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@RayRayBike 190572 wrote:

Dasgeh, why dockless? Should be safety (and safety fix) info should be required for all companies operating rental bikes (and scooters), both docked and dockless. At any rate, I miss the electric bikes, they were a great addition to the annual membership. Even though they were often out of juice or otherwise out of service!

The dockless policy governs the various private operators in Arlington, that otherwise have no relationship with the County. Arlington has a direct relationship with Motivate for the docked bikes, and thus can directly get safety information. If that’s not already part of the contract, it should be. But that’s separate from the dockless policy.

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@Judd 190682 wrote:

If I were leading a group of 8 year olds on a ride this would be a challenging corner. Or had a kiddo on a trailer cycle like a few forum folks do.

If I jumped on Gillian’s long tail with two kids on the back and made a break for it then Flintstoning the bike around this corner would suck. If I were in the crosswalk and had to queue in the road to wait for someone to make the awkward turn off the trail I’d probably be unhappy.

It’s a tough spot to design around as I’m sure the cost of moving a high voltage power line is cost prohibitive.

Yes! It’s about designing for everyone, not the fast and fit. In this location, I would investigate whether it would be possible to connect on the other side of the giant pole. If not, I would look at the angles involved. It looks like this would be possible with a trailer/long tail, but that bike would be the only one that could use the curb cut. It would be like the angled curb cuts across N Uhle by the new MOM’s. It’s honestly not the biggest deal now, but it’s not planning for more bike trips.

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@Steve O 190632 wrote:

Tough call with needing to get somewhere (but you ended up being delayed by the broken bike anyway.) I believe a lot of motorists get off scot-free when we don’t call the police in instances like this. “SMIDSY; let my insurance take care of it. I’ll have forgotten all about it by the time I get home.”

I agree. Please report it. Probably won’t help with a ticket, but it will put the information in “the system” so that the powers that be know that intersection needs attention.

Glad it wasn’t worse!

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@huskerdont 190590 wrote:

Outside Magazine article about this that uses words that fit my feelings on ticketing someone for being run over.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2395560/its-time-ban-right-red-drivers

“The whole “same rights and responsibilities” thing is a load of crap, and the few remaining vehicular cyclists who espouse it are the advocacy equivalent of those weird cats who use the toilet.”

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@ChristoB50 190580 wrote:

Mmm. Just made my first-ever visit to Acme Pies on Columbia Piek this Sunday; had a quiche slice for breakfast, and got a pecan slice planned for later in the day — only, the pecan didn’t make it out of the shop either, as it turned out.
Edit: Huh – Just looked up Lazy Mike’s – I grew up a ways down Shreve Road, and remember when that building was the Arthur Treacher’s Fish n Chips!

Methinks a pie ride along the Pike is in order…

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Oh, and the gutters on Glebe really suck to ride across.

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@Judd 190522 wrote:

I sadly wasn’t able to make the BAC meeting this month which is a pity. The Columbia Pike ride was great and I don’t have much experience with riding around Lee Highway. What were the major observations and takeaways?

We missed you, but understand. We had a good turn out of mostly new people. I’ll post the letter once it’s done, but here are some spoilers:
– The parallel routes of 22nd St & 26th St are pretty nice most of the time.
– They are both more stressful at the crossings of George Mason and Harrison, where Mason and Harrison do not have stop signs, but 22nd/26th do. Mason sees high speeds (in part because it is SO WIDE) and Harrison has bad sightlines & high volume, particularly at 26th.
– There would need to be signage along the routes to help navigate, and signage of how to get back to Lee Hwy, possibly indicating which streets have lights to cross Lee.
– Those parallel routes are pretty far from Lee and wouldn’t work to connect 2 stops on Lee — they seem more of a near term solution.

– There are no low stress parallel routes between (approx.) Cameron and Old Lee. The sidewalks along there are also not wide enough or well maintained enough to ride on.
– (Wakefield & 24th are fine, but Old Dominion is high volume, higher speed, so not low stress, but is necessary to connect to 26th. )

Longer term:
– East of Kirkwood/Spout Run: A 2-way protected cycletrack on the north side (i.e. taking the rightmost lane of westbound Lee) would ease congestion on the Custis Trail. The transitions on either end (bottom of the S-curve and at Oak) would need to be well designed. This would also provide access to the commercial on the north side of Lee

– Spout Run – Five Points: Need onstreet bike infrastructure to connect to retail.

– Five Points – Cameron: would make sense to route westbound cyclists on Old Dominion & eastbound on Old Lee. Bike facilities on the furthest north side of Old Dominion would also make that sidewalk more comfortable for getting to Hamm MS. Need to rework the Lorcom Lane-Old Dominion split off stretch (lots of collisions now, wouldn’t work with bike infra)

– Cameron – west: protected infra on Lee, but lower priority (especially as you go farther west) because less commercial now and parallel routes are an option. Building when commercial goes in makes sense.

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@scoot 190441 wrote:

Who ever would have thought that bicyclists might fare better by staying to the left of drivers making right turns?

At Saturday’s BAC, it was mentioned that Arlington has money to start the study for the IoD Endgame next fiscal year (though it’s just a little next in FY2020, and a lot more in FY2021). They are thinking tunnel or bridge. Time to speak up for the Offutt solution.

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@Judd 190416 wrote:

If it’s a state thing you’ll have to find a Republican to introduce it. Almost every safety bill died in committee this past year on a party line vote.

The existence of LPIs aren’t a state thing, but bikes going with them from the roadway is. Though I’ve heard directly from an ACPD officer that he would be shocked if a cyclist in Arlington every got a ticket for doing this. ACPD could make that official policy.

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@Judd 190397 wrote:

I’m having trouble thinking of an intersection in Arlington that has an LPI. I jump the gun at the ones in Alexandria before remembering I’m not in DC frequently.

Pretty sure many in Clarendon do. I think some in Ballston do too, closer to the Metro. Memory is hazy because I haven’t been going there because of the BQ construction…

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@Judd 190399 wrote:

Komorebi has something climate change related in the works for June . Not sure if it will get in to trail impacts.

The Friends of Dyke Marsh have a quarterly meeting this month where the speaker will talk about sea level rise and the impact on Dyke Marsh (which will impact most of the MVT in the same way).

Very cool. I’d love to see Arlington permanently mark the flood detours and have a way to indicate when a path is flood at the detour decision point.

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@lordofthemark 190374 wrote:

I’ve been reflecting on this lately. I certainly see plenty of infra in DC I envy – much better seg infra, overlaid on a legacy street grid that was already more bike friendly than what is found almost anywhere else in the region. Also some better bike policies – on negligence law, LPI’s etc.

OTOH there have been a string of bike and ped fatalities in DC that we, at least in the inner suburbs, have not faced lately (we have had ped fatalaties, but much smaller numbers). Part of that is likely just higher bike and ped mode share in DC. But some of it is the volume of motor vehicle traffic, the culture of motorists (both DC residents and suburbanites) and the relative lack of traffic enforcement other than ATE.

So I would just say things are different, not better or worse. I will accept when #bikeDC complains even as folks in DC have some things I would love to have in NoVa. I will go to memorials in DC, but focus my letters and petitions and so forth in my own jurisdiction, as I think pols care much more about comments from people who can actually vote them out of office.

In the inner suburbs (Arlington, Alexandria, probably Bethesda, College Park, etc), I agree that it’s different, not better/worse. But I stand by the statement that it’s worse in the outer suburbs — Fairfax, PG in particular. It’s so bad that not a lot of people walk and bike there and they still have numerous deaths. But they don’t get the reporting and attention that the deaths in DC get (now).

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@mbroad 190382 wrote:

Did you know that DC has a 65% chance of seeing a flood over 8 ft in the next 30 years?

As climate change spurs rising seas, what parts of DC are most vulnerable to flooding? This all-ages bike ride will tour the parts of the city most susceptible to climate impacts. Citizens’ Climate Lobby will lead participants to DC sites where sea barriers are planned and have already been built, and where flooding is expected. The trail will be under 5 miles and friendly to riders of all ages and skill levels.

FUN RIDE: After the last stop, more experienced cyclists can join for a fun ride along the beautiful Anacostia River Trail to Kenilworth Gardens.

Sat, May 11, 2019
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT

Location
US Navy Memorial Plaza (7th & Pennsylvania NW)
In front of Archives Metro Station

REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bike-tour-dc-climate-impacts-tickets-60536200405

I’d love to see this in Arlington, and would hope it would point out how the bike network is impacted by flooding.

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@Dewey 190371 wrote:

The Virginia state legal change continues to permit localities to enact sidewalk bans on e-scooters (but not e-bikes):

§ 46.2-903. “No person shall ride or drive any vehicle other than…(iv) a bicycle…(vi) an electric power-assisted bicycle, or (vii)unless otherwise prohibited by ordinance, a motorized skateboard or scooter on the sidewalks of any county, city, or town of the Commonwealth.”
§ 46.2-1315. “Any county, city, town, or political subdivision may (i) by ordinance regulate…the operation of motorized skateboards or scooters, bicycles, or electric power-assisted bicycles for hire.”

Have you heard if Arlington is considering lifting its scooter sidewalk ban when the trial is evaluated? I’d like DC to include scooters with ebikes if/when reconsidering its sidewalk ban for commuters needing to use the Potomac bridge sidewalks.

Arlington does not ban scooters on sidewalks — Virginia does currently, but will stop on July 1. (Which is why the Arlington materials say they are banned)

Arlington does have an ordinance that applies to trails, though I’ve been clear about my opinion of the legality of that as to ebikes. It also seems like the ordinance would not meet the requirements to ban escooters. But they’re unlikely to admit that their interpretation is wrong – best bet is to get them to consider changes under the new laws.

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@lordofthemark 190366 wrote:

We also need to start painting scooter symbols on the bike lanes. I guess that has not been done because these are “pilots”.

That’s a great idea. Also, at the DC BAC there was a bit of discussion about representation of scooters/scootists/scooterists (the people who ride scooters) on the BAC… I imagine there will be a similar conversation at some point in Arlington. Maybe we’ll even get a ScootArlington out of it.

SkoochArlington?

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