NY Times article on cycling ethics

New York Times columnist Randy Cohen writes about ethics. He recently wrote an opinon piece entitled If Kant Were a New York Cyclist in which he ponders why people get so upset about what they consider bad behavior on the part of cyclists:

I roll through a red light if and only if no pedestrian is in the crosswalk and no car is in the intersection — that is, if it will not endanger myself or anybody else. To put it another way, I treat red lights and stop signs as if they were yield signs. A fundamental concern of ethics is the effect of our actions on others. My actions harm no one. This moral reasoning may not sway the police officer writing me a ticket, but it would pass the test of Kant’s categorical imperative: I think all cyclists could — and should — ride like me.

I am not anarchic; I heed most traffic laws. I do not ride on the sidewalk (O.K., except for the final 25 feet between the curb cut and my front door, and then with caution). I do not salmon, i.e. ride against traffic. In fact, even my “rolling stops” are legal in some places.

Paul Steely White, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group of which I am a member, points out that many jurisdictions, Idaho for example, allow cyclists to slow down and roll through stop signs after yielding to pedestrians. Mr. White e-mailed me: “I often say that it is much more important to tune into the pedestrians rather than tune into the lights, largely because peds jaywalk so much!”

If my rule-breaking is ethical and safe (and Idaho-legal), why does it annoy anyone? Perhaps it is because we humans are not good at weighing the dangers we face. If we were, we’d realize that bicycles are a tiny threat; it is cars and trucks that menace us. In the last quarter of 2011, bicyclists in New York City killed no pedestrians and injured 26. During the same period, drivers killed 43 pedestrians and injured 3,607.

Update: See the lengthly discussion about this article on the WashCycle.

Tour de Reston Schools

After the Tour des Lacs

First there was Tour des Lacs, a kid-friendly bike tour of two lakes in south Reston. Now the Reston Pedestrian and Bicycling Advisory Committee is sponsoring Tour de Reston Schools this weekend. The Saturday ride will start at Hunters Woods Elementary School in south Reston. The Sunday ride starts at Buzz Aldrin Elementary school in north Reston. Both rides begin at 9am.

According to the Reston PBAC:

Parents, children and interested Reston residents are welcome to join members of Reston Association's Pedestrian and Bicycling Advisory Committee (PBAC) as they bicycle between Reston's public schools on the south and north sides of Route 267 during two separate rides, surveying existing bicycle parking facilities in order to assist with improvements.

Tentatively, the Saturday ride will start at Hunters Woods Elementary school on the south side. Sunday's ride is scheduled to begin at Buzz Aldrin Elementary school in north Reston. Contact Brian Murphy at brian@reston.org or call Aric Line at 703-505-1805 for more information.

Why not join the ride and help make Reston a better place to bike?

Scofflaw motorists whine about getting caught

D.C. drivers hurt by tough interpretation of Va. offenses is the title of an article in Today's Post about motorists who are ticketed for going over 80 mph in VA who then have their licenses revoked in the District. Sounds fair to me, and yet these motorists who drive recklessly and get caught end up with a story in the Post that is sympathetic to their plight.

I guess I'm just really tired of hearing about so called scofflaw cyclists whenever bicycling is mentioned in the press, and yet most motorists break the law every time they drive by speeding (try going the speed limit the next time you drive and see how many cars pass; my guess is most of them), turning right on red without stopping, and rolling through stop signs. Fairfax spends thousands of dollars to "reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use." The program is called traffic calming, but I think a more appropriate term is the Scofflaw Motorist program.

One of the motorists caught speeding over 80mph who now can't drive for 6 months says that he's getting around by bike. He's finding out the hard way that it is possible to live without a car.

Visit Fairfax - New bike info

Last year FABB met with staff at Visit Fairfax, a group that promotes tourism in Fairfax County, to request that information about bicycling be included in their outreach materials. The Visit Fairfax website, www.fxva.com, is used by visitors to the county to find out about upcoming events and attractions. Visitors can also obtain information about lodging, restaurants, and shops.

Now biking information is included on the site on the Biking and Hiking page. There is a link to the county bicycle route map, places to rent bikes, and a link to the FABB website that contains a cornucopia of bicycle information on the Cyclist Resources page. Thanks Visit Fairfax!

Let's hope that more visitors to the county will consider using a bicycle to get around. I also hope that one day we'll have a bicycle sharing system in our urban centers.

We've also asked that bicycling information be included in the next edition of the Official Visitors Guide to Fairfax County.

W&OD Trail safety meeting in Vienna

We attended a meeting last night on W&OD Trail safety, organized by the Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee. Several safety measures were proposed that included widening the trail, posting a recommended speed limit for cyclists when pedestrians are present, using thermoplastic rumble strips similar to those used on other sections of the trail, and caution signs warning of congested areas.

In attendance were Karl Mohle, Trail manager, Town Councilmember Laurie Cole, Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Salgado, and Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee members Cris Janoski, Bob McCahill, Sean McCall, and David Schultz.

The meeting was prompted by concerns expressed by the Town Council regarding safety on the Trail. See the ABC 7 article Washington and Old Dominion trail to become subject of new campaign.

W&OD Trail manager Karl Mohle
Center in green jersey

According to Karl, NVRPA does not keep statistics on trail crashes or other safety incidents nor do they regularly receive reports from police when there is a crash. Trail Patrol members often report incidents that they encounter. There are 50-75 active Trail Patrol members, some of whom ride the full length of the trail on a regular basis. Vienna police keep stats on Trail crashes but no police reps were in attendance at the meeting to discuss the topic.

The Trail in Vienna is relatively narrow in several sections where there are often more users than in many other sections of the Trail. The parallel gravel trail, which along most of the trail west of Vienna provides an option for some runners and walkers, ends just west of the Town. Widening the trail where possible is one of the better options.

Using common sense is probably the best option. We've seen far too many pedestrians wandering across the trail oblivious to oncoming trail users and cyclists riding much too fast when other, slower users are on the trail. We all need to be respectful of other trail users.

There was a long discussion about the effectiveness of having a low speed limit on the trail in Vienna. Trail speed limits are mostly unenforceable. The Trail has never had a speed limit, unlike some other regional trails that have a 15 mph speed limit. The safe speed depends on so many variables such as weather, congestion on the trail, the type of trail users, the location, etc.

The one proposal in which there was some consensus was to warn bicyclists to go slow when the trail is congested. Like I said, using common courtesy and respect for other trail users is the best option.

Separate pedestrian and bicycle travel lanes on
bridge in Portland, OR

We suggested, and the Vienna BAC is planning, to create an on-street alternative for bicyclists through Vienna. An example is the Mt Vernon Trail in Alexandria which is mostly on-road for bicyclists. One bypass option would take cyclists along the Richard Black Trail adjacent to Northside Park to Glyndon St. The would follow Glyndon to the end to Valley St to another short connecting trail to return the W&OD Trail. The other option would be hillier, taking a short trail across from the Richard Black Trail to Center St and follow Center St to Cherry St to the W&OD Trail at the Community Center.

There was also talk about creating separated bicycle and pedestrian sections of the trail. This is done in many European cities and I've seen it on bridges in Portland, Oregon. However, there may not be enough right of way to widen the trail enough for this option.

Karl said that NVRPA plans to move the trail adjacent to the Community Center to pass through the existing parking lot, which is owned by NVRPA. The current trail location is on Town of Vienna Property and is one of the more narrow sections. This would also reduce a tight curve and should be a benefit trail users and eliminate the many people who now cross the trail to get to their cars in the existing parking lot.

Karl said he would review the various options suggested at the meeting and would consider using some of the more experimental treatments in Vienna as a test of their effectiveness.

Bicycle Master Plan status

The Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) met on Wednesday to discuss the latest draft of the plan.

The plan consists of three parts, the Recommended Bicycle Network Quadrant Maps, the Proposed Comprehensive Plan Update, and  a series of Policy Briefs to provide context and additional detail for the policy and programmatic recommendations included in the plan update.

See below for caption

The BAC spent a considerable amount of time discussing the Comprehensive Plan Update which describes the benefits of the plan, the plan vision and goals, bicycle facility selection and design policy, programs that support making Fairfax more bike-friendly, and a section on plan implementation. The BAC comments are being compiled and a final draft of the plan will be prepared, with the goal of presenting the plan to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors by the end of the year. The draft plan will be available to the public in the near future.

Photo caption: Some members of the bicycle advisory committee. From left: Charlie Strunk, Doug O'Neill, Anne Mader, Fionnuala Quinn, Bruce Wright, Dennis Frew, Bob Patten, Steve Still, Erik Backus, Randy Dittberner, and Peter Christensen.

Sharing our trails and avoiding conflicts

As most people have heard, in June a woman walking on the Four Mile Run Trail was struck by a passing bicyclist. The woman fell, hit her head, and later died. The story was reported in the the Post and on the WashCycle. The Post article generated 593 comments. The WashCycle article generated a large number of comments as well.

Anyone who rides the W&OD Trail on a nice weekend is well aware of the problems of mixing walkers, joggers, parents with strollers, and bicyclists on our trails. From my experience the situation seems to be getting worse although folks at NVRPA, who manage the trail, say they have not seen an increase in reported incidents. Personally I see more and more fast cyclists who pass too close, pass when there's oncoming traffic, don't give an audible warning, and otherwise ride aggressively.

While the incident on the Four Mile Run trail may not have been related to a fast cyclist passing someone too close, there is always a danger when a cyclist passes a pedestrian faster than is appropriate.

In the latest issue of Spokes Magazine, an excellent, free local bike magazine available in local shops, there are two articles on using our local trails. I've included both articles in full. They are well worth the time to read.

Another good article on the same subject, not included here, is by Tim Fricker, the Vienna Pedaler writing in the Vienna Patch entitled W&OD Behavior.

As Chris Eatough writes below, a collision between a bicyclist and pedestrian that results in the death of the pedestrian is extremely rare. Compare that single incident to the daily traffic reports we hear about motor vehicle crashes, many that result in injury and death. We somehow seem to take those incidents in stride.

Here are the Spokes Magazine articles:

Behind Bars by Chris Eatough (info@bikearlington.com)

Trail Courtesy – Sharing the Way 

In last month’s SPOKES I wrote about the amazing utility of the off-street trail network known as the Arlington Loop. Thousands of people enjoy these trails every day, both on bike and on foot, and they serve a significant transportation function within Arlington and connecting to neighboring D.C., Alexandria and Fairfax County.

Unfortunately on the morning of Monday, June 11, a tragedy occurred on the Four Mile Run Trail, a por- tion of the Arlington Loop near Columbia Pike, when a cyclist and pedestrian collided.

The cyclist was heading in the same direction as the pedestrian and rang his bell and called out “on your left” as he approached. The pedestrian, Ita Lapina, moved left as she turned around. They collided and Mrs. Lapina was knocked down, striking her head on the ground. Mrs. Lapina died in the hospital that eve- ning. The worst possible outcome from a miscommuni- cation and a horrible situation for everyone involved.

While this end result is extremely unusual (as far as we can tell, this is the first incident in Arlington where a cyclist/pedestrian collision resulted in a fatality), it does focus attention on trail etiquette and behavior that keep our beloved trails safe. This is a focus of BikeArlington outreach on an ongoing basis, in fact a couple of years ago we teamed up with our friends at WalkArlington to create the flyer:

Two Wheels or Two Feet: Sharing the Way 

This is great information for all of us! As you can see, the flyer equally addresses tips for cyclists AND pedestrians. Sharing and communication is a two-way street and all trail users need to be aware of their sur- rounds and avoid anything that endangers themselves or others. We also have a Spanish version of the same material.

The flyer mostly speaks for itself, but here are a couple of my personal additions to the flyer that I think are important for us cyclists to consider:

• Chill out! These are multi-use trails, not bike race tracks. Keep a reasonable speed, slow down to pass pedestrians or other cyclists, and give them plenty of space. If you are looking for high speed training, choose the open road. 
• Use your bell – a lot! I ring mine well before I pass, basically as soon as I am within audible distance. Then I keep on ringing as I approach. The multiple rings help communicate the rate of approach, and also the side of the trail that I am on. It’s a friendly sounding bell so I really don’t think anyone finds this obnoxious. 
• Be completely in control at all times. That includes expecting the unexpected, riding at a reasonable speed, maintaining a safety buffer all around you and being alert. 
• Keep it friendly. Everyone on the trail is your ally. These are people choosing human powered mobility! There is no place for road rage on the trails. I always give a little wave and say “thank you” right after passing a pedestrian or cyclist. The friendly interaction goes a long way. 

I urge everyone to keep the “Sharing the Way” tips forefront in their minds when they are on the go. Our trails are no place for EMTs and ambulances.


TRAIL CLASHES 
by John Torrisi 


There is a battle raging in Washington, which is characterized by a power struggle and partisan strife.

WHILE THIS IS NOTHING NEW to Washington, this battle is not being waged on a particular hill nor does it involve any politicians. Regardless, it is just as contentious and its parties are just as divided.

Unlike many other Washington turf battles, this one is actually over terra firma or more precisely—asphalt and cement.

The Washington metropolitan area has hundreds of miles of mixed-use trails, which wind in and around the District and its many suburbs. These public trails cater to a diverse user base comprised of runners, walkers, rollerbladers, and cyclists of all abilities. The relatively narrow trails, usually eight to 10 feet wide, bring pedestrians and cyclists into conflict and some- times direct contact.

“The mix between the different users is problematic on a heavily used trail, such as the Capital Crescent Trail or the Mount Vernon Trail, but it is necessary that walkers and runners all mix safely,” said Ron Tripp, chairman of the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail. “Users who pay attention to safety nor- mally follow rules and guidelines...those who don’t, don’t.”

Tripp leads the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, an advisory and advocacy group comprised of volunteers representing runners, walkers, and cyclists. While the organization often lobbies for trail modi- fications, it is dependent on local, state, and federal governments to approve and fund its suggestions. The multi-jurisdictional nature of area trails, which cut through multiple counties and even states, makes it difficult to implement any improvements.

The trails’ multi-jurisdictional nature also complicates bicycle crash reporting. Each government has a dif- ferent crash-reporting standard and the area governments do not always exchange crash data. Data collec- tion is further hampered by the fact that most bicycle crashes, not involving serious injury, go unreported.

“We only capture a small percentage of crashes that actually happen,” said Greg Billing, the outreach and advocacy coordinator for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA). “There is just not great data overall, and this is just a way for us to try and get just a little bit of insight into what happens.”

WABA first began collecting bicycle crash data six months ago and has yet to publish its findings. WABA’s system relies on cyclists to self-report crashes and focuses mainly on roadway incidents involving cyclists and motorists. Since the program just started this year, historical data is also not available for analysis.

According to Billing, serious collisions are relatively rare; however, there are often close calls between cyclists and pedestrians especially during the trails’ busiest times. These near misses have led to a blame game and a rift between area cyclists and pedestrians.

Pedestrians and cyclists each hold differing views on who is responsible for unsafe trail conditions. Pedestrians argue that the near collisions stem from cyclists operating at unreasonable, unsafe speeds. Cyclists contend that they operate at a safe speed, and that it is distracted runners and walkers, who are creating an unsafe envi- ronment. While both parties are deeply divided, they do agree that area trails’ aging infrastructure is inadequate and needs to be modernized.

Speeding Tripp said he frequently receives complaints from angry walkers complaining about bikers going too fast.

Dolores Cole, a regular walker on Mount Vernon Trail, blames cyclists for creating a dangerous environment by operating at unsafe speeds and executing dangerous passes with little or no warning.

“I think the bikers treat the trails as their domain, and most of the time they don’t notify walkers,” Cole said.

The 67-year-old grandmother said that she is often forced off the trail’s pavement by speeding cyclists.

Tripp said that walkers, like Cole, sometimes overesti- mate cyclists’ speeds due to a perception difference. Even so, “bikers need to realize that if they pass walkers too closely at normal speeds, the sensation to the walker is much the same as a car passing a bike at 60 mph to 75 mph, which is four to five times the speed of a bike,” he said. “Bikers want motorists to pass them at a safe distance, they need to realize that the same is true with bikes and walkers.”

Billing acknowledged some of the more experienced cyclists, especially those on teams, speed on the trails.

“All of our trails have a 15 mph speed limit, which is not hard to do on those trails,” Billing said. [FABB editor note: The W&OD trail does not have a speed limit.] “You’ll often see people doing 17 mph to 22 mph, which is way too fast especially when you’re passing kids, dogs, and strollers.”

Based on WABA data, Billing estimates that 10 per- cent of crashes are completely outside of cyclist’s con- trol and even experienced cyclists are susceptible to this type of crashes, which stem from errors by other trail users or equipment failure. “If you are doing 20 mph, it is going to be harder to stop yourself especially if there are other people behind you,” he said.

Late this year, local authorities stepped up speed enforcement on local trails. Last month, Arlington County Police deployed an officer with a speed gun on the Custis Trail, who wrote several tickets to speed- ing cyclists. According to Billing, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department has also stepped up its bicycle speed enforcement efforts as well.

Distracted Users

Lori Zibel, 20, of Washington is an avid runner, who also recently had a near miss with a passing cyclist. Zibel, a sophomore at George Washington University, uses the area’s mixed-use trails as part of her mara- thon-training regime.

“I was running the Arlington Memorial Bridge into Virginia and I was almost hit by a passing cyclist,” Zibel said.

Zibel admitted that she was partly to blame for the near-collision. Like many other runners, she was running with headphones and was unable to hear the cyclist’s audible warning.

“I am dependent on music to get me through a work- out,” Zibel said. “I try to put the volume on low...but often times I find myself turning it up as my workout intensifies.” Zibel is part of a growing number of trail users who are distracted by their personal music devices.

Peter McSwain, a recreational cyclist, believes that this distraction is the single worst safety issue affecting area trails.

“You just have to watch out for them...I have a bell on my bike and sometimes they can hear it, sometimes they can’t, sometimes they react, and sometimes they don’t,” the 61-year-old recreational cyclist said. “You just have to cross your fingers and time your passings the best you can.”

James Bellora, an experienced cyclist who rides com- petitively for Squadra Coppi, shared McSwain’s sentiments. He said that he hit a distracted jogger a couple of years ago on the Mount Vernon Trail.

“So many people are wearing earbuds, it has very much become a problem,” Bellora said. “I’ll say ‘passing, passing, passing, passing’ and they will look totally surprised or they will get spooked when I do.”

Headphone usage is not limited to pedestrians. An increasing number of cyclists are also using the devic- es. Bellora said that his club recently banned head- phones and personal music devices on all of its rides.

WABA has always advocated against earbud usage and other types of distracted riding. “When we are doing trail site outreach, we let people know that biking with headphones is a big issue and it is unsafe to use them,” Billing said. “ We have to use all of our senses to be safe out and it is unsafe to have something that prevents you from hearing other cyclists, cars, or pedestrians.

The Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail recently published an open letter on its website, which encour- aged all of its trail users to take out their earbuds and stay alert.

Infrastructure

Many area trails were not designed for the level of use that they receive especially during peak hours. This congestion creates conflict between trails’ diverse user groups, who are all vying for a limited amount of space.

The Capital Crescent and Mount Vernon Trails are both heavily trafficked and frequently congested. The Capital Crescent Trail is like a bicycle highway during weekday commuting hours, while the Mount Vernon Trail is crowded with families on weekends. Congestion is not the only infrastructure problem plaguing area trails. Some of the area’s oldest trails are in desperate need of resurfacing and widening.

“There are definitely trails that need work and need upgrading,” Billing said.

One such trail is the Rock Creek Park multi-use trail. Portions of the trail are unpaved and suffer from sig- nificant erosion. The trail’s paved portions need to be replaced, and in some instances rerouted. Current National Park Service (NPS) plans call for the trail to be resurfaced and widened to a minimum width of 6 feet and a maximum width of 10 feet. Billing said that this upgrade has been in the works for 10 years and that construction will most likely move forward in 2012.

Many trail users have advocated for similar improve- ments on other trails, which they believe will reduce conflict and promote safety. Billing said trail users must understand that trail renovation projects do not happen overnight and are contingent on funding and environmental assessments.

“Upgrading trails is expensive and takes a lot of plan- ning to get them improved and expanded,” Billing said. “It is not something that happens overnight...in the mean time we’ll work with what we have.”

NPS officials, who administer the Mount Vernon Trail and other area trails, said that they are continuously looking to improve safety on area trails through incre- mental changes.

In the past few years, they have focused their efforts on reengineering and rebuilding dangerous intersec- tions and interchanges. NPS officials said that their crews and contractors regularly perform preventative maintenance and trail rehabilitation. Many officials and users agreed that the onus is on trail users to create and maintain a safe trail environment.

“Bicyclists and other trail users have a responsibility to keep each other safe,” Billing said.

PROTECTING YOURSELF

While it is impossible to prevent every bicycle crash, local officials have several suggestions for cyclists and runners, which will help to cultivate a safe trail environment.

For Cyclists:

• Wear bright, reflective clothing
• Follow all posted Speed Limits
• properly maintain your bicycle
• Always wear a properly fitted helmet
• Stay alert, do not use an earbuds
• Buy a white light for the front of your bike and a red light for the back of your bike
• Ring a bell or announce your presence when you’re passing
• Do not block the trail
• Ride single file at all times
• Always yield to pedestrians

All other Trail Users (walkers, runners, and rollerbladers):

• Wear bright reflective clothing, not dark clothing
• Stay alert, do not use earbuds
• Do not read while on trail
• Acknowledge biker warnings
• Stay to the right of the trail
• Do not make any abrupt or sudden turns
• Always look behind you before making a turn
• Keep your pet on a very short leash and keep a careful eye on children
• Stop at all posted signs
• Do not block the trail
• Do not take the width of the trail