Parking is another area where laws can be created or changed to make cycling easier or to legalize normal behavior. Recent zoning changes, the opportunity for points in LEED certification and efforts by all of the DOT's to add bike parking [...]
A recent opinion piece was about how a person gave up their Metro commute and switched to biking, which I'm all for, but what really struck me was the time.
For the past five years, I have been riding Metrorail to and from work between Vienna and White Flint.
Recently, I [...]
Everybody got in on this story. Yesterday, the Federal Highway Administration released the 2009 Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which sets national standards for roadway and shared-use path signage and treatments. The big news is that it now includes sharrows, defines what they should look like and [...]
Thanks to Michael for pointing out in the comments that the Capital Criterium website shows the race, after a one year hiatus, returning in 2010 as promised (July 11th, specifically).
Photo by Sam Ruaat
[...]From Arlington DOT
The long-awaited Harrison Street connector, a short section of trail that links the Custis Trail to North Harrison Street, is now open to the public. The new trail connection is a more direct and intuitive link between the Custis Trail, which [...]
Over the last 100 years or so, the roads transformed from places filled with people, horse drawn vehicles, streetcars and bicyclists, into a place that was almost solely the domain of cars. In the last 20 years, and especially the last 10, that has started to change; but the laws [...]
It's Holiday time and WABA just moved into a new office! Bring yourself and a friend to this year's holiday party. Get to know the DC area cycling community a little better, make new friends, and meet the WABA staff.
Please bring a $5 donation to help us pay for food and drink. [...]
I missed this from Ruth Samuelson at City Paper
Back before the lane was installed, DDOT gathered information about how many bikers were using 15th Street, how many were going with the flow of traffic or against it, and other observations about bikers’ behavior. Now, the Department is planning on sending out employees again [...]
And when no one uses mapquest anymore.
I got a couple of emails for Ride the City DC which is going through some testing right now, with plans to launch soon very soon. They're looking for comments
Ride the City needs some local feedback for how the website is working and is looking [...]
There's more information at LAB's blog.
Here’s a job description from our friends at America Bikes.
Job Title: Project Manager
Education: Bachelors Degree (BA, BS, etc.)
Location: Washington, District of Columbia – (negotiable)
Type: Temporary Full- time, Contract basis
Salary: $ 4-5,000 a month
Summary
America Bikes seeks an experienced full-time person for a 3-month research project [...]
John sent this photo in and writes:
On a trip to MIT back in September I couldn't help but notice the grade-, curb-, material-, color-, parking- and tree-separated bike lanes on Vassar St. in Cambridge, MA. (The weird building on the left is the Frank Gehry-designed Stata [...]Sidewalk cycling is mostly legal in the region. It is only illegal in the Central Business District and where specifically prohibited by local ordinance or traffic control devices (though I can't think of any examples of these in the area).Update: as noted in [...]
In the past four Christmas Wish Lists, I'm focused almost exclusively on facilities; and while there are still dozens of other projects that one could ask for, even breaking the list down to the hyper-local level, there is also a lot of room to [...]
It's not as good as the MPD's bait bike program (which I haven't heard much about lately) but it's something.
Attempted theft
April 5, 2009 —
A 24-year-old woman flagged down a Capitol Police officer by Union
Station around 6 p.m. She told the officer that a man was trying to
steal [...]
John sent me a link to this article in the Diamondback about the University of Maryland's efforts to increase the number of students who bike.
A bike count conducted in October found the total number of bicycle users on the campus had increased marginally from last year’s 5.1 percent, causing worries [...]
Emmitsburg, MD in Frederick county recently passed a helmet law that applies to adults..
Also at Monday's meeting, commissioners adopted an ordinance that requires all residents to wear a helmet when riding or operating a bicycle or scooter, or using a skateboard or roller skates. First offenses are subject to a warning and [...]
GGW has the story that the Dupont trolley tunnels have, after more than a decade, moved out of legal limbo. With DC finishing it's first Bike Station earlier this year, the timing couldn't be better.
At the Dupont Circle ANC (2B) meeting last night, Office of the Deputy Mayor for [...]
For anything skipped [...]
For those who think that cab drivers are among the greatest threats on the roads of DC, this story might be of interest.
News4 has learned that thousands of tickets issued to taxi drivers for violating cabbie rules and traffic regulations have been routinely dismissed. Documents obtained by News4 show that 66 [...]
Many Many Many cool public bike designs from the Copenhagen Bike Share design competition. The bike pictured was one of the winners, but more for it's innovative docking system than for the bike. The docking system is a pole and two [...]
Silver Spring Trails has a few pictures from Europe showing people living, biking and walking right alongside trams.
RTC trail blog picks up on Lot 31 and adds this.
Peter Gray, of the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, worked to ensure these improvements were part of the [...]
These are from the contest earlier this year, but the Eastern Market ones were just installed. I guess they had to wait for all the work to wrap up.
photo by capitolhilldc
[...]
People love 5th Street Hardware and everyone in my neighborhood loves Frager's. They both have ample bike parking. Coincidence? Probably. But still, it's something other neighborhood stores should emulate.
' [...]It's been five years since the NY Avenue Metro Station section of the Met Branch Trail opened. I guess everyone thought we'd be riding it more by now. But come BTWD 2010, I'm confident it'll be open from Franklin to L.
Also, the Silver Spring Transit Center seems to be [...]
GGW has a more complete post about the Mt. Vernon Square redesign effort.
[The Office of Planning] established four goals for the project, based on input at their first public meeting held in October. First, the project should achieve multimodal transportation access, with a strong emphasis on cyclist and pedestrian safety.
Personally I'm [...]
I saw an image of a redesigned Potomac Avenue Oval at a recent meeting on the proposed Capitol Hill Town Square, but I can't seem to find that online. Nonetheless, DDOT is working to make the intersection safer.
A representative from DDOT invited the community to a safety study for the [...]
This is a law that DC's BAC is looking to emulate.
On Friday, a new bike access law takes effect in the city, stipulating that buildings with freight elevators must allow employees to use those elevators to take their bikes upstairs. Passed in July, the law aims to encourage bicycle commuting by eliminating [...]
This is, at least, tangentially related to cycling, in that trees make the streets shady in the summer, make the air we suck in a little less dirty and can have a traffic calming effect on drivers.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) [...]
I know it is last minute, but...
*Comments Sought for 2011-2016 Transportation Improvement Plan*
From Streetsblog:
McCain and Coburn released a report [PDF] criticizing 100 projects being funded by the Obama administration's stimulus law. On the senators' hit list were three bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects, in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota.
The report may have backfired on critics of federal bike-ped investment [...]
I wasn't the only one to write about the Cities for Cycling.
Janette Sadik-Khan, the Transportation Commissioner of NYC and the chair of NACTO, mentioned that the #1 barrier to bicycling to work as indicated through surveys is secure parking--people are worried, justifiably, that leaving a bike outside for 8 or more [...]
Via VaBike:
BikeArlington and Conte’s Bike Shop will host a holiday lights ride this Sunday, December 13, 5:30-7:00pm. This will be a no-drop, social and fun ride and tour of the impressive holiday lighting displays in Arlington neighborhoods.
Beverages and light refreshments will be provided, and there will be a drawing for [...]
I wasn't able to stay for last night's presentation on ideas for Mt. Vernon Square, but what I got from the open house portion was very encouraging. They had a list of the problems they identified in the previous meeting including (but not limited to):
Conditions in the area for cyclists [...]Last night was the Cities, Bicycles, and the Future of Getting Around presentation at the Newseum featuring David Byrne, Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Janette Sadik-Khan. It was a good set of presentations, if a bit scattered, that resulted in some good conversation afterward.
Bruce Katz was the moderator and he mostly [...]
Kensington and Chevy Chase have received a $101,300 grant from the State Highway Administration to fund sidewalk improvements and encourage kids to walk to school through the "Safe Routes to School" Program.
"We are mostly a walker school," said Liess, who added that as enrollment at Kensington Parkwood goes up, so too does [...]
The NY Times also had this thorough article about driving and phones (remember when they were called car phones?). The key points in my opinion:
The federal government estimated in 2007 that 11 percent of drivers were talking on their phones at any given time.
“This relative risk is similar to [...]
Mike Kurec is a grad student at American University whose thesis project is a documentary centered on bicycle commuting in the DC area. You can see it below. I think he did a great job.
Pedal Power Final Cut from Mike Kurec on [...]
Brendan writes in:
I came across the aftermath of a bad bike accident at 31st and M Street NW. Cyclist was put on a backboard and he had movement in his arms as he was put in the ambulance. I hung around long enough to watch the police photograph the scene and interview an [...]
Paul Derby of the North Rosslyn Civic Association has been working for years to keep abandoned bikes from filling up the bike racks at the Rosslyn Metro Station. In 2006 he asked Dan Tangherlini and the metro board members at a WMATA Town Hall Meeting that bike racks be monitored and [...]
Commuting and Transportation Subcommittee - The MBPAC voted to encourage accommodation for bicyclists and pedestrians for the renovation of the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge.
Education and Awareness Subcommittee - Toole Design Group had received permission by the Montgomery County Public Schools to conduct the Maryland School Administrators Study survey [...]
The C Street, NE blog reports that DDOT has started putting door hangers up about a transportation and environmental study of the C Street and North Carolina Ave, NE corridor from 21st St. to 15th St. Both C and North Carolina have bike lanes. One of the goals will [...]
Maryland ECG Guide to Bicycling & Walking
The East Coast Greenway received funding from Maryland's Recreational Trails Program to produce an East Coast Greenway guide to bicycling and walking which will be similar to the ECG guides which have been produced in NJ, PA and DE. These guides provide detailed maps and cue sheets [...]
A cyclist writes in to complain about pedestrian bad behavior.
The latest perk at luxury hotels is a bike.
A cyclists responds to the op-ed about adding bike lanes to the Brooklyn Bridge. He thinks the path can be made safe with better signage and by banning cycling [...]
Good Magazine has an article by Joseph Prichard a graphic designer who has been working on better bike signage through the Better Bikeways project.
Although signs, even well designed ones, are no substitute for physical road improvements (dedicated bike lanes, sharrows, [...]
Sam Kazan at the Washington Examiner thinks that only an aristocrat can afford to go car free. And alerts us to this:
But [World Car Free] had an underlying political agenda; its organizers call on "governments to help create permanent change to benefit pedestrians, cyclists, and other people who do [...]
Adam Voiland has a roundup of the Philadelphia crack down after two pedestrians were killed by cyclists.
In the first homicide a wrong-way cyclist hit a paralegal and left him to die in the street without giving assistance. Authorities are still trying to find the cyclist. In [...]
From an article about speed cameras on Wisconsin Avenue.
A north-south crosswalk across Bradley Boulevard west of Wisconsin Avenue at Strathmore Street is also unlikely, [Ken Hartman, the director of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center] said, because westbound motorists would have too little time to slow down or stop for pedestrians.
[Michael Replogle, [...]
Lot 31 is the oh-so-glamorous name for the parking lot along the southeast side of the Capitol Crescent Trail across from Bethesda Row. A mixed use development is planned for the site (above an $89 million parking garage that ACT and the Sierra Club are calling [...]
You are invited to attend the second Public Meeting for the Klingle Valley Trail EA/Section 106 Evaluation.
The purpose of the meeting is to present design options for the proposed multi-use trail and restoration of Klingle Valley, including stormwater management and stream stabilization.
When: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 [...]
Back in September, the CCCT formally presented to Montgomery County Department of Parks their proposal to turn an empty lot near River Road into a Trail Plaza.
"This will help connect the neighborhoods along River Road to the trail better, and is a much better use of the land," [...]
Rails-to-Trails Magazine has a few items of local interest in it's Winter 2010 edition. These articles aren't available online. It's a good little magazine that comes free with RTC membership and since RTC does a lot of good advocacy work, I'd recommend it.
The first article is about the [...]
We've lately seen a ideas we thought discarded or quaint return to prominence. From streetcars to windmills, clotheslines to back yard gardens, the early 21st century has a lot more in common with the early 20th century than people expected. Another retro move that is taking [...]
Dominion Virginia Power is building a 12-mile power transmission line from the Pleasant View substation east of Leesburg to a new substation just east of the Purcellville town boundary. 1.8 miles of the power line will be buried along the W&OD Trail ROW, so a [...]
I find the combination of symbol and word interesting. Where is Robert Langdon when you need him?
[...]A New Jersey driver was texting about a drug deal when he hit and injured a cyclist.
GGW has a roundup of cyclist assaults. The N.C. firefighter who shot at a cyclist's head because he disagreed with the cyclist's parenting skills got his charges reduced and then a [...]
The CTB decided to limit Transportation Enhancement funding to only 5 of the 12 federally designated programs. The original proposal was to limit it to only the top four on this list.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety and Education Landscaping and Scenic Beautification along Transportation Corridors (including [...]
A man cycling the 900 block of H St NE, on his way to the tweed ride starting point. The construction is due to tracks being laid for a new trolley line. Washington, DC.
[...]Not to work or anything. If so he'd know that trails can help ease congestion. But he at least rides one at times - so he says.
Meanwhile House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, in a flamboyant red highlighter jacket, smack-talked the congressional [football] team.
"They're a bunch of old guys, [...]
My notes from BAC meetings don't have the benefit of review, so sometimes I make mistakes. This month I reported on the bike sharing expansion and what I wrote may have included some statements that weren't from DDOT or were outright wrong. DDOT's official position is:
They plan to expand [...]GGW has a leak from a French Canadian news site that Bixi is on the verge of signing a deal with DC.
So London will showcase for the European market, while our American neighbors, the City of Boston has purchased 2,800 bikes [...]
The Examiner calls out the DOE as part of it's daily outrage.
WHO: Department of Energy
WHAT: The department has given Columbus, Ohio, $490,000 in stimulus money for bike shelters, bike lockers and bike parking in downtown garages.
WHY IT'S AN OUTRAGE: Less than 1 percent of the city's residents even ride bikes.
Maybe that's [...]
The City of Alexandria’s Strategic Goal for Transportation to Be Discussed at November 30 Public Meeting
Residents
are invited to a roundtable discussion by members of a stakeholder
panel about the City of Alexandria’s strategic goal for Transportation
Monday, November 30, from 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., located at Charles
Barrett Elementary School, [...]
Edmonston, MD is going to rebuild Decatur Street as an environmentally friendly street with a parallel bike path (or bike lanes - it's hard to say). Since the original announcement the only work done was the painting of a mural on the bridge over the NE Branch. But yesterday [...]
An electronic sign below the 14th St Bridge, warning cyclists that the trail will be closed at night for a month or so. Arlington, VA.
[...]GGW writes
Please submit comments on the Greater Washington 2050 report. It recommends shaping the region's growth around environmental sustainability, healthy businesses, good jobs, quality education, and a choice of transportation modes including roads, rails, bicycling and walking.
[...]Critics Say Roads Safer, but danger still lurks - this one includes a brief element on Complete Streets.
Diverging Diamond - no bike element but an interesting new highway interchange design.
The whole series can be found here.
[...]This happened last month, but I missed it. Scary.
D.C. firefighters rescued a bicyclist from under a sport utility vehicle after an early morning crash Wednesday.
Rescue crews used hydraulics systems and airbags to lift and stabilize the vehicle to remove the man, said D.C. fire spokesman Pete Piringer.
The cyclist was struck by [...]
That's In My Back Yard, Please. As in, build that bike trail in my back yard please.
I am one of the Fort Washington property owners on the water and I want the trail.
I knew about the trail and the easement when I bought the property. The trail was an [...]
I mentioned this in a previous post, but I missed that the WaPo covered it.
More than 30 children gathered Friday afternoon at Beacon House to receive a new bicycle from the Rail-to-Trail Conservancy, a nonprofit group dedicated to creating public trails, and their enthusiasm could hardly be contained.
The nonprofit group provided [...]
The bike lane with the sharrows too.
At the bottom of the hill, the road is two way to give access to a garage, so the bike lane is gone for about 40 feet before [...]
Fellow bike nerds, read this slowly, lest you begin hyperventilating. The only thing that could make it better is if Secretary Chu and Jessica Alba showed up too.
On December 8, the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings and the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) will bring together civic and business [...]
There has been so much talk and publicity around the 15th Street cycletrack, that we missed DC's other contraflow lane opening. I noticed during WABA's move that the bike lane on Champlain Street is open now. [Please pardon my terrible cell phone [...]
John alerted me that the NPS recently paved a portion of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail (ART) on the east side of the river. The section is located south of East Capitol Street, between the River and DC-295, down to the railroad tracks. [...]
These are the draft minutes to a meeting I didn't attend, so there may be errors.
Trail Maintenance Issues: The county is working to keep leaves cleared from the trail with the switchbacks at Lyons Village on the Custis Trail treated as a major priority.
Kevin Stalica (Arlington County) passed around examples [...]
