Two items from Bicycling Magazine

There were two good items in the January/February issue of Bicycling Magazine. Unfortunately, neither is available online. The first was about local mechanic Santiago "Pinky" Gonzalez and the second about bike commuting.

Gonzalez is one of the founders of Revolution Cycles and runs the tech center at the 11,000 square foot Clarendon store. The article mentions how he's built bikes for the Secret Service, National Park Police, Lance Armstrong and Presidents Clinton and Bush. He points out that Secret Service agents ride their bikes hard (our tax dollars at work) and have ruined numerous rims and cracked a few frames.

The second article is about the value of bike commuting. A 29 mile bike commute (the amount the average American commutes each day) would save $12, reduce auto emissions by 24 pounds and burn 1315 calories. Then they have advice: get a comfortable bike, put slick tires and lights on it, use a backpack or seat post pack instead of a messenger bag (it can hurt your back), go slow if you have no shower, turn your commute into a workout (mine already is) by doing intervals at traffic lights, map several routes - some that are direct and some that are pleasant, and finally some stuff about rolling over storm grates. Of course I've had that "is biking cheaper?" argument and while I'm sure it is, people who I respect are adamant that it isn't.

4/18/06 Link Dump

p>I've been collecting post ideas faster than I can write posts, so to clear some out, I'm going to occasionally drop a quick group of less important issues in something I'm calling "10 for Tuesday."

1. Bike path paving along Route 27 in Arlington

2. CCCT will be giving away free bells and whistles to Capitol Crescent Trail users on Saturday, April 29. Volunteers will mount bells on bicycles free for those who request them, and will give out free whistles on Saturday May 29, 10-12 a.m., at the Bethesda Rest Stop.
This is one of several "Bells and Whistles" events the CCCT sponsors each year to increase safety awareness and to promote improved trail courtesy.

3.  2 years later, pedestrian tunnel under Route 28 still closed

The State Highway Administration had not originally planned to build the tunnel as part of the $41 million Route 28 road-widening project. It was added later with the understanding that future hiker⁄biker trails would be constructed by the Lakelands developer — Classic Community Corp.

The tunnel was built to be used as a future connection to the trail system. To date, no trails have been built, so the tunnel is currently fenced off for safety until that happens.

Classic Community Corp. did not return calls about when the trail system would be completed.

4. Letter asking for money to complete the CCT

5. 2006 Maryland General Assembly passes part of 1 bike bill –

Senate Bill 846 passed with amendments. The bill as passed with the amendments makes a bell optional equipment and not required equipment, quantifies the braking requirement for bicycles, and allows a rear red or flashing amber light that acts as a reflector to be used instead of the required rear reflector at night.          

The amendments removed the part of the bill which would have removed Maryland's restrictions on riding on the roadway where there is a bike lane or a shoulder paved to a smooth surface. Maryland is one of only eight states with either restriction. Although Maryland's mandatory bike lane and shoulder rules have several exceptions, there are other situations when a cyclist should have the discretion of riding on the roadway instead of in the bike lane or on the shoulder. 

Senate Bill 871 /House Bill 721 failed, having been given an unfavorable report by the House Environmental Matters Committee. The bill prohibits a driver of a motor vehicle from overtaking and passing a bicycle unless the driver can do so safely without endangering the rider of the bicycle; prohibits a driver of a vehicle from intentionally interfering with the movement of a person who is riding a bicycle; and, the driver of a motor vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a person riding a bicycle in a designated bicycle lane.[...text of the bill]

 

6. DC area cycling radio show, the spin zone.

7. Dead bikes on UMD campus. This is a problem at every school in the country as far as I can tell. Students graduate and leave their old beaters locked up on campus, never to be ridden again.

8. Funcycle at Bike the Sites.

9. George Bush has influenced at least one person to ride - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

10. VRE getting new trains  (see photo for inside shot with bikes). VRE Management says "The new cab cars that we have ordered are bike friendly. After they are all on-line, we will reevaluate our bicycle policy." 

DC Snakcs

Before bike messengers get to ply their skills as pedicab operators, there's another new revenue stream for them in the DC area. DC Snacks, which has actually been around since 2003, is - well it's Kozmo.com from the internet glory days,

It sells convenience store items such as ice cream, pizza, frozen dinners, drink mixes and health aids, and bikes them to customers' doors within 35 minutes.

but over a much smaller area.

Its boundaries are now loosely defined as Rock Creek Parkway to the west, Q Street to the north, 13th Street to the east and Constitution Avenue.

There's talk of expansion to other cities, but caution that DC may be unique

The whole bike thing is a part of DCSnacks' homey, friendly neighborhood appeal. "It's perfectly Washington," Mandell says -- if you define Washington as within a mile of the White House. Adams Morgan is still a little far for the riders, as is Howard University. Never mind the rest of the city -- at least for

Biking to school becoming rare

It's not really news, because I've been hearing about it for years now, but the Examiner reported that

Nationwide, the number of kids who ride their bike or  walk to school has fallen dramatically since the 1970s.

“Thirty years ago, 66 percent of children walked or biked to school,” said Sharon Roerty of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking. “Today, 13 percent walk or bike to school.”

The article talks about the rise in childhood obesity, and (for reasons I'm not sure about) the number of children taking medication for attention deficit disorder and depression rising and also about the Safe Routes program. From what I've seen, a lot needs to be done to improve school accessibility. Magnolia Elementary School in Lanham has a path that connects it to a nearby apartment complex, which is good; but poles were inserted into the trail at the fence line that make it impossible to bike through. I have no idea why this was done, but that's the kind of thing that needs to be corrected.

One issue they fail to address is the cost of busing and driving 83% of students to school. On RPUS this issue is addressed in reference to an article about the shortage of bus drivers in Northern Virginia.

Fairfax, which has more than 165,000 students, is short about 180 bus drivers, and in Prince William, with about 66,200 students, needs about 60 drivers, officials said.

Since 2004, Loudoun County has been short 30 to 40 bus drivers despite advertising the jobs as far away as Winchester, Va., and West Virginia, school officials said.

And RPUS

...school campuses on the edges of towns require a massive school bus infrastructure (comparable to the deleterious impact of the replacement of streetcar transit systems with buses) requiring drivers, fuel, maintenance, and frequent replacement of buses. Not to mention the number of accidents involving school buses.

If 60% of students again started biking and walking, what impact would that have on traffic, air quality, health, school budgets, community? I used to bike to school and after school I would often go with my friends to the park to play football or basketball - instead of going straight home to watch TV and play video games. That seems like a better way for kids to spend their free time to me.

Rails with Trails

There are still a lot of Rails to Trails opportunities in the DC area and I've mentioned some of them before, but the area shouldn't rule out Rails with Trails where needed. At least one is being built in the area, the Met Branch Trail. And others are being looked at. One of the biggest arguments the railroads give for not allowing trails along side their right-of-way is safety. But a recent analysis shows that not only are Rails with Trails safe, they're safer than rails without trails.

Common wisdom in the rail industry has been that anytime a person enters a rail corridor the risk of a fatality increases. It's obvious to experienced railroad employees that adding a trail and inviting public access should increase the fatalities.

[But] whenever people trespass in rail corridors, the walking is generally awful but usually easiest on the rails or rail ties. So kids walk on the rail ties or rails. College students leaving a pub may choose to walk an unlit rail corridor to return to their dorm. Hunters seeking game walk the rails. But, if a well-engineered trail existed beside the tracks, most would apparently choose the easier path.

...adding trails to rail corridors has, by experience, reduced rail trespass fatalities by more than 90%.

More study is needed, but this is good news and a good argument against the safety issue. I think there are several good opportunities for Rail with Trails in the area. Including

1. Pushing the Met Branch Trail up to Rockville
2. A trail along the North Side of New York Avenue from the Met Branch to the Anacostia Trail system (part of which is proposed).
3. From the abandoned rail bridge over New York Avenue to the Northwest Branch along the Camden line.
4. From 12th Street SW to the Virginia Avenue Tunnel in SE.
5. In spots along the Penn Line.

Fairfax County Bicycle Program

An article entitled "Fairfax County looks to Create Bicycling Program" ran in the Examiner a few weeks ago. It's gone now, but here's the text:

Fairfax County - Fairfax County is looking at the possibility of investing $840,000 to create a countywide bicycle program.

According to a Feb. 20 memorandum, the cost would include creating the position of Bicycle Program coordinator, establishing a bicycling network within the county and for contractors and consultants to provide an inventory of the county’s bicycle infrastructure to be used in creating a map of bicycle paths and trails.

The idea of creating a plan to improve bicycle transportation in the county was first floated in 2005, but in the 2007 budget formed by County Executive Anthony Griffin, there was no funding in place.

County Chairman Gerald Connolly, D, asked for and received unanimous approval from the Board of Supervisors to put the plan on the boards consideration list for fiscal year 2007.

Fairfax already has a similar program for pedestrians in the county.

“We want to have a coordinated, comprehensive bicycle policy so that we can make sure were doing everything we can at all levels of commuting,” Connolly said. “We have some trails and paths in the county, but we need to do more and we need someone in place who can coordinate these efforts.”

Included in Griffin’s proposal is $56.85 million for discretionary board use. This plan would fall into that category.

Kathy Ichter, head of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, said the hope is to model the initiative on the current position in county government of a pedestrian coordinator.

“Urban issues are becoming more and more in the forefront in our area and people are looking at ways to get from point A to point B without always having to get in their cars and drive,” she said.

“The fact of the matter is there are needs for bicyclists and they may be getting left in the dust, and the purpose is to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Why bike to work?

- Riding to work costs less than driving or taking transit, especially if you already own a bike.

- Cycling allows you to stay in shape while you commute. A five-mile, one-way commute burns 300 calories round trip for a 130-pound woman.

- Biking to work means less traffic congestion and pollution for the region.

(Photo Caption: A cyclist waits to cross over Wiehle Avenue along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and near Sunset Hills Boulevard in Reston)

I think a bicycle co-ordinator is key to any area transportation plan. DC has two bicycle coordinators (Jim Sebastian and Chris Holborn) and they get a lot done. I moved here shortly before they hired Mr. Seabastian, and it's clear to see the improvements in cycling that have occured since then. You need someone who can look at every project and add cycling input (thought it's probably too much work for one person). If Fairfax goes through with this, they'll only be about 5 years behind DC, Arlington and Alexandria. That will leave PG County as the big glaring hole in bicycle Program Management. And WABA is supporting the effort in their latest Quick Release

WABA urges you to contact County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly and your district supervisor and voice your support for these initiatives.

Please contact Chairman Connolly and your district supervisor to ensure your comments are recorded. Call or write to:
1) Chairman Gerry Connolly. The email address is chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov. The office phone number is 703-324-2321.
2) Your district supervisor. For contact information about your district supervisor, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/board.

Marvin Gaye Park

Well, mercy, mercy me. I mentioned the pending rehab of the Watts Branch Trail and I even mentioned that the park is near where Marvin Gaye grew up, but I didn't realize they were going to rename the Park after him - which I think is a great idea. The park and trail are really underutilized and I think it's great that's it's getting so much attention.

Anacostia, if you're unaware is rather hilly, and the only flat areas you can use to get across it are south, along Shepard Parkway (not too bike friendly), out along the Suitland Parkway, or out through Watt's Branch. The Suitland Parkway Trail is in bad shape and dead ends at the Maryland line.

Watt's Branch was once a major transportation corridor for the city, with two railroads passing through the relatively flat land, and so it stands to reason that it could make a great bike route. Unfortunately it depends a lot on Maryland. A bike trail that dead ends in Seat Pleasant is no better than the Suitland Parkway, but connected to an extended WB&A trail and a Chesapeake Beach Railway Trail and it could really bring the trail (and Park) alive.

My favorite quote from this article about it is this:

"I like to plant trees, and it's for a really good cause," said Miss Frontiera, who volunteered after a professor offered extra credit to those who helped.

Umm, that ain't volunteering. (pictured - a broken bike/ped bridge from Marvin Gaye Park)