Stop u-turns on Pennsylvania Ave!

[DaveK]

Not that this is a bad thing, but it still burns me up that the city spent however much in staff and police time to be out there when the same sum could have gone to physical protection of the lanes.

[jrenaut]

Pete, you up for a challenge?

[KLizotte]

Hmmmm….I wonder how many cyclists it would take to form a human chain the entire length of the bike lanes down PA Ave during rush hour? Would probably get a lot of media attention. Perhaps the number of folks could be cut down if a bike were held up between each pair of protesters (is that possible?). Would make for a better photo op that way too. Would best be done during the spring when the weather is nice and we could get lots of CaBi riders too. If it were done during a school break we could get kiddies out there as well. Who can argue with kids about safety? Maybe the pedicabs would join. BicycleSpace has that boombox on a trailer thingie for music/announcements. Hmmmm….wonder if we could get some bicycle cops to join too. Perhaps better to stage this on Bike to Work day??

Would this require permits as an official protest? Then again, if cyclists are just stopped along the bike lane we’re not doing anything illegal.

Just an idea that popped into my head.

[jrenaut]

@KLizotte 42646 wrote:

Just an idea that popped into my head.

I’m in, and I can haul two kids in the trailer, perhaps even drag the wife down on CaBi.

[americancyclo]

Media Coverage
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/01/u-turns-across-pennsylvania-ave-bike-lanes-prohibited-84659.html

[ColumbiaHeights]

Here’s a copy of the flier they’re handing out: http://1.usa.gov/Vr0hJE

[Mikey]

@KLizotte 42646 wrote:

Hmmmm….I wonder how many cyclists it would take to form a human chain the entire length of the bike lanes down PA Ave during rush hour? Would probably get a lot of media attention. Perhaps the number of folks could be cut down if a bike were held up between each pair of protesters (is that possible?). Would make for a better photo op that way too. Would best be done during the spring when the weather is nice and we could get lots of CaBi riders too. If it were done during a school break we could get kiddies out there as well. Who can argue with kids about safety? Maybe the pedicabs would join. BicycleSpace has that boombox on a trailer thingie for music/announcements. Hmmmm….wonder if we could get some bicycle cops to join too. Perhaps better to stage this on Bike to Work day??

Would this require permits as an official protest? Then again, if cyclists are just stopped along the bike lane we’re not doing anything illegal.

Just an idea that popped into my head.

I don’t know about you but If I’m in a bike lane and I’m holding a bike it’s between my legs and I’m pedaling. Why not have a rolling protest. Imagine 500 or so of us cruising in line up and down the entire length, wheel to wheel. That would make a statement.

[DSalovesh]

This is pretty much what we did back in – was that November? – with The Assembly. My idea was essentially that we’d occupy the bike lanes as much as possible with the people who attended, so if we had 20 people we could completely fill 1-2 blocks in a constant loop, and if we had 40 we could expand by a block or two, and so on. Thank goodness wiser people opted for a more friendly approach.

It would take a really huge number of people and bikes to stretch end-to-end – not an inconceivable number, but one that would take a significant amount of effort to organize, and more than we could pull together in a short time. I think we had 40-60 people out there at most (it was hard to tell because there were plenty of people just riding as usual too) and though it wasn’t a solid wall of protesting bikers it was definitely enough to draw focus.

As it turned out, the people who showed up (including MPD bicycle officers) did a fine job of increasing awareness on the street. Other folks (WABA mainly) followed up in the JAWB to let them know that action was required before we lit torches and grabbed pitchforks, and the combination of efforts led to Mayor Gray’s order that went into effect on December 1st (and became enforceable as soon as DDOT finished repainting the bike lanes).

Since then we’ve seen an increase in responsiveness about bike lane concerns. The recent education and enforcement effort didn’t require mobs in the streets, and though it hasn’t been totally effective it has definitely helped. Patience is a virtue, and I’m optimistic that continued efforts over the next few months will really have a significant impact in this particular conflict.

Thanks to notoriety of having the inaugural parade down the bike lanes, it’s best to keep a positive outlook on what we have there. I know DDOT and WABA are continuing to make the case for better protection for the entire length of the cycletrack. We may not get painted pavement (and I’m not at all convinced that it adds to our safety) but DDOT has shown renderings of a pavement-level barricade design that should satisfy aesthetic and practical concerns while increasing protection for cycletrack users.

My dream would be to have that approved and installed in time for Bike to Work day 2013, just as the original installation was meant to celebrate BTWD 2010. I’m hopeful I’m not the only one aiming in that direction.

[Xarici]

To the cop parked in the PA Ave cycletrack at 13th yesterday evening: thanks for doing nothing when the guy pulled a U-turn right NEXT to you.

I caught him at the light and asked him nicely not to do U-turns anymore. He said thanks, thought about it, and then said that I should stop at red lights, to which I replied that I did, at every one. Thanks for the irrelevant blame-deflecting afterthought though, Mr. Driver.

[83b]

As of last night there are zebras down one side of the 11th to 12th street block of Penn Ave! Hope the rest of the street gets them in short order.

I did notice that they didn’t seem super reflective at night with just my bike’s light to illuminate them. Could have just been the angle I was facing them at though. Still, they looked like they should be SUPER effective at deterring motorized idiocy.

[bluerider]

My article posted at Greater Greater Washington today: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/20629/will-cycletrack-barriers-on-pennsylvania-avenue-work/

[jrenaut]

@bluerider 67912 wrote:

My article posted at Greater Greater Washington today: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/20629/will-cycletrack-barriers-on-pennsylvania-avenue-work/

I can not express how shocked I am at how few anti-cyclist comments there are. Truly amazing. Maybe you didn’t use enough cycling buzzwords and Google hasn’t properly indexed the story yet.

[bluerider]

@jrenaut 67914 wrote:

I can not express how shocked I am at how few anti-cyclist comments there are. Truly amazing. Maybe you didn’t use enough cycling buzzwords and Google hasn’t properly indexed the story yet.

Yeah, I am too. But its still early.

[americancyclo]

I just rode through here and what concerns me most, are the lack of bailout options if the zebras are installed properly. DC Police regularly park in the bike lane, when i rode thorugh, on one block there was a car parked squarely in the middle, and on the next block, there were two SUV parked side by side in the bike lanes. If the zebras are installed properly, it’s going to make it difficult to maneuver out of the bike lanes to avoid situations like this.

[83b]

Excellent article. Thanks for your work!

[Author]

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