TheWashCycle

I Feel The Need for Tweed

If you missed yesterday's Tweed Ride, you missed a good time.

First of all, the weather was nothing short of spectacular. If anything, it was too warm for a Tweed Ride, but I didn't hear anyone complaining.

The turn out was impressive. Several hundred, I would guess, for a last minute ride, that's never been held before in DC. And people took it seriously. Penny farthing bikes (yes, plural), aviator helmets, jaunty hats, parasols; people took it seriously. I talked to one guy who bought his whole outfit (except his shoes) for the ride. The Post has a nice write-up on the fashion and what the ride means - if it means anything.

The tweed riders in the alley are here because they value style, art, history and/or cycling, and because they find more inspiration by looking back than looking around. Danny Harris, 30, wears a wool tie and vest he bought in England, Vietnamese motorcycle goggles on his head and khaki shorts. On the other side of his taxicab-colored fixie is Kristin Hershberger, 27, who wears a 1970s high-waisted denim skirt and a new velvet vest trimmed with fur, yet still manages to look like she's from the Jazz Age. They talk about how going out used to mean orchestras and fine clothing, and how being macho meant knowing how to dance.

"I think our generation is lacking in a certain respect," Hershberger says.

A generation, in an alley, in search of a social identity.

Perhaps this is too much thought for a Sunday afternoon.

I will add that it was a good-looking group of people, despite my pulling the average down.

The ride itself was nice too. It being mid-day and great weather, people were out on the streets, which gave the ride an audience that most riders reveled in. Men called out "good day" to ladies as they tipped their hats. Shouts of hip hip hooray were started. At one point I overheard a woman on the sidewalk say "there must be some sort of event going on." As though there was a chance that 200 cyclists riding around in wool and lace was just a normal occurrence. 

"What are you riding for?" people shouted.

"Tweed" many called back. Though fun was another reason and Arts for the Aging, a Bethesda nonprofit, the charity.

"What are you doing?" others shouted.

"What are YOU doing?" one rider replied. The riders were not above existential questions.

There was red light running (despite the stated goal to obey all traffic laws) to keep the group together, but with friendly waves and calls of "thank you" that most drivers - with windows down - heard. One rider high-fived mostly smiling, but stalled, drivers as she rode past. The only conflict point really was Dupont Circle, where two laps around caused gridlock serious enough to give Mark Seagraves the vapors. There was honking, and unlike the rest I'd heard, it was not of the friendly, supporting kind. Perhaps one lap would have been sufficient. There was also some over-exuberant use of the roadway, and room for more politeness - it will be interesting to see if drivers write in to the Post to complain.

WABA provided parking at Marvin (where I had just eaten on Friday night - bad planning on my part. That didn't stop me from ordering waffles and fried chicken again) and the bar quickly transformed from a sleepy brunch crowd to a rowdy, but polite, crowd of good looking people well-dressed and ready for gin.

There are dozens on photos on Flickr if you want more. And Adam Voiland had a post about it too. 

FTA proposes expanding catchment area for bicycle projects

LAB announces the good news that the FTA is proposing a rule change that will expand FTA funding eligibility for bicycle and pedestrian improvements beyond the current threshold distances of one-half mile for pedestrian projects and within three miles for bicycle improvements. Currently, the catchment area is limited to 1500 feet (with some exceptions).

From the proposal

FTA has reason to believe that pedestrians are willing to spend more than fifteen minutes walking to public transportation stops and stations: A study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine concluded that Americans who use public transportation spend a median of nineteen minutes daily walking to and from public transportation; and people in high-density urban areas were more likely to spend approximately thirty minutes walking to and from public transportation daily.

Applying the same timeframes to bicyclists yields at least a three mile catchment area. Bicycle paths would extend further than a pedestrian facility and still be functionally related because ‘‘bicyclists are willing to travel much longer distances than pedestrians, largely due to higher average speeds attainable by bicycle.’’ Inasmuch as the average bicycle commuter travels at ten miles per hour,32 FTA proposes a bicycle catchment area of three miles from public transportation stops and stations.

Most grant programs administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) may be used to fund the design, construction, and maintenance of bicycle and pedestrian projects that enhance or are related to public transportation facilities. Improvements made expressly eligible by statute include capital projects like pedestrian and bicycle access to a public transportation facility 18; and transit enhancements like pedestrian access, walkways, and bicycle access, including bicycle storage facilities and equipment for transporting bicycles on public transportation vehicles.

And it points out another source of bicycle funding.

One percent of Urbanized Area Formula program funds apportioned to urbanized areas with populations of at least 200,000 are set aside for transit enhancements. Eligible transit enhancement projects include pedestrian access and walkways, bicycle access, including bicycle storage facilities and installing equipment for transporting bicycles on public transportation vehicles.24 As an added incentive, the Federal share of transit enhancement grants covers 90 percent of the cost of the project.25 If the project involves providing bicycle access to public transportation, the grant or portion of that grant may be at a Federal share of 95 percent.

There's about $3.5B available nationwide, but I'm not sure how much DC gets. But this could be used to fund the currently-unfunded PG County Connector Trail.

Bike items that have little to nothing to do with DC (11/15/09)

States aren't using all of their bike and pedestrian money and pedestrian safety is suffering.

Using Federal Highway Administration records, the report's authors found an average of 1.5 percent of federal transportation spending is focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety, while pedestrians alone account for 11.5 percent of traffic fatalities.

The Post picked up this story as well, and gave more of a local slant.

An average of $1.39 a person was spent on pedestrian and bicycle safety projects in the 52 areas surveyed. The average in Washington was $1.19.

The Post points out that people will outlive their driving age by 5 to 7 years. That's the time to join the Old Spokes, a senior citizen biking club.

The transit strike in Philadelphia is resulting in more biking - up 38% by the count of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. The group is sponsoring a Bike the Strike event. Same think happened in NYC. Speaking of NYC, commuter cycling is up 26% over the last year.

A group wants to bring cicLAvias to L.A.

A bike accident report out of Fort Collins, CO. Wrong way cycling is bad news, and so is drivers who fail to yield (or even yeild). Accidents were up 9.5% over an eight year period. If biking is up there as much as it everywhere else, that isn't too bad. Colorado recently changed some of it's laws to be more in line with DC's, adding the 3 foot passing distance and changing the law so that

Cyclists in Colorado also will be able to ride closer to the center of the road when riding on the shoulder is too dangerous and ride two abreast when there is no traffic behind them.

Interested in an apprenticeship in Cargo Framebuilding. Here's the organization for you.

FABB has a chart showing the increase in cycling in NYC over the last 25 years. It's up, way up.

The Bike Project: A Visual, Literary and Cinematic Celebration of Biking in Our World

More at the DC Bicycle Transportation Examiner.

A cycle track in Saint Petersburg, FL.

DSC_0291, originally uploaded by BeyondDC.

LaHood blogs about US DOT bike commuters

On his blog, the Fast Lane, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood blogged about US DOT bike commuters, and one in particular.

Tom [Dorset] is in his late-ish 60s, works for our Federal Railroad Administration, and commutes the 10 miles to work (and 10 back) by bicycle.

If you talk to any bicycle commuter long enough, you'll hear a cautionary story about a car whose driver didn't notice the bicyclist nearby and executed a turn or failed to yield a right of way, causing a collision or near-miss. The thing about Tom is that in telling a couple of these tales, his key point is not that cars need to be more aware of bikes--though they do--but that bicyclists need to guard against their own "laser vision."

"We get a lot of support in finding the best routes," he says, "through the DOT Bicycle Commuters Group."

This group consists of about 80 people who meet monthly to share information and come up with ways that DOT can provide more support for its bicycle commuters. Run by Gabe Rousseau, they have a listserv, a mentors program for new bike commuters, a buddy program--bikes are more easily noticed by drivers when they're in pairs--and a useful set of webpages.

Post Covers the 15th Street Bike Lane

The post ran a lengthy article on the 15th Street Contraflow bike lane, and on the larger efforts - and ensuing successes - that DC has been making toward creating a more bike friendly city.

In an attempt to minimize the conflicts, the invisible line that separates drivers and cyclists on most busy urban streets has been defined by more than a half-mile of yellow posts on 15th Street NW, in the District's first attempt at walling off a bike lane from cars.

Washington and its bicycling mayor are reclaiming a piece of the road for people who travel on two wheels instead of four. The city also plans to expand the number of bikes in its SmartBike rental program from 100 to 1,000, and make them available at 100 locations.

The city has 43 miles of bike lanes, and thousands of cyclists use city streets every day. Creating a safer environment is expected to encourage others, reducing traffic congestion and the District's carbon footprint. Peak-hour cycling doubled in the region from 2004 to 2009, according to a survey by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

It's funny that, in light of this last week's other big biking story, that they would mention the Mayor. And they were technically incorrect about SmartBike. DC will expand it's bike sharing program, but it won't be SmartBike. I loved that they mentioned that biking reduces congestion (which is how we get drivers to support cycling) and I liked that they included this.

Under District law, when a lane is 11 feet wide or less, cyclists are allowed to occupy the entire lane rather than stay to the right side, said Jim Sebastian, the transportation planner in charge of the District's bike program.

"If you're hugging the right side, you risk getting doored or encouraging people to pass when there's no room to," Sebastian said. "Taking the whole lane may inconvenience some people, but it's less dangerous for both the cyclist and the driver."

They mentioned that there are some who oppose the new bike lane, but it seems that most people support it.

Many cyclists say they welcome the bike lane on 15th Street NW, but some have complained about its design. They say it does not slow cars and confuses some bike riders.

I really hope DDOT did a study of speeds before the change and does another after the change. All this talk about slowing cars has me curious. This could be just the beginning

Sebastian said the city hopes to develop dedicated bike lanes on at least four streets, two running north-south and two running east-west. He mentioned M and L streets as possible candidates.

The story covers the issue of cars parking in the bike lane and how this will solve that, (the online version even has a link to mybikelan). The ending is great.

When Bob Lukes moved from Wisconsin to a place near Catholic University, in Northeast Washington, he first thought Rock Creek Parkway looked like a great way to commute by bike to his job in Rockville. He discovered otherwise.

"It's not a park," Lukes said. "It's an interstate, dangerous and stressful."

Photo by WABA

Saturday Morning Ride (11/14/09)

Silver Spring Trails follows the Interim Metropolitan Branch Trail signs.

I was able to follow the signs for the interim on-road route from Piney Branch Road to Fort Totten Drive and back today.

All of the turns are marked by the directional turn signs. Route signs pointing straight were placed after some turns and on some longer stretches, a good signing practice to reassure that “yes, you are still on the route”.

FABB reports that Virginia may change the way it apportions Transportation Enhancement money, with more emphasis on transportation-oriented bicycle and pedestrian projects and less emphasis on historic preservation projects. A public meeting will be held on this on Nov. 19th at 9:00 a.m. at the VDOT Central Office Auditorium, 1221 E. Broad St., Richmond or send comments by email.

The categories that would receive funding in FY2013 are those that promote core transportation functions: Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety and Education, Landscaping and Scenic Beautification along Transportation Corridors (including streetscape improvements), and Preservation of Abandoned Railway Corridors and Conversion to Trails (traditional rails-to-trails and rails-with-trails projects).

We support most of the proposed changes. We don't support the inclusion of landscaping and scenic beautification projects unless they include bicycle facilities.

The 2010 Virginia Cross State Ride will follow Bike 76, from Breaks Interstate Park on the Kentucky border, to Chickahominy Riverfront Park in Yorktown. It will be a 2-week tour with sagged camping.

Two DC locations, including the Capital Crescent Trail, made the finals of locations where the Google Trike might first visit. There were 0 locations in Texas, Alaska and 35 other states. (via GGW) Vote here.

David Alpert also writes about the problems caused by DC's weak "Emergency No Parking" program. People don't actually move their cars or avoid parking in these spaces. The police don't enforce them and so when moving trucks show up they have to double park - sometimes in the bike lane. This happened to David Alpert and it happened to me last year. In fact this photo on Mybikelane DC is of my movers - who by the way are great and would've legally parked if they could have. I was standing just off camera to the left as rjudd took this photo and thought at the time "I bet that's for Mybikelane" and it was.

Tom Sherwood on the 15th Street Contraflow Lane

Tom Sherwood of NBC 4 covers the bike lane with a largely positive story. Most people seem to support the new lane and there is no "war on drivers" talk. The lane isn't formally open, whatever that means, but what do people think about it now. Is it working for you.

On the other side of the balance sheet

City Bikes is having a Commuter Bike Open House.

Whether you are a seasoned commuter or pondering pedal power as a mode of commute, visit our commuter bike open house to see the latest commuter bikes and accessories.
 
Our showroom floor will be dedicated to 2010 commuter bikes and accessories, and manned with knowledgeable staff - ride the latest models, get riding tips and more.

Learn the ins and outs of commuting by bike. The League of American Bicyclists will be giving an hour-long presentation on bicycle commuting at 2pm.

Sunday, November 15th 11am-5pm at the Adams Morgan City Bikes. They'll also raffle away some accessories. Stop by after the Tweed Ride (Registration is now open and free).