TheWashCycle

Saturday Morning Ride - Gold

Heading into a short week

• Shane Farthing writes about giving away lights on Veterans Day. He made a point to give some away in every ward.
• Geoff Hatchard argues that bike parking should be placed within the gates at the New York Avenue Metro Station. I concur.
• The new bike-friendly Fairfax Parkway interchange? Maybe not-so bike friendly."Although the project includes pedestrian and bike accommodations, this will be a dauntingly scary place to be either a cyclist or pedestrian."
• Help clear invasive species near the Custis Trail on today from 10 a.m. to noon.
• Arlington board approves bike lanes on Army-Navy Drive.
• A reader reports that Rockville got its first sharrows last week on Piccard Drive. And according to  Emad Elshafei with Rockvilles DPW "More sharrows are planned for North Stonestreet Avenue in the next few weeks. Piccard Drive and North Stonestreet Avenue were recently resurfaced and the Traffic and Transportation Division looks for opportunities to restripe roads to accommodate other modes of transportation. We will also consider the sharrows for Park Road when the road is milled and resurfaced next summer. As a part of a bigger project along Baltimore Road and its link to the Town Center, bike lanes are also considered for S. Stonetsreet Avenue.
• GSA mandates that all new or renovated federal buildings meet a minimum of LEED Gold certification (up from LEED Silver), which should lead to more bike parking and more showers - as both are ways to earn points.
• David Alpert interviewed NCPC planner David Zaidan who wrote "many agencies are very supportive of Capital Bikeshare. There are some concerns about things such as security and funding for these types of programs, but we can work through these issues to find a solution through the update process. So, I expect to see some policies related to bikesharing come through in the Comp Plan update. We have already heard from agencies saying that they want to be involved with these types of programs."
• WABA members get a discount on e-bikes.
• Frederick's Ad Hoc Bicycle committee works on it's recommendations.
• Cyclist hit in Vienna. Driver cited.
• The Silver Spring Transit Center, which includes the connection between the MBT and CCT is still on track to open in October 2011.
• Rails to Trails Magazine had a story on women, cycling and fashion that features photos from DC's Seersucker Ride. There is no mention of women packing heat though. And the Times has a story about NYC's Tweed ride. 
• A cyclist, hit by a car, was blamed for riding on the sidewalk (where it is legal) and given a $150 ticket, despite having the right-of-way. $150 seems to be the standard price one pays for the privilege of being hit by a car.
• Distracted driving is getting worse, not better.

Bikes for the World needs space

Surely there is a church or business with some extra parking spaces and a big heart. Maybe DCUSA could step up.

Bikes for the World collects unwanted bikes and ships them at a low cost to community development programs assisting the poore. Over the past six years, the project has channeled about 50,000 donated bikes through its principal storage site located near Tysons Corner.

Because of Metro construction in the Tysons area, Bikes for the World must move. The organization is looking for an out-of-the-way parking lot to situate five trailers to continue its operation.

For more information, call 703-740-7856.

And coincidentally, there is the letter to the editor.

Several nonprofits exist to bring bicycles to impoverished villages that have no other means of transportation. "Wheels4Life," "Bikes not Bombs" and "World Bicycle Relief" to name a few, see the practicality in providing bikes to schoolchildren and adults alike in poor, often rural areas. Young students are incentivized to stay in school if provided a bike, and tasks can be accomplished with more efficiency. In addition, jobs are provided with the necessity to service a community full of bikes.

Recycle your Cycle

This

Jonathan Carolla, a member of Boy Scout Troop 647, will host a bicycle collection for Bikes of the World for his Eagle Scout project.

The collection will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in coordination with the county government’s E-CARE hazardous-waste collection effort.

For information on the bicycle-collection effort, see the Web site at www.bikesfortheworld.org.

Is part of a larger recycling effort.

The Arlington County government’s E-CARE (Environmental Collection and Recycling Event) collection effort will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

The event, which is open only to Arlington residents, will provide collection of hazardous materials such as paint, solvents and garden chemicals. Recycling of bikes, small metal items, shoes, eyeglasses and durable medical equipment also will occur at the semi-annual event.

Saturday Morning Ride - Hallowed Ground

A somber anniversary today

• On Oct. 16, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership is hosting its first annual bicycle tour in Loudoun County - the 2010 Fall Bike Classic - where riders can see up-close why this region is known as “Where America Happened.”
• Virginia has job openings for the state bike and safe routes to schools coordinators. 
• The Wakefield Bike/Ped Bridge is open
• Georgetown MBA students participated in a Build-A-Bike workshop, which resulted in new bicycles for 36 children from a branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.
• MTA's presentation on the future Capitol Crescent Trail should include plans for how it and the Met Branch Trail will move fit into the under-construction Silver Spring Transit Center
• I have a dream of winning the lottery and opening a bar/restaurant on the W&OD trail just east of Lee Highway (oh, who are we kidding, just a bar). Maybe this development will beat me to it. Has this had any impact on the trail - positive or negative? Talk about a bike commuter's dream. They will have an "oversized" bike room btw.
• Not what we had in mind.
• FABB has recommendations for the draft Virginia State Bicycle Plan
• Richard Layman says the Baltimore County Bike Plan compares favorably to Nashville's award-winning bike plan.
• A report on Marvin Gaye Park. You should check out the trail there some time. It's nice.
• The unopened ICC will have a 5km walk/run on Oct 17 on part of the highway that has been paved. Maybe they could open it to cyclists for a while too - we like to support the Special Olympics. [If you bike it clando at any time, please send photos].
• Becky Johns' parents want the driver who hit her to know they forgive him and hope he moves on.
• Local cross-country cyclists find California more bike friendly than DC. "I thought D.C. was pretty biker-friendly, but in the 100-mile stretch around Folsom, Sacramento and San Francisco, you really feel biking is a way of life," Hae-Chan said. "They have bike lanes on main streets, and the commuter trains have bike cars so you can easily get on and off with your bike and do your entire commute with a bike."
• WABA asks members which laws they bend/break. All the usual ones are there - except no one mentions biking trails that close after dusk. I do that everyday throughout the winter. Most Maryland trails have a curfew as does the W&OD trail. 
• FABB has coverage of the WABA annual meeting. 
• Maryland is working with the LAB to make bike-safe rumble strips.
• Next week is Bicycle and Pedestrian awareness week.

Trees along Trails

Geoff Hatchard at GGW had a good post yesterday about the problem with getting people to do the labor-intensive work of watering trees. "everyone loves to plant trees but no one wants to water them" one commenter points out.

Specifically he writes about the new trees along the Met Branch Trail, some of which are in bad shape after the record heat.

I bike to work along Bladensburg Road and the section near the Arboretum (the dreaded Mt. Hamilton section of my ride) was rebuilt a few years ago which included the planting of several trees. Almost all of them are dead now. One tree they tried to cut down and a little sprout grew out of the stump. I love that tree, it's a fighter. I squirt it with my water bottle during dry spells. [It amazes me that the Arboretum, of all groups, didn't assign someone to take care of them, but I digress].

Speaking of which, make sure to take care of yourself in the heat. CommuterPageBlog has some tips on how to do that.

Anyway if I could properly water the trees on my commute, I would. I'd stop for a few minutes on hot days and do it, because I'd love to have a more shaded ride (Bladensburg Road wants for trees along the whole stretch of the road). And I suspect I'm not the only one.

With the MBT trees I think we could find a few volunteers willing to adopt a tree or two. If DDOT and DDOE could team up, they could build some rain barrels that could collect water off the adjacent buildings (if the property owners would let them) and people who walk or bike the trail could stop on hot days and water "their" trees. They could even get automatic emails from Casey trees (or UFA) telling them they need to water trees the next day. 

The Trees in Happier Times

Trail Count Volunteers Wanted

Arlington County is doing their summer season bicycle and pedestrian counts next week: Thursday, July 8, 2010, in two periods (7:00 – 9:00 am and 4:00 – 6:00 pm) and in one session on Saturday, July 10, 2010, from noon – 2:00 pm, and they're looking for count volunteers.

If you can find the time, we would be very grateful for your help. It’s a great way to learn more about how people really use and enjoy our non-motorized transportation facilities. (We recognize, of course, that many people take vacations at this time of year. And please excuse duplicate messages you might receive if your name appears on more than one of the lists we combine here.) If you find a time and location you’d like to volunteer for, please send your preference(s) to: [email protected]  (And please feel free to pass this message on to friends …)

They have good news about the counts as well.

The Arlington County Board has decided to invest in a substantial number of additional pieces of automated bicycle and pedestrian counting equipment. The Board was encouraged by the results of the great volunteer work that you all have done over nearly two years, and convinced that the kind of data generated by automated equipment will help the County plan, build, and maintain an even better system for non-motorized transportation.

What it means now is that we can scale back from four-times-a-year seasonal volunteer counts, and concentrate on a single yearly September count to coincide with the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project.

Volunteers Needed: Bike Valet for the Herndon Festival

The Herndon Bike Committee is going to run a Bike Valet for the first time at the Herndon Festival, it will be open from 10am to 7pm on Saturday the 5th and 11 am to 6pm on Sunday. They have secured bike racks from Bikes of Vienna for the event for but still have some slots open for Volunteers. No experience is necessary, but you must be able to lift bikes in and out of racks. If you would like to Volunteer, contact Ian MacDonald at [email protected].

Here are the slots they still need to fill:

Saturday
2-4pm
4-6pm
6-7:30pm

Sunday
12-2pm
2-4pm
4-6:30

Trails for Youth.org – New Name but Same Award Winning Programs for Kids

This is a bit old, but still relevant

Fairfax, VA, April 21, 2010 – Award winning nonprofit Trails for Youth.org – New Name but Same Award Winning Programs for Kids announced today that they will be changing their name to Trails for Youth.Org.  According to Executive Director Julie Childers, the change is to better identify their name with all the increased services they now offer at-risk youth in the Washington DC area.  “Over the past eight years we have become a leader in proactively getting at-risk youth outdoors and active. We use a myriad of programs to mentor youth about being physically active and creating lifelong habits.  These programs -- bicycle trail rides, camps, classes, school-based education/encouragement bicycling activities – provide the tools and hands-on learning that starts kids on the right path of healthy living.  We believe the Trails for Youth.Org name aptly defines our mission and captures our health-based activities for the at-risk youth that we serve.” A new website (www.trailsforyouth.org), a new logo and a comprehensive package of programs complete this transition for the organization.

 

One thing that won’t change is the award winning work that Trails for Youth.Org performs.  The organization has twice been recognized as “one of the best small charities in the Washington DC region” by the Catalog for Philanthropy and they intend to continue to meet the high standards they have set in helping local children.  In 2009 the organization served over 2000 youth through nature rides, school based education programs, youth camping trips, classes and race series.  They expect to provide the same wonderful service to the community in 2010.

 

Lori Stewart, President of the Board, explains “We’re very excited for 2010.  While funding will remain tight, we have thought about innovative ways to enhance our programs and live up to our motto of ’teaching kids to overcome obstacles on the trail and in life.’   Already Trails for Youth.Org has a full schedule of nature rides, school events, camps, school based bicycle rodeos and skills sessions and classes throughout the DC area. We are planning to work with 11 title-1 schools in Northern Virginia to implement the Safe Routes to Schools program, which teaches children to be more active on a daily basis. “This proactive approach of combining a variety of programs to maximize the available opportunities for youth to be more physically active starts them on lifelong habits and is unique to Trails for Youth.Org.”  Childers says and hopes others follow their lead.  “We recently presented our holistic approach at an international meeting and were very pleased with the reception we received. Many people agree that we have created a strong menu of programs that put youth on the right path to fight the national obesity epidemic.”  Childers continues, “All of Trails for Youth.Org programs embody our motto of “teaching kids to overcome obstacles on the trail and in life”.  We will continue to do this as long as the community continues to support our efforts.”

ABOUT TRAILSFORYOUTH.ORG

Trails for Youth.Org (www.trailsforyouth.org) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that serves the greater Washington, DC area.  Our mission is to mentor at-risk youth and provide opportunities for all children to experience nature and the joys and benefits of being active outdoors.  We mentor youth regarding the need for physical activity on a daily basis, smart nutritional choices, the environment and its impact within their lives and community.  Our programs provide positive reinforcement, safe exercise, healthy habits, healthy nutrition, and fun in the outdoors.

Volunteers needed for Free Range Bike Clinic

Gil Nissley is organizing the Free Range Bike Clinic for the Glover Park-Burleith Farmers' Market. It's going to be like the one they do at the Mt Pleasant market; with safety inspections, adjustments, minor repairs and instruction for the riders on how to do these things themselves. WABA is a co-sponsoring, and they'll have WABA materials to hand out. The first clinic will start May 8, and run every Sat until Oct from 10-1, in the parking lot of Hardy Middle School on Wisc and 35th. They're looking for volunteers. Volunteers should have a good knowledge of bike repair, and should have their own basic tools(allen wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers should do)

The link to sign up is:

http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/62-6224781287

Any questions can be addressed to Gil at: [email protected].

Saturday Morning Ride

The Met Branch Trail got a boost when the County Council T&E Committee voted to include funding for the design of the MoCo section, land acquisition and construction of phase I. But it still has to make it through reconciliation, which is on its way to being the word of the year.

I'm starting to see what this whole Giro d'Italia push is all about

Ernesto Colnago presented DC’s First Cyclist, Adrian Fenty, with a new Colnago racing bike, as Giro d’Italia race director Angelo Zomegnan pointed out the Mayor’s inscribed name.

GSA got approval to replace this parking lot with a landscaped plaza

The plans also call for using hardened street furnishings as perimeter security elements around the building’s four sides. Those furnishings include benches, bike racks, bollards, streetlights, garden walls, newspaper boxes, and trash receptacles.

VBF wants to know about all Virginia's who plan to go to the bike summit so they can make sure they get into to see their Congress member or their staff.

Froggie has a report on the March Alexandria Bike/Ped Group Meeting, highlights include

the general city policy is to prioritize the major streets (Route 1, Duke St, King St, etc) first. Then the secondary streets and streets that are hilly. City-owned/responsible sidewalks and paths are included at the secondary level.

Fairfax County is going to host a "2010 Snow Summit" on March 16, addressing what worked and what didn't. There's also a spot on the page for county citizens to offer their suggestions on how to improve snow removal.

a partial copy of the city's memo to Congressman Moran was discussed, as it relates to transportation. This memo highlights the city's main transportation priorities. Of note:

-A Bicycle Initiative to install bike parking stations at the city's Metrorail stops, establish a bike-sharing program, and add bike racks to all DASH buses (Metro bike parking being the top bicycle priority).
- Funding for the Four Mile Run Bike/Ped Bridge (which will connect Commonwealth Ave to Eads St).

There's a lot more there - especially about the budget. Basically, they don't have much money. They're planning the Eisenhower Ave. underpass, some trail studies, bike lanes, sharrows, and the

"Wilkes Street Bikeway", which will effectively create a bicycle boulevard along Wilkes St from Royal St (where the bike/ped tunnel is) to west of Route 1.

but not much more than that.

The C&O Canal is still looking for more bikes

The community's response to our bicycle request in January's Canal Connection has been great, but the park could still use a few more.  The donated bikes will be used by children, aged 7 or older, and their adult chaperons as part of an interpretive program benefiting at-risk neighborhoods in Washington, DC.  The bicycles will allow the children to explore the C&O Canal Towpath while they learn about the cultural and natural resources of the park.

 

Bike Patrol volunteers have offered to serve as mechanics for the bikes, so they need not be in perfect condition.  If you would like to donate a bicycle, please contact Peggie Gaul by email or by calling 301-491-1743.

Montgomery County considers extending sidewalks on River Road near Potomac Village.

And while some neighbors, like Samtani, have pushed for the path, they also want to see the project extended further to promote connectivity in Potomac.

The option is also an attractive one to families who live near enough to walk or bike their children to Potomac Elementary, but fear the trip by foot on River Road.

The relocation of Progress Place moves forward.

A "very optimistic" timeline for relocation of Progress Place is three years, and a relocation site elsewhere in downtown Silver Spring is close to being finalized, said Gary Stith, the deputy director for DGS.

Progress Place is also in the way of the proposed hiker/biker Metropolitan Branch Trail. Funding for the first phase of the trail is being recommended for the 2011-2016 CIP by county council staff. Given its location in the Ripley District, less than a block from the Silver Spring Metro, it's a valuable piece of county-owned land and can be used to defray the estimated $21.3 million price tag for a new Progress Place.

Funding for Progress Place's relocation is included in the County Government Facility Planning CIP Project.

The town of Brunswick, MD has added a fine to the state's mandatory helmet law for minors.

The state's helmet law requires that anyone younger than 16 wear a helmet while using a bicycle, scooter or inline skates, but only carries a warning as a penalty.

Brunswick's ordinance expands on that ordinance to include skateboards and carries a maximum $10 fine. The fine is applicable anywhere inside the city limits.

Parents were not pleased.

Marianne Wilburn said she chooses not to wear a helmet when she inline skates, which she has done for 20 years, and that she doesn't tell her children to wear one, either.

"It is my parental right, my personal right," she said. "Our lives are not risk-free on this planet."

[Mayor Carroll] Jones reminded her to wear her seatbelt as she left the podium, a comment which Wilburn clearly did not appreciate, coming back to the podium for a final comment.

"I choose to fasten my seatbelt because I think that it's a very important safety measure, and it makes sense," she said. "I'm in a car going 60 miles an hour, I'm going to put my seatbelt on. And if I decide, next year, to join the Tour de France, I'll put on a helmet. But not on these roads."

The council passed the motion with a unanimous 5-0 vote.

A cyclist in Roanoke was killed after he ran a stop sign. Wet pavement may have played a part.

The 27-year-old artist was killed Tuesday after he left his job at the Home Shopping Network shipping center on his bicycle. He coasted down snow-slickened Avery Row into the path of a tractor-trailer on U.S. 460 in Botetourt County, according to Virginia State Police. The trucker wasn't charged.