TheWashCycle

Saturday Evening Ride - Tunnel Testimony

Good evening

• DDOT is considering testing new technology.  It is a sensor that can detect bicyclists when necessary at traffic signals.  Most of the signals in the District are ‘pre-timed,’ meaning the different phases come up automatically.  This is generally a good thing for pedestrians and bicyclists and reduces the need for detection.  However, DC has some signal that bring up certain phases (i.e., turn green or ‘walk’) only when a car is present or a pedestrian pushes a button.  These signal usually do not detect bikes. If you know of an ‘actuated’ signal intersection where you and your bike are not detected, let DDOT know (jim.sebast[email protected]).  They may be able to test a new device there.
• Bike lanes going in on Columbia Road, NW. from 16th to Connecticut?
• The presentation on bike sharing in Tysons Corner is actually on Tuesday.
• The renovation of the Springfield Mall "includes improved pedestrian and bicycle connections to the Franconia-Springfield Metro and Virginia Railway Express stations"
• Charles County wants to make Leonardtown Road and Old Washington Road more amenable to pedestrians, bicyclists and mass transit.
• Using the GAP, you can now bike to the Pittsburgh airport.
• The CCCT's take on the Air Rights Tunnel/Trail issue:

The Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, the Town of Chevy Chase, and "Save the Trail" gave strong testimony at the T&E Committee hearing on the importance of keeping the Trail in the tunnel for the safety of the many trail users and for the integrity of this important regional trail. CCCT Chair Ron Tripp spoke for the CCCT to challenge the study assumptions used by MTA to find that the single-track options would not support the required Purple Line headway, see CCCT Tunnel Testimony. The MTA also had not included the single-track alternative the CCCT has proposed in its study. For these and other reasons Ron Tripp concluded:

"It's clear that MTA does not want the trail sharing the tunnel. It's equally clear that it is too early to close that door."

Saturday Morning Ride - How does Lex Luther not take the blame

Good Morning

• How bike lanes, bike sharing and a living social deal turned one man into a regular bike commuter.
• More on the Maryland Ave SW Plan. It has three options of which the third "proposes a smaller, pedestrian- and bike-friendly center roadway with an adjacent public square." They're accepting comments until February 3rd.
• An app that helps cities figure out where bike lanes are needed comes in 2nd Place in a Chicago areas app contest. "The app anonymously records the paths taken by the users (who can review the routes they've taken), giving Chicago city planners the data needed to decide where to construct the new trails. The app also features a handy dashboard that allows users to see their speed, distance traveled, and location."
• 2 time Oscar winner Gene Hackman was bumped from behind by a driver as he rode his bicycle in the Florida Keys. He was treated and released with a few bumps and bruises, so can we have a moment of muffled conversation for him.

Excellent piece on the value of public involvement. People really do support trails.

So why did the commissioners who ordered a stop to the design and engineering work last month change their minds?

Because the supporters of the Three Notch Trail organized. They wrote letters, and most tellingly, they showed up in force at an open forum the commissioners held last week. Many of the more than 80 people who showed up at the forum traveled from the north county down to Valley Lee to push the commissioners to restart work on the trail.

Sunday Video - Microwave Bike Detectors

Wednesday Morning Commute - Birds of Prey

Happy Walk and Bike to School Day

• Jack Evans is the latest DC politician to have his bikes stolen (not nearly as big a story as when Fenty's were). "Lt. John Hedgecock of PSA 206 giving a Public Safety and Police Report. Hedgecock warned that that residential burglaries have risen 88%. “We need your help,” he said, and asked residents to report anything unusual they might see in their neighborhoods. Hedgecock also said that bike thieves were stealing bicycles and replacing them with other bicycles. Later, Jack Evans shared that two of his own bikes were stolen from his car last week."
  • What's up with stealing a bicycle and replacing it with another? What are they cowbirds? [I know, they ride up on a junky one and ride away on the better one. So the first bike is actually just abandoned. But for so long I've wanted to make an ornithology joke]
• Below, DC's bike ambassador stands next to the 15th Street cycletrack asking pedestrians not to walk in it. A.K.A doing someone else's job.
• If you guessed that the cyclist who attacked a schoolboy had something thrown at him, it looks like you're correct.
• The owner of this bike is something of a hero. And Richard Layman is right - it's a sign that we need more bike parking and of diverse types.
• An alternative redesign of the Lee Highway/Lynn Street intersection in Rosslyn.
• Pleasonton, CA has smart intersections that use radar to detect cyclists and cars. "When the sensor detects a bicycle, it triggers the timing of traffic lights one way, and when it detects only cars, it triggers a different timing scheme. The better pacing of green lights provides a safer crossing, says Pleasanton Senior Transportation Engineer Joshua Pack. The city tested its first sensor in January 2010; six additional intersections should have the sensors by the end of November, Pack says."
• When conservative William Buckly ran for Mayor of New York City in 1965 he called for a more bike friendly city with elevated bikeways.

Friday Morning Commute - Throwing down some paint

Good morning

• Alex Baca at City Paper went to the Build it and they will Ride presentation at the Building Museum and reports that future cycling infrastructure in DC is going to be more likely to take space from drivers than in the past. Many bike lanes, up to now, have been built by taken a wide single lane and splitting it into a bike lane and all-traffic lane. "The next step for safe, dedicated bicycle infrastructure in D.C. will be more intrusive than simply throwing down some paint."
• Meanwhile, Harry Jaffe at the Examiner is a believer in CaBi. "I thought the rent-a-bikes were goofy and the program was doomed to failure. How wrong I was. The system is a raging success." But he includes some bad news that I missed 'Gray reduced the bike and pedestrian budget by about 30 percent. "We can still do a lot of work for pedestrians and bicyclists," Sebastian says.'
• A nice profile of a retiring bike messenger. "The twilight of the city’s once booming courier business is ironic and a little sad, because it comes amid a huge bicycle renaissance....Keefe joined the bike messenger scrum in its pre-fax, pre-e-mail glory days, when there were about 400 of them downtown, and they could easily pull down $100 for a couple hours’ work. (Today, they might not even break $75 in a 10-hour day.)...Keefe was a Vietnam War veteran who was studying physics while working on satellite projects for NASA." What is is with satellites and biking?
• Dr. Gridlock followed his blog post on area trails with a longer column on the same subject.
• With increased cycling, there is concern with increased competition for space (Frankly I don't think it's true. 75-80% of my commute is spent on bike lanes, trails, shoulders or riding in the pulses between cars on quieter streets. Whereas when I drive, I'm always mixing it up with other drivers). 'Farrell has this take on the problem: "Beyond enforcement, beyond education, which, as important as those two things are, there's a long-term need to rebuild and restructure the infrastructure that we have."'
• Spotcycle is now more accurate.
• U-MD aerospace engineering students are trying to build a flying bicycle. Literally. But they call it a human powered helicopter. This is how I plan to commute in 2021, and I will blow every stop sign when I do. On a serious note, I'm surprised they have the cyclist in the recumbent position. I'd think you'd get more power standing, but the video says they studied that to get the ideal position. Maybe they're trying to keep it closer to the ground for more ground effect.
• How to buy a bike advice in the Post. BTW, Complete Bike Maintenance by Fred Milson, which I'm currently perusing has some good bike shopping advice too. This weekend, I'm going to try some of the repairs and so we'll see how idiot-proof it is.
• Tales from the sharrows has an interesting post on facilities and commuting. His workplace has the ideal set-up for bike commuters (indoor, secure bike parking; a secure locker room with showers; the bike commuter benefit and a CaBi station) yet few people bike commute. I wonder how much each of those items induces bike commuting. People always tell me they'd love to bike commute, but there's no shower. Are they all liars?
• Laurel's new bike lanes are finished. "City Engineer Bryon White announced April 14 the completion of bikeways on Fourth and Fifth streets that connect Riverfront Park in historic Laurel to Gude Lake Park on the south side of Route 198....He said the next step in the bikeway master plan will begin this summer with road markings and signs from the Laurel Municipal Center to Montrose Avenue through West and Eighth streets. This bikeway will connect with the new ones on Fourth and Fifth streets."
• DDOT is repaving East Capitol between Lincoln Park and RFK. Yesterday I noticed the prep lines for the street marking and it appears they're extending the bike lanes east from 17th to 19th. Delicious, low-hanging fruit.
• Last video of DC biking. This one of 15th Street.

Washington DC, 15th street NW cycletrack (partial, 3x speed) from Greenbelt Bike Videos on Vimeo.

Tuesday Morning Commute - Taxes better be in

Good morning

• A bird's eye view combined with a bike's eye view of College Park.
• DDOT's FY 2012 hearing is this Thursday. You can testify.
• I was just thinking about this, but Richard Layman said it first. One side benefit of CaBi is the presence of 110 extra public maps. 
• The Fort Meyer Wright Gate is open to cyclists again.

Bike Arlington's forum expands

From CPB

BikeArlington has teamed up with goDCgo to expand the forum to also include Washington DC.  Members will now see a few new logos on the site and some minor wording changes to the forum headers.

The forum has grown into a useful tool with an online community of cyclists who come together to discuss all topics related to biking.  Everything from recommendations on gear and equipment, to trail detours due to scheduled maintenance or snow has been fair game for discussion.

 

 

Tour de Links - Murmur

Maillot Jaune: Apple applied for a patent that describes Apple's vision for using the iPhone, iPod, or other electronic device as an interface for a multi-feature bicycle computer.

Podium - Someone bought an $8000 bike that once belonged to Floyd Landis for $5. It had been found on the side of the interstate in Kentucky.

Podium - Levi Leipheimer won the race that Lance Armstrong pulled out of. He won, despite crashing, and beat Lance's record. Next goal for Levi: Eight straight Tour de France victories.

Maillot Vert: A cyclist going too fast down a bridge ATL in Clearwater, FL, with a passenger on the handlebar -  at night - hit and killed a pedestrian.

Maillot a Pois Rouge: Our mayoral candidates are better than Toronto's. One candidate said of cyclists that in the end he feels that it is "their fault" for being hit. And slgihtly related another round of Transportation recissions are coming and these may hit bike/ped funding especially hard.

Maillot Blanc: A town in England turned off it's traffic lights, and the intersections became faster and safer. Cyclists don't cause traffic, traffic lights do.

Lanterne Rouge: Even the conservative Denver Post thinks Dan Maes of "bike sharing is a U.N. Conspiracy" is crazy. "This man must not be governor." they write.

And even though I'm out of entries: The railroad trestle featured on the cover of the R.E.M. album* "Murmur" might become part of a rails to trails project - if it can be saved.

*For the young out there, albums were like CDs** except that they were bigger, would break and/or scratch if you looked at them funny, and had to flipped half way.

** For the very young, CDs were like DVDs but they only had music on them.

Ride the City iPhone App Expands to DC

Ride the City expanded their iPhone app from just covering NYC to covering several cities including DC. Ride the City is bike mapping program designed for cyclists.

Tour de Links - 234

Biking helps prevent premenopausal women from gaining weight, especially those who are already overweight.

"Women of normal body weight can certainly benefit from biking," she noted. "But specifically for overweight and obese premenopausal women, bicycling just two to three hours per week makes them 46 percent less likely to gain more than 5 percent of their initial body weight over the long run."

Some NYC garages are charging cyclists $200 a month to park their bike (well they would, but none will pay that). Via GGW.

A travel piece on biking around Manhattan. This is how I'll do it next time.

As we passed the curved glass of the Frank Gehry-designed IAC building and entered Hudson River Park, Alex noted that this used to be a "seedy landfill," not gardens overflowing with flowers and gazebos where you can rest in the shade.

Staring at a 1951 police cruiser in mint condition, I realized that this was one of those unique New York moments one stumbles upon in a city brimming with nonstop entertainment. As Greg noted, "We never would have found this unless we were biking."

If one doors a cyclist from a taxi, the taxi company's insurance doesn't pay.

iPhone app for Ride the City.

The US Bicycle Route System is making real progress.

Colorado cyclists protest the banning of bicycling in Black Hawk.

City officials say bicycles aren't prohibited; riders just have to dismount and walk

Some LA Critical Mass riders are trying to improve the rides by getting all cyclists to follow all laws.

A London article on bait bikes. I don't care for bike thieves, but leaving unlocked bikes as bait bikes does make me uncomfortable (though taking an unlocked bike is still stealing). Via GGW.

Adam Voiland has two posts on Lost Cyclist the story of Frank Lenz

If it wasn't the valuables from his bike his killers wanted, then it's possible he died simply because of the strangeness of his chosen mode of transportation. According to one account, the natives in the region were arguing about whether the interloper was a man or a devil.  To resolve the question, one of them shot him repeatedly to see if hew would die, and he did.

They should have weighed him to see if he weighed as much as a duck.