TheWashCycle

Friday Morning Commute - Counters

Good Morning. 

• Streetcar tracks in DC have already caused a few crashes, and with 37 more miles planned, it will become a more serious issue. So far, no one has really come up with a solution according to a long article on the subject at TBD. I know people from streetcar towns who assure me that cyclists get used to them, but I've been down H and I can see how they can cause problems.
• According to Arlington's automatic counters, biking is up more than 50% from March of last year. That follows on a 66% increase for February.
• The plan for the future Capital Crescent Trail enveloping Woodmont East development is being amended to include a hotel. This is on the west side of the Air Rights tunnel that may not include the trail if the Purple Line is built, but in the rendering below, you can see the trail heading for the tunnel anyway.
• Mayor Fenty's dream come true. 

Tuesday Morning Commute - WASA Bridge

Today at 1:30 pm there will be a ceremony to open the newest piece of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, the birdge between Diamond Teague Park and Yards Park (which is all too long a name, so until someone comes up with something better, I'm calling it WASA Bridge). "The next westward expansion depends on development of the Florida Rock development site, which is still in the planning stages. Stevens predicts that by 2013 the trail could connect the baseball stadium to Minnesota Benning."

• The new City Market at O Street will include "500 vehicle parking spaces, 300+ indoor bike parking stalls, and a 270-linear-foot rooftop dog park."
• The Examiner on the Montgomery County CaBi expansion open house.'It's trying to get developers interested in making space and financial contributions, said Gary Erenrich, one of Montgomery County's point people on the bikesharing effort. "Right now it is a hodgepodge," Erenrich said.'
• Somewhere I'm sure there is someone who towed their car to the shop with a bicycle, but this is still impressive. 
• A new map of the WB&A trail (from 10/7/11) in Prince Georges County unfortunately shows the future trail heading north and the current terminus as an overlook. Other differences with the old map include:
  • The American Discovery Trail doesn't use the WB&A anymore, possibly because of the loss of the Patuxent River crossing
  • The East Coast Greenway is now shown on the map and it does use the trail
  • The connector trail to Old Chapel Road is gone. In the intervening 10 years the neighborhood it would pass through, Saddlebrook West, has been built up and it appears no effort was made to get the trail built concurrent to that. There does appear to be a trail that connects to the closest end of Saddlebrook West - though the bridge symbol on the map for it is turned 90 degrees and the trail is marked as a road - but that then leaves trail users on streets and sidewalks.