#SafeTrack: when WMATA made everyone a bicyclist

[scoot]

I would strongly urge VDOT and Arlington County to consider converting one traffic lane to a bus/bike-only lane on some major routes. SafeTrack is the perfect excuse to experiment with approaches designed to maximize flow of people, not cars. The bus alternatives will not sufficiently reduce car traffic unless they are able to offer customers a time savings over driving.

[scoot]

These are DDOT issues, not Arlington, but I thought I’d throw the ideas out there.

If many more commuters are biking and walking, trail and sidewalk congestion will be a big issue. Can road diets on the major bridges (Key, Memorial) be designed and implemented quickly enough to help?

A temporary salmon lane on East Basin Drive might be worth investigating. Also, whatever is blocking Case Bridge sidepath needs to be removed before SafeTrack starts.

[KLizotte]

@scoot 140376 wrote:

Also, whatever is blocking Case Bridge sidepath needs to be removed before SafeTrack starts.

I don’t think that is gonna happen. It’s equipment that is being used to build walkways under the bridge so that the bridge can be refurbished by construction workers. This part of the bridge is over water so they have to hang equipment over the side to build them. They have been building the walkways for a while now; they started where the bridge is over land so this wasn’t an issue till now. Being done by private contractors.

[oldbikechick]

+1 to signs or brochures or PSA’s about trail rules and safety. With bigger numbers there could be a lot more “handlebar benders” if folks don’t know the rules of the trail and some basic safety tips.

+1 to better enforcement or even traffic cops at key crossings like IOD and perhaps even the crossing of GW parkway south of the Memorial Bridge. More people will be driving too, so traffic is likely to be terrible, people will be even more likely to speed through red lights or get frustrated waiting to turn right at Lynn St.

[dbb]

Here is a route I photographed this evening (mostly) from the Crystal City Waterpark to the 14th Street Bridge. I’d suggest we develop similar versions for the rest of the access points. That might help the new cyclist understand the routes they are most unfamiliar with.

[ATTACH]11833[/ATTACH]

I’m assuming the existing bike maps could be used to get the cyclist to the starting point.

Those adept with video could do the same to allow the new cyclists to experience the ride.

Getting new riders from:
South Arlington to the MVT
Long Bridge Drive to the MVT via Columbia Island Marina
Memorial Drive to the MVT via the GWMP Crosswalk
IOD to the MVT at TR Island parking lot

[bobco85]

@dbb 140380 wrote:

Those adept with video could do the same to allow the new cyclists to experience the ride.

Getting new riders from:
South Arlington to the MVT
Long Bridge Drive to the MVT via Columbia Island Marina
Memorial Drive to the MVT via the GWMP Crosswalk
IOD to the MVT at TR Island parking lot

Sounds like a good idea! I’ll do some brainstorming and figure out what I can do this weekend (it’d be best to film in the morning so the lighting looks similar to what people will encounter).

[elbows]

Agree with lots of the suggestions here – especially road diets on the bridges.

What about CaBi?
Does anything think the CaBi stations will be full/empty to a greater extent? Would greater attempts to equalize the stations be worthwhile? Not positive what the bikeshare patterns are. Perhaps allow the CaBi vans on our aspirational bus/bike lanes? Or discounted CaBi try-it-out-during-Safetrack memberships?

Frankly, I think there could be better ways of trying to reduce the number of full and empty stations, but that’s a topic for another thread, I guess.

[runbike]

@dasgeh 140351 wrote:

Lee Hwy WB between Lynn and N Lincoln — the 3rd lane could be a two-way protected cycle-track, easing congestion on the Custis.

This idea x1000

[Steve O]

Making changes to infrastructure without big-time, serious, comprehensive and ongoing personalized assistance won’t work. The threat of bad traffic will have virtually no effect as has been noted previously.

I posted this on another thread:
@Steve O 139280 wrote:

Motivated marketing teams at WABA and local partners like BikeArlington should use this as the once-in-a-decade opportunity it is.
Setting up at affected Metro stations for a week or two in advance during morning commuting hours (“Fed up with Metro? Talk to us!”), offering experienced-led convoys for newbies, offering “how-to-bike-commute” 15-minute learning sessions for people getting off the metro in the afternoons, teaming with local bike shops to offer repair and maintenance, etc., etc. Smarter people than I could come up with effective, multi-pronged efforts that would really reach the affected and the “curious, but cautious” population.
A total blitz of on-site hand holding and one-on-one help could yield literally thousands of new bike riders. Yes, it would be an intensive effort and planning would need to start now, but what an opportunity.

I think there are many among us who would be willing to assist by leading convoys, staffing “how to” info tables, etc. if we were asked and it were part of a well coordinated effort.

People will not start riding their bikes because they get a brochure or watch a video. Maybe a few, but not the thousands who might with a truly comprehensive effort.

It’s already getting late in the game. Starting next week there should be canopies set up at Ballston & EFC every single morning and afternoon.
Late next week they should have wrenches from local bike shops there offering repair services. That needs to be communicated on Tue-Wed, so people know.

The following week convoys leaving every 20 minutes from 7-8:40

• Shirlington – Crystal City – 14th St. Bridge – L’Enfant/DC….
• Custis – Rosslyn – Georgetown – K St. corridor….
• Where else?

Those convoys need to be marketed next week so people know the following week. They need to happen every day, so the people getting on the Metro on Monday see them. Then on Tuesday they see them again and think “hmm.” Then on Wednesday they bring their bike. One day will not do it.
Repair stations all week, so those people who bring their bike with the rubbing brakes on Wednesday can still get in a convoy. (I’m fine with having the wrenches charge–doesn’t have to be free.)

This is a big effort. BikeArlington is only 3 people, so they need to poach from Mobility lab and County staff, etc. And volunteers. Managing volunteers is a big job; probably almost full time for something of this magnitude to be truly successful. Time to start beating the bushes. The BAC and this forum are a start for finding volunteers, but it needs to get bigger than that.

I don’t know where the resources can come from, but as a taxpayer I would be completely fine with BA and other county staff racking up the comp time and taking all of December and January off.

I’m also fine with BA dropping everything else and focusing 100% on creating a comprehensive, sustained approach that will bring people in, give them the hand-holding they need, and be there as long as it takes for them to become self sufficient.

This needs to be a total blitz, 24/7, non-stop effort. All-day planning meetings should already be taking place. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

[Mikey]

I would recommend social events and media attention – Morning and evening news will be focusing on how bad it is and will run many stories about Metro. Hold daily coffee meet ups and bike trains if possible. Have bike trains start at metro stations. Advertise on local media. Coffee in the morning followed by bike train will still be faster than car-metro-metro-shuttle-metro-walk to work. Can we start a SafeTrack Bicycle Club – market off of the misfortune and personalize the success stories – “Metro screwed me but my own two feet conquered!” “Bike to work summer” “Widefeld’s warriors” “These wheels never catch fire”, “SAFETRACK: I biked to work and all I got was this t-shirt, and kick-ass calves of steel!” The marketing options are endless.

[Steve O]

More ideas:

– Get the Mobility Lab’s hacker gang to create an app making it easy to find a bike buddy for the commute
– ” ” to tidy up the rackspotter app so it works more like Spotcycle or something. It’s kind of clunky.

Bike Commute lunch & learns. The downtown squares with food trucks might be good locations (not limiting ideas to Arlington only)

[Tania]

@Mikey 140426 wrote:

I would recommend social events and media attention – Morning and evening news will be focusing on how bad it is and will run many stories about Metro. Hold daily coffee meet ups and bike trains if possible. Have bike trains start at metro stations. Advertise on local media. Coffee in the morning followed by bike train will still be faster than car-metro-metro-shuttle-metro-walk to work. Can we start a SafeTrack Bicycle Club – market off of the misfortune and personalize the success stories – “Metro screwed me but my own two feet conquered!” “Bike to work summer” “Widefeld’s warriors” “These wheels never catch fire”, “SAFETRACK: I biked to work and all I got was this t-shirt, and kick-ass calves of steel!” The marketing options are endless.

I like the idea of “advertising” at metro stations. A few of us could station a metro entrance with signs that say something like “ask me how to bike to work!” blah blah blah, then we could pass out information on the bike trains heading into the city.

[americancyclo]

The coffee clubs are a great place to start. As well as a #metrofreefriday campaign or something of the sort. I’d think that all the local bike shops would want to get in the “neutral commuter support” game with tents, a wrench, and some local business provided snacks.

[dasgeh]

The more I think about this, the more I think we should establish a clearly signed, comfortable alternative to the metro line being affected.

First up is orange/ silver: sign a route from each station to the w&od and Custis (here is where my ignorance of all things west comes in), then put these signs on the trail. In Arlington, do a pbl on Fairfax from Ballston to VA Sq, and on Quincy to the trail. The signed route would be to take ffx to quincy. From Clarendon it could just use highland, though we’d need some safe route from highland and Lee to the trail. From courthouse, pbl on veitch. From rosslyn ? Pbl on Lynn maybe? Or two way pbl on fort myer?

The more jurisdictions that get in on this the better, obviously, though if it just gets va folks into dc,that has appeal.

By focusing on the stretches effected, we can concentrate resources and make a better case to the powers that be

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[Henry]

Trust me folks, versions of these ideas and others are forthcoming. It’s an all-hands scramble with daily meetings, focusing on the first surge of OR/SV single tracking June 4-16, in conjunction with other modes. We will be word out next week about when and how we could use volunteers.

The first known needs will be for experienced riders to assist with Bike Trains from EFC to Rosslyn, with stops at/near each Metro station in the corridor. The plan now is for 3 morning inbound runs, and one outbound PM run, daily for two weeks. Tentative start times at EFC are 6:30am, 7am, & 7:30am; 5:30pm at Gateway Park.

Working on extensive and beefed up signage, too.
Plus extra racks near Ballston.
Expanded CaBi capacity will be added at both EFC & Ballston.

Though no PBLs at present.

Henry

[Author]

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