TheWashCycle

More Smart Bike and Bike to Work Week coverage

Often at this time of year Kojo Nnamdi spends a little time discussing "Cycling in Our Region" and this year is no different. This year Jim Sebastian, DDOT's Bicycle (and Pedestrian and TDM) Coordinator, Paul DeMaio, from MetroBike LLC, and Eric Gilliland (by phone) of WABA were his guests. They discussed the SmartBike pilot program to start by the end of the month (?). It's a three-gear bike with an internal hub I've learned. They discussed bike bunching, problems with installation of kiosks, what to do if the kiosk you want to park at is full (go to another kiosk or wait for someone to check one out and open a space).

"Bike sharing is not bike rental. You aren't supposed to take your bike into your office for 8 hours"

There were also discussions of the need for more facilities, the history of WABA, Bike to Work Day (which will be greener than ever this year), Competent Cycling Classes, legal and safe cycling, etc...

There was more coverage of SmartBike - and Arlington's program - in the Express

And already [DC is] about to face some competition from across the river. Arlington is right on D.C.'s heels with its own bike rental program, set to launch this fall.

The details are still a bit fuzzy, but Paul DeMaio, bicycle promotions and car-sharing manager at the Arlington Division of Transportation, predicts at least 100 bikes will be available, scattered throughout the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

SmartBike customers can get wheels off electric racks with a swipe of a membership card, while Arlington is considering a digital service in which users could unlock their rides via cell phone.

DeMaio anticipates an annual fee but says Arlington will also offer a weekly membership for tourists and those who want to try the system without making the yearlong commitment.

WABA Executive Director Eric Gilliland says the dual programs demonstrate  how far bicycling has come in the Washington area.
"It's not just the ‘men in tights' — the guys out training or the hard-core commuters. It's accessible to everyone," he says.

That includes Sarah Roque. The 31-year-old usually bikes from her Bethesda digs to her day job at the Department of Justice on a hybrid she bought off Craigslist. Even so, she often finds herself without wheels when she wants to take a quick daytime excursion. "I would love to go to certain places on an hour lunch break, but you just can't get over to the Mall," she says. "I think this is a great idea."

The GWhatchet also has a write up on it.

"We are starting with a relatively small program compared to the European states and seeing what happens," Sebastian said. "We will accept two to three thousand subscribers, see how it's used and what people like and don't like, and then expand it."

D.C. has over 30 miles of bike lanes, with plans for new lanes on G, H, 21st and 22nd streets in Foggy Bottom. DDOT is also in talks to set up a bike dock in Georgetown.

"I have seen bikers use sidewalks putting pedestrians at risk," said David Lehrman, a Foggy Bottom Advisory Neighborhood Commission member. "At least with Zipcar, a valid license and insurance is required. No skills test is involved with a bike rider."

Yes, because clearly DC area drivers are highly skilled. [Nor is there a skills test for being an ANC member it appears.] Competent cycling classes, mentioned above - are free.

"This is a great idea for sustainability and turning D.C. into a bike-friendly city," GW senior Maggie Desmond said. "It will cut down on the use of cabs and Zipcar."

Additionally if you keep listening, Kojo interviews Jim Malusa, the author of "Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents" - the guy who biked to the lowest point of every continent (I've been to Bad Water in Death Valley but I didn't bike it. You could probably bike from near the top of Mt Whitney, the highest point in the continental US, to Bad Water in a single day - but I'd do it in the winter).

Addendum: The Gazette has a BTWD story as well - this one about Frederick, MD. Both the city and county transportation planners bike to work. It gives me great hope to see more transportation people - not just bike coordinators - biking to work.

Upon accepting a position with the county last year, John Thomas, Frederick County’s transportation planner and his wife looked specifically for a home in Frederick city so he could ride his bike to work. Selling one of their cars, Thomas said they were able to buy ‘‘more house” with the savings by not having to pay insurance, maintenance, gas and other expenses for one of the vehicles.

‘‘In my everyday job, I’m tasked with dealing with transportation and traffic, one of the biggest issues in the county,” he said. ‘‘It is hard to say biking is a valid transportation option if I don’t do it myself.”

Tim Davis, transportation planner for the City of Frederick, admits that while he is not on par with Thomas’ daily dedication, he too is an avid biker who commutes from his home in Ballenger Creek to the city’s Municipal Annex on West Patrick Street as much as he can.

Davis said the city’s Shared Use Path Plan is helping to create more off-street recreational bike paths as well as link existing paths around the city, including county paths. The city has also committed $1.5 million to ‘‘Rails to Trails” program that turns former railroad tracks to recreational paths.

Next year, he said, the city will undertake the development of a bicycle plan and network map for on-road streets in the city.

And more at RPUS.

May 2008 DC BAC meeting notes

1. Bike Lanes - So far this year, the District has added 1.5 miles of bike lanes (including the ones on Q street shown in this photo from DCist). They expect the pace to pick up as winter is a bad time for adding lanes. They still hope to reach their goal of 14 additional miles this year.

2. Bike Station - DDOT hopes to break ground by June, with a March 2009 opening.

3. Smart Bike - The goal is now to start by the end of May. 7 of 10 stations have been installed, but none of them have power because of issues with PEPCO.

4. Rock Creek Park Trail - The EA should be coming out within the next 2 months. In the meantime, DDOT and NPS are working on spot improvements (repairs, straightening, widening) that could occur sooner.

5. Metropolitan Branch Trail - PEPCO's lawyers need to look at the land deal before signing off on this. This could take a couple of months. [Oh PEPCO, are you trying to be the new CSX?] Meanwhile, DDOT wants a "right of entry" to do design work, but that may not satisfy the FHWA who's paying for this. The longer it takes to get deal done, the more the federal money is placed at risk.

6. Complete streets - The draft plan is being shown around. Tommy Wells is unhappy with it because he wants it to be more aggressive (as I understand it, he'd like DDOT to assume every road should have a cycle track or bike lane and require a compelling reason, and extra work, to remove it instead of the other way around).

7. RTC 2010 Campaign - See the March minutes (previous post) for what this is. A first draft of what DC's proposal will include (additional trails, bike lanes, routes, cycle tracks, signalized intersections, expanded bike share, DDOT staff, training, data collection, etc...) has been worked up by the BAC.

8. Public Works and the Environment Committee testimony -  The BAC presented a scorecard on the first three years of the bike plan. The BAC is pursuing a full time employee to help with various administrative tasks. 

March 2008 DC BAC Meeting Notes

I didn't attend so these are from the minutes

1. Rails to Trails Conservancy 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation -

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation aims to build on the success of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program in SAFETEA-LU. The goal: empowering dozens of communities to each advocate for $50 million in federal funds to make focused investments in infrastructure and programs to shift automobile trips to walking and biking. The campaign aims to double the federal investment in active transportation in the next reauthorization.

Kevin Mills of RTC would like DC to apply to be one of the communities to receive this additional money. There was some discussion as to whether DC should do this by itself or in conjunction with surrounding jurisdictions. Arlington and Alexandria are applying together for example.

2. DDOT is working on 14 miles of proposed bike lanes for 2008, 4 miles done during resurfacing and 10 miles of retrofits.

3. Bike Station - the additional money DDOT was seeking was approved so construction should begin this summer.

4. DDOT has hired a Safe Routes to Schools coordinator. The DC program will begin with 8 pilot schools (one in each ward). Applications were due May 1.

5. Smart Bike - DDOT hoped to launch the program in April. Electrical hook-ups for the racks are the main hold up. DDOT and Clear Channel are working with PEPCO on this.

6. Rock Creek Park Trail - DDOT was to meet with NPS about widening the trail to 10 feet.

7. Anacostia Riverwalk Trail - There is a proposal to put in rumble strips near the boathouse so that cyclists will slow down and not hit a crew carrying a 60 foot boat.

8. Metropolitan Branch Trail - Design of the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Bridge has begun. This should take about a year.

9. Other - The Commerce department's bike parking area will be removed for about 18 months for renovation. The bike registration requirement has been rescinded by the council; police will be informed and educated on this change.

Convention Bikes

Richard Layman posted a story about bikes being provided at the Democratic National Convention this fall

And Blumenthal has big dreams of bringing that same sight to Denver during the Democratic National Convention in August.

He’s planning the unprecedented—at least in Colorado—bringing 1,000 bikes to the political event in an effort to offer free rides to the expected 50,000 visitors.

“Our vision, our goal is that when you pick up Newsweek magazine or Time and the cover shows the Democratic National Convention and a picture of Obama or Hillary…but when you open it up, inside, there’ll be a big photo of a sea of people riding bikes,” Blumenthal says.

Democrats and bikes, OK I see it. But I got this article from a friend which points out that Republicans are planning the same number of bikes for their convention.

Minneapolis and St. Paul will be given 1,000 bikes for people to use during the four-day convention that starts September 1.

The bikes will be stationed at racks set up at different points around the cities. They can be checked out by swiping a credit card or a program ID card, then checked back in at racks stationed elsewhere.

The bikes are provided by Humana, and 75 of them will remain after the convention.

Oh no you didn't!? Gauntlet = thrown.

Which Convention will be the bikiest? Only time will tell. But if Obama picks Blumenauer as his running mate, that will leave McCain with only one hope.

Georgetown and smartbike

The Georgetown Voice has an article about Smartbike. Nothing new in it really but if you haven't gotten your fill it has all the usual information. I did hear a rumor that one of the station sites presently planned may not work out and thus Georgetown could get a station in the first allotment. But I've seen nothing to substantiate that. Update: Here's more from the Voice's blog.

And from Commuter Page Blog (2nd section) we learn of plans in Arlington to go with NextBike and how to allow for transfers from DC's bike system to Arlington's

Paul DeMaio manages Arlington County's Bicycle Promotions and Carsharing Program and writes with some corrections and details about the county's upcoming bike sharing program: "We're actually going to use Nextbike's technology. It's a mobile phone based system and much less expensive than Clear Channel's. More about Nextbike is at Nextbike.net. 

"Both Arlington's and DC's bikes won't be allowed in the other's jurisdictions. This is due to liability issues. I've spoken with the DC bike program manager about co-locating stations in Rosslyn at the Key Bridge so folks would be able to seamlessly go from one of Arlington's bike to DC's. DC actually owns a bit of land on the VA side of the Bridge."

Velib and Cycling in America

For those of you who can't get enough photos of French bike sharing, pricetags online photo magazine has an issue on Velib. It's one of the most complete descriptions of the program I've ever seen. They have another issue about cycling in North America (specifically Vancouver and Portland but much of it is applicable here).

Also, Paul DeMaio reports on his blog

A brief update on D.C.'s program: 7 of the 10 stations are constructed. The goal is to launch later this month as soon as the remainder of the stations are up and on-line.

Latest bike sharing article(s)

This one from the AP

The District of Columbia program is starting small, with just 10 stations and 120 bikes. In contrast, Paris started its service last summer with more than 10,600 bikes at 750 stations. But D.C. officials are eager to expand it quickly if the response is good. Proponents say the program easily could be expanded to more than 1,000 bikes at more than 100 stations within a year.

At the current size, the bike share is unlikely to make a dent in easing congestion on city streets or crowding on the Metro, Sebastian acknowledged. But "if it works and we expand it, then it will," he said.

In most cities where the program operates, advertising is attached to the bike stations or on the bikes themselves. In D.C., there won't be advertising initially, but that could change if the program is expanded, Schmidt said.

Of course, of the three locations mentioned (Capitol Hill, Georgetown and K Street) only one will have a kiosk (but with a three hour limit you could easily travel to all three).

Update: The New York Times gets in on it too.

At George Washington University in Foggy Bottom, one of the program’s 10 locations, students were unsure how often they would use SmartBike, but said its price made it worth a try.

“I’d probably use it more in the summer than winter,” said Dewey Archer, a senior. “But for $40? That’s cheaper than gas.”

Flood of DC Bike-Sharing Articles Begins

We're about a month away from SmartBike's DC debut, and so the early round of "Bike-sharing is coming" articles is being published. The City Paper got in on it. The Washington Business Journal points out that sign up can be done with a 1-800 number (1-800-899-4449) - so that should help tourists. Steve Eldridge gets in the loop on the new program over on Commuter Page Blog. And of course the Post ran an article in the Metro section about it, which included a little bit of new info like the non-returned bike fee is $200 (does that seem low to anyone else? Addendum: especially considering the vandalism issues in Paris). It also includes a bit about locks -

Officials had hoped to launch the D.C. program earlier, but several problems -- including how to keep in-use bikes parked away from the storage racks from being stolen -- need to be resolved.

Sebastian said that the city is looking at a lock that would remain on the bicycle, modeled after one used successfully in Paris.

And a bit about Arlington County, which

is also looking at a bike-sharing program, though it plans to use an automated system that would reserve bikes by cellphone, said Paul DeMaio, who owns MetroBike LLC and is a consultant to the county.

Standard Gauge

The Washington area, already on the path of having as many as three different, non-compatible bike sharing systems - DC's, Arlington's and Alexandria's - could be adding a fourth, the Capitol's. Yes soon we'll have bike sharing systems that mirror the city's numerous overlapping law enforcement agencies. Though, as Richard Layman points out, the Capitol's system is actually what Paul DeMaio calls a "bike fleet" I still think they should change gears here.  I'm glad they're getting into the swing of bike sharing, but doesn't it make more sense for the Capitol to join the DC system by adding 3 stations with 30 bikes on Capitol grounds. I mean, they didn't build their own subway system did they? Oh. So they did.

Sure, a combined system wouldn't be reserved specifically for Capitol employees, but located around the Capitol that's who would use more of them. They could save money due to economies of scale and with it get more bikes to make up for the ones used by 'outsiders'.  The contract announcement doesn't mention a cost, but this can't be the most efficient way to do this?

Richard Layman also points to yet another national story about DC's bike sharing program - get ready for dozens of them, it'll be like reading the Ballpark and Beyond blog during the week before the opening of Nationals Stadium - this one in MSNBC.

Clear Channel Outdoor, an outdoor advertising company, will launch the country’s first bike-share service in Washington, D.C., in mid-May in partnership with the district’s Department of Transportation. SmartBike DC will initially offer annual subscribers access to 100 bikes at 10 stations in the city’s central business district.

The Washington, D.C., contract allows the company to provide advertising on up to 800 bus shelters.

I'm also becoming convinced that Paul DeMaio is going to be rich

Public-private partnerships are common among existing bike-share programs, says Paul DeMaio, the founder of MetroBike LLC, a bike-share consultancy based in Washington, D.C.

This is kind of cool for me personally, since it was the subject of my very first post back in 2005. I will have followed if from one-line, inconsequential blurb in an article about bus shelters to an international story. Kind of fun.

Smartbike Station and bike

From Bike Sharing Blog.

"You don’t start a transit system with one bus."

This could be a pretty exciting year for DC area biking: Bike Valet at Nationals Park, Wilson Bridge bike lane in May(ish), construction starting on the Union Station Bicycle Transit Center and the first modern bike sharing program in the Americas. The bike sharing blog points us to an article in the Continental Airlines magazine about the coming program includes a quote from occasional contributor Jeff Peel.

This spring sees the launch of SmartBike D.C., a new bike-sharing initiative from the outdoor advertising giant Clear Channel Adshel, and a potential model for similar programs nationwide. By joining the program, registered participants in the nation’s capital can access 120 “smart bikes” at 10 locations throughout the downtown area. They will be able to pedal the four-speed, one-size-fits-all bikes anywhere for up to three hours, provided they return their bike to a SmartBike kiosk.

“It’s going to be a great addition to a multimodal transportation system in D.C. and will go a long way to enhance our public transit system,” says Jeff Peel, SmartBike D.C.’s project manager. “You can get almost anywhere by Metro train or bus, but it may not always be the most convenient method. A bike-sharing program adds another layer to the transit network and helps alleviate congestion.”

Clearly, there are obstacles. On a national scale, liability is much more onerous in the United States. Helmets, though recommended, aren’t provided in the D.C. program. And many cities considering bike-share programs, such as Seattle, require helmets by law. As with most proposed programs, D.C. users must sign up in advance, paying a $40 initiation fee. In return, they get a SmartBike card that releases the bikes from a locking kiosk. If a bike is lost or stolen, the user must pay for it.

SmartBike D.C. is starting with a small number of bikes and kiosk locations, compared with programs in Europe. But the key to a thriving bike-share program, say Clarke and others, is to make the bikes ubiquitous. Clear Channel supplied Barcelona with 6,000 bikes, and advertiser JCDecaux provided more than 20,600 in Paris. The D.C. program, by comparison, will have 120 bikes initially. “The reason Barcelona and Paris are such success stories is because they were bold,” says DeMaio. “You don’t start a transit system with one bus.”

Jim Sebastian of D.C.’s Department of Transportation is optimistic that bike sharing will succeed. But he says starting with a larger program would be risky. “We want to see if it works first,” he says. “Then we’ll expand.” Still, the District of Columbia offers compelling attributes that make it a solid candidate to host a bike-share program. There is a growing cycling culture, due in part to the district’s international composition.

But it may not work if there aren't enough bikes. I'm worried, but hopeful. And there is a lot riding on this

“We have Congress — the senators and the representatives and their staff who will be using these bikes every day will see how wonderful they are, and then they’ll want them back in their home states.”

SmartBike Kiosks being installed

Prince of Petworth has a photo on his website of a kiosk going in on Rhode Island Ave at 14th Street. As anyone else taken a picture of one?

More SmartBike Details

The Bike-Sharing Blog has more details on DC's bike sharing program.

bikes will be available from 6am - 10pm daily.

Customers will be able to use the bikes for up to 3 hours at a time. If returned after 3 hours, a penalty point will be assessed to the individual's account. After 3 penalty points, the customer is prevented from checking-out another bike.

there will be a $200 replacement fee for lost or stolen bikes.

And they point out

a quarter of Velib's use is during the hours of 9pm - 3am. So it would seem prudent if D.C.'s program were kept open at all times with the goal being to encourage greater use as 25% is a substantial portion of ridership.

This [3 hour free usage] is a generous policy for customers as it's more time than most of this program's sister cities offer. The downside of a longer check-out time is less turnover of the bikes and therefore fewer uses. Velib' data reports the average trip duration is 20 minutes for their 30-minute free period.

They also point us to an article about JCDecaux offering Chicago a deal similar to the one DC took from Clear Channel.

JCDecaux has offered to renegotiate its 7-year old bus shelter, newspaper box, and kiosk deal with the city to incorporate a bike-sharing component.

The smartbike website is down btw.

Harkin introduces bill to make roads safe for everyone (and Bike Summit Coverage)

So GGW points out. I assume this is tied to the National Bike Summit going on right now. For more on the National Bike Summit check out BikePortland's coverage. [I was unable to go to any of the National Bike Summit activities thanks to 12 hour shifts at work].

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today introduced The Complete Streets Act of 2008, which would work to promote the design of streets that are safe for all of those using the street— including motorists, bus riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians, including people with disabilities.  Between 1993 and 2003, nearly 52,000 pedestrians and more than 7,400 bicyclists were killed in road accidents.

“Making our streets bike and pedestrian friendly is a win-win for us all,” said Harkin.  “It not only promotes healthier lifestyles, it lowers the amount of traffic congestion that many people deal with every day.”

A recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute found that providing more travel options, including public transportation, bicycling and walking facilities, is an important element in reducing traffic congestion. The study reported that congestion was responsible for an annual $78.2 billion loss in fuel during traffic jams in 2005, an increase from $57.6 billion in 2000.

Also, as recently as 30 years ago, up to 70 percent of children were walking or riding bikes to school.  Currently, the number has dropped to only 10 percent.  Parents report that traffic safety is the main reason they do not permit their children to walk or bike to school.  This legislation will make our environment more inviting for physical activity, especially for kids.

Some of the the National Bike Summit coverage includes a look at bike parking at the EPA, a ride with Blumenauer, Secretary Peters apology, and best of all DC's second bike sharing plan. The first is here.

Dubbed “Wheels4Wellness,” the new program will initially place 30 bikes at three locations around the U.S. House offices on Capitol Hill and will be available for free to the House’s 7,000 DC-based employees. Beard also announced that a second phase of the program will extend the locations to major transit hubs, like the train station at L’Enfant Plaza which is a popular hub for Capitol Hill commuters.

Speaking in a packed room, Beard acknowledged that the program, “Is not Paris, trust me…,” but he said it will, “give our employees a new commuting option and also an opportunity to get some exercise during the day.”

Beard says they hope to have the program in place by Earth Day (April 22) and that “plan b” would be do have it ready by National Bike Week (May 31st).

Here's a photo of someone riding a smartbike at the bike summit. It looks like our bikes will be red. I was hoping for Burnt Orange.

Addendum: By the way, here's the only MSM story on the National Bike Summit I could find. None of the D.C. media chose to cover it (or even carry the Reuters story).

In Washington, D.C., there has been a 50 percent growth in bike use since 2000, according to Emeka Monomee, director of the city's transportation department.

The city has added 700 bike racks since 2001, spent $10 million on paved bike trails, and is planning a bike-sharing program to mimic those in Paris and Lyon in France.

"Cycling is becoming a way of life in our city," he said.

And more on the D.C. bike sharing program (In the Post? No. In The Oregonian)

"It's going to happen," DeMaio said. "It's going to be the leaders of the pack that show the rest of the country what the concept is."

This spring, the municipal government in Washington, working with Clear Channel Outdoor, will launch a 120-bike fleet throughout the district.

Washington now ranks seventh in the country for bicycle commuting, according to Thunderhead Alliance. But its 1.7 percent of trips to work by bike is less than half Portland's, which ranks first in the country, according to Thunderhead, with 3.5 percent of commuting by bike.

Blumenauer said he sees huge potential for bike sharing in Washington.

"This is a city where there are millions of visitors every year who would take advantage of a bicycle to be able to tour the city," he said. "There are lots of people in neighborhoods that are reasonably easy to access."

Blumenauer sees the concept catching on nationwide. In the long run, he thinks the programs could be self-supporting with modest user fees and advertising. Short term, he hopes to get money for a few pilot programs in the next surface transportation funding bill.

Adendum II - May not really be bike-sharing.

SmartBike DC website

Here

Located at key  locations in the central business district, the bicycles  provide a new way of discovering and moving around the city. The bike  stations  are modular and the bicycles   are ergonomic and light-weight in a distinct design. Bicycles are parked at docking  points which use a proprietary locking system to  ensure that each bicycle is securely stored.

coming soon....

  Smart Bikes 
  Originally uploaded by jeffpeel

More here:

The annual membership fee is likely to be $39 and the first 3 hours of each rental will be free. This fee seems reasonable, however, with 3-hr rentals, turnover and therefore ridership will be limited as individuals will likely keep the bikes longer.

The proposed station locations include: Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, Dupont Circle, U Street, Shaw, Mt. Vernon Square, Metro Center, Logan Circle, McPherson Square, and Gallery Place. The District Department of Transportation has produced a map of the proposed locations for more detail.

 

Smart Bike Details

From WABA's Spring Ride On. The Program will cost $39.99 a year. You can then 'check-out' a bike at any time for up to three hours and there's no limit to how many times a day you can do this. WABA members can sign up for $29.99 on bike to work day.

They also report on the bike registration law's repeal on Jan 8th, free valet bicycle parking at ALL Nationals home games and Bike DC's  triumphant return on 9/27/2008.

Who knew?

D.C. has an employee bicycle pool.

The Bicycle Pool is located on P1 level adjacent to the motor pool in the parking garage of 441 4th Street. Currently there are two bicycles (WC: emphasis mine) available for use. The keys, helmets and locks are located in One Judiciary Square (OJS) Watch Command.

Tucson does something similar, though more extensive...

The program works like this: City workers can check out bikes and helmets at eight downtown locations and use them for work or lunch.

Addendum: Richard Layman and I read about the same things.

Planitzen ranks 'bikeability' among top issues of 2007

Here

Amsterdam, Portland, and Copenhagen have long been recognized as the world’s most bike-friendly cities. Add to that list Paris, as the city recently achieved worldwide bike fame when it implemented an expansive bike rental system throughout the city. Called Vélib', the system has placed thousands of bikes at rental stations all over the city where people can rent and use a bike for only one euro. Since its debut this summer, the Vélib' system has been extremely popular in the city, and local politicians are crediting it with reducing congestion in the central city.

The popularity of the Vélib' system has caught the eye of many other cities. Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, Montreal, and Beijing are considering bike rental systems.

Many cyclists and environmentalists hope the excitement fueled by the Paris Vélib' system will sustain itself and translate into increased biking and bike awareness in our urban areas.

Along with congestion pricing and the increased role of cities in the environment, both of which have some biking overlap. Meanwhile Brussels bike sharing program has been something of a flop.

the Brussels experiment, CycloCity, has flopped. During three days of research, this treehugger came across only one station in the centre of town, and it was full--almost no one had taken a bike (see picture).

So why is it not working?

Part of the reason appears to be the lack of commitment on the part of Brussels and JC Decaux (the advertiser and sponsor). There are very few (20) stations set up around town. There are also very few bikes provided: 250 for a million inhabitants, compared with 20,000 bicycles for two million Parisians. There is no link or co-operation with the 19 suburban areas because they have their own system set up with a competing advertiser, Clear Channel.

Why does that sound so familiar? Oh right, DC's program will also have few stations (10) few bikes (120) and no link or cooperation with any area outside of downtown (with Arlington and Alexandria looking at other systems). On the upside, DC's will be basically free to use whereas in Brussels

There is a charge for the first twenty minutes of the ride in Brussels, as compared to Lyons and Paris where it is free--this is seen as an important factor in the success of their schemes.

01/08 D.C. BAC Notes

The January D.C. Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting was held on the 9th. The items discussed included

1.  Met Branch Trail update - Much of this was covered in a previous post, but here are some facts I left out. The hotel being built along Florida Avenue will open in April. The building on the triangle across the street from the hotel will open around 2010. DDOT is hoping to have the NY Ave to Franklin Street section built by July 2009 and the Rhode Island Metro Station connector bridge, Bates Road to DC/MD border sections out for design by October of this year. Further north, between Fort Totten and Takoma Park, the trail will first run on street on North Dakota Avenue between Kansas Ave and 3rd St NW (it will be a while before a trail can be built along Blair Road). This on street portion will feature sharrows. It will then go on street on 3rd (which has bike lanes) and turn east on Van Buren under the RR tracks. From there it will go north on a sidepath along Silver Spring Road. Silver Spring Road is scheduled for work soon, so the sidepath is being rolled into that work.

2. BAC Vacancies - There are several as mention in this post. Interested parties should contact the council member in question and send a letter of interest and/or resume to Lyn Stoesen, Chair of the BAC at lynstoesen(at)hotmail(dot)com.

3. Bike Plan Goals - In many aspects the District is behind on its goals.

2007 Goal                                     2007 Status (as of 10/01/07 unless noted otherwise)

40 miles of bike lane                     30 miles (as of end of 2007)

100 miles of signed bike route        57 miles

Met Branch Trail complete              20% complete

Anacostia Riverwalk 66% complete 12% complete

Access improved at 2 bridges         South Capital and Benning Road complete

700 bicycle racks installed             800 installed

Bike Station open                          Bike Station bid under review

The bike racks seems good, until you conseider that over 400 parking meters were removed - cutting the overall gain in half.

4. 15th Street NW Reconfiguration - DDOT is looking to reconfigure 15th Street NW between Massachusetts Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue. It's presently a four lane, one-way northbound street with street parking on both sides. DDOT presented four options:

1. A three lane one-way street with a bike lane on the right and street parking on both sides

2. A three lane one-way street with a two-way cycletrack (see picture of one in Montreal at top) on the right and street parking on the left and between the through traffic and the cycletrack

3. A three lane two-way street (2 north, 1 south) with a bike lane and street parking on both sides

4. A three lane two-way street (1 north, 1 south, 1 turning) with a bike lane and street parking on both sides. 

Here's the DDOT draft report.

In every option but option 1, cyclists get 9 or 10 feet. In option 1 it's 5 feet. I'd modify 1 so that there was a 5 foot bike lane and a four foot "door zone" (marked with a cross hash pavement marking and maybe a bumpy surface to keep cars out) between the bikes and the parking lane - making each of the other lanes one foot narrower. That might make it my favorite.

Others think moving the lanes in 3 and 4 to the outside (like this or this) is the answer.

5. 2008 Calendar -There are several items coming up this year and I've added them to the WABA google calendar on the side (which is open to the public).

6. New ART section to open in Spring - There's no reason you can't ride it now, but that's when the "ribbon cutting" will be.

7. Bike Station - The bid came back high. DDOT decided to pay the higher cost rather than scale it back. Because of the higher cost it has to be reviewed by the FHWA again. DDOT hopes to break ground this year, but it won't open in this Spring.

8. Smart Bike - As stated before; 1) During phase I (before more kisosks are added) It will be free for the first 3 hours, not 30 minutes as previously reported. So you'll pay an annual $40? fee and, unless you're the world's slowest cyclist, pay nothing else. This should help to make up for the limited number of kiosks. In later phases, costs may go up. 2) They're still hoping to start in Spring. PEPCO is holding up the start because they insist on metering each kiosk (they'll draw a smidgen of power) despite the fact that streetlights, bus stops etc...are not metered. 3) They're also working their way through the public space permitting process. 4) They're hoping to give discounts to WABA members and Zipcar/Flexcar users among others

Tejada Supports Bike Sharing

Newly installed Arlington County Board Chairman J. Walter Tejada, the highest-ranking Latino official in Northern Virginia, yesterday unveiled an activist, and potentially controversial, agenda for 2008 at the county's annual organizing session.

Among the things he's supporting, along with Board member Jay Fisette (D), is

Arlington's effort to promote what Tejada called a "car-free diet." Fisette displayed a T-shirt with the slogan, "I lost 2,000 pounds in one day," and referred people to a county Web site, http://www.carfreediet.com, which calculates how much money people could save by getting rid of their car and how much weight they could lose.

Fisette also plans to promote a regional bike-sharing program, as some European cities have done.

Of course, the process of bringing bike-sharing to Arlington isn't new. And it's not just Europe. As someone linked to in a comment, Tel Aviv is looking at it too

the Tel Aviv municipality will shortly be issuing an international tender for the establishment, operation and maintenance of a bicycle rental system, similar to that operating in other major cities in Europe.

TheMarker has learned that the tender calls for placement of roughly 1,500 to 2,000 bicycles in about 100 parking stations throughout the city. The bicycles would be available for use by subscribers or chance customers for short or extended periods.

I learned more about DC's bike sharing at the last BAC meeting. Namely 1) During phase I (before more kisosks are added) It will be free for the first 3 hours, not 30 minutes as previously reported. So you'll pay an annual $40? fee and, unless you're the world's slowest cyclist, pay nothing else. This should help to make up for the limited number of kiosks. In later phases, costs may go up. 2) They're still hoping to start in Spring. PEPCO is holding up the start because they insist on metering each kiosk (they'll draw a smidgen of power) despite the fact that streetlights, bus stops etc...are not metered. 3) They're also working their way through the public space permitting process. 4) They're hoping to give discounts to WABA members and Zipcar/Flexcar users among others.

Wooden bike sharing at Governors Island

Courtesy of Gothamist.

As part of its $400 million renovation of the former Coast Guard base, the city has contracted Dutch design firm West 8 to build new parks and promenades on the island. West 8 will also build 3,000 wooden bicycles for free use by visitors to the island, which is just a 10-minute free ferry ride from downtown Manhattan.

The renovations on Governors Island, including the free bike share program, are expected to be completed by 2012. The island is open during summer weekends.

The bike share program mirrors one in Paris, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited in September.

"You have to hand it to the people of Paris," Bloomberg said at the time of his visit. "They are willing to try new things. Some will work and some won't. This obviously has worked, and we have to do the same thing."

Sustainable transportation advocates are hopeful the bike-share program on Governors Island could serve as a model for an eventual citywide program.

"This innovative first step ensures we won't be left off the list of major cities that are using bike-share programs to provide green and convenient transportation," said Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives.

The West 8 page for the newly designed island shows the bike in most of the mock-ups, not just the ones dealing with the bikes themselves

D.C.'s bike sharing - international coverage

The D.C. bike sharing program is the main subject of an article in Agence France Presse entitled "European-style bike sharing programs head to U.S." The article quotes Jim Sebastian and Paul DeMaio.

The US capital of Washington will likely be the first in the nation to offer two-wheeled transport at various locations for a nominal fee, under a deal with advertising giant Clear Channel Outdoor.

San Francisco has reached a deal for a similar program with Clear Channel, while other cities including New York, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, are studying bike options.

Jim Sebastian, pedestrian and bicycle coordinator for the US capital's transportation department, said Washington has been studying the notion of bicycle sharing for several years, before most of the programs were launched in Europe.

"When we put the contract out to bid, there were no bikes in Paris or other European cities, so we didn't know the potential, and we still don't," Sebastian said.

About 120 bicycles will be deployed in the first phase of the Washington program at 10 locations around the city. Details such as costs for usage and membership have yet to be announced. The launch date has not yet been set but is likely to be in March or April of 2008, according to Sebastian.

"One of our main goals is to provide as many transportation options as possible and reduce the level of congestion, especially downtown," he said.

Clear Channel will be using a "sturdy" bike built for these purposes, which can be adapted to people of various heights. It has some special features including a small front wheel that makes it more maneuverable, but also quirky enough to discourage theft. They will also have automatic lighting for night riding.

The bikes will be locked into docking stations that will be opened with special cards for members.

Sebastian said Washington officials will encourage riders to bring helmets and offer an optional safety course for cyclists, in an effort to overcome fears about the dangers of urban cycling.

DeMaio said there is vast potential for bicycle programs in the US.

"I think it's going to be amazing how fast bike-sharing grows in North America; there are so many great uses for this in cities and university campuses -- it's limitless," he said.

"With increased attention to global warming and the price of gasoline above three dollars a gallon, this is the right time for this form of transit."

DeMaio, in a research paper for George Mason University, said the notion of bike sharing has been around for a long time but that older programs failed because the bicycles were stolen or vandalized. New technology for securing bikes and keeping track of customer usage may make the new-generation programs more sustainable.

He said the latest craze is fueled by advertising companies that offer the bikes as part of a deal with cities, but that this may not work in smaller or more sparsely populated municipalities.

Even without advertising, some programs may be viable if the cities fund them, he said. DeMaio is a consultant in Arlington, Virginia, where "we are considering a model where local government provides the service, like bus service and other mass transit."

You'd think an American company would have jumped on this and tried to be the front runner in North America, but it seems to be another industry we're willing to cede to Europe.

Proposed Smartbike Locations

These sites are not yet official, but this is where Clear Channel Outdoors is looking at right now:

1. Logan Circle
2. Metro Center
3. Dupont Circle
4. Reeves Center
5. Shaw
6. Foggy Bottom
7. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
8.  Gallery Place
9. McPherson Square
10. Convention Center

I made a map of course. I placed the markers in the exact locations as described. Numbers 7 and 8 are on the same corner so I don't know if its either/or, or if they may need two there.

They placed the kiosks farther apart than in Paris, but that's because there are so few of them. The Logan Circle one is sort of at the center with the others all between 0.53 and 1.43 miles away. Most of them are about 0.90 miles from the next one but some are closer.

Some things that may effect placement is who owns the land (GWU, for example, may not allow them to place one on their land) and how far do they have to run a power line to get there.

11/07 D.C. BAC Notes

The November D.C. Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting was held on the 5th. The items discussed included

Bill Nesper, Director of the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly Community Program came and talked about why D.C. didn't make it to Silver this year.

Some of LABs recommendations include

Complete the Metropolitan Branch Trail
Increase the number of on street facilities - lanes, sharrows and routes
Meet and increase the yearly bike lanes striping goals
Construct the Bike Station (more on that below)
Implement the Smart Bikes program and expand it to a sustainable level
Re-launch Bike DC
Institute a Bus driver and taxi driver education program
Set-up community rides to unveil new facilities
Adopt and implement a Complete Streets policy
Increase the number of arterial streets with bike lanes

Despite the efforts of the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA), the Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Act recently passed.

it mandates 16 bicycle parking spaces at the John A. Wilson Building and requires the mayor to make a study of bike parking at all other government properties. Bike-spot requirements for commercial properties would be upped from 5 percent of the number of auto parking spaces to 10 percent. And most sweepingly, it imposes a minimum number of bike parking spaces for residential buildings with eight or more units.

By all other government properties, they mean ALL D.C. properties: parks, offices, etc...but not federal facilities. The feds are exempt and covered by the GSA. BTW the law is only advisory. For it to be a zoning requirement, it will need the zoning commission to approve it. Something tells me AOBA has even more influence on the zoning commission than they do the city council. (see below for more)
 

So far this year the city has installed 3.05 miles of bike lanes. Their hope is to get to 5 miles despite their claim that there won't be any more installations this year due to winter. Their goal is 10 miles a year - which they've never done.  They also said that it will get harder to get miles added in future years as future lanes will more often require the removal of auto lanes.

With the winter slow down they plan to switch to erecting bike route signs - especially around the baseball stadium.

Some bike lane striping is starting to need maintenance where road construction has removed sections of lanes. If you notice a bike lane in need of repair, you should report it at the same place you report potholes (the Service Request Center) and then forward your request number on to Mike Goodno (Mike.Goodno(at)dc(dot)gov) at DDOT.

The bus/bike lanes downtown are being removed (work has already begun I've been told - confirmation?)

Trails - A Metropolitan Branch contractor has been selected, and the contract could go out as soon as next week. Be on the lookout for a press release. They hope to start work in spring on the new section between New York Avenue and Franklin Street and be done by the fall. For the ART there is concern that the trail section south of the railroad tracks was built in an area popular with rowers and that there could be some bike-boat collisions.

Jeff Peel, co-writer of this blog, was named the manager of the D.C. SmartBike program. SmartBike is busy applying for public land use permits for it's 10 locations. They've designed member cards, are working on a web site and are drawing up a membership agreement. It could be ready by January, but probably won't start until March since winter is a bad time for biking. The start could be tied in with the Cherry Blossom Festival. Each kiosk will have an information area. Among the 10 locations are Foggy Bottom, Gallery Place, Shaw and U Street with the 6 other locations inside the square those four make (I'm waiting to hear where the other locations are).

Good news: the Bike Station construction bids are in. Bad news: the best one was $4 million and the city only has $2.7 million for it. Options are: scale it down again, ask the feds for more money or start over somewhere else. I support the bike station as designed where it is and if the feds will give the extra money I say go for it, but if not....I have an idea of somewhere else it could go.

WABA is working to get the Baseball Stadium bike valet parking contract - if there is one. The Nationals are refusing to pay for the program and so Tommy Wells is working to secure funding for it.

The next meeting - which is open to the public like all of the meetings - is on Jan 9th (not the 2nd).

Update: WABA's clearer statement on the bike parking law

On November 6th, the "Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Act of 2007" was unanimously passed by the DC Council. This bill, which was introduced by Councilmember Tommy Wells, faced significant challenges before passing. But thanks to the widespread support of local cyclists, and negotiations between WABA and the DC Council, the final text of the bill received the approval of all Council members. While some amendments added at the last minute somewhat softened the bill, the overall intent remained unchanged and WABA is pleased with the final language that emerged.       

The bill as passed increases the parking requirement in commercial garages from 5% to 10% of car parking, mandates one bike parking space for every three units in new residential developments (up from one for every four units), makes it easier for tenants to request bike parking in their buildings and requires a detailed study of bike parking and bike access to DC government office buildings.

Aside from the bike parking study, which will be undertaken by the District Department of Transportation, the rest of the bill's provisions now must be included in DC zoning regulations which are currently being reviewed by DC's Office of Planning before taking full effect. WABA will be working closely with the Office of Planning to ensure that any changes to the zoning regulations include the provisions of bill passed by the DC Council. WABA will also be working with the DC Council on scheduling a vote on a bill that would repeal the mandatory bike registration law currently in place.

Arlington Car-sharing & Bike-sharing Program Coordinator

Job Opening: Arlington County Commuter Services is seeking a contracted Car-sharing & Bike-sharing Program Coordinator to run daily operations for Arlington County’s progressive car-sharing and future bike-sharing programs.

Epic Bike Sharing Post

I went to Paul DeMaio's bike-sharing presentation about what Arlington is looking into. In addition there has been a lot of press, and local talk about bike sharing so this is going to be a long post. You might want to fill your coffee mug now.

First there's an article from the New York Times' travel page about Velib in Paris.

Twelve weeks after the introduction of the Vélib, 15,000 bikes have been put into service at more than 1,000 stations. In that time Vélibiens (or Vélibeurs or perhaps Vélibistes) have checked out bicycles almost six million times and ridden them an estimated 7.5 million miles.

The article talks about how easy it is for tourists to use the system.

Anyone, even fresh-off-the-plane Americans, can stroll over, swipe a credit card and ride away on a sturdy, well-maintained three-speed bike, a “vélo” in French.

You swipe a credit card in a kiosk that is located beside a row of parked bikes and purchase a one-day, one-week or one-year subscription. (The system also takes a 150-euro deposit authorization to ensure the bike's safe return.) The machine prints out a card with your code number and you enter a personal password. You tap in this code and password to unlock a bike and ride off.

When you've reached your destination, you look for the nearest Vélib station, click your bike into an empty dock, watch a light change from yellow to green to acknowledge that you've returned your bike, and you're done. The first half-hour is free, after that the cost is 1 euro, or about $1.45, for the second half-hour, 2 euros for the third half-hour and 4 euros for each half hour after that.

It would be nice if our regional systems(more on that later) were as easy for tourists to use, but it's more important that it be easy for residents to use. Tourists may be better served by Bike the Sites.

One advantage they point out is that unlike the Metro, Velib is always open, always available. Though we may end up with a lot of drunk bike riding from Adams Morgan it'll be a nice option anyway.

The article is mostly a glowing review of the system, saying it's created a cult, ensured political victory for the city's mayor and, in short, changed a city.

Patrick Allin, 38, an enthusiastic Parisian who was picking up a bike in Saint Germain, said the bikes are a great way to get people talking. "We are no longer all alone in our cars -- we are sharing," he said. "It's really changed the atmosphere here; people chat at the stations and even at traffic lights."

A sentiment backed up by another article I linked to before about how people are sharing more than bikes.

“It’s the perfect pickup,” said Florian, a 23-year-old graduate student who was pedalling on the Boulevard Saint-Germain. “You exchange glances waiting at a light, you help her dock the bike back on to its stand and one thing leads to another.”

Stickers have begun appearing on rear mudguards saying “Love begins here”.

The same article does point to an anti-velib crowd.

Frustrated 4x4 drivers and other resistants are fighting them in anti-Vélib’ blogs and internet sites. The best known, a Facebook group with more than 400 members, is called “I ran over a Vélib” (J’ai écrasé un Vélib’). Vélib’-haters record their exploits there. “The other day, I drove over the foot of a guy on a bike,” wrote Camille Sastre on September 18. “It did me a world of good. He crossed on a red light without looking, pulling out from in front of a bus.”

The Post followed up the Times article with it's own "How does Velib work for tourists?" story. [Methinks a lot of travel writers saw Velib as a way to finagle a trip to France. Très intelligent]

Paris is surprisingly cycle-friendly, and bicycling is statistically the second-least-dangerous way to get around the city (after riding a bus). Most large roads have bike lanes, and since the introduction of the Velibs, many cyclists have noted that drivers have become more conscious of their presence.

That would be a nice side effect for D.C.  The Post article makes Velib seem confusing to use, but I don't get that feel from what I've read. Nonetheless, they think it's worth it, even if Americans have trouble.

A major drawback for U.S. visitors is that you can sign up only with a smart-chip Visa card or an American Express card, a limitation that will leave a lot of Americans out in the cold. However, one card can be used to sign up several individuals. JCDecaux, the company running the system, says it hopes this problem will be resolved in the near future.

It appears red light running is not a uniquely American behavior...

when in Paris, do not cycle as the Parisians do: Don't run red lights, and stay off the sidewalks.

The Paris system recently emerged as a hero during the city's transit strike (Rail Strike? Just Bike.)

strike-hardened Parisians can adjust to alternative forms of transportation with lightning speed. There was the citywide Velib bike-sharing program, for instance, although all 20,000 bikes were gone within hours on Thursday.

[I'm writing this post before Halloween, so I'm not sure if the D.C. taxi strike will make for a lot of two wheeled Trick of Treating].

Paris is getting all of the attention but they weren't the first to introduce what Paul calls "third generation bike sharing". That was Copenhagen.

Copenhagen is often cited as a climate pioneer among European cities.

In 1995, the city became one of the first European capitals to introduce a public bicycle service that lets people pick up and return bikes at dozens of stations citywide for a small fee. Similar initiatives have since taken root in Paris and several other European cities.

Next, Copenhagen plans to spend about $38 million on various initiatives to get more residents to use bicycles instead of cars.

All of this leads us back home to the D.C. area where D.C., Arlington and Alexandria are all hoping to add bike sharing. D.C., which is actually an American pioneer on this, will go first very soon.

"We hope to have it fully up and running by spring," says Jim Sebastian, who manages the District's bike and pedestrian programs. D.C. will start with 100 bikes in four kiosks; Paris has 15,000 bikes. "We hope to expand to the Paris level."

The level of political momentum in making Washington more safe and accommodating to bikes is at an all-time high. We have a mayor who races around on two wheels at lunchtime to practice for triathlons; City Administrator Dan Tangherlini is a regular bike rider; Planning Director Harriet Tregoning traded in her official parking spot to stash bikes; and Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells' Bike Parking Bill is making its way through City Council.

"The stars are lining up for us," says Eric Gilliland, executive director with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

The first four kiosks will go up in a few weeks in Shaw, Chinatown, Foggy Bottom and U Street. Eastern Market and Adams Morgan will be next. [Update: I've been told these locations are not correct, but I don't know what the correct locations are]. DDOT hopes to have 10 bike rental kiosks up and running in the near future. I had thought it would be ten kiosks to start with (and in downtown), but then I also thought it would start sooner since it was first announced over two years ago.

It will be a little harder to use than Paris' since you can't sign up at the kiosk and you have to have a special card.

"You go to a Web site, sign up, get a card, swipe it at the kiosk, rent a bike and ride across town for about $1. At this point it's not for commuters but for utilitarian trips around town."

I have been told that the first half hour will be free, which is very important for success in my mind (so is more kiosks, but we'll have to see how it goes). In Paris by the way, you can check out a bike, return it within 30 minutes, wait 2 minutes and then check out another bike for a new fr