CommuterPageBlog

Take me out to the ball game

I had the opportunity over the weekend to spend July 4th on a boat on the Potomac, for what are arguably the best darn seats in the house to watch the national fireworks display. Considering that our nation's capital was purposefully built on a river, we generally don't take really great advantage of the waterway at our front door. Waterways are frequently used as great transportation options -- the Staten Island Ferry comes to mind, as does the Hong Kong-to-Kowloon ferry, etc. 

Anyway, after spending the night at a nearby marina, we got up this morning and took a stroll over to the new  Nationals stadium. It looks terrific from both land and water. I was particular impressed with the plethora of bike racks -- aren't they great looking?! I also saw a pretty big bike valet available. 

There's also good access to Metrorail, and Metro's Circulator bus (I believe), and parking for cars, of course. Great transit options and we are inspired to come back to the stadium in the very near future to grab a hot dog and catch a game. Maybe by bike! 

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Diana Sun is Director of Communications for Arlington County, a walking commuter, bicylist, and happy resident of the urban village of Clarendon. (dianasunVA on Twitter)

Trail work from July 6-10th

Starting Monday, July 6th, there will be two trail repair projects underway.  One will be at the Custis Trail near where it passes over Spout Run.  The other will be at the western end of the new Four Mile Run trail extension near the Shirlington Road Exxon station. 

"Staff has been directed to maintain at least one lane passable along each, [due to a lack of] good detour options for either project."  Work will not start until 9AM each morning, to allow for the morning rush hour of cyclists getting to work.  The work is expected to wrap up before Friday July 10th.

Check out the Arlington County Bike Map (.pdf) to find alternate routes if you're traveling during the day next week.  If you need to cycle through the affected areas, slow down and use caution around the workers and fellow cyclists.  Be safe out there!

Melissa Esposito is the Car-Sharing and Bike-Sharing Program Coordinator for Arlington County.

Has Your Bicycle Been Stolen?

ARLINGTON COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWS RELEASE:

"The Arlington County Police Department is currently investigating bicycle larcenies that occurred in the area of Lee Highway and North Harrison Street during the end of May and beginning of June. The Police Department recovered several bicycles that may have been stolen from their original owners. If your bicycle has been stolen, and you have not reported the theft, please call the Arlington County police Department Non-Emergency Line at (703) 558-2222. If you witness a theft in progress, immediately call 911."

by Paul DeMaio, BikeArlington

image credit: TreeHugger

On Two Wheels or Two Feet

There is a website that bicycle riders might find useful or helpful or just plain interesting. It’s called bikewise and it’s run by the Cascade Bicycle Club out of Seattle, Washington. The basic premise, according to the "About Us" page on the site is the belief that "we can make biking safer and more fun by gathering good data on the things that sometimes go wrong." What could ever go wrong when riding a bike? Well, here, according to the site, are some of the categories they hope to track:

"Crashes: It's estimated that 75% or more of all crashes go unreported. We believe that by gathering detailed information on how and why crashes happen, we'll be able to ride smarter. Also, we hope that knowing where crash hotspots are will help us to identify issues with traffic behavior and road design.

"Hazards: How many times have you ridden past a dangerous sewer grate or overgrown vegetation and wished there were someplace to report it? Now there is. We aim to not only collect hazard reports, but to pass these on to the appropriate authorities. (Please note: we're still putting this part of the system in place.)

"Thefts: Tracking where and how bikes get stolen is a key part of making preventing thefts. We're currently working on other pieces of this system, so that if your bike does get stolen, you have a better chance of getting it back. More to come on that.”

As you can tell, the bikewise website is still very much a work in progress.  But they have lofty goals and some of their plans could encourage jurisdictions to change the way that they collect and manage data on bicycle-related incidents. And, yes, they do have sights outside of Seattle: "this site is meant to be useful anywhere in the world." Here is a listing of incidents reported to them across the United States.

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Now that the bridge trail is open is will be so easy to ride between Maryland and Virginia and to connect to so many really cool, scenic places along the Potomac. It will not however reduce commuter congestion across the Wilson Bridge as Channel 7 reported this past weekend... do those reporters think about what they are saying before they open their mouths? A five-foot high wall separates the trail from the cars and trucks on the beltway and there are several pull-off areas at which to take a break or just enjoy the view.

For those who want to give it a try there are some rules--actually several --that you need to be aware of:

• Hours of operation:  5:30 a.m. to midnight.
• Speed limit is 10 miles per hour.
• The trail is a multi-use facility for cyclists, runners and walkers.  Users must be considerate of others traveling at different speeds. Slower traffic should stay to the right. Cyclists must alert other trail users before passing.
• Trail users who stop must move to the side of the path to avoid impeding other trail traffic.
• A dashed yellow line separates directional traffic.
• The bridge drawspan may open periodically. Cyclists and pedestrians need to be pay attention to the lights, bells and signs near the bridge drawspan. The drawspan will not open until all traffic is a safe distance away.
• In an emergency, users should call 9-1-1. The closest and most appropriate responder from Maryland or Virginia will be dispatched. The Park Police Emergency Telephone Number is (301) 459-3232.
• The bridge trail and Maryland deckover are in close proximity to moving traffic.  It is illegal to throw debris or obstruct traffic in any way.
• Pets are allowed but must be on leashes and have proper licensing.
• Bicycle helmet laws will be enforced.
• Parking is available in designated areas only. No parking after dark.
  

Wilson Bridge photo: City of Alexandria's LocalMotion

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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.

The Everyday Bike for Everyday People

I had already known the Dutch were famous for everyday cycling, but how could their bikes differ so much from ours? I had a lot to learn.

I had been in the market to buy a commuter bike for some time now, but couldn't find the right bike. What I was looking for was a bike daily use that was easy to hop on and go, without needing to think about the additional accoutrements of lights, pant clip, panniers, etc.

On a recent trip to The Netherlands I rode a Gazelle bicycle for the first time. The bike was more comfortable, complete, and fun than any other bike I had been on before. It was "fully loaded" as motor vehicles are often described. It didn't come with air conditioning, but you get that for free as soon as you start pedaling. I ended up buying the Gazelle and bringing it back on the plane with me.

If you're looking for a bike for everyday use, here are some qualities of this Dutch bike and things to look for with your purchase:

• Chain guard. One won't know how great a chain guard is until you ride a bike with it. The chain guard keeps your right pant leg or skirt from getting soiled or ripped by the chain and cog. Now you can forget the pant clip - you won't be needing it anymore.
• Fenders. Keep dirt on the ground where it belongs. Fenders prevent your tires from kicking up said schmootz and giving you a nasty "rat tail" on your back after a storm.
• Upright seating. Why be hunched over like Quasimodo when you can sit upright and be more comfortable? This also puts less pressure on your shoulders and wrists.

• Built-in front and rear lights. Imagine needing to remember to pack your car's lights if you plan to be out after dark. Doesn't make much sense, does it? Same is true with your bike's lights. With built-in lights, and an automatic On feature to boot, the lights are always there when you need them.
• Reflective sidewall tires. Motorists in front and behind you can see your lights, but what about those on your sides? To make yourself visible to them, reflective sidewall tires have a retroreflective band of material which lights up when a motorist's headlights are directed at them.
• Built-in rack. There are times when you need to carry stuff, so the built-in rack allows you to put your backpack or purse on it and secure it in place with built-in straps. For additional carriage space, buy a pannier which connects to the rack to throw your stuff into.

• Built-in O-lock. The O-lock is attached to the frame of the bike adjacent to the rear wheel. When locked, it prevents this spokes from rotating. It's good for a short-term trip, but if you plan to be somewhere longer, bring a U-lock to lock the frame and front wheel to a stationary object to prevent the bike from walking off.

Gazelle has pictures of these qualities which can further illustrate their usefulness.

Gazelle bicycles are being sold in the U.S. by only a few companies presently which makes them more expensive due to the importation costs. However, American cycle companies are finally waking up to the potential and markets that everyday bikes can have. A few of these companies are Breezer Bikes, REI, and Electra.

I've been enjoying cycling for many years, but these everyday features on my new bike have greatly improved my enjoyment of commuting, grocery shopping, or just bopping around town. I wish you the same.

Paul DeMaio is BikeArlington's Bike-sharing Program Manager. Paul can be reached at pdemaio@arlingtonva.us. His "baby" is pictured above.

Notes On a Bunch of Stuff

If you are a big fan of trains then you might already know about this website.  It contains all sorts of long and short-form videos and documentaries about all things trains; and we’re not just talking about transit trains.  They have steam and freight and trains of all types and configurations. Even if you don’t sit in front of your computer wearing a Casey Jones Fan Club t-shirt it’s worth a look. Thanks to our friends at the Transportation Communication newsletter for bringing it to our attention.

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This is interesting for those drivers who take issue with speed and red light cameras: NAVTEQ, one of the major digital mapping companies that supplies overlays for GPS navigation systems, will begin to include the location of the enforcement cameras in its maps. In its announcement the company says this will enable warning systems to assist users in complying with local traffic regulations. That seems like an interesting spin on providing a service that will allow drivers to avoid areas where the cameras are in place or to simply slow down knowing that there are cameras ahead. I am not a big fan of automated traffic enforcement cameras but it seems to me that this company might be taking things a little too far.

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This Saturday is National Trails Day and the folks who have been building the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge are using that day to open something new.  The pedestrian/bike trail as well as the Potomac River Waterfront Community Park will be dedicated. Officials from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia will all be on hand to showcase these fine additions. Even Eric Gilliland, the Executive Director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association will be there.

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It’s not enough that the District’s Department of Transportation has its own website, or that it is hooked up with Twitter (the point of which continues to escape me) but now DDot has its own Facebook page. Officials there say its just another way for the agency to get information out to the public and to develop a rapport.

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Our good friends at WRAP, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, remind us that the summer months are the deadliest for teen drivers. They state that there are 50% more drunk driving deaths involving teens during the summer months than any other time of the year. These teens feel a great deal of freedom during the summer months because they don’t have all of the restrictions of school and studying and too many of them just let go. It’s up to all of us to talk to our kids about the dangers of drinking and driving and about the issues related to underage drinking by themselves. It’s a matter of life and death.

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This may be old news for many of you but I wanted to share it anyway in case someone missed it:  Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is now allowing full-sized bicycles on select trains (folding bikes are already allowed on all trains). VRE states that riders may bring bikes on the last three northbound morning trains, the mid-day train, and the last three southbound trains in the evening on both lines. There is storage space to keep bicycles safe during transport. There are some restrictions such as there being a limit of two bikes per car but all of that is detailed on VRE's website.

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Locomotive photo: FactualTV

Wilson Bridge photo: City of Alexandria's LocalMotion

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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.

America's Fittest Cities: How You Get To Work Can Make a Difference; DC Area #1

From Forbes Magazine we find that the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area is America's fittest (America's Fittest Cities, May 26, 3009, by Rebecca Ruiz). According to Forbes the America's FIttest Cities List is sponsored by the WellPoint Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the health benefits company WellPoint. The index ranks 45 MSAs that include the city and surrounding suburban area on 30 indicators including parkland, death rate from cardiovascular disease, the number of primary care physicians per capita, health insurance coverage, smoking and diabetes rates and the percent of residents who bike or walk to work.

According to the American Fitness Index website, the Washington, D.C. region scores great on 24 of the 30 indicators compared to other cities including a "higher percent using public transportation to work" and a "higher percent bicycling and walking to work." While I realize that Washington would do good on this kind of scale because of it's great economy it is interesting to note that the AFI index takes how people get to work into account in its index and that of course our region scores well on these. It's also interesting to compare the top cities, where there is good public transit, versus the bottom of the list where driving seems to predominate.

There's certainly been an emerging consensus in recent scientific literature that correlates health and fitness with the use of public transit, biking and walking as a transportation mode. And this should be another incentive for people who drive alone to try something different for some of their trips. Want to find out yourself how many additional calories you can burn by switching drive alone trips to bike, walk or transit? Try the Calculator at CarFreeDiet.com.

America's Fittest Cities List

1. Washington, D.C.

2. Minneapolis-St. Paul

3. Denver

4. Boston

5. San Francisco

6. Seattle

7. Portland, OR

8. San Diego

9. Austin

10. Virginia Beach

...

19. Baltimore

...

41. Houston

42. Las Vegas

43. Birmingham

44. Detroit

45. Oklahoma City

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

Weekend Cycling Events

In case you haven't paid attention to all the brightly colored posters in the Metro stations over the past three months, here's a last reminder: this weekend is the Air Force Cycling Classic, two days full of biking events.  The twelfth year of the Clarendon Cup is on Saturday in Clarendon, and the non-competitive Crystal Ride and the Air Force Cycling Classic Men's Pro Race are on Sunday in Crystal City. 

There will be a kids' race on both days, which is free and open to kids ages 9 and under.  It's also free to watch all the events and enjoy the beautiful Arlington days!

Check out the start times at their website and plan to Metro there early to get a good viewing spot.  Have fun!

Melissa Esposito is the Car-Sharing and Bike-Sharing Program Coordinator for Arlington County.

Biking to Tyson's via W&OD Link

Many people would consider trying to bike to Tyson's Corner to be a fool's errand. A couple of years ago, though, I discovered an unmarked, unpaved little trail through the woods from the W&OD trail to the residential areas south of Tyson's Corner that made it easy to ride to Tyson's without dealing with much traffic. I was out on the trail this morning and noticed that this link is now paved and connects directly, making this link to Tyson's no longer an insider's secret.

The link is about 100 yards west of milepost 10 on the W&OD, which is a little after crossing Cedar Lane when traveling westward on the trail. Here's a map of the route (starting at the Beltway) I would generally take to get to the Eastern part of Tyson's Corner (click here). During less trafficked times I'm liable to take Gallows Road, because it's a little shorter, but this route is more pleasant.

Here are some photos of the new link (click to enlarge):

Milepost 10 on the W&OD looking westward

Approaching the link, which can be seen going off to the right. 

The link connecting with Malraux Drive

The link looking towards the W&OD

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Steve Offutt, Arlington

Arlington's First Bike Shelter is Born

Ever striving to become more bike-friendly, the Arlington County Division of Transportation is nearing completion on a bike shelter at the Shirlington Transit Station. This shelter will provide parking for 28 bikes in a space that could park only two motor vehicles. The design of the shelter echoes the adjacent Shirlington Transit Station with its arched roof, materials, and color.

Why shelter bikes? Returning to one's bike after a storm and finding a dry seat is an encouragement to bicycling. Conversely, when the day is hot and the sun is pounding down on a dark leather bike seat, the shelter will ensure the seat does not overheat your rump. This type of amenity is a small and relatively inexpensive thing that really makes the cycling experience better.

Construction should be complete tomorrow and the shelter open for use. Once complete, the new shelter will encourage cycling to Shirlington and greater intermodality between bike and bus.

by Paul DeMaio, BikeArlington