The Purple Line Elevator

Though the Dulles line seems to be the big Metro story of late, for this week at least the Purple Line is getting the headlines. On May 9th, the Montgomery County Council voted to spend $5 million to study the addition of a south entrance to the Bethesda Metro Stop.

The Bethesda south entrance will be a bank of elevators going down from the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Elm Street to the back end of the Metro station. The Purple Line (also  known as Bi-County Transitway) will have its Bethesda terminus in the tunnel that goes under Wisconsin Avenue at this intersection.

The Capital Crescent Trail now uses that tunnel, but if the Purple Line is built the tunnel would house both the trail and the Bethesda stop.

The new elevators are expected to cost $50 million and will increase ridership - even if the purple line is never built.

it would help boost Metro ridership from residential areas by 3.2 percent and increase commuter ridership at the station by 7.5 percent, according to a Metro analysis.

The Station Access Demand Analysis considered three options: no build, a two-stop system (metro platform and street level), and a three-stop system (with an additional stop in the tunnel - with access to the CCT).  The CCCT is taking no position on whether or not the elevator should be built, but is taking one on what kind of elevator is built

If the county and WMATA decide to go ahead with the project, [Ernie Brooks, chairman of the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail] said, the coalition wants a stop at the trail level included.

 

‘‘We strongly recommend that they put the elevator stop in at the trail level,” Brooks said. ‘‘A lot of the traffic, not just car and bike traffic, but people traffic, is based around that intersection of Bethesda and Woodmont avenues. It makes sense to have an entrance there.”

I absolutely agree. It seems the added cost of a third stop is small compared to the benefit. One would have a quick, seamless transition between the trail and metro - unlike anywhere else in the system. Even at New York Avenue - which was built with the Met Branch trail - riders have to go down and into the station and then back up to the platform.

In addition to all of this, there are planned rallies in support of the Purple Line and informational open houses. I'm all for the Purple Line - as long as they keep their promise to enhance and expand the CCT.

When the light rail line is built, the paved trail will extend east from Wisconsin Ave. as far as the Silver Spring Metro station, running alongside the new tracks.  The old  railroad right-of-way is 60 - 100 ft. wide in Chevy Chase, leaving room for two tracks, a trail, and a vegetated buffer between the transportation facilities and adjoining houses.  The extension of the paved trail will replace a shorter interim gravel trail, called the Georgetown Branch Trail, which now goes part way to Silver Spring.  Instead of stopping to walk across busy highways, trail users will cross Connecticut Avenue on a bridge and go under Jones Mill Road through a tunnel.

GW Parkway Bridge Widening

I guess I haven't been on the GW Parkway or the Mt. Vernon trail for a while, because I haven't noticed the construction going on there just north of the airport. Officially the project includes

Bridge widening and deck replacement for GWMP bridge over North Access Ramp to Reagan National Airport. The bridge widening is to provide trail access over the bridge, separated from traffic. Currently, the trail crosses the bridge along the shoulder. Only 4-inch high mountable curb separate pedestrians and traffic. Work will also include painting of steel members and repair to bridge lighting underneath.

Work began Sept. 22 and should be completed by the end of this year.

Neither the trail through the airport nor the connection to Crystal City is supposed to be affected. Perhaps the separated bridge and trail will mean that cyclists won't feel they have to bike on the Parkway.

This past weekend I nearly ran into a bycyclist[sic] who was riding his bike on the GW Parkway. I know the Mt. Vernon trail gets a bit crowded on weekends, but riding your bike on the parkway can't possibly be legal can it?

Dr. Gridlock flubbed the answer, but someone corrected him

From byways.org, website of the National Scenic Byways Program (part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration) re the GW Parkway: "Non-motorized vehicles such as bicycles are prohibited from the roadway."

Addendum: Based on comments on this post, I'm no longer sure that bikes are prohibited from the GW Parkway, and suspect they're allowed. Use your own judgement.

Bike are also prohibited from the interstates, in case you were confused.

Then there's this letter and response from the Examiner.

A few friends and I regularly make weekday exercise runs between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the multiuse Mount Vernon Trail along the Potomac between Rosslyn and National Airport. With the arrival of warmer weather, we are experiencing the return of a recurring problem: unsafe bike riders. I’m not talking about the occasional individual out for a fun riding excursion, but rather the serious, well-equipped riders who use the trails as if they were the only ones there. Many cruise along at excessive or unsafe speeds, fail to announce their passing, and refuse to obey signs that require they dismount and walk through narrow underpasses or across roadways. On more than a few occasions, we have been nearly run over when moving through the narrow pathway under the Memorial Bridge.

Steve Elkridge:

Look, I know that a crash with a 3,000-pound vehicle is more likely to be fatal than one involving a jogger and a bike, but the point is the same: Show some respect for those with whom you share the road (or the trail) and obey the posted rules.

My main issue with this article was the inane title "Do unsafe bike riders pose a danger on the roads?" Of course. As 'unsafe' bike riders, they're dangerous by definition. And the article doesn't deal with bikes on the road, but on a trail. As for the letter itself, people should announce their passing (though on a busy trail it really stinks) and bike safely around pedestrians, but I repeatedly ignore "dismount and walk" signs. Some trail designers are overzealous in their use of these. If a narrow area is crowded, I'll do it. But if no one else is coming the other way, I just bike through slowly. And I almost never do it to cross a street. A better question is "Can you disobey "dismount and walk" signs and still be a safe bike rider?"

The Bicycle Commuters Benefit Act of 2006

Another one of the speakers at Bike to Work Day was Oregon Senator Ron Wyden. He, along with Senator Cantwell of Washington and Maine's two Senators - Snowe and Collins, introduced the Bicycle Commuters Benefit Act of 2006. This is the Senate version of the bill; Rep. Earl Blumenauer, also of Oregon introduced the House version. The bill extends the transportation fringe benefit available to those who take mass transit to bicycle commuters. I wish I'd listened to Senator Wyden on BTWD but I got distracted. But I hope the speech sounded a lot like his Statement of Introduction for the bill:

According to recent Census reports, more than 500,000 people throughout the United States commute to work by bicycle. Yet, they are commuting by bicycle at their own expense. Their fellow employees who take mass transit to and from work have an incentive created in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century that enables their employers to pay for their bus or subway ride. This incentive is great for mass transit commuters but it discourages people from riding their bikes to and from their jobs. The Bicycle Commuters Benefits Act of 2006 will eliminate this discrimination against bicycle commuters.

The bill extends the fringe benefit that employers can offer their employees for commuting by public transit, to those who ride their bicycles to and from their jobs. Employers can deduct the cost of their benefit payments from their taxable income. This reduces the taxes that they pay to the federal government. And, in turn, employees will receive anywhere from $40 - $100 per month as a non-taxable benefit, to help them pay for the costs of riding their bikes.

This is not unlike one of the Solving DC Problems entries - and one of the best received, even if it didn't make it to the top 20. There is a lot of evidence that the metrochecks program is, in part, responsible for the boom in metro ridership lately, and I think this bill could result in an equal boom in bike commuting (along with $4 gas). (Later in the speech Sen. Wyden sends a nice shout-out to WABA, but doesn't mention Cycle Oregon - take that Rose City).

I already think biking is significantly cheaper, but for those of you who disagree or are unconvinced, I think $40 -$100 per month should take care of it. My employer doesn't offer metrochecks, so they probably won't offer this benefit either - but I hope to garner free rider benefits as all that money pumps into local bike shops and more people get on their bikes and get involved.

The disappointing thing is that not one Senator, Representative or non-voting Delegate from Virginia, Maryland or DC has signed on as a co-sponsor (though the website warns that Cosponsorship information sometimes is out of date.). With an election season upon us, I think it's fair to go to a meet and greet and ask your local representation to co-sponsor the bill. (Pictured is John Kerry at the National Bike Summit - he also hasn't signed on)

Forbes has a great write up about the bill out today.

Employers can currently offer employees tax-free reimbursement for up to $205 a month for parking and $105 a month for using mass transit. So the cyclists want a similar benefit of maybe $40 to $100 for employees who bicycle to work.

The four co-sponsoring senators sent out a "Dear Colleague" letter earlier this month asking for others to sign on, but they've gotten only a few takers.

Discovery Communications, owned in part by Discovery Holding (nasdaq: DISCA - news - people ), reimburses employees $350 for a bike, and it designed its three offices in the Washington, D.C., area as "bicyclist friendly," with secure bike racks, day lockers and showers.

The article talks about how no one wants to cut taxes right now. Ok, fair enough. Why not cut the parking benefit (to $190 or something) to pay for the biking benefit?

Ten for Tuesday - Gas is Expensive $2.50 Edition

1. There were a lot of articles last week about high gas prices and biking to work, including this AP story

About 20 million bikes were sold in the United States in 2005, one of the industry's best years ever, and retailers are optimistic that escalating gas prices will lead to record bike sales this year

Unlike most countries, the vast majority of bikes sold in the United States are used for recreation rather than transportation. About 550,000 Americans - less than 1 percent of U.S. workers - bike to work regularly, according to Blumenthal. "You don't feel the love in a lot of places when you're riding your bike,"

The $286 billion federal transportation bill signed last year will double the amount of money available for bike and pedestrian facilities to about $4 billion.

2. The National Park Service is guiding free bike rides almost every weekend this summer. Check out this flyer (pdf) For Example:

Off the Beaten Path – Discover Lonely Landmarks

You may have seen them on a map, driven past them hundreds of times, or even walked up to one of them out of curiosity. What are they, who are they, and more importantly, why are they here? This is the story of Washington DC’s lonely landmarks. These statues, urns, and symbolic gestures of friendship and remembrance can be found all over DC. Find out the stories of these lonely landmarks from our Rangers.

3. The Virginia IMBA mountain bike festival is this weekend. So is the Arlington Community Bike Ride.

4. The Montgomery County Council authorized $200K to repair the interim CCT.

5. The 20 finalists for the Solving DC Problems contest have been announced. One is bicycling related.

The city could purchase a fleet of (ugly, theft-resistant) bikes and set up secure racks for them across downtown DC. For a reasonable membership fee, residents get a pass that allows them to pick up a bike, ride it to where they need to go, and drop it off at any official bike sharing rack (not just the one they took it from).

It's kind of weak that they chose an idea that's already in the works.

6. Gas prices are pushing cops out of cruisers and onto bikes and foot patrols. It will be interesting to see if this impacts crime (either reduces or increases).

7. One less place to rent bikes in the area.

‘‘When I was in high school, we would have almost 200 kids a day that would come in and out of there and go out in canoes or take bicycles out,” Swain said.

Deciding to shut down the lockhouse's boat and bicycle rentals and concession stand was a ‘‘tremendously difficult decision,” Swain said.

8. Adults ride bikes, but kids are so darn photogenic

My main concern is that the pictures suggest that bicycles are children’s toys. Bicycles are vehicles covered under Maryland’s Uniform Vehicle Code. The Gazette missed an opportunity to reflect a main purpose of the Millennium Trail — to make Rockville more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.

9. Metro is going to add hundreds of bike racks.

"At some stations people weren't even using the older racks," says Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith. "They were opting to lock their bikes to trees, to light poles, because the old racks were missing pieces or they had a loose installation, or sometimes they were even just stripped down."

I do hate the old metro bike racks. I feel the same the way about them that I do gray hairs. I'd rather not have them, but they're better than nothing.

10. How I often feel

By using mass transit or riding my bike whenever possible, I may not be able to influence greenhouse-gas emissions standards or reduce mass global addiction to fossil fuels one iota.The question, however, is not "What can't I do?" but rather, "What can I do?"

The answer: next to nothing.

Upcoming Bike Lane projects

The District has a goal of getting 50 miles of bike lanes by 2009. They were up to 17 miles in September, 2005. So they'll need to add about 11 miles a year to make it. Rather than running around putting in bike lanes where they're most needed, they wait for a street to be resurfaced or reconstructed and then add the bike lanes in with that construction. It's cheaper and has less impact on traffic.  It's a policy of patience and considering the limited funds I'm OK with taking the low hanging fruit.

There are about 13 miles of bike-lane-ready-street scheduled for work in 2006. The whole list in rather long, but here are some of the longer sections:

21st NW between Virginia and Florida
22nd NW between Virginia and Massachusetts
11th NW between Penn and Rhode Island; and between Clifton and Park
East Capitol between Burns and Southern
Warder/7th NW between Columbia and Upshur
E NW between 2nd and 13th
6th NE between C and Florida
14th NW between Thomas Circle and U
Tilden NW between Connecticut and Shoemaker
Q NW between 14th and New Jersey

Of course some places where bike lanes were to be added have been sacrificed. One result of the Logan Circle church parking issue is that some area streets are getting back-in parking to increase the number of available spaces. Where is that extra parking space coming from? That's right - bike lanes. So for a few hours of parking on Sunday, bike lanes will be removed 24-7. It's going to be tough to get to 50 miles if bike lanes are seen as expendable.

BTWD 2006

The weather really cooperated for Bike to Work Day today, and people came out in large numbers. It's the largest group I've seen at Freedom Plaza for BTWD. The time may be coming, if it's not already here, when Freedom Plaza is too small to handle the crowd. There were lines for everything and hardly room to move around. Several of the freebies ran out - including power bars given out by the new downtown transportation site goDCgo. Not to complain about free stuff - but I couldn't find anything (cream cheese or peanut butter) to put on my bagel. That made me sad. I did get coffee before it ran out.

Many groups set up tables there. The Park Service was giving out trail maps for area national parks. WABA was encouraging people to sign postcards to push DC to finish the Met Branch Trail - part of their "Where's Our Trail" campaign. Bike the sites had the 7 person funcycle there. ZipCar, Rails to Trails, the DC BAC and City Bikes were also there.

I didn't catch all the speakers but the local politicians I saw were mayoral candidates Marie Johns and Linda Cropp. If you saw other candidates please mention it in the comments. Marie Johns needed a bicycling consultant to tell her not to mention that she enjoys "spinning."  You could sense a collective eye roll. The crowd was so large you couldn't hear most speakers, but Linda Cropp - that woman knows how to project.

If someone (like me) told you that you could get a T-shirt even if you didn't register in time, they were wrong. Sorry.

All in all it was a success, even if I didn't get a free bike.

Streetcars, NOVA style

DC plans to build several streetcar (or light rail) lines in the city, the first in Anacostia. The city is also going to lay down track on H Street NE in preparation for a streetcar to run on that road. Not to be outdone, Arlington and Fairfax have decided to build their own streetcar on Columbia Pike. I've discussed some of the issues with streetcars, as they pertain to bikes, before. Despite desires by some to see other methods of transit or elevated systems, it doesn't seem any jurisdiction in the area has an interest in using an untested technology.

The Columbia Pike line could be a real benefit. It would intersect with the W&OD and Four Mile Run Trails at Four Mile Run and the new Route 50 Trail. Thus, it could provide a way - other than driving - for casual users to get to the trails. But only if space is provided on the cars for bikes - which is often not, but not always. [it would be especially great if a grade separated crossing at W&OD and Columbia Pike could come out of this project]

On the other hand, Columbia Pike is a critical bike access route and tracks in the road could preclude its use.

I generally tend to think that the "Share the Road" philosophy is a two-way street such that cyclists need to be willing to share the road too - and the pike transit plan does involve bike lanes along most of Columbia Pike (except in "activity centers" where high pedestrian activity should slow traffic enough to make bike lanes unnecessary) so it might be a net win for cyclists. [The picture shows the streetcar with a bike lane on the outside and a bike path farther out]
 
I think rather than fighting streetcars (a losing fight, IMO), bike advocates should fight for streetcars, and streets, that are safe for and welcoming of, bikes.