TheWashCycle

Bike Lane Coming to 11th St NW

Out riding yesterday I noticed that 11th Street NW is being rebuilt between Mass and U. They've put signs up and have them covered until they're ready, but out of a corner of one pops the future bike lane sign.

Another shot of the Same Bridge

Funny How the Roadway Is Unobstructed - South Capital Street Bridge, originally uploaded by Rootchopper.

Frederick Douglass Bridge ATL Damage

Not sure what happened here, but it looks like a truck ran into the barrier. Luckily no one was standing there when it happened. I don't know when this will be cleaned up/repaired. It may have already happened. I don't really know anything I guess, but this is some photo, huh?

Bike Items That Have Little to Nothing to do With DC (11/08/09)

This local TV news story about drivers and construction companies and dumpsters blocking bike lanes in Philadelphia could just as easily be done in DC.

The Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Design Trust for Public Space sponsored a contest to redesign the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Several of the designs involved adding bikeways, some at ground level and others above the street.

On the heels of the braking doctor conviction is a distracted driver case out of San Francisco. The crash happened on Easter.

The Mercedes driver testified he didn't see the 6-foot-tall orange rabbit driving a pedicab because he was fumbling for a dropped cell phone.

After a daylong trial, Judge Karin Immergut found Edward Cespedes-Rodriguez guilty of hit and run driving for leaving the scene of the crash last April 12.

But Immergut cleared the 34-year-old Portland man of recklessly endangering another person.

I guess hitting someone because you weren't actually driving your car (just pushing the gas pedal) is OK if you don't leave the scene. (tip Contrarian)

The Mineta Transportation Institute hosted a discussion on Using Bicycles for the First and Last Mile of a Commute.

The Myth of the Scofflaw Pedestrian.

A new study determines that on-road bike facilities are the safest for cyclists

“Results to date suggest that sidewalks and multi-use trails pose the highest risk, major roads are more hazardous than minor roads, and the presence of bicycle facilities (e.g. on-road bike routes, on-road marked bike lanes, and off-road bike paths) was associated with the lowest risk.”

I do wonder if the sidewalk data removes wrong-way cyclists from the equation and if the data considers young cyclists and other self-selecting cyclists who only ride on trails and sidewalks because they feel they lack the skill to ride in the road. BikePortland points out:

many types of infrastructure now common in North America have not been studied at all, including bike boxes, sharrows, and the relationship between cycling and speed bumps.

Blumenauer proposes expanding Safe Routes to Schools to high schools.

Educating Cyclists

photo.jpg, originally uploaded by Eric Gilliland.

Educating Parkers

photo.jpg, originally uploaded by Eric Gilliland.

Left Turn Yield

photo.jpg, originally uploaded by Eric Gilliland.

From the left lane of the new 15th Street. This one is spelled correctly too. (As a frequent misspeller and one who has terrible problems with homonyms, I'm sympathetic). And another need for spellcheck.

15th Street Bike Lane is Done

15 is done, originally uploaded by Eric Gilliland.

Saturday Morning Ride (11/7/09)

Streetsblog DC has a slideshow of working bikes. Many are outside the U.S.

A guest columnist to the Richmond BizSense writes about how his bike commuting helps drivers.

Think of it this way — you may get frustrated if you have to veer around me in your rush to the next stoplight (where I will probably catch up to you waiting for the green). But ask yourself — would you rather veer around my bike or be stuck behind my Grand Cherokee? When you are looking for a parking space, isn’t it nice to know that there is at least one more out there — the one that I would have used if I had driven? And when you go to the gas pump, think of the 7.5 million gallons of gas that we bike commuters didn’t buy last week. That has to help keep prices down for drivers.

Richard Layman writes about trails

For years, I've been freely expressing my biases in favor of street riding as opposed to separated riding on trails, and my bias towards transportation/utilitarian bicycling as opposed to recreational riding.

But guess what, planning isn't about your biases, it's about being expansive, thorough, complete, and structured--it's about serving everyone, not just people like yourself.

you have to find ways to make bicycling comfortable and safe for the 59% of people who are willing to ride transportationally, but aren't ready to mix with serious traffic.

Earl Blumenauer rides in NYC, and mentions DC as one city that is making positive strides towards a bikeable city.

The Giro d'Italia in DC? Maybe. Maybe Not. In fact, probably not.

How will the Met Branch Trail get through the Silver Spring Transit Center? It will run under the elevated Purple Line.

DC's First Ever Tweed Ride - Nov. 15th

Tweed Run - First we take Savile Row, originally uploaded by M.J.S..

Via Cycle Jerk, from Dandies and Quaintrelles

Some of you have been waiting for a tweed ride in D.C. Others are confused and uncertain of it's point. We'll let points be made by politicians. Style is our concern. Amusement is our desire. We saw great style and imagined considerable amusement in the images of tweed rides in other major cities. Use your google skills and see what fun has been had in London, Chicago, San Fransisco and Boston.

We'll begin our ride at 11:00 am on 8th and H Street N.E. behind the great bank. There's an appropriately appointed photo studio that has been preparing to capture respectable images of our fashionable participants.