TheWashCycle

Wednesday Morning Commute - He's so Barry

Beautiful weather out there, hope everyone is enjoying it.

• Marion Barry, driving with a falling off bumper, has no qualms about illegally crossing the Penn Ave bike lanes - as seen in the photo. The biker set him up. 
• CaBi built out of soup cans and for a good cause. 
• Equal Rights language and biking on the GW Parkway. Speaking of which, Arlington County, Alexandria and the NPS are looking for volunteers to count cyclists and pedestrians on the MVT. This might help make the case for improved crossings.
• Bicycle storage is becoming a bigger issue for apartment seekers NYC. Ironically that might change once they get bike sharing. People always ask "why join CaBi, just buy your own bike." But in NYC, where space is at such a premium that some people rent dogs, the answer to that question will be more obvious. Also, NYC has bike ambassadors.
• Man starts riding his bike after 9/11 and then writes a book about it.

Monday Morning Commute - MLK Memorial

Despite the Hurricane I managed to go on bike rides both days the weekend. On Saturday at 11am I had the CCT all to myself. But yesterday the trails were crowded.

• On Wednesday there's a launch party for a new book entitled Where to Bike Washington, DC at the Wilderness Society.
• The MLK memorial really needs bike parking. Ran into a woman at the CaBi station yesterday. She hadn't been on a bicycle in 20 years but was going to ride down to the Memorial. I told her there were no stations nearby and she'll probably have to pay overage fees, but she didn't mind. Also, on both Saturday and Sunday I saw Park Police writing parking tickets for the half dozen cars illegally parking on Independence in front of the memorial.
• Tim Kelley of BikeArlington is going to be meeting with NPS on bike issues and is looking for suggested topics. Specifically Arlington topics, though people are suggesting more.
• Driver has a story about careless cyclists. But part of the problem is the confusing trail/road intersection.
• Richard Layman has an assortment of bicycle stories from around the world. 

Saturday Morning Ride - Eye

Good morning

• Unsupringly, Capital Bikeshare may close if Hurrican Irene related weather creates conditions on the ground warrant it.
• Surpringly, my work sent out an email announcing that all bikes have to be moved in because of the storm. And that any bikes left locked to bike racks outside will have the lock cut and be brought inside. Bikes are normally not allowed inside. This email was sent 2 hours before lock cutting was to begin. Lock cutting began at 4:30 when many people might still be at work.
• Also, the Oxon Run Ride has been cancelled.
• The MBT is having a day of service on 9/10.
• With the sidewalk along 15th closed due to earthquake damage, the cycletrack has become a MUT.
• "Pentagon Police briefly shut down Washington Boulevard in both directions between I-395 and the George Washington Parkway. Authorities were looking at an unattended bicycle on the fence line of the facility."
• The Fairfax County cyclist hit by an ice cream truck on bike to work day this year - on his first ever bike commute - suffered broken ribs and a punctured lungs, but appears to have recovered. "The truck’s driver, Impha Gassama, 52, of New Carrollton, Md., was charged with failing to yield the right of way from a private drive"

Friday Morning Commute - Irene, you rene

Who is that young man on the right? Why that is Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Riding without a helmet will surely cost him the nomination. Scofflaw! Get out of the road!

• The Center Hiking Club will host an Arlington history bike tour on Saturday, Aug. 27 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Ballston Metro station.
• NPS is going to rehabilitate and improve two small bridges on the MVT near mile marker 1.75.
• The new Lewinsville Road Bridge over the Beltway is now open with new pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly sidewalks.
• Vienna will participate in "Hail the Trail,” a celebration of the W&OD Regional Trail, on Saturday, Sept. 3 from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Followed by hours of fighting all the crime that everyone knows trails bring.
• The editors of the Sun Gazette support Vienna's child helmet law proposal. "any adult who rides without a helmet in Northern Virginia is being a bit foolish"
• The Post promotes the B&A trail as an off-the-beaten path....path.
• The NYC 9/11 museum has a bike rack among its artifacts

Wednesday Morning Ride - 'It's Too Late' is a better song

So what did I miss while I was gone? If you used your own bike to commute yesterday, I'm guessing you were happier about that decision than usual. As I drove slowly (barely) across the 14th Street Bridge, I saw people walking the other way, and they were not on the bike/ped path.

• Everything is coming together as the UN planned it. “As you look at companies looking to recruit, you tend to see that shift to an urbanized setting where it’s mixed use,” said Jay Farmer, vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. “They want a place where they can go and have breakfast and walk or ride their bike to work.”
• If Secret Service tells/told you to move out of the cycletrack and ride into oncoming traffic on the far side on 15th, let WABA know: advocacy@waba.org
• DCist does some actual reporting on the MLK memorial and bikes. While the fact sheet for DC Residents day says no bikes allowed, even if walked, NPS will allow them when they take over management of the site. Still, there probably will not be a bike valet for the dedication and I've heard nothing from CaBi about a Capital Bikeshare corral.
• What the first day of school looks like in a bike-friendly neighborhood.
• Velomobile ride in Northern Virginia
• Frederick, MD is putting together a 10-mile, 21-point bicycle tour.
• The slow, gradual process of building a 27 mile rail trail across several towns in Massachusetts.
• As expected, the Obamas went on a bike ride.
• The FTA has expanded the range of bike and ped projects that provide access to transit. From 1500 feet to 1/2 mile for pedestrian projects and 3 miles for bike ones.
• A cyclist riding in an Arkansas charity ride was hit from behind and killed by a driver who then left the scene.
• This case is really about insurance, if you're interested.

If Secret Service tells/told you to move out of the cycletrack and ride into oncoming traffic on the far side on 15th, let us know: advocacy@waba.org

No bikes at MLK Memorial

Photo by M.V. Jantzen

There was nowhere to park bikes at the MLK Memorial, so this guy was walking his. Park Police reportedly waved him down and told him he had to leave. There's some irony there right?

Thursday Morning Commute - Phobos

It's the 134th Anniversary of the discovery of Mars' Moon Phobus. Which was discovered by Asaph Hall right here in DC. As a result, I always thought Phobos would be the great name for a DC bar (you can have that one Joe Englert). 

• It seems there are no bike racks at the MLK Memorial. Now I have a dream.
• Capitol Police already made an arrest in the bike theft that John Kelly reported on yesterday. "Thomas F. Goode, 40, of Southeast Washington was charged with second-degree theft and receiving stolen property. In the end, it wasn’t a security camera that led to the man’s arrest. It was a tip."
• In the same article was something that seems to have validated a story I heard. "There was a rash of bike thefts from the employee bike racks a couple of months ago when about 7 or 8 bicycles were stolen. Apparently some people weren't locking their bikes up at all because the racks are in the garages and there are Capitol Police officers who are stationed right next to the bike racks. Capitol police investigated and caught a U.S. House employee who had an apartment full of bicycles that were apparently stolen. Sadly it's just another example that you can never be too careful when it comes to locking up your bike." I contacted Capitol Police back then, so that they could brag a bit, but they didn't contact me back. John Kelly has what I assume are the details. "In June, the Capitol Police arrested Dana J. Wright and charged him with the theft of 10 bicycles. They were recovered by the Capitol Police and returned to their owners."
• Every week the Smithsonian gives details on one of the 137 million artifacts in their possession. This week it's the Shire Velocipede. "In the late 1860s, the forerunner to the bicycle was the velocipede, which originates from the Latin words for 'swift foot.' The velocipede had pedals on the front wheel but no drive mechanism, such as a chain on a bicycle. The velocipede was a stepping stone that created a market for bicycles, which led to the development of more advanced and efficient machines."
• There was another car crash on the GW Parkway at the crossing between Memorial Bridge and the MVT. Same as usual, cars stop to let trail users pass and get rear-ended. Maybe this will encorage NPS to find the money to build a tunnel. The Lynn Street tunnel was estimated at $1.3M, and that's for a longer tunnel.
• Greater detail on the various plans for the Cafritz project that straddles the Trolley Trail. The trail is basically the same in all of them, but the older ones are better.
• The MoCo Epic is a supported mountain bike ride connecting many of the major parks in Montgomery County. More than 80% of the ride is on singletrack. All proceeds benefit MORE.
• A guide to various bike facility types, though I don't think a "road" is technically a bike facility, I get where he's going with it.
• Helmets, they aren't just for biking anymore. "Helmets while riding a bike or playing football are good, reasonable precautions to take. Wearing a helmet while learning to walk? Now that’s just ridiculous." Is it?
• A judge dismissed efforts by a group of Brooklyn residents to remove the cycletrack installed by the city on Prospect Park West, claiming that the case was filed outside the statute of limitations.
• Markets in Everything

Bike parking at the county fair

Photo by BikeArlington

Saturday Night Ride - Direct Competition

Finally some rain.

• While some have criticized DDOT buying 500 bike helmets for CaBi members, NYC gives free bike helmets to anyone who asks for one.
• Meanwhile, GGW asks DDOT to spend a little more on maintenance, especially when it comes to paint.
• Joining Kwame Brown in next month's Nation's Triathlon is Arlington County Board member Jay Fisette. Now taking bets.
• Architecture writer Roger K. Lewis likes the design of the Bikestation. "But some all-glass buildings make great sense. An outstanding example is the Union Station Bikestation, a small pavilion located on the plaza on the west side of Union Station, a few steps from the Union Station Metro entrance."
• We have a new cycling pro basketball player - Alana Beard.  "The other thing I will take up after season is bike riding. I’ve bought a bike and haven’t had a chance to get on it. So as soon as the season is over I’ll jump on that." Someone needs to show her how easy it would be to bike to work, especially since she's active in anti-diabetes work.
• "50 percent of households [in Arlington] own [one bicycle] or more, a rate slightly lower than the region’s but higher than that for the District or Alexandria."
• Md Sentator Brian Frosh on Bethesda bike sharing "There are lots of people on bikes in Bethesda, and if more people had cheap, easy access, you'd get more people [on bikes]. You'd be taking people off the road and reducing pollution — it'd be a big win across the board." The story adds that state funding isn't the only option. "Companies could sponsor a bike station in exchange for advertising on the station or bikes. Money also could come from some of the developers seeking to build in Bethesda."
• Charles County's bicycle and pedestrian master plan went before the Planning Commission last week. No one showed up to testify for or against it, but they voted to keep comments open for 45 days. It sounds like it is not popular with all the commissioners, so if you live in Charles, you might want to take time to read about it and comment. Unfortunately I can't find a link to the report or how to comment, but there is this "For further information, contact Beth Groth, Planner II at (301) 645-0684 or by e-mail at GrothB@charlescounty.org."  Commission Vice Chairman Joe Richard seemed particularly hostile to it. He complained about "a policy recommendation to review subdivision regulations to ensure that developers are required to pay for missing bicycle and pedestrian links as part of the development process or pay a fee in lieu of the paths" and about widening roads to make room for bike facilities. “I believe this is in direct competition with our vehicle road network so we have to be very cautious." I don't really understand the rest of his concern, except that he seems to think a complete streets policy will hurt development "When you begin to quantify our current ordinances, that has an impact on development and I think we must proceed very cautiously with something that is countywide.  Also, I was concerned that St. Charles may not be considered as a primary player in this road network.”

Thursday Morning Commute - Coyote

The MLK Memorial festivities might be my last, best chance to win my 10,000 CaBi trips in a day, before it expires at the end of September. Still, I'm not hopeful. 

• The 50 States Ride and 13 Colonies rides are scheduled for September 24th this year. The ride is great fun, and if you've never done it before, you'll get a chance to see it like never before. So, who's going to try to do the whole thing on CaBi, and of those, who are going to try to daisy chain bikes the whole way?
• If this is a typical bike rack in Crystal City, then Crystal City may need more bike parking.
• This is what happens when your back-up bike is 120 years old. [Aside: If we really want people to bike more, we have to get a handle on bike theft.] He says the bike is bombproof, but a guy tried to RABGRAI on a pennyfarthing the same year I did it and the hills killed it on the first day. He bought a bike off a 7 year old girl and road that thing the rest of the way.
• There are a lot of wrong ways to use a bike lane.
• Jason Wehmeye, the firefighter who is competing in the World Police and Fire Games as a cyclist is selfless in his personal life too. During a race that he was winning, another cyclist was injured. So Wehmeye stopped to help him. Said the injured cyclist "I got to be honest with you, I think there's less than a 50-50 chance that I would have stopped if I'd have been in the lead and I heard some commotion behind me."
• Another cyclist injured in a hit and run incident. This one in Annapolis. "A gray Hyundai Elantra traveling west struck a man on a bicycle and did not stop. The 59-year-old victim was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The vehicle is described as being no more than four years old and as having sustained a broken windshield and fog light on the passenger side. Anyone with information is asked to call 410-222-6145."
• You don't have to know Al Gore to ride a bike cross-country. "When he worked at NOAA, Dave was a regular bike commuter. And he’s done some long rides before, including up to New Hampshire. But this was his longest, a year in the planning. On July 24, he dipped his tire in the Pacific at Waldport, Ore., after cycling 4,209 miles over 93 days."
• This is only related to biking in the tiniest of ways, but it may be the most fascinating obituary I've ever read. If it were a movie, I'd be rolling my eyes at how unbelievable it all was.