Behold: RackSpotter – A crowdsourced bike parking tool!

[PotomacCyclist]

Another note: There’s an amazing amount of construction going on in the Mt. Vernon Triangle and NoMa areas, plus a few projects downtown. Maybe 17 or more new buildings going up. Probably more, because the Capital Crossing project will include more than one building. (The developer is going to deck over the 3rd Street tunnel, to create a platform for the new buildings. This will reconnect NoMa with the Mt. Vernon Triangle neighborhood.)

Many of these developments will likely have bike racks in the future.

I also rode through some of the grittier areas of DC, which I think is educational. I read about the struggles and the changes in many of those places, but I haven’t been to many of those neighborhoods. I passed by the infamous Sursum Corda development, which was one of the most dangerous areas of the District back in the 1980s. (The development has hidden alleys and backstreets, which make it easy for criminals to escape notice and carry on their business.) I think it’s still supposed to be a problem area, but it isn’t as bad as it used to be. More surprising is that there are brand new, market-rate apartment buildings just a block away, in the NoMa neighborhood.

As is the case in Arlington, neighborhoods that are primarily residential have very few bike racks. This is the case in places like Logan Circle and some of the backstreets in NoMa. But after the initial focus on downtown and the Mall, I’d like to make an effort to map some of the less publicized areas in DC, including some of the poorer areas. I don’t know if a map will make any sort of difference, but it wouldn’t feel right to avoid entire areas just because they aren’t as well-off. I do plan to skip most of the primarily residential areas, both affluent and poor, because there aren’t going to be many bike racks at all. The only exception would be the local retail strips in those neighborhoods. There might be a rack or two on those streets.

It’s interesting to see the development and bike rack patterns throughout the city. I keep up on transportation news, but I also read up on local real estate news too. I hope the RackSpotter map proves useful, to local planners as well as area cyclists. The mapping process is also turning out to be educational for me. I doubt I would ever go to most of these specific streets if not for the mapping project.

[PotomacCyclist]

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Another ordinary bike rack location…

[PotomacCyclist]

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[cvcalhoun]

I’ve started filling in Montgomery County. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have as many bike racks as places like Arlington. But there are a bunch of them in downtown Bethesda, and Giant Food seems to be good about providing them.

[Crickey7]

@cvcalhoun 118003 wrote:

I’ve started filling in Montgomery County. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have as many bike racks as places like Arlington. But there are a bunch of them in downtown Bethesda, and Giant Food seems to be good about providing them.

Indeed, businesses in MontCo are very bad about providing bike racks. Until it’s a legal requirement, most see no need.

[PotomacCyclist]

I took Metro out to White Flint and Friendship Heights recently. There’s a large set of bike racks at the White Flint station, but not too many in nearby areas. North Bethesda has a ways to go before anyone would mistake it for being a bike-friendly place. I did see the signs for the Bethesda Trolley Trail. But since I didn’t have my bike and Capital Bikeshare hasn’t expanded to North Bethesda (yet), I didn’t get a chance to ride on it.

I’ve read several articles about the new Pike & Rose development, fairly close to the White Flint Metro. It’s supposed to be a new type of development for that area, more like Pentagon Row or Bethesda Row than the older car-dependent strip malls along Rockville Pike. But I only saw three measly bike racks (six spaces) at Pike & Rose, off to one side. (I added them to the RackSpotter map.)

The development isn’t finished, so maybe they plan to add many more bike racks. I did appreciate the more human scale of the place. The stores and restaurants are closer to the streets, instead of being set back from the road behind massive parking lots. But they definitely need to add more bike racks. (Of course, Montgomery County needs to build better bike facilities near Rockville Pike and the new developments too.)

White Flint Mall is undergoing its final demolition. It might take a couple months before everything is gone. (The Lord & Taylor store remains open and won’t be demolished for the time being.) The Lerners plan to build an open-air town center in its place. I hope that means slower-speed side roads, bike paths and bike racks. They don’t need to build high-speed side roads. They already have Rockville Pike for longer-distance travel to and from the White Flint area. If they want to build a more urban community at White Flint, North Bethesda and Pike & Rose, they should make it more walkable and bikeable.

[PotomacCyclist]

I noticed that several locations along New York Ave. in the NoMa/North Capitol St. area have (public?) grassy areas that are poorly maintained. The grass, weeds and other vegetation are allowed to grow unchecked. Seems like cutting the grass would be an easy and relatively inexpensive way to improve the appearance and atmosphere of that area. It could be similar to the approach that Metro has long had regarding graffiti, that it is taken care of immediately. The idea is that if they keep up with maintenance and graffiti control, that it helps to deter more people from defacing and damaging property. Despite some incidents on Metro, crime has usually been lower on Metro than in surrounding neighborhoods. NYC ignored graffiti for years on its subway system, but finally decided to combat graffiti.

Many of the blocks in NoMa have already been redeveloped with high-end apartments and modern office buildings. But some pockets of its past remain. Sometimes the two sit side by side, such as the pricey 2M Street apartments on N. Capitol St., just down the street from Sursum Corda (which will be redeveloped soon).

This may not be directly related to cycling, but it sort of is. One of the motives for adding bike infrastructure and encouraging non-motorized transportation is to improve neighborhoods, by making them safe to live in, instead of just driving through them at high speeds in an automobile. Along those same lines, why not cut the grass and take care of weeds too? NoMa is already a neighborhood undergoing great transformation. Why not take that extra step and spend a modest amount of money (for the DC government) to have some of those grassy areas taken care of? Not just in NoMa but in other neighborhoods that have lower priorities for the government.

New developments are expensive and take a long time to build. Even bike facilities and new sidewalks take some time for planning, budgeting and construction. But the DC government already has the necessary equipment to handle weeds and overgrown grass. Maybe cutting the grass by itself doesn’t change a neighborhood completely. But it sure can influence how people view the neighborhood, and whether they want to move there, work there or visit restaurants and stores there. Many of the blocks in NoMa look like those in Columbia Heights, Clarendon or Bethesda. Others are dilapidated. It would take more money to repair some of the badly damaged sidewalks and buildings, but it shouldn’t be that hard to take care of the overgrown vegetation.

Just something I noticed while mapping bike racks in that area this month.

[PotomacCyclist]

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WWII Memorial bike racks

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Ranger Station bike racks, near the Washington Monument

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Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial bike racks

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Jefferson Memorial/Tidal Basin bike racks

[PotomacCyclist]

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[bobco85]

Found a couple isolated bike racks on Route 50 on my ride last night. Kudos to the developers of the new shopping area at Annandale Rd/Route 50 for adding 20 total bike hitches in 3 different areas and for having a paved path (10 ft wide) separate from the roads! The paved path will run nicely with the proposed bike lanes on Annandale Rd.

bike hitches near the BB&T on the south side of the shopping area
[IMG]http://bikearlingtonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9012&stc=1[/IMG]
a couple of bike hitches near the center of the shopping area
[IMG]http://bikearlingtonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9013&stc=1[/IMG]

yay for Walgreens (north side of shopping area)
[IMG]http://bikearlingtonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9014&stc=1[/IMG]

farther west, I spotted this wave rack at the entrance to Thomas Jefferson Library
[IMG]http://bikearlingtonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9015&stc=1[/IMG]

[PotomacCyclist]

We’re slowly extending the RackSpotter map outward. I’ve been concentrating on central DC, because that has many of the key business, retail, political, cultural, dining and tourist areas in the region. But I’ve also taken a few mapping trips further afield, to North Bethesda, Tysons Corner, the Old Town waterfront and the main Anacostia corridor. I’m trying to ensure that the map isn’t just Arlington, downtown DC, the National Mall, and Capitol Hill. Hopefully when all this is done (next year?), some people might see just how many bike racks there are, making it more likely that people might bike to various destinations. When I was first starting out with biking, I wasn’t sure if there were places to lock a bike near the monuments. There weren’t any good resources online. I’ve looked up a few bike rack maps, but they only cover limited areas (like National Airport) and they aren’t always complete.

I’d say that “central” DC is about 70 percent mapped now. I think I’ve covered all of downtown (Farragut Sq., McPherson Sq., Franklin Park), Gallery Place, Metro Center, Federal Triangle, Judiciary Square, Mt. Vernon Triangle and NoMa. I’ve covered most of the National Mall but I know there are one or two racks that I have to get back to. There are a couple areas adjacent to what I’m calling central DC. I’m chipping away at those areas.

As I mentioned earlier, there is an enormous amount of new construction going on, especially in the NoMa, Southwest Waterfront and Capitol Riverfront neighborhoods. Probably 30 or more new buildings on the way in the next couple years. Many if not most of them will have new bike racks. The developer of The Wharf at the SW Waterfront said that they will have new bike racks all over that development. Their website says 1,750 new bicycle parking spaces when the project is complete! (Many of those spaces might be in parking garages. Some might be limited to residents or workers in those buildings, but many will also be available to the general public.)

[bobco85]

@PotomacCyclist 119312 wrote:

We’re slowly extending the RackSpotter map outward. I’ve been concentrating on central DC, because that’s has many of the key business, retail, political, cultural, dining and tourist areas in the region. But I’ve also taken a few mapping trips further afield, to North Bethesda, Tysons Corner, the Old Town waterfront and the main Anacostia corridor. I’m trying to ensure that the map isn’t just Arlington, downtown DC, the National Mall, and Capitol Hill. Hopefully when all this is done (next year?), some people might see just how many bike racks there are, making it more likely that people might bike to various destinations. When I was first starting out with biking, I wasn’t sure if there were places to lock a bike near the monuments. There weren’t any good resources online. I’ve looked up a few bike rack maps, but they only cover limited areas (like National Airport) and they aren’t always complete.

I’d say that “central” DC is about 70 percent mapped now. I think I’ve covered all of downtown (Farragut Sq., McPherson Sq., Franklin Park), Gallery Place, Metro Center, Federal Triangle, Judiciary Square, Mt. Vernon Triangle and NoMa. I’ve covered most of the National Mall but I know there is one or two racks that I have to get back to. There are a couple areas adjacent to what I’m calling central DC. I’m chipping away at those areas.

As I mentioned earlier, there is an enormous amount of new construction going on, especially in the NoMa, Southwest Waterfront and Capitol Riverfront neighborhoods. Probably 30 or more new buildings on the way in the next couple years. Many if not most of them will have new bike racks. The developer of The Wharf at the SW Waterfront said that they will have new bike racks all over that development. Their website says 1,750 new bicycle parking spaces when the project is complete! (Many of those spaces might be in parking garages. Some might be limited to residents or workers in those buildings, but many will also be available to the general public.)

In (exactly) a month, I will be moving to Alexandria (Mark Center area), so I will definitely try to do my part in filling in Alexandria and hopefully Springfield and stuff around the MD side of Wilson Bridge.

[PotomacCyclist]

I mapped several of the racks along King St. in Old Town, but I didn’t have time to do a comprehensive sweep. There aren’t many racks east of Pitt St. that I could see, except for a couple near the Torpedo Factory. I think the sidewalks are too narrow there for bike racks.

There are many racks west of Pitt St. on King St. I think I got most of them, on both sides of the street, between Pitt and Columbus and half a block west of Columbus. Then I had to leave. I passed by other racks west of Alfred St. but I had to skip them.

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In central DC, I’ve been doing comprehensive sweeps, looking at every street and on both sides of the streets. I keep notes about where I left off, so I can return to that neighborhood later in the week or month. I believe I’ve covered every existing bike rack in the central DC neighborhoods, although more bike racks are on the way. The new construction projects will add many. I think the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District is currently adding new bike racks as well. I saw a couple brand new racks recently, ones that I hadn’t seen when I passed by a few weeks earlier.

======
I noticed some new rack locations on the map near Capitol Hill, but without any photos. I think the map works better with photos. I didn’t add any photos early on, when I was focusing on Crystal City and Pentagon City, but I have added photos for all of the DC bike racks that I’ve mapped (except when I messed up the process a couple times).

The lack of the Satellite view can make it challenging to find the exact location on the block for a bike rack. I zoom into the Map view. That usually displays outlines of buildings and bump-outs and large architectural features on buildings. That makes it easier to locate the precise spot. I still don’t get it perfect, but I’d like to think I’m getting fairly close now. Much better than when I first started mapping. I saw a new pin posted in the center of a building when the photo appears to be taken at the curb of the street. Zooming into the map would help to locate the pin better.

[PotomacCyclist]

@bobco85 119325 wrote:

In (exactly) a month, I will be moving to Alexandria (Mark Center area), so I will definitely try to do my part in filling in Alexandria and hopefully Springfield and stuff around the MD side of Wilson Bridge.

I had thought about riding over to National Harbor, but I probably won’t get over there within the next month.

Be aware that the management and the security guards sometimes have a prickly attitude about cycling there. You’re supposed to walk your bikes after you arrive at the main area. On the roads, cycling is usually not a problem. But I think a guard said something to me once, even though I was riding in the street. Other people have reported mixed messages from the security staff there regarding bikes.

[PotomacCyclist]

I saw this article about police stings for bike thieves: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/06/22/metro-stings-target-bike-thieves/

Officer Yashinskie says they look out for some tell-tale behavior while on sting duty.

“The first thing you want to look at is anybody actually showing interest in walking by the bikes, looking at the bikes, possibly looking at the locks,” Yashinskie says he looks for a backpack or bag that could hold some bolt cutters. His team will sit back and wait until interest turns to action.

“And once that happens we got them.”

Hmm. Someone walking by a bike rack, looking at the bikes and studying them. Kind of looks like what I’ve been doing when trying to figure out what type of bike rack some of them are. When there are several bikes locked up at a set of bike racks, it can be difficult to determine if it’s a U rack, bike hitch or other type. I think a couple people wondered if I was a bike thief, but I don’t touch the bikes or kneel down next to them with a backpack. So I haven’t gotten arrested yet…

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