Biking across America II

I guess biking across America is becoming the new Appalachian Trail. Everyone seems to be doing it. Two recent articles bring me back to the subject.

The first article is about Thomas Heidenberger, a local man whose wife was the senior flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon.

On Sunday, Chevy Chase resident Heidenberger will embark on a 3,600-mile cross-country bike ride to honor the memory of the 33 flight crew members killed on Sept. 11 and to raise money in their names for memorials.

Best of luck to him.

The other article from the Times does a pretty good job of explaining what you have to do to bike across the country.

Many who bicycle recreationally dream of going the distance. Few do it, largely because of the time commitment. You need close to three months -- more if you want to smell the roses. That's why cross-country cyclists usually fall into two categories -- those taking time off before college and those whose youngsters have just gone off to college. Getting that much time in prime working and family-raising years is tough for others.

I would like to find myself in a third category, those who have won the lottery and now have oodles of free time, but maybe I'm weird. I met a guy once who "Biked across Europe," except that he didn't really. He would bike from here to there, then hop on the train over night, and go on another ride the next day. He said it was great because each day the ride was totally different. It's hard to do that in the states because of the limited rail service. In addition, Amtrak doesn't have roll on service on every route. I tried to find a list of trains you can take bikes on here, but they just give you a phone number to call (really did I wake up in 1994?). I found this list, but it's from 1999.

 

The photo, btw, is from western Australia

Law Stuff II

I lifted this update on the bills moving through Maryland's legislature straight off the Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail web site. It's a follow-up on this post.

        Bills to have a hearing Tuesday, April 4, 1:00 pm.
        Oral testimony by bill sponsor only.        
        Advocates need to be there to show their support.

Phone your delegates and ask them to support SB 846.
Phone calls from constituents can make a difference.

          Two bills that affect bicyclists have passed the Senate but are stalled in the House Environmental Matters Committee. Cyclists' support for these bills is essential if these bills are to pass.  Contact your delegates' offices and ask that they support Senate Bill 846 (cross-filed as House Bill 943). This an important bill that cyclists want passed because it eliminates outdated operating restrictions and the requirement for a bike bell.

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Metro needs to continue Great Society

A recent book  The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro recently came out as reported by DCist and Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space. (RPUS has a link to the NPR interview with the author, which is pretty interesting). I also recently read this article DART may Become Bike Friendly for Commute and this article (again thanks to RPUS) Silver Spring's Plans For Transit Center Move to Final Stages. All of which got me to thinking that while Metro has done some admirable things (bikes on bus, removing the need for a license to take your bike on metro) when it comes to being bike friendly, I'd like to see it do more.  In the first article I read that

Cyclists have criticized the agency for not allowing bikes on trains or buses before 9 a.m. and between 3 and 6 p.m. on weekdays.  "All the literature we're reading indicates that if an agency is bicycle-friendly, ridership will grow," Mr. Mendoza said.

"The biggest complaint they have is that bicyclists tend to work the same hours we do," he said.    

The revised policy would allow bicycle commuters to board the last train car at any time, but only if space is available. If the train is crowded, transit authorities could have a bicyclist wait for the next train.

Yes. Yes. A commonsense approach. This allows cyclist to reverse commute, it allows them to ride empty trains. The rule in place now is poorly designed and as I've pointed out before, discriminatory. They don't limit people with luggage. I like that someone realized that bike commuters work a normal work day. There are no restrictions on taking bikes on New York's Subway other than that you be safe and courteous. In San Francisco a few stations are off limits during rush hour, but not THE ENTIRE SYSTEM as is true here. If all of these cities - and Dallas is not some transit heaven like Portland - can trust bike commuters to use common sense, why can't Metro?

The second article is noteworthy for what is not mentioned. Bikes. Silver Spring was originally suppose to be a bicycle transit hub with a bike station and connections to the CCT, Green Trail and Met Branch trail; but now they really downplay it. I doubt it will be anything like what it was originally planned to be. 

Here is my short list of Metro's necessary improvements re:bikes. (also included other rail systems)

1. Replace rush hour restriction with common sense "no bikes on crowded trains" rule.
2. New station entrances (like at Ballston and the new Silver Spring) should include stairs with bicycle channels so that cyclist aren't forced to use the elevators. Similar stairs inside stations should be pursued as well, especially on the new Dulles line.
3. Stations should provide cheap, safe parking facilities - like bike boxes or, where possible, bike stations.
4. Bikes on VRE, Amtrak and Marc trains.
5. Bike maps at each station that show the area, similar to the ones there now, but with an emphasis on bikeable roads, shops, trails etc...
6. Future projects, like the pedestrian tunnels and streetcars, should provide adequate accommodations for bike commuters as well.
7. When new metro cars are ordered they should have racks inside the cars (see photo for Minneapolis's bike rack)

Open Government in Arlington

I remember when I first saw the website kayak.com I thought to myself, "self, you didn't know you needed this, but you did." That's the same way I feel about this new (to me) discovery that was mentioned in the Examiner over a month ago:

Arlington County is now providing updates on county construction projects to the public via an online database. CAPTrack, a searchable list of more than 400 capital improvement projects, grew out of the county's own method of tracking construction progress.

If you're a local transportation policy nerd (and if you haven't noticed, I kind of am) CAPtrack is Paradise.  You can sort it for just Trails & Bikeways projects and get the latest update on all of Arlington counties projects. For example:

                       

Project Name	CUSTIS TRAIL WESTOVER UNDERPASS @ I-66
Summary	REALIGN BIKE TRAIL AND PROVIDE NECESSARY DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TRAIL @ I-66 UNDERPASS NEAR WESTOVER PARK & N. KENNEBEC ST.
Current Status	Active, currently in the Implementation phase   (4 of 5).   [01/09/2006] Contractor is preparing a proposal for construction. Expected completion Winter 2006.

Besides the nerdy pleasure of having the latest 411, it also represents a movement toward open government, which I think is a pretty good thing, just like open code, open source and open content. DC, Alexandria, MoCo, etc...now you have someone to emulate.

Bridges: South Capitol and NE Branch

The South Capitol Street Bridge Study is complete. The following were completed as part of the study:

·  Identification, documentation and justification for protective buying as appropriate.

·  Study on river traffic, navigation, and bridge openings.

·  Contaminated soil and hazardous material site investigation.

·  Development of concept architectural, engineering, and alignment alternatives for four bridge types.

The bridge that exists now is definitely shoddy and while it has space on both sides for cyclists (pretty impressive for a bridge finished in 1941) it's not a very pleasant ride. The study site has four designs for the new bridge on it each with animations you can look at. Alternative one, the cable stayed swing bridge, even has an animation from a cyclists point of view. That's wicked cool. Predictably, it ends with a shot of the new baseball stadium. One can only hope that biking to the stadium will be easy and safe and that on the Anacostia side, riders will be provided with a safe connection to the Anacostia Trail, Suitland Parkway Trail and a trail built along the Shepard Industrial Spur. And, as long as I'm making a list, it would be great if they recognize that the stadium is a perfect place for a bike station and pedicabs.

In other bridge news, I've seen a pre-fabricated pedestrian bridge along side the NE Branch Trail near the Calvert Recreation Center (here). It looks like a construction crew left it there for work to be done later (because right now it doesn't bridge anything and is not fulfilling its purpose in life) but I have no idea if it it to replace the bridge over the small stream south of Paint Branch Parkway or if it is to be placed somewhere else entirely different. If you know, leave a message in the comments.

Street Renaissance

p>A coalition of groups in New York have come together to work toward the goal of reforming public space usage initiate city. 80% of people in New York do not own a car, yet much of the public space is dedicated to car usage. The NYC Street Renaissance is "building the movement to re-imagine our streets as lively public places."

While DC doesn't have the same numbers as New York, we also waste much public space on auto use. I'm not against cars, they serve a real purpose. I'm against the over-use and inefficient use of cars. When I ask people why they don't bike commute they list fear (because the streets are not safe for bikes), lack of bicycle parking and and lack of showers as the top reasons. Those are all indicative of a failure of the district to plan.

The same reasons do not crop up for car commuters. While I know a few people who don't drive to work because there's no parking, I don't know anyone who feels streets aren't safe for cars. In general the lack of facilities or planning do not keep people out of their cars.

Still, In DC things are changing. Often when I complain about DC design flaws I'm complaining about decisions made in the 50's, 60's or 70's (which is why the decisions made today are so important). One example of things getting better is the Thomas Circle project (pictured) . I also suspect the new baseball stadium will be a better public space than RFK. Still there are too many times when decisions are imbalanced in the direction of automobile interests.

Not shown in the Thomas Circle photo is that there should be a bike lane using new blue concrete so that it really stands out.

Pedicabs in DC

I wrote about this earlier this month, but I wasn't really serious.  Then I read this article in the Examiner and I've changed my tune.

Bicycle taxis are weaving through the clogged streets of midtown Manhattan in a movement growing so rapidly that the city is proposing regulations before it spins out of control. Known as pedicabs, these vehicles look like giant tricycles with a passenger carriage in the back. Some tourists and New Yorkers see them as an affordable, pollution-free way to see the city and sail through gridlock.

I really do think that this could work in DC. Were I a young MBA graduate, I might even start a business doing this. You have a large supply of bicycle couriers who could work off-hours for extra money. You could move people around Adams Morgan at night, crowds from Verizon and RFK after games, and move tourists between the Capitol and Washington Monument on Jefferson and Madison avenues during the tourist season (competing with the new circulator) to name a few routes. According to this article moving people from a stadium to their car in the parking lot is a big moneymaker (and a sad commentary on American life).

In Denver, pedicabs tend to operate on nights and weekends, during ballgames and other events that require people to walk several blocks from parking areas or light-rail stops.

Ed Oliver, who is Meyer's partner in the Denver pedicab operation, said he often drives a pedicab around the Pepsi Center parking lot, offering free rides during events. In most cases, passengers wind up tipping him at least $5 a ride.

"People hate walking across parking lots," Meyer said.

With a new St. Louis Cardinals ballpark set to open in April, a budding pedicab operator awaits her order from Main Street Pedicabs.

"We want to get a business started just to and fro," said St. Louis resident Jill Saettele, an avid cyclist who found Main Street Pedicabs on the Internet. "The parking (at the new stadium) is very limited, so they're doing shuttles. This is the most fantastic opportunity."

The pedicabs have caught on most in urban environments, but have also captured the attention of an array of communities with a shortage of downtown parking.

I think it's only a matter of time before these pop up here. DC residents are at least as lazy as people in Denver. The pedicabs are cheaper AND faster than traditional taxis and great for tourists. One might argue that the summers are too hot and the winters too cold, but the goal is mostly to get people who would walk, not people who would take a regular taxi - except when the weather is nice. Though as a friend of mine pointed out, the name 'pedicab' is...not good. Sounds like a cab that should be found on a known sex offender list.

Route 110 Trail

The 1994 Arlington Bicycle Transportation Plan included 37 proposals for new or improved bicycle facilities. In the intervening [12] years the County has made progress or completed most of those projects and has subsequently added other bikeway proposals to the amended master plan. One project included in the plan, which has not been acted upon is the Route 110 south trail paving and upgrade. In FY2003, Arlington was able to secure a federal CMAQ grant to pay for 80 percent of the work involved to grade, pave, enhance the crossings, and install new signage and landscaping along the trail.

An unpaved trail currently exists along the east side of Route 110. It's frequently used by Pentagon employees and visitors and the county plans to upgrade it to a paved trail. This project is still in the design phase, but the design is moving forward.

National Mayor's Ride

Next week the National Mayor's Ride starts in Boston, MA. It'll conclude in San Francisco on July 28th. It's put on by the National Bicycle Greenway a group that aims to

promote a nationwide network of interconnected bike friendly roads and bicycle pathways that will connect cyclists to major cities throughout the US. The NBG is dedicated to developing a standard for cycle-safe thruways that enhances the travel experience of the transportational cyclist.

it does this, it appears, by visiting mayors and getting from them proclamations

that demonstrate their commitment to the mission of a nationwide network of corridors for the safe use of human-powered transportation. In the past these ceremonies have ranged from fifteen-minute certificate presentations to media extravaganzas that included police escorts, newspaper, TV and radio interviews.

I question how effective all of this is, and am a little surprised to find that mayors don't actually ride across country. I guess they're busy mayoring. I'm also not sure how this differs from what the Adventure Cycling Association does. Anyway, anyone wishing to join in on the ride is welcome for however long you can stand it. They'll be in Baltimore May 11th and Mt. Rainier and DC on the 12th. (Mt. Rainier?) Then they head up to Pittsburgh.

Bicycle Brigade One

It's no secret that George Bush is a big fan of bicycling. Whether he's crashing into a constable in Scotland, avoiding air attacks in Patuxent, or touring his ranch in Crawford with Lance Armstrong ("See how there's no brush? That's cause I clear it.") George Bush loves to bike. In fact if you google "George Bush" bicycle or bike, you get over 700,000 hits. He loves cycling so much, he wears his jersey under his suit when he goes to church (what is he, 8 year's old?)

But is he good for cyclists?

It's kind of a dumb question since it's probably the 6000th most important issue the president faces, but this blog is myopic by design so let's look at it.

First of all, by riding his bike -  and letting people see him do it often - he serves as an ad for cycling. Unfortunately he doesn't use it to commute, (but it's dangerous to ride a bike down stairs anyway). It's hard to measure if his cycling is having any impact since so many other issues are causing the boom in bicycle ownership (like Lance Armstrong, high gas prices, the changing mindset of transportation planners, this awesome blog, etc...). While I doubt it's having a Clark Gable undershirt effect, it probably has a slight positive impact - if only that people see that one can ride a bike into their 60s.

But what about policy? That's even harder to say. While some good bike-supporting laws have come out of Congress lately, that seems to have occurred without any input by Bush one way or the other. They really are due to the efforts of local congress members like Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) 

Bush missed a real opportunity to promote the hobby he so loves during his State of the Union address. When he mentioned America's "addiction to oil" he could have become the first President to mention bicycles in his State of the Union address since Teddy Roosevelt said,

Rural free [mail] delivery, taken in connection with the telephone, the bicycle, and the trolley, accomplishes much toward lessening the isolation of farm life and making it brighter and more attractive.

Gotta love Teddy.

He could also put his political capital where his butt is by making E Street south of the capital a little easier for a cyclist to get through. That's really a Secret Service decision, but I can't believe he has no influence.

Two small items from Virginia

Arlington County approved a new building called the Fairview, that will include a new western entrance to the Ballston Metro. Not sure what form this entrance will take, but it would be great if it included one set of stairs instead of three escalators. The advantage being, besides cost, that stairs could accommodate bicycle channels to allow cyclists to bring their bikes in the front door and leave the elevators for people who truly need them. 

The other item is that Arlington has plans to build the Washington Boulevard Trail and phase I should begin this spring or summer.

A shared use path will be constructed on the west side of Washington Boulevard generally between Walter Reed Drive and Rolfe Street S. The path will pass through Towers Park and connect the Arlington Boulevard Trail with Columbia Pike.

As one who bikes around there often, this will be a nice improvement.

Watts Branch Rehab to begin this Spring

During the National Bike Summit there was a reception honoring bicycle friendly cities. DC, Arlington and Rockville are all bronze level cities. A poster describing DC's accomplishments and plans mentioned that rehabilitation of the Watts Branch Trail will begin in Spring of 2006. It will be a year behind schedule, but that's OK because the WBT won't really reach it's potential until three other trails are completed. On the west side the WBT will connect in to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. On the east side it should connect into the Chesapeake Beach Railway Trail and - one can dream - to the WB&A Trail heading north to Odenton. Seat Pleasant was once a major railroad junction (and the boyhood home of Marvin Gaye) and could become a major bike trail junction in the future.

For the WBT project the post reports that

City officials hope to restore and eliminate gaps in the 1.5-mile Watts Branch Trail in Southeast within a year.

Law Stuff

I hesitate to get into this stuff because it makes my head hurt but this kinda stuff really is important. Maryland is debating two bills SB 846 and SB 871 that affect cyclists. The Senate versions of these bills  were supposed to come before the Senate Judicial Proceeding Committee today so it may be too late for that, but it's never to late to contact your representatives and tell them to support these bills

SB 846
Allows a cyclist to bike in the road, even if there is a bike lane or a shoulder (that's good)
Makes a bell optional (good, cause I have a horn)
Quantifies the breaking requirement (A washcycle T-shirt - there is no such thing, btw - to the first person to get a ticket for not have adequate bicycle breaks)
Allows a red or amber flashing light in place of a rear reflector (though it's good to have both, and lots of them).

SB 871
Requires a driver to yield to a cyclist in a bike lane
Prohibits a driver from passing a cyclist unless they can do so safely
Prohibits a driver from interfering with a cyclist

Honestly, 871 seems weird. Is it legal for drivers to interfere with cyclists now? Is it legal for them to pass recklessly? Are those activities already against the law? It reminds me of George Will talking about campaign fiance reform - "Bribery is already against the law."

St. Elizabeths Rail Spur

In an earlier post I mentioned that, in DC, there were only a few miles of abandoned rail bed available for trail conversion. One of those pieces is the St. Elizabeths rail spur in SE. It's only 0.65 miles long, but it would still make a useful trail connection should the Shepard Industrial Spur (Pictured is the last train to travel the spur) ever be made into a bike trail, which is why it was added to the DC Bicycle Master Plan. Now, according to an article in the post:

President Bush's 2007 budget proposal calls for allocating $306 million for the [new Coast Guard] headquarters, a three-year project that would involve constructing and rehabilitating buildings on the hospital's 176-acre west campus, according to a spokesman for the General Services Administration, which is managing the project. The total project would cost $330 million, and groundbreaking is expected to take place next year, he said.

This could be good news in that converting the rail bed to a trail could be added to the project. The Coast Guard should be interested in providing its employees with an option to easily bike to work.

But it's probably bad news since the Coast Guard will most likely want a wide security perimeter that would preclude the construction of a trail. With emphasis on security we've had lately, I would not be surprised it the trail were deemed a security threat.

Perils for Pedestrians

Bethesda resident John Z. Wetmore creates a show called "Perils for Pedestrians" that addresses bicycle and pedestrian safety issues. I've only seen one episode, and that was a "special" episode involving a walk through New Orleans with Dan Burden, but it was interesting and I know others who swear by the program. My television tastes are a little more pedestrian (sorry, so sorry). Anyway the show was picked up by the DISH network so now people all over the world can learn about sidewalk design. Watch out Grey's Anatomy, you've got a ratings war.

The official website has a massive amount of information - when you're done reading about Survivor. This cartoon, which I got off the site, could easily apply to cyclists.

Bicycle Safety Booklets

Arlington is planning to put out a bicycle safety booklet and a brochure. The brochure will cover bike lane safety and be geared toward both cyclists and motorists. The booklet will be pretty extensive and be based on the award winning publication Safe Bicycling in Chicago. The money to pay for it comes from various federal grants.

In general I think a booklet is a good idea, but I do have some changes. I think the DC area (DC and the surrounding jurisdictions) should get together and make one booklet for the whole metropolitan area. How many cyclists do all of their rides in one county? And honestly, I feel like a paper book is so 20th Century (but then again I do write a blog). A website would be much better and cheaper - but i recognize that both can be useful and complimentary even.

The brochure, I'm not sure about. Will drivers (ones who aren't cyclists) ever read it? Ever care? The downside of bike lanes is that drivers see them and think "that area is yours. Everything else is mine." which just isn't the case. The brochure is probably a waste of money. Better to get local news to report on it I think.

Bikes are not the problem.

This article in the Washington Times was supposed to be clever, but the title is a bit annoying. It's short so here it is.

  A gentleman riding a bicycle, briefcase in its basket, huffed and puffed while pedaling up the right-hand lane of 18th Street Northwest near the White House, the gradual incline making his commute home rather difficult, while causing cars directly behind him to creep along in the evening rush.
    We're not certain whether those drivers who sounded their horns were sending a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to the cyclist after reading what was printed on the back of his shirt: "One Less Car."

Above it is written "Buy a Hybrid." Yes. It's bikes that make the evening commute so bad. It's bikes that cause cars to creep along in rush hour traffic. Bikes are the problem, not all the people driving cars by themselves, but bikes. If we could just somehow convince these bike commuters to drive a hybrid we could fix the whole thing.

OT:So I grab a lot of my photos off of flickr. I learned that people leave photos for DCist on flickr labeled "DCist." That got my wheels spinning. If you'd like to have a photo on TheWashCycle, just put it on flickr with the label "washcycle."

McBAG meeting minutes

DC, Arlington, Montgomery County and PG County all have citizen advisory boards for bicycling issues. If Alexandria has one they keep it a secret. I'm not sure if the PG County board - the Bicycle and Trails Advisory Group (BTAG) - still meets as they haven't updated their site in over a year. DC and Arlington call theirs the BAC - Bicycle Advisory Committee/Council. Montgomery County calls theirs the McBAG which sounds like the McDonald's Happy Meal for adults, but isn't.
The McBAG's last meeting for which notes are up was in January. They talked about priorities for the next year, the state bicycle symposium and Metro station design rules. Metro needs a lot of work to make the subway more bike friendly (the buses are fine except for the drivers). Covered parking, which McBAG mentions is one part - bike stations at most major stops would be great. Better security is needed - Metro stations are one of the most common places from which bikes are stolen. Even where bike stations are impractical, cameras would be useful. Improved access and design is key as well. It would be nice if stations had a way for bikes to get in other than elevators. On BART, some stations have stairs (They're like escalators, but they don't move) with stair channels to allow cyclists to wheel their bikes up and down. We need those where possible.

National Bike Summit

The National Bike Summit is going on in DC this week. Today they're meeting with Legislators and while a lot of what is on the agenda is suppose to be national bike advocacy, it's sure to include some local initiatives as well. I suspect WABA will be pushing on Rock Creek Park and the Met Branch Trail. I heard the Virginia delegation was working to open up the Pentagon area.

On Friday there's a session on on-line route mapping that I'd like to go to. I need all the help I can get with my map. [Just yesterday I realized it doesn't work with IE so I had to get that fixed, but thanks to help from commenters I'm able to get the geocode from trails much faster and hope to have it finished by the end of March]; and there's also a caucus bike ride from 2:30 to 5:00.

Custis Trail Tunnel

There's a proposal before the Arlington County Board to build a 10-story, 43-unit residential building (for now called 1101 Lee Hwy) on the .61 acre site located east of North Lynn Street, between

the I-66 ramp and Martha Custis Bike and Pedestrian Trail to the south and the Key

Bridge/George Washington Memorial Parkway ramp to the north. The building would involve construction of a driveway across the Custis Trail. In order to mitigate the impact of the driveway on the trail, the building applicant has proposed modifying the intersection traffic lights to "signalize" the driveway.

But, in 2000, Rosslyn performed the Rosslyn Circle Crossing Study. It recommended that a tunnel be built under Lynn Street. The building is being scaled back considerably in height, density and access by the council and they've stated that the tunnel should be a part of it. The applicant's engineer did a preliminary study and determined that a tunnel with an alternative alignment would be possible but the suggested alignment has a curve that some feel might be dangerous.

At the December 2005 meeting they were still waiting on a response and deferred the subject to 2006. A bike/ped tunnel under Lynn would be a big improvement to a dangerous intersection.

Addendum: Please read the first comment to this post as it is very useful. I think I got some facts wrong. In my own defense they came from my own hazy memory and what I could glean from county council notes. If you can get through one page of those without falling asleep on your keyboard you are a better person than I.

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