Ten for Tuesday - 230th birthday edition

1. Here's a great photo from the Silver Spring (singular) criterium a few weeks ago and more can be found here.

The Gazette covered the race.

Also happy were the event’s organizers, including Susan Hoffman, marketing and special events manager for downtown Silver Spring. The second year of the event drew larger crowds than the year before, and the hope exists that the Grand Prix of Silver Spring will become a permanent fixture of the summer.

‘‘It brings people downtown, which is exactly what we want to do,” Hoffman said. ‘‘We’re ready for primetime, and we want people from outside the area to come here.”

2. Here's the photo of the 10 foot long bike lane on Massachusetts just north of Thomas Circle. The sign reads "Bike Land Ends" (though Bike is a picture of a bike).

3. Another product recall, this time for Specialized bicycle stems

The bicycle stem is black with the words "S-Works" and "Magnesium Faceplate" printed on it.

4. Reconstruction of the Marvin Gaye Park Trail began June 24th.

the city began work on a 1.6-mile walking and bicycling trail that will connect the northeast corner of the District with a network of regional trails. The $3.1 million project will include lighting, emergency call buttons and other safety measures. The trail was first constructed in 1978, but it was long neglected and became polluted and dangerous.

In time, the paved path will be lighted and widened for walkers, cyclists and skaters and better marked where it crosses streets.

The city has been aggressively encouraging cycling and commuting by bike. In addition to the Marvin Gaye path, the city will break ground next month on a section of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail from the Navy Yard to Benning Road in Southeast. The city is also planning work on the Metropolitan Branch Trail, which follows Metro's Red Line from Union Station to Silver Spring, said Jim Sebastian, the Transportation Department's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator.

5. Here's a photo of the "mystery bridge" along the NE Branch Trail. It's been sitting there for four months if not longer and I haven't any idea where it's to end up. If you know, leave it in the comments. On the left side of the photo is a wooden bridge. The new bridge seems way too big to replace the wooden one.

6. San Francisco is having trouble implementing their bike plan.

Superior Court Judge James Warren issued a preliminary injunction this week at the request of two groups, Coalition for Adequate Review and 99 Percent, which are seeking greater public review of the bicycle plan. The plan, approved last year by the Board of Supervisors and Mayor Gavin Newsom, is designed to make the streets of San Francisco more bicycle-friendly by creating more dedicated bike lanes and places to securely stow bikes.

The injunction bars the city  --  at least temporarily  --  from creating new bike lanes, changing the timing of traffic signals to accommodate cyclists, and restricting or removing on-street parking to benefit bike

7. Also along the NE branch trail, the town of Edmonston built a park sign dedicating the park to the town's veterans (see left) and moved the gazeebo (see right) at Decatur Street.

8. I only use it for racing .

Researchers at Stanford University Medical Center believe that Viagra improves cardiovascular and exercise performance measures of trained cyclists at high altitude.

9. The Virginia transportation board approved funding for path improvements in Northern Virginia.

Fairfax County Park Authority’s Cross County Trail received the highest allocation of $435,000 toward a $2.2 million trail rerouting project between Lake Accotink to Hunter Village Drive.

Arlington: Child and Adult Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Classes and Brochure

Fairfax: Mason Neck Trail extended between Gunston Hall Plantation to Pohick Bay Regional Park

10. And finally, Lance Armstrong is planning to ride RAGBRAI at the end of the month. Makes me wish I could go this year. That and my need for delicious pork chops.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will not be biking across the hills of France this summer, but instead riding a couple days across Iowa highways and county roads.

Armstrong decided to ride in the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, one of the largest bike rides in the world.

Ten for Tuesday - Who's counting

1. Operation Lifesaver has good advice for cyclists:

In the wake of the controversy surrounding bicyclists who cycled around railroad crossing gates to cross in front of a train during the Paris- Roubaix cycling race, Operation Lifesaver (OL), urges bicyclists to ride safely when at railroad crossings or near train tracks

-- Bicycle wheels can get caught in rails. To minimize catching wheels in the rails, always try to cross at a 90 degree angle to the tracks, and if your approach is at less than a 45 degree angle, dismount and walk your bike across.

-- You should not rely on your own senses to second-guess warning signals. It is a misconception to believe track vibration or train noise will warn of a train's approach. And beware -- one train may have passed but another could be behind it, or coming from the opposite direction on the next track.

-- You can't accurately gauge the speed of a moving train. An optical illusion makes trains appear to be farther away and slower-moving than they are.

-- Trains are wider than their tracks. To ensure safety and to ensure that you are not struck by anything hanging from the train (or dragged by anything hanging from you), keep yourself and your bike at least 15 feet from the tracks and behind any gates or "stop lines" marked on the pavement.

-- It is not only dangerous, it is illegal in the United States to go around railroad crossing arms, whether on foot, in a car, or on a bicycle. It is also dangerous and illegal to bicycle on railroad tracks and on most gravel or green space beside railroad tracks.

2. Great letter about Metro Parking, but I really do believe this is going to get better.

I had navigated rush-hour traffic and reached the Vienna Metro station at 8 a.m., confident that I'd find parking. Not so: In the small space allotted, every spot was taken. The parking facility provided was old, and apparently some people had abandoned their vehicles. I parked in an unapproved, probably illegal spot and hoped for the best.

The twist? I'm describing the rusty bicycle racks on the south side of the Vienna station.

BTW, if you ever see a group of 4ft x 7ft x 3ft boxes near a metro entrance, those are bike lockers and you can rent them for $70 a year, as available.

3. Chain Reaction Bike Shop reopened June 1st at their new location at 1416 North Capitol Street NW (between O and P). They're asking for volunteers to complete work on the new shop.

4. The President goes biking with his new ambassador to Sweden, who promptly broke his collarbone. Boy, that has got to look bad in front of your boss.

5. Here's a disturbingly effective German ad for wearing your bicycle helmet. "Be careful when transporting fragile goods."

6. This sounds crazy, but few things can make one insane with rage like having a bike stolen (or the more perplexing front wheel theft). It's enough to turn anyone into a vigilante.

Chevy Chase resident Evan McAnney ran across an article about a man who installed a tiny radio transmitter into a bicycle and then, with the help of police, left it unattended and unlocked in order to entice a thief.

It sounded like a worthy strategy to McAnney, who's had five bicycles stolen in three years of living in the District. “I will never be able to afford a car. A bike is my only personal means of transport, and an important element in maintaining morale,”

7. The Gazette covered the Ride of Silence in Frederick.

According to the Frederick Police Department 2005 Accident Analysis, Frederick city saw 13 bicycle accidents last year.  In 10 of the 13 accidents, the bicyclists were at fault for not following traffic signs and signals, said Lt. Kevin Grubb.

8. Taipei, Amsterdam of the east?

Taiwan is planning to construct 2,600km of bicycle lanes by 2011 to help promote the use of bicycles rather than motor vehicles.

9. B.I.K.E at Silverdocs Saturday Night at 10:15. Who wants to go and report on it? I'll be out of town.

The New York City chapter of Black Label Bicycle Club is a surly but lovable crew of punks, artists and activists. Fighting capitalism, dumpster-diving, sitting drunkenly atop six-foot bicycles with big sticks-these are high-intensity guys (and occasionally gals) that drink hard and playfully joust each other and rival gangs, but still hug and cook each other vegan food.

10. Oh no he didn't!

Mark Rabinowitz notes many environmental groups were fooled into focusing on proposed bike paths to accompany these highways while ignoring the majority of the funding was going for the roads. A Washington, D.C.-area bicycle group, for example, is urging its members to demand inclusion of a bicycle path with the $3 billion Inter County Connector superhighway in Maryland. This flies in the face of other environmental groups there who have spent years fighting this highly destructive project.

Them's fighting words. I'd like to point out that WABA is technically not an environmental group (though biking has environmental benefits) and that trying to stop a project that is unstoppable is not always the best policy. Sometimes you have to take what you can get. There's nothing wrong with saying, "You shouldn't build this, but if you do, you should do it right."

11. There's a WABA gear swap this Saturday, so stop by before going to the film festival (Seriously, if you go, I'll post your review of the movie).

9am-2pm, Parking lot behind the Bicycle Place at 8313 Grubb Road in Silver Spring, MD. Have breakfast, coffee or lunch at Parkway Delicatessen or Red Dog Café and talk shop with some of the most knowledgeable cyclists in the Washington region.

12. Baltimore almost ready to formally present its Eastern Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Plan.

The Planning Department hopes to formally present its 68-page proposal to the Baltimore County Council in the fall for a vote, making the document officially part of the county’s master plan for development. The plan addresses hundreds of specific problems, large and small, that community activists and the Planning Department have identified as hindrances to increasing pedestrian and bicycle activity.

13. Finally, DCist followed around a bike messenger all day.

I soon begin to marvel at the subtle efficiency employed by Ian and other messengers. Locks, phones, and radios are all attached to a shoulder strap for easy access while playing in traffic. Keys are worn around the wrist, identification badges are clipped in visible holsters -- nearly everything has a specific place. I begin to wonder how much of an idiot I look like, fumbling around in my shoulder bag for my keys and ID. I finally resolve to keep my lock on my belt instead of in my bag

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.

MoCo's Framework

Montgomery County is preparing to become Montgomery City. The county is working on a new general plan for the county to replace the one it original wrote in 1964 - and refined in 1993. The new plan, the "Framework for Planning in the Future," promotes urbanized centers as opposed to auto-friendly suburbs. Of course, urban usually means less cars, more pedestrians and more bicycles - which requires changing roads.

In addition to promoting development of urbanized "centers," the draft document envisions turning some of the county's big roads into "boulevards" that would be more appealing to pedestrians and less like highways.[Planning Board Chairman Derick] Berlage cited Rockville Pike, Georgia Avenue and University Boulevard as roads that could be redesigned to include bus lanes, bicycle paths, better landscaping and wider sidewalks.

I think it's wise for MoCo to prepare for the inevitable population increases they're going to continue to see. (I think they ought to rethink the ICC before it's too late. A real urban area would not build a highway, but rather a rail corridor). The plan has as one goal to

Better connect the surrounding neighborhoods to retail, public buildings and transit by foot or bicycle, reducing the need to drive to the center.

They have some good ideas about how to do that, like

Creating more street connections from surrounding neighborhoods, so that people don’t use the major arterials and highways for local trips, and more trips are made by bicycle and on foot. (See this post on RPUS about how important connections are. Though he doesn't mention bikes, I know which neighborhood I'd rather ride in).

and

Providing pedestrian and bicycle amenities such as bike racks and lockers, special pavement and lighting so that non-motorized people know they are welcome.

And they recognize that "narrow sidewalks are not bicycle friendly" - true, bikes do not belong on sidewalks. It's dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians - so they talk about bicycle sidepaths (which I don't care for unless there really is no other option) and bike lanes. But they're still missing critical elements.

They need to start from the bottom up. They need to make sure they don't force out small neighborhood bike shops with big box retailers. They need to provide not just parking, but shower facilities, bike maps, and bike related signage. They need to think about bike rentals. If they build bike lanes - they need to be wide with room in the door zone. And they need to integrate bikes into rail and bus transit as well as roads. They're plan is still too road centered in my opinion. But it's a good point to start from.

What else did I miss?

MoCo's Framework

Montgomery County is preparing to become Montgomery City. The county is working on a new general plan for the county to replace the one it original wrote in 1964 - and refined in 1993. The new plan, the "Framework for Planning in the Future," promotes urbanized centers as opposed to auto-friendly suburbs. Of course, urban usually means less cars, more pedestrians and more bicycles - which requires changing roads.

In addition to promoting development of urbanized "centers," the draft document envisions turning some of the county's big roads into "boulevards" that would be more appealing to pedestrians and less like highways.[Planning Board Chairman Derick] Berlage cited Rockville Pike, Georgia Avenue and University Boulevard as roads that could be redesigned to include bus lanes, bicycle paths, better landscaping and wider sidewalks.

I think it's wise for MoCo to prepare for the inevitable population increases they're going to continue to see. (I think they ought to rethink the ICC before it's too late. A real urban area would not build a highway, but rather a rail corridor). The plan has as one goal to

Better connect the surrounding neighborhoods to retail, public buildings and transit by foot or bicycle, reducing the need to drive to the center.

They have some good ideas about how to do that, like

Creating more street connections from surrounding neighborhoods, so that people don’t use the major arterials and highways for local trips, and more trips are made by bicycle and on foot. (See this post on RPUS about how important connections are. Though he doesn't mention bikes, I know which neighborhood I'd rather ride in).

and

Providing pedestrian and bicycle amenities such as bike racks and lockers, special pavement and lighting so that non-motorized people know they are welcome.

And they recognize that "narrow sidewalks are not bicycle friendly" - true, bikes do not belong on sidewalks. It's dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians - so they talk about bicycle sidepaths (which I don't care for unless there really is no other option) and bike lanes. But they're still missing critical elements.

They need to start from the bottom up. They need to make sure they don't force out small neighborhood bike shops with big box retailers. They need to provide not just parking, but shower facilities, bike maps, and bike related signage. They need to think about bike rentals. If they build bike lanes - they need to be wide with room in the door zone. And they need to integrate bikes into rail and bus transit as well as roads. They're plan is still too road centered in my opinion. But it's a good point to start from.

What else did I miss?

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.

Parallel Parking on Norfolk Avenue

 The Montgomery County Council voted to retain parallel parking on both sides of Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda.

The council decided to go with a recommendation by the county Department of Public Works and Transportation to improve biker and pedestrian safety on the road by keeping parallel parking and adding a bike lane. That proposal was also supported by the Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning.

A number of cyclists opposed the parallel parking plan because they said putting a bike lane next to parallel parking creates a hazardous situation for bikers who could get hit or have to swerve into traffic when drivers open their car doors.

I earlier wrote about how MoBike was protesting these bike lanes as unsafe, and that post was followed by great comments from others. (I suggest you check them out if you haven't before).

Now Norfolk Avenue might not seem that important based on it's location and length, but it's supposed to serve as a connection between the North Bethesda Trail (Pictured: North Bethesda Trail Bridge over I-270)  and the Capital Crescent. They envision a lot of bike traffic on that road so getting it right is important.

I'm a little torn on the issue. Completing the connection was on my Wish List, and I do feel safer in a bike lane. I think from my reading - especially a good analysis of the debate here - what I've decided is that someone needs to do a real study on the comparative safety of a road with bike lanes and without.

Baltimore Throws Down the Gauntlet

Baltimore plans to create a bicycle network that combines designated lanes and shared roadways to create more than 400 miles of bike routes. Work could begin within a year, pending approval by the city's planning commission.

Baltimore might as well say "it's on like King Kong" when they throw out stats like this:

City planners presented census statistics showing that less than one-half of 1 percent of Baltimore residents commute to work on bikes, compared with more than 1 percent in Washington.

Building a "bicycle friendly city" is no easy task. Painting a bunch of bike lanes, (which are of debatable value) and throwing up signs isn't nearly enough. It requires well paved and designed roads, free of potholes and sewer grates. It requires education and traffic calming. It requires parking and shower facilities.  And it requires integrating bikes into all local transportation.

"It's about infrastructure - making sure you have connections to the light rail system and buses and MARC," Macdonald said. "I would love to be able to bike to the MARC station and go wherever I need to go."

It would be great if you could take your bike on MARC, or Metro during rush hour(MTA lets riders bring bikes during rush hour and many cities have bicycle racks inside their light rail trains[pictured above]). But at least there's bikes on buses.