Bicyclists, motorists need to share road

David Alpert of Greater Greater Washington teamed up with Dr. Gridlock, Robert Thompson, provide roadway users with some tips in today's Post article Bicyclists, motorists need to share road. David has these tips for motorists:

• Cyclists might be on the left side of the road (when turning left on a one way street)
• Riding outside a bike lane is often okay.
• If turning right across a bike lane, move into the bike lane first.
• Bicycles are faster than you might think.
• Don’t honk

and Robert has the same for bicyclists:

• Be obvious, be predictable.
• Think like a driver.
• Wait for right-turning drivers.
• Obey traffic laws.
• Respect pedestrians.

Don't honk is real high on my list for motorists. If you want to get a negative reaction from a cyclist, honk. As David says, a honked horn is very loud to a bicyclist. We're not encased in a metal and glass enclosure and we're usually startled when someone honks. In my experience, 99.9% of the time a motorist honks it's because the motorist doesn't understand the rules of the road.

Embeded in the article is a good video on dooring from ddot. Notice how far an open door can extend into a bike lane.

Bike commuting article at GGW

Mitch Wander started bike commuting to a new job this year. He writes about his experiences in a good article on GreaterGreaterWashington, It takes a village to become a bicycle commuter. With links to several good sources of information he describes how he went from driving to work to being a regular bike commuter.

After four months in my new, inside-the-beltway job, I'm firmly entrenched within the ranks of DC-area bicycle commuters. The local bicycling and transportation community deserves much of the credit for giving me the information, support and confidence to bike to work every day.

With nearly 500 miles of riding to and from work under my belt to date, I've saved money, benefited from a great new workout routine and developed an appreciation for some additional daily outdoor time. And, keeping my car off the road means that I've also made a drop more room on crowded transportation routes for traditional car users.

Looking back, I know that none of this would have been possible without an extensive and multifaceted network of resources available to bicyclists, and bicycle commuters, in particular, throughout the Washington region.

Not only is he a new bike commuter, he is also helping the next generation become safer bicyclists and pedestrians:

This transition into the world of bicycle commuters was a combination of luck, research, inspiration and encouragement. My small payback so far has been to coordinate a bike and pedestrian safety program at our local elementary school.

GGW post on biking Old Keene Mill Rd

Malcolm Kenton writes on GreaterGreaterWashington about a long bike trip he took that ends along Old Keene Mill Road headed toward the Franconia-Springfield Metro station. The road is like most arterial roads in Fairfax that carry heavy commuter traffic with no facilities for bicyclists or pedestrians. Experienced cyclists can ride on the road using proper riding techniques, but it's a daunting experience for most cyclists. As the Springfield area develops it's critical that better bike and per access be provided along this and the other major roads in the area.

  Old Keene Mill Road is far from a complete street:

At the end of a long trail ride, my friend and I faced the daunting challenge of getting from Accotink Creek to the Franconia-Springfield Metro station by bicycle. We soon found out that Old Keene Mill Road in Springfield has a long way to go before it is fully accessible for all users. Sidewalks, at the very least, are needed.

GGW post on walking and biking to school

GGW published an article we wrote on walking and biking to school, Reducing school traffic would help rush hour congestion. International Walk and Bike to School Day is tomorrow and it's worth pondering what rush hour traffic would be like if most kids used the form of transportation recommended by the schools instead of having parents drive them.

 Not only would it relieve rush hour traffic, kids would get more exercise and learn they don't always need to use a car to get around. The article generated a number of thoughtful comments.

City Paper article on cycling in the District

Sometimes a Bike is Just a Bike: On the symbolism—and politics—of bicycling in D.C. is a good article in the City Paper on stereotypes that have developed about cyclists in the District; "So how did this most egalitarian mode of transportation come to signify for so many D.C. residents a very specific caricature: the rich, white, gentrifying newcomer?"

It's a long article but worth reading. There are good quotes form Greg Billing of WABA, Andy Clarke of LAB, and David Alpert of Greater Greater Washington. From David:

But the idea that bike lanes are the exclusive domain of the city’s younger, whiter class is too simple a story. Like any stereotype, it has holes when you examine it closely; head out onto Beach Drive when it’s closed to cars on the weekends, for instance, and you won’t come back thinking the only people who are serious about bikes in the District are white. David Alpert, editor of the blog Greater Greater Washington, suggests the brouhaha was propped up by media outlets looking for a quick way to frame last year’s mayor’s race. “I think to some extent it became an easy shorthand for people writing about race relations and about divisions in D.C.,” he says.

Here's Greg on work being done by WABA in Anacostia:

WABA, in partnership with DDOT, has begun education outreach east of the Anacostia River to teach riding, repair, and rules of the road. The organization will hold a total of nine clinics in an area that’s home to some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods—neighborhoods that could stand to benefit the most from access to and knowledge of a cheaper mode of transportation. The clinics regularly see about 30 people, and the series wraps up next Sunday.

“It’s been very successful,” says Billing. “Most of the responses we’ve gotten have been, ‘Wow, thank you so much; this is a blessing. We want to bike to school; we want to bike to work. I couldn’t afford to do this without you here.’ It’s just been incredible, the support we’ve received.” Many areas, especially east of the river, don’t have easy access to bike shops, and the clinics help make cycling seem more within reach. “Taking a step back a little bit, the fact that bike lanes became such a heated issue during the election meant that it’s an actual issue now,” Billing says. “Before, bikes used to be a very fringe discussion.”

and from Andy:

“We’ve got to that point in those cities where we want to be proactive about people cycling and that public space is more valuable than giving you a parking space for perpetuity. I think that’s good,” Clarke says. “It’s uncomfortable to go through it, but it’s part of the evolution and process that shows communities are serious about increasing cycling....It will be uncomfortable for a little while, but people will be look back on that and say, ‘What were we so worked up about? How can I get bike lanes on my street?’”

Highway lobby gets serious

In 2008 the Greater Washington 2050 Coalition, a group of public, private, and civic leaders created by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, produced Region Forward, a vision for a more accessible, sustainable, prosperous, and livable National Capital Region. This vision was produced after a long process of public involvement and comment. The vision included two major transportation goals:

• We seek a broad range of public and private transportation choices for our Region which maximizes accessibility and affordability to everyone and minimizes reliance upon single occupancy use of the automobile.
• We seek a transportation system that maximizes community connectivity and walkability, and minimizes ecological harm to the Region and world beyond.

It's not surprising that the road lobby was upset that a more ambitious road building plan wasn't included in the recommendations. According to NVTA, "Greater Washington 2050’s Region Forward draft ignores both these realities in endorsing a totally inadequate transportation strategy focused exclusively on public transit, bicycles, sidewalks and land use."

When MWCOG and its 21 local governments individually endorsed Region Forward and its Greater Washington 2050 Compact in 2010, the road lobby got serious. Some of the largest developers in the region, including Til Hazel, formed the 2030 Group to push for the outer beltway, a new bridge across the Potomac to Montgomery County, and other sprawl inducing transportation projects.

The 2030 Group then funded a survey of '45 unnamed "transportation experts"' to define transportation priorities in the region. See the GGW post Surprise surprise: "experts" picked by road lobbyists put road building at top of priority list and Coalition for Smarter Growth's press release Contrived Survey is Latest Effort to Promote Costly and Ineffective Outer Beltways.

Dr. Gridlock recently asked representatives from the two sides of this debate, Stewart Schwartz of Coalition for Smarter Growth, and Richard Parsons, president of the Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance (sponsored in part by the 2030 Group), to make their case in Two roads to traffic relief for D.C. area. Stewart Schwartz said it well:

In this environment, building more roads and transit without addressing development patterns is a recipe for failure. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a study finding that expanding roads in metropolitan areas increases traffic after just a few years. An outer beltway would not relieve traffic, but like most new beltways, it would spark development in undeveloped rural areas.

We need to use our scarce resources, first, to fix potholed roads, crumbling bridges and our aging Metro system and, second, to create a more energy-efficient land-use and transportation system. If we don’t offer alternatives to so much driving, then high oil prices will keep eroding family finances and threaten our economic and national security. High gas prices and changing demographics — young workers and downsizing empty-nesters and retirees — are increasing demand for more walkable, convenient and transit-accessible locations.

Build a network of transit-oriented communities. A network of walkable, mixed-use, compact neighborhoods at Metro and commuter rail stations will be far more cost-effective than merely adding transportation capacity.
Reinvent commercial strip corridors. Redevelop thousands of acres of parking lots and one-story buildings as part of that network.
Address the east-west jobs divide. Locate employment at 15 Metro stations in Prince George’s County; Wheaton and Glenmont in eastern Montgomery County; and Route 1 in Prince William and Fairfax counties.
Locate homes in or near major job centers. For example in Tysons Corner, the Red Line/Interstate 270 corridor and Loudoun’s Route 28 corridor.
Locate jobs in centers with transit and mixed uses. Maximize peak-hour transit trips on rail, buses, vanpools and carpools, and take advantage of reverse commute opportunities.
Enhance neighborhood accessibility. Invest in walking and bicycling routes to schools, libraries, stores and parks, creating alternatives to driving on traffic-choked arterial roads.
Fix major commuter corridors. Simply widening corridors such as I-66, I-95, I-270 and Route 5 will fuel more-distant development and even longer commutes. Focus on express buses with dedicated lanes, combined with zoning to manage development in outer areas.
Finish Dulles Rail and the Purple Line. Tie them to well-designed development and add Purple Line crossings of the Potomac at both ends of the Beltway.
Commuter rail. Invest in VRE, MARC and Amtrak.
If we can accomplish these tasks, our future will include more transportation choices and more convenient access to work, school and services.