CaBi.
• "Moving the churches to the suburbs would complete the design in making Washington, DC, a godless city and would designate it as a prime target for those who would want to see it as a city of bicycles like some Asian city. I hope they get their wish and that bicycles can be used as emergency vehicles to put out fires, transport the injured, and move heavy equipment."
• The NE Branch Trail has been repaved near the College Park Airport (see photo below)
• Montgomery County is looking for a bicycle coordinator. 
• Court case for motorist who allegedly struck cyclist intentionally was scheduled for Monday. No word yet on what happened. 
• "Only bicycles seemed to be rolling."
• San Francisco gets green lanes. 

Monday Morning Commute - "There's just no risk to the crime."

Good morning

• MetroBike, the DC-area based bike-sharing consultancy is hiring a Bicycle planner for it's DC office to do some work on CaBi. I'm not sure if this is related to DDOT losing a member of it's bike-sharing team to Austin or not. While we're at it, the Bike League is hiring too. They're "looking for a development associate to manage invitations, coordination, and on-site activities for events across the U.S."
• Here's an incredibly depressing story on bike theft in America. 
• Only two states, Florida and Kansas, have opted out of Recreational Trails Funding.
• "A bicyclist competing in a race from Logan, Utah, to Jackson Hole, Wyo., crashed on a bridge in Wyoming and fell about 35 feet to his death into the Snake River." The cyclist swerved to avoid a pothole and then hit a guardrail. There are at least two points that seem to indicate that that bridge was neither designed nor maintained with cyclists in mind. 
• I suspect some readers might disagree with this advice for kids biking to school. "Ride on bike paths or on the sidewalk, not in the street."

Wednesday Morning Ride - Unofficial Cyclovia

Two starting comments: First of all, I failed to note and it went largely unreported that Sunday was the 50th Anniversary of the end of fixed-wing flights in DC. "On July 1, 1962, the last fixed-wing flight departed Bolling AFB, a C-54 carrying 33 passengers & 6 crew members,bound for nearby Andrews AFB." Since then, no takeoffs and no legal landings. Also, today is the best day of the year for biking around the Mall. Most of the roads are closed to cars and it is wide open for the taking. Think of it as an unofficial cyclovia [I actually think we should make it official and program it more, but there are probably safety concerns. There are always safety concerns.] And CaBi will have a bike corral on the Mall.

• A driver, Thomas Dunkel, 62, was convicted of "a number of felony charges, including charges of assault with significant bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon (car), assault with a dangerous weapon (bike)" stemming from an altercation two years ago.

According to prosecutors, Dunkel was driving his Toyota SUV in the 100 block of Massachusetts Avenue NW, near Union Station, when he encountered a 22-year-old bicyclist who was driving his bike down the middle of the road. Dunkel began honking his horn and yelling at the cyclist to move. He then, prosecutors said, struck the cyclist with his SUV. After the cyclist moved his bike out of the road to the sidewalk, the two began arguing and fighting. At one point, prosecutors said, Dunkel grabbed the bike and threw it at the cyclist. Dunkel then began punching the cyclist again, knocking him to the ground with his fists before bystanders intervened.

The cyclist required surgery to have a skin graph taken from his thigh and transplanted to his foot, prosecutors said.

Bike as a deadly weapon? That's a first for me. Sentencing is in September.

• GGW asks if scooters are bicycles or motorcycles. Answer: Motorcycles. I agree with the statement someone made in the comments "DC needs to do more to accommodate the legal parking of scooters in DC, regardless of how they're licensed." But they don't belong in bike lanes.
• MetroBike is hiring a bicycle planner here in DC.
• DePillis writes in perhaps her last City Paper article "Meanwhile, GSI is wary of infringment on its territory. While it decided to forfeit its right of first refusal in offering a Bikeshare-type program on the Mall, it warned the Park Service not to get any other big ideas. Last August, Verner emailed Park Service concession specialist Steve LeBel an article about a company that offers tours on electric bikes. “This shows the problem when the camel gets its nose inside the tent,” Verner wrote."
• Support the Washington Blvd Trail Phase II which is under attack by a local community group. 
• There will be a public meeting on the SW Ecodistrict on July 19th. 

Tuesday Morning Commute - 50lb trailer

Good morning

• As alluded to here, bicycle advocates met with transportation officials at the Wilson Bridge to discuss the bollardization of America (or at least the Wilson Bridge area). In short, it's too late to do much about it, but they'll add some paint and plastic bollards to further warn trail users. 
• From that same tweet, it appears that WABA has talked to someone about allowing cyclists on the Navy Yard Promenade. 
• Have you ever wanted to ride your bike for a living while making bike parking better for everyone? If so then this is the job for you. 
• CaBi set a new record in June, with over 200,000 trips for the month.  Through the first seven months of 2012, they're at 940,000 rides. In 2011, they had 1.2 million rides for the whole year. Meanwhile stations in Alexandria are so close to being installed that "you can touch it."
• Speaking of Alexandria, their BPAC is looking for volunteers to do bicycle counts next week. 
• City Bikes is hosting a free bike repair clinic on July 4th.

Wednesday Noon Ride - Employment

Happy lunchtime

• WABA is hiring a program manager for their East of the Anacostia 2012 Bicycle Outreach initiative.
• And The Daily Rider, the new bike shop on H Street NE, is hiring too.
• Maryland has announced the 2012 winners of the state's inaugural Bikeways Grants. Some of the nearby projects include
  • The largest award of $1 million was announced by Governor O’Malley in November for the missing trail link connecting Maryland’s Anacostia Tributary Trail to Washington, D.C.’s Riverwalk Trail.  The current plan is to break ground in 2012 on this final missing link.
  • the signed, on-road bike route connecting Bowie Town Center and local parks in Prince George’s County;
  • the signed bike route connecting Montgomery Mall and Naval Medical Center and Bethesda Metro stations to support new BRAC jobs in Montgomery County
  • the signed on-road bike route and striping from Columbia to Fort Meade to support new BRAC jobs in Howard and Anne Arundel counties;
  • the design of the north extension of the BWI Trail to the Nursery Road Light Rail Station;
• Take the Shirlington bike parking survey.
• DC BAC meeting is tonight at a new location. See video of the oversight hearing here.
• Don't just bike to work, bike at work.

Looking for Wrenches

Bike and Roll Washington DC is part of a nation-wide bike rental and tour organization dedicated to getting more people on bikes.  What better way to see the city?  We are currently looking for experienced mechanics to help maintain our fleet of more than 500 Trek bicycles at both our Downtown and Union Station shops. 

For wrenches with a proven ability to build, repair and tune, we have full-time positions available.  For those wrenches who want to dabble on the side, we also have flexible part-time positions available weekends, evenings or one day a week.

For those who “just like to work on bikes”, mechanics at our Downtown location are internal support only. You get to keep your hands greasy – no sales and your only customer is our fleet.

For those who like a little more people interaction, our Union Station shop is a full-service repair shop offering a complete range of maintenance to Bikestation members and the Capitol Hill cycling community. 

If working on bikes without the sales aspects sounds appealing, visit us at www.bikethesites.com/jobs to apply online or send an email with qualifications to [email protected].  Reference:  2MC02WC

Lose The Training Wheels is now hiring for 2012!

Are you experienced working on bikes? Would you like to travel during the summer months? Potential opportunities for Spring and Fall also available in Fairfax County area. Lose The Training Wheels  is now hiring for 2012!

Lose The Training Wheels (LTTW) is a non-profit organization that uses adapted equipment to teach children with disabilities to ride two-wheel bicycles. A two-person team travels around the US and Canada during the summer months, bringing the equipment and bike program to various host organizations for a weeklong bike camp.

• Candidates must be 21 years or older
• Weekly salary plus all travel expenses and per diem paid
• Experience with trailering/towing is preferred

If you are interested please contact Tammy Burt at [email protected] 

Thursday Morning Commute - Runnel

Happy Groundhog Day

• New stairs at the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station include a bike channel or a runnel (new term for me). This staircase is external to Metro, but I think cyclists are banned from using stairs in Metro. "The staircase reopens a pedestrian connection from the station to the south side of Rhode Island Avenue, and makes it easier for customers to bring a bicycle as well."
• CaBi's website has a new look. The station map now has a yellow icon for new stations.
• 14th Street could get better defined bike lanes and more CaBi.
• Phoenix bikes is hiring a new Executive Director.
• Not to get too excited, but US DOT announced a $500M fourth round of TIGER funding. In the past three rounds, the DC area has sought money for bike projects and each time been rejected. Perhaps we should zag when they zig and not ask for any money so that then they'll give it to us? No word on whether or not MWCOG will be submitting a proposal and if so what for. 
• The Streetcar Land Use Study (page 38) includes some consideration of bicyclists and the conflict between them and the streetcars as well as the tracks. "Several options are available to mitigate potential conflict. One-way streets can accommodate bicycle lanes on one side of the street and streetcar tracks on the other. Alternately, bike routes can be designated on streets parallel to streetcar routes. In addition, several cities have developed coordinated lane markings for bikes and streetcars that could serve as models for the District."
• Critical vote today could preserve the main source federal funding for biking and walking (though the idea that it will "save biking and walking" is perhaps a bit overstated. Win or lose, people will still bike and walk).

WABA hiring new Events Assistant

Events Assistant

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) is seeking an Events Assistant to help develop, coordinate and implement our annual fundraiser, BikeFest. The Events Assistant will be working closely with WABA’s Events Coordinator to grow the event from last year’s success. Additionally, the Events Assistant will contribute to other WABA events that occur during the spring biking season.

Position Details

This position requires a minimum commitment of 24 hrs/week. Evening & weekend hours will be necessary periodically. Weekday scheduling is flexible. The position has a firm end date of May 15, 2012, and will remain open until filled.

Compensation

$10-$13/hr., dependent on experience.

 

The Events Assistant Will:

• Assist in all aspects of BikeFest, WABA’s annual fundraiser, including logistics, planning, promotion, coordination of volunteers, and on-site implementation.
• Recruit and coordinate volunteers
• Develop promotional and marketing materials and assist in the implementation of a marketing plan.
• Assist in other WABA events in a variety of capacities/roles as needed.
• Report directly to WABA’s Events Coordinator.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A commitment to WABA’s mission and goals.
• The ability to organize time wisely and multi-task in a relaxed, fun environment.
• Strong attention to detail.
• The ability to work independently when needed.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite and online social media tools (Facebook, twitter, etc.)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A bicycle (or access to one) and a passion for bicycling

How to apply

Please send a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with “Events Assistant” in the subject line. No calls please.

WABA is Looking for a Women’s Bicycling Advocacy & Outreach Intern, Apply Today!

Link here.