DC Snakcs

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

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

but over a much smaller area.

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

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

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

Biking to school becoming rare

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And RPUS

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

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

Rails with Trails

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fairfax County Bicycle Program

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why bike to work?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marvin Gaye Park

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

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

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

My favorite quote from this article about it is this:

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

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

The many dangers of cycling

Besides the usual dangers of wiping out, getting hit by a car or being laughed at because of your Lycra there are many other new and downright scary dangers of biking in the DC area.

Attacks at 11th Street NE, that I wrote about before, continue,

I wasn't paying too much attention to him when suddenly he turned around and struck me with his elbow. I tried to maintain a balance on my bike with grocery bags hanging, when next thing I know I was jumped by around five kids from all directions who started throwing punches and mercilessly kicking me in my head and ribs.

City paper picked up the story here.

The grassy knoll on the corner of 11th Street and Florida Avenue NW might be the best spot in the city to throw rocks at passing bicycles. The hilltop yields plenty of stones weighty enough to hold a trajectory. A wrought-iron gate separates the knoll from the bike lane in case an aggrieved cyclist gets it into her head to chase a pack of kids. Balconies on the back of the building make for perfect hunting stands—one slide of a glass door and you’re safely inside. Buildings, blind walls, and a stairwell provide cover for the stone-casters lying in wait. And the usual presence of a gaggle of children makes ID’ing a particular arm next to impossible.

There was some response from the police

Third District Lt. Bart Dykes "I will instruct PSA 304 officers to give this location special attention during these [after school] hours. Housing Police agreed to do the same."

And that's where we stand on that. Someone once said that vandalism was the dumbest crime, because you didn't benefit from it. This is human vandalism and so much dumber.

But that's not the only dangerous area, two men were robbed of their bikes at the Braddock Metro Station

Before giving his bike to the assailants, the 40-year-old man was punched in the face and knocked to the ground. The 18-year-old was not injured, police said.

And then there are the people who've decided they just don't like cyclists, (though admittedly, some of us bike in an unlawful manner)

On a more serious note, I have a question. What the hell is wrong with the bikers on the campus? Half of the biking population has no clue about the basic functions of a bicycle (i.e. pedaling, steering, braking), which is chaotic in itself and has caused massive denting and scratching to the side panel of my car. The other half is a bunch of schizoid crackpots who race uncontrollably through the campus with no consideration for anyone or anything around them. I have deftly avoided far too many accidents with these two-wheeled guerrilla terrorists. Bikers admit their biggest fear is slamming into a car door that opens right before them. I am not ashamed to admit I would pay money to see this happen.

And a response

Yes, pedestrians can be negligent and cyclists can be dangerous. But everyone has a right to cross the street safely. And perhaps the author mistook cyclists who realize it is infinitely safer to be assertive when interacting with motorists for “kamikaze bicyclists.”

So let's all be careful out there. Unfortunately, people are out to get you.

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?