CommuterPageBlog

Welcome to Bizarro World

Several years ago the supposed answer to many of our problems was to develop fuel from alternative sources. How miraculous would it be to take something like corn or even soybeans and turn it into a new gasoline. Every six months a whole new crop would sprout from the ground. Goodbye OPEC and hello American farmer, suddenly made whole after years of neglect and limited markets.

Then some wise guys started to speculate that there might not be enough corn to go around. That even if every acre of exploitable land was converted to the raising of crops for bio-fuels it wouldn't be enough. Oh yeah, it would lead to an ear of corn costing a dollar or more. How crazy was that thinking? How bizarre.

Faster than we could have imagined and without huge ranches being taken over by bio-fuel production the world is apparently experiencing a food shortage. I heard a researcher the other day from AG Research say that the production of bio-fuels has led to an increase in food prices of 33%. Once again, that's with just some of our crop production being dedicated to bio-fuel. Who knew that the balance was so tenuous?  Who knew it was this bizarre.

Maybe if the administration had watched the movie "King Corn" that details how much this country already relies on corn for everything from sweeteners in cereal and soft drinks to the feed for cattle they would have lowered or changed the expectations. Bio-fuel was such a great idea that it's a shame that it's going to require that we make other sacrifices for it to work.

The alternative fuel that seems to have the most potential now is hydrogen but it will still be years before the infrastructure is in place. Right now it costs more in pollution to produce the hydrogen. That will go way down as the demand for hydrogen increases. Of course there also has to be the same kind of support from the auto industry to make the cars that burn hydrogen as there has been in the past couple of years for hybrids.

I hope that those manufacturers learned the lesson of the hybrid that drivers don't want something too different. Look at the success of Honda's Insight with it's long tail and fenderskirts compared to the Toyota Prius which looks not too different from the other cars on the road. Convert the cars and trucks that we already know to run on hydrogen and they will be accepted by a much broader audience.

Hopefully the "Hydrogen Highways" in Scandinavia and in California will prove that this can work and will demand the amount of production to make the technology economically and environmentally worthwhile. These two projects involve a network of hydrogen filling stations along well-traveled corridors. California currently has 24 hydrogen filling stations but hopes to increase that number several times over as part of the Hydrogen Highway.  More filling stations means that car makers can sell more hydrogen fuel-cell cars. It will take a leap of faith on the part of all sides but from some of the BMW commercials being aired and the proclamations of politicians in California and elsewhere it appears that the stars are close to being in alignment within a few years. Let's hope so because this whole corn thing just ain't working.

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Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.

Pander Politics On Gasoline

So at the same time our own Governor Tim Kaine tries to do the right thing and discusses considering raising Virginia's gas tax to provide some desperately needed funds for transportation (Kaine Again Ponders Gas Tax Hike To Raise Transit Funds, April 29, 2008; by Tim Craig, Washington Post), two of the three people running for President pander to the American people and call for a temporary repeal of the the $18.4 cents Federal Gas Tax.

According to The Fact Checker (A Holiday From Gas Prices?, April 29, 2008, by Michael Dobbs) in Tuesday's Washington Post both John McCain and Hillary Clinton are calling on Congress to temporarily repeal the Federal Gas Tax in time for the summer driving season in order to give consumers relief as prices near $4 a gallon. According to the Post:

"The advocates of a "gas tax holiday" are exaggerating the benefits to consumers from their proposal. If the Illinois experience is a guide, there is likely to be some reduction in the price of gas, but it would fall well short of the size of the tax reduction. In order to pay for the tax cut, the government would have to cut back on highway construction and maintenance or find some other way of plugging the shortfall in revenues to the Highway Trust Fund."

For this, the Post gives the candidates two Pinocchios. Agreed. This country needs to do more to invest in it's transportation infrastructure and should be encouraging conservation of fuels not lowering the price which encourages more consumption. Thank goodness the other candidate hasn't succumbed to this pandering (Obama Says Rivals Clinton, McCain Pandering On Gas Tax, April 29, 2008, By Mike Glove, Washington Post). At least not yet anyway.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and a Metro/biking commuter from Rosemont in Alexandria.

The Fastest Way There

The other day my wife drove over to Washington Hospital Center for a routine medical test while I was at home in Arlington.  She called after her test to let me know that some medication she had received made her uncomfortable driving home and would I mind coming to pick her up (plaudits for her sense of responsibility: not taking a chance driving while not feeling right).  She had the car, though.  She suggested I take a cab (I could have Metroed there, too), but I countered that by the time I waited for the cab I could probably bike there. . .and it was a nice day out, to boot.  I estimated it would take about 45 minutes to ride; if I waited 15 minutes for a 25-minute cab ride, that would be 40 minutes--a wash in terms of time; big savings on the cab fare.

So I biked over.  It was a bit shorter than my estimate: 38 minutes.  She was amazed that I had arrived so quickly when I called from outside the hospital to ask where to come get her.  She told me later that it had taken her about that long to drive over herself.

Travel in urban areas by bicycle is often the fastest and most efficient way to travel.  This has been my experience for years as a bike commuter.  It's always faster than transit.  And often faster than cars--especially during rush hour.  Here are some links supporting this point:

- Average speed of a car in London is just 7mph, says Citroen
- Travelling by bicycle is faster than you think
- Proof that biking is the fastest way to get around town (Scroll down to page 4)
- Crosstown traffic in New York City was 5.2 mph in 2000 (you can almost walk this fast!)
- This European Commission study indicates trips of 5 km or less are fastest by bicycle.

We have a foldable bike rack that we keep in the trunk of the car, which I can mount in a minute or two.  I got my wife, we put the bike on the car, and I drove her home.  We hit a bit of traffic on N. Capitol Street which bogged us down.  So guess how long it took us to drive home (and not even rush hour yet)?  That's right - 38 minutes!

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Steve Offutt, Arlington resident who has a stopwatch and is not afraid to use it.

Major press covers DC's bike-sharing

DC's imminent bike-sharing is getting some ink lately.  Today's Washington Post Express had an article about it on page 9, featuring Jim Sebastian of DDOT.  Our own Paul DeMaio was quoted in a New York Times article about it.  And Bicycling magazine named DC the most improved in urban cycling, with a paragraph of their article talking about the bike-sharing component.   

It's also featured in the Express question of the day, "Would you consider driving less if you had access to a bike-sharing service?"  (The poll is on their homepage, under the big story in the center.)  Right now the bikes are losing to the automotive gods, so I don't know what sort of Earth-haters are voting, but if you'd like to have your voice heard in the debate, head on over. 

Melissa Esposito is the Car-Sharing and Bike-Sharing Program Coordinator for Arlington County and a Metro/bike commuter.

Time for Rationing or Just Another Oil Scam?

I am old enough to remember the last gas crisis. Nobody is calling this a crisis? Please tell me that four dollars a gallon for what cost two and a half bucks a year ago isn't a crisis.  Let's talk about peak oil and the end of dead dinosaurs. The administration and the oil companies, who are by the way making record profits, tell us that the weak U.S. dollar and increased demand are driving prices higher. Maybe it is time for the federal government to start rationing gas.

In the late 1970's rationing was done by only allowing cars with license plates that were either even or odd to fill up on days whose numbers were either even or odd. The big difference now is that there are no long lines, there are few if any gas stations closed because they were out of gas. I remember driving to a gas station close to my parent's home before the crack of dawn to sit (sleep) and wait for the station to open to get some gas before they ran out. I remember being on empty in the middle of nowhere-ville Delaware trying to get to the beach in the wee small hours of the morning and waiting until dawn to find out whether the little gas station connected to the general store was going to get a gas delivery.

Funny how the price of gas keeps going through the roof and yet the availability doesn't wane.

I also wonder if the rationing 30 years really did any good. Did it actually reduce the amount of gas consumed or did it lead to hording? Did it lead to drivers making sure that their tanks were topped off to the rim every time they saw a station that was actually open for business?

Maybe this is all just a big scam by the oil producing countries (including the states in our own country that seem to be doing pretty well with the increased prices) as well as the big and little oil companies. Sure, take that tax rebate check you get from the government and sign it over to Exxon/Mobil or Texaco/Chevron. Economic stimulus package? How about just enough to pay for the increases in food and fuel for a month? Thanks for nothing.

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Paul DeMaio manages Arlington County's Bicycle Promotions and Carsharing Program and writes with some corrections and details about the county's upcoming bike sharing program: "We're actually going to use Nextbike's technology. It's a mobile phone based system and much less expensive than Clear Channel's. More about Nextbike is at Nextbike.net. 

"Both Arlington's and DC's bikes won't be allowed in the other's jurisdictions. This is due to liability issues. I've spoken with the DC bike program manager about co-locating stations in Rosslyn at the Key Bridge so folks would be able to seamlessly go from one of Arlington's bike to DC's. DC actually owns a bit of land on the VA side of the Bridge."

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Rodney from Silver Spring writes: "Regarding your post about pedestrian tunnels. Instead of the expense of digging, we can use technology and the announced upgrade to SmarTrip cards to accomplish the exact same thing. Someone who uses a SmarTrip card could get an automatic ten minute 'time-out' to leave either of the Farragut stations so long as he or she re-enters the system at the other station before the ten minutes has expired. We are talking about crossing I street at 17th, and crossing K street at Connecticut Ave. Both intersections are well regulated by lights and pedestrian safety marking and sidewalks exist along the entire path."

 

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Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.

Enough Already

District Mayor Adrian Fenty has gone out of his way to try to appease the cab drivers in this city and their associations. He has raised the drop fee or the fee that would first show up on the new time and distance meters when the drivers lowers the flag at the beginning of a fare. He has extended by a month the mandatory start date whereby all District cabbies must have the meters installed in their vehicles. What is the response? More foot dragging and the filing of legal papers to get the courts involved in the process.  Enough already.

For too long cab drivers in the District have enjoined their own system. A zone fare system that was confusing and open to abuse. Out of towners frequently complained about paying wildly different fares to go from the same Point A to the same Point B. A lot of locals, who knew better, had the same issues.  Many District cabbies were making a lot of money under and around the table because of the zone system. Enough already.

Good for the mayor for making the right decision to force these cabbies to use a system that is in place in the majority of big cities around the country. The more the cab drivers complain, the more you know that they are losing the ability to rip us off by perpetuating the zone system.

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I find it interesting that Metro is pushing the idea of pedestrian tunnels once again as a way to connect some of its rail stations. I also think it's a very good idea that can make the system even more useful at a somewhat reasonable cost. The one tunnel that I think makes the most sense in the near is the one that would connect the two Farragut stations. To be able to transfer from the red line at the Farragut North station to the blue/orange lines at the Farragut West station will take some of the traffic away from Metro Center. This idea was proposed several years ago and, although it seemed to be very well-received, the cost of roughly $50-million was too much to consider.

According to the Examiner newspaper, Metro officials are also considering inter-line connectors or train runs from one point to another within the system. The big problem with these is that the estimated cost is in the area of $200-million per mile, a bit more than Metro has left in its rainy day fund.

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Hey, here's an idea for Metro to spend a bunch of money: hire a company to provide "mystery riders" that will evaluate the service. Let's spend...oh how about a million dollars? In this way we can get roughly the same information that we get from the passengers that have been riding the system every day for years and know what works and what doesn't work. Maybe we can give this company a three-year contract so that it can spend the first year or so just getting up to speed on what the riding experience is and what it should be. If we're lucky we can even make sure that the contract goes to a "friend of a friend" and then everyone can be happy.

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Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.

FREE Confident City Cycling Class This Weekend

This Saturday, April 26, BikeArlington and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) are hosting a FREE Confident City Cycling class from 1:00 - 4:00pm at Walter Reed Community Center. To be a confident city cyclist, there are many things you need to know. Here are the topics which will be discussed in this class:

Rules of the Road: Knowing is half the battle! Did you know that you have to adhere to the same rules of the road as a car or truck does? Did you know that you have the same rights that the operator of a car or truck does? Well its true- you do! Our course offers some great tips and tricks for safely and legally using our roadways.

Avoiding the Common Causes of Crashes: Believe it or not, most crashes are avoidable. Learn what to do if a car turns suddenly in front of you, if you have to stop suddenly, what to do to avoid the dreaded car door and much more!

Lane Positioning: Do you ever feel like cars are passing you too closely or running you into the gutter? Learn proper lane positioning to encourage drivers to pass you at a safe distance. Also learn how to safely cross lanes of traffic in order to made turns or avoid obstacles in the road.

Improving Pedaling Efficiency: Bicycling shouldn’t be backbreaking work! The bicycle is one of the most efficient inventions of all time- make the most of it! Learn how to shift gears in anticipation of a hill, achieve a good cadence, and minimize the wear and tear on your knees.

Useful Accessory Equipment: We all know you need a helmet, but learn some other   helpful and handy equipment to make your ride more enjoyable.

Basic Bike Maintenance and Repair: Everyone who rides a bike should know some basic repair and maintenance skills. Learn how to change a flat tire and other emergency repair tips.

Registration is free for the class, but spaces are filling up for this popular offering. Sign-up now!

Can't make this class, but still want to take the class? We're hosting more classes over the spring and summer, so visit WABA for more dates.

Paul DeMaio, BikeArlington

Arlington's View from the Sidewalk

According to "Washington Area's Mean Streets," a report released today by the Coalition for Smarter Growth, Fairfax, Prince George's and Prince William counties are the most dangerous places for pedestrians in the Washington region. The Coalition report finds that Alexandria is the safest for pedestrians, with Arlington ranked second, and the District third.

The thinking goes that these three safer jurisdictions, like others built before World War II, are more pedestrian-friendly than post-war suburban communities, which were designed with the automobile, not the pedestrian, in mind.

That may well be true for Alexandria and the District, but history books show that Arlington remained relatively undeveloped, even rural, right up through the 1930s. The first high school didn't open in Arlington until 1925, and the first real "bedroom community" developments appeared in the late 1930s.

So why didn't Arlington follow the path of other post-war suburban communities?

One reason is certainly the smaller size of Arlington County, particularly when compared to Fairfax, Prince George's, and Prince William Counties. But Arlington is also densely populated and a thoroughfare for commuters getting to and from their homes in the outer suburbs.

The report may have helped answer this question by singling out Arlington as a "leader in pedestrian transportation safety planning, policy, and practice." When combined with the County's comprehensive transit services, Arlington County Commuter Services' education campaigns like the Car-Free Diet, and initiatives like BikeArlington and WALKArlington, Arlington's pedestrian-oriented transportation planning seems to be working, even on the mean streets of the D.C. metro area.

Lauren Hassel
WALKArlington

Longer Commutes = Steeper Drop In Housing Prices

NPR tells us (Home Prices Drop Most in Areas With Long Commutes, April 21, 2008, by Kathleen Schalach) that the real estate market is fairing better in areas with shorter commutes rather than those with the long drives into the city. Real estate experts say the trend is true here in the D.C. area as well as areas across the country. The conclusion. The longer the commute the steeper the drop in home values. Says one expert:

"Home buyers' attitudes have changed. The old rule was, "Drive 'til you qualify" - meaning they should go out from the city until they could get what they wanted at a price they could afford. Buyers are now asking different questions: "What is the cost of gasoline? What is the cost of my time?"

As a result, the experts say the market is responding. Over the last two years new construction on forest and farmland has dropped 70 percent while construction in town has held steady. Pushed by changing demographics, the trend is expected to continue. Says another expert:

"We don't live in the Ozzie and Harriet era anymore," Goldberg said. "We live more in the Seinfeld, Sex in the City era, in which young people find cities to be compelling."

Seems like demographics, congestion and energy prices are all having an effect on the housing market. I'm certainlly glad I live in town.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and a Metro/biking commuter from Rosemont in Alexandria.

Japanese technology + bikes = awesome.

My Japanese is a little rough, but I'm pretty sure the reporter is saying, "That excellent locality of Arlington on America's east coast really ought to think about installing one of these."

Melissa Esposito is the Car-Sharing and Bike-Sharing Program Coordinator for Arlington County and a Metro/bike commuter.