Got Any Other Bright Ideas

[That was some rain storm last night. My car was flooded and even pushed about 2 inches over thanks to a flooded Four Mile Run. And I had to detour off a closed NE Branch Trail on my commute. I suspect several trails were closed this morning, anyway...].

So my earlier prediction that pedicabs would be in DC by fall of 2008 wasn't nearly ambitious enough. I got an email shortly thereafter from one of the owners of DC Pedicab telling me that they were planning to start operations by July 4th. Some of you have pointed out that they're running ads on Craig's list and the company had two recruitment parties this month to get drivers (Sorry, I should have posted those before hand). In addition, I've had two others contact me about how to start a pedicab company - like I know how to start a business. If you're interested in becoming a driver for DC Pedicab here's the lowdown.

call us at (202) 345-8065 or [email us at] becomearider@dcpedicab.com.

Which brings me to my latest bright idea. A little while ago I found out about a subway tunnel in Rochester, NY that the city was going to fill in with dirt. A local group is trying to preserve it - either as an underground rail trail/museum or to convert it to a canal with a river walk type environment. That got me thinking about one of DC's more notorious abandoned subway structures - aka Dupont Down Under.

Below Dupont Circle, but above the Dupont Metro Station is the old Dupont Circle Subway Station (see photo at right) It was built in 1949 to reduce the impact of the old trolley system on Dupont Circle traffic. In 1962 the station was closed when the trolley system was shut down. In 1995 it opened as a food court called "Dupont Down Under" but closed in September of 1996. Back in 2003 there were rumblings that the site might reopen, but I never heard what happened with that.

It turns out people don't want to eat under ground when they could eat outside at one of the city's great public spaces. Nor do people want to work or shop or live or do pretty much anything underground if they can avoid it.

What people don't mind doing underground is parking. That's why the site is ideally suited to be a bike station (like this bike parking facility in the Netherlands - where else?). Unlike the station being built at Union Station and the one not being built at Silver Spring - the structure is already there, it just needs to be converted. Since it was a food court, it's safe to assume that there's already plumbing so that showers and changing rooms would be easy to add in. It's located at a major metro station in one of the busiest parts of the city. It's ill-suited for almost any other use but in an area with extremely expensive land.

I wish I'd submitted this idea to the Solving DC's problems contest. I'd have $5k burning a hole in my pocket right now.

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

Inverted U's needed

At one bike to work day a few years ago I remember DDOT had a survey form that it asked participants to fill out. One of the questions asked where bicycle parking was needed. I remember thinking that it would be easy enough to walk or ride around town and find places where numerous bicycles were locked to street signs and parking meters. Those were places where bicycle parking is needed. I saw one such place recently and took a photo (outside of the World Bank). Also here's a similar photo on RPUS

The next photo is from the Mall during the Darfur rally. I've also suggested that the Park Service needs massive amounts of moveable, temporary bike parking that it can locate and relocate for rallies, functions, Screen on the Green etc...The valet parking for the Cherry Blossum Festival was nice, but can't be sustained all summer. Perhaps providing adequate parking could be required of permit seekers.

This Berlin site shows some innovative parking structures that use advertising, on street bike parking and "Bike Huts."

In other parking news, I can't wait for metro parking to improve. I parked my bike at Grosvenor today - what a mess (Especially compared to something like this). It was hard to find space and several of the metro racks were broken.

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.

Ten for Tuesday - Nice Rack

1. Some projects restored to the Montgomery County Budget - $145k has been added to repair the E/W highway trail and $160k added to the overall bikeways budge and other projects proposed

• Repair and resurfacing of .5 miles of the Capital Crescent Trail
• Adding One Half of a Full Time Staffer to MNCPPC
• Increased funding for bikeways maintenance, including snow removal
• Adding One Full Time Staff to DPTW Bikeways Program
• Installation of Bikeway Signage

2. Silver Spring Transit Center does not properly address bike access issues. It has inadequate bike racks and lockers, poor connections to streets and no bike station.

3. Fairfax County is considering funding several major bicycle initiatives in its upcoming budget.

• Hiring a full-time bicycle coordinator.
• Producing a county-wide bicycle map.
• Creating on-road bike routes.
• A bicycle pilot program. 

4. Abandoned parking meter poles turned into bike racks in Arlington.

5. The Nation's Triathlon is coming this fall. DC finally gets its own triathlon (if they can get permission to swim in the Potomac, otherwise it will be a duathlon).

6. Local Eagle Scout is collecting bikes for Pedals for Progress (similar to Bike for the World) May 6 and 7. It's a good cause.

7. I couldn't find anything else about this beyond the email (couldn't find Joe Goddard or his thesis, but it's interesting)

I looked into comparative bicycle usage since 1945 in the U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark in a 1995 Masters' thesis. At the time my naïve hope was that if bicycle infrastructure was provided, people would ride. By the time I had completed it seemed a reasonable proposition that researchers would have to look beyond structural explanations for why people choose certain modes of transport. Broadly comparable cities within and between the countries studied exhibited increasingly different transport mixes during the half-century to 1995, even where their cycle infrastructures (bike-paths, lights etc), topography, size, and climatic conditions were similar and governments often supportive. Consequently,cultural factors would have to be factored in. Moreover, countries and cities with still-high levels of bike usage may well show internal differences in transport choices among and between different demographic groups.

Joe Goddard
University of Copenhagen

8. A couple dozen injured veterans are scheduled to make a 110-mile bike ride from Gettysburg, Pa., to Washington April 29 and 30th. For a $75 entry fee and a minimum fundraising effort of $600, you can join them.

9. Is Chicago a bicycling haven? This article covers a lot about what they're doing there and includes good photos of the bike station, a bicycle trough and a trail that has the right of way over a road.

10. There was a ribbon cutting at Tryst this past Saturday to celebrate the installation of over 40 bike racks in Adams Morgan. I had intended to go and provide photos, but...you saw the weather.

GWU's Potomac House - bike storage

Earlier I wrote about how small design considerations like showers were critical to encouraging, or even allowing, bicycle commuting (I assume we're all in agreement that bike commuting is a good thing). Another piece of the puzzle is parking (nice alliteration, huh?).

George Washington University is building a new freshman dorm, Potomac House on F Street, set to open this fall with

...a common room, a television lounge, the building's laundry room, a bike storage room and a yet-to-be-determined food venue.

I would've loved a bike storage room when I was in college. I had one bike stolen, one back wheel stolen and always had to deal with my bike being exposed to the elements 24-7. Not that bikes can't be stolen from the storage room, but I suspect crime will go down.

The U.S. Green Building Council includes bicycle storage as a means to get 1 point in their rating system.

Alternative Transportation - Bicycle Storage & Changing Rooms - 1Point

Intent

Reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use.

Requirements

Provide secure bicycle storage capable of serving 5% of all building users (measured at peak periods) and provide convenient changing/shower facilities (within 200 yards of the building) for 5% or more of the maximum full time equivalent shift occupants.

Potential Technologies & Strategies

Design the building with transportation amenities such as bicycle racks and showering/changing facilities

The LEED Rating Systems are based on a point system.  LEED for New Construction is based on a 69 point system and projects earn points for incorporating green features, which will determine the level of certification the projects will receive. There are four progressive levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

Certified = 26-32 points
Silver = 33-38 points
Gold = 39-51 points
Platinum = 52 or more points.

This has extra importance since a bill was introduced in Montgomery County that would require large office buildings there to get a score of 20 using the LEED rating system.

Buildings near public transportation earn one point, supplying bike storage and cyclists' changing rooms another. Composting toilets, which involve no flushing, earn points, as do fume-free paint and carpet, ample natural light and using wood from forests where trees, and tree harvesters, are well managed.

While I too prefer incentives to mandates, I think it's a good idea to use the national standard and allow the developers to decide how to get their 20 points - or 24 if they want an energy tax rebate. The system should be fluid so that developers rewards are in line with their score, otherwise we're going to get a lot of buildings that just do the minimum and do we want to be the kind of people who just do the minimum? I mean look at Brian; he has 38 pieces of flare on.

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?

New Parking on the mall

The National Park Service is going to expand bike parking facilities on the Mall by 100 racks. There are already a few bike racks there; however, they're varied in design and state of repair - for example the racks at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which are old and falling apart. 

After consulting with Eric Gilliland of WABA on rack design,  NPS decided to use the inverted U (or hoop) racks on the mall (with posts as a secondary option) at as many as 20 different locations. NPS will pay for the racks and DDOT is going to install them. This is good news. There's a derth of good parking down there.

The Park Service has already added bike racks at 15th St & Constitution Ave around the Washington Monument and more are planned for the Lincoln Memorial area when construction is finished there.  Some of these will also be replaced in the near future. Other locations for bike racks include Constitution & Independence Avenues and the replacement of some racks in front of the Air and Space Museum.

If you have a locaton you'd like to recomend you may contact Alexa Viets National Capital Parks - Central, Transportation Analyst at (202) 485-9877 with specific questions or locations.

I would love to see NPS add a bike station at the Smithsonian Metro stop. Then you wouldn't have to lock up to a streetsign or expose your bike to the elements (see photo). Commuters could use it. Tourists would definately use it. It may even be capable to get plumbing in - which will not be true of the Bike Station at Union Station.