[KLizotte]

@cvcalhoun 155996 wrote:

Alas, since I started bike commuting 25 miles a day, I’ve actually gained weight. Body fat percentage has gone down, so I guess the extra is muscle, but it’s still demoralizing.

I know from personal experience that it is possible to be losing weight even when the scale says otherwise (exchanging fat for muscle). Best thing to do is to get out a pair of trousers that fits one size too small. Try them on every week and see if they fit a little better. Only try them on for a minute or two else you will start stretching them out. If all goes well, you will eventually be able to wear them comfortably! I’ve dropped a size since the beginning of December despite being sick with a sinus infection for two months. Still got a few more sizes to go.

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All of the women at work that I have tried to convert to bike commuting have cited safety concerns, esp at dark, as being a major issue. The second issue is grooming/clothes.

I can attest to both. I don’t feel safe traveling at night along the W&OD in many areas though I’m okay on the MVT. The Custis scares me at night because of the moguls, grooves and icy spots.

Oddly travelling through DC at rush hour rarely bothers me at all though I find it frustratingly slow. I also worry about breathing in that much exhaust.

I have major hair issues. I have long, frizzy hair that may look great after I’ve spent 15 minutes flat ironing it at home but looks like I stuck my finger in a socket by the time I get to work after a 28 minute commute regardless of the weather. In the summer I wind up with very sweaty, frizzy hair and my new office doesn’t have a gym or showers. It is further complicated by the fact that the A/C in my office is practically non-functional. Trust me guys, it can be a major hassle, if not an impossible task, to look 100% put together for a lady bike commuter. I am seriously envious of guys with crew cuts!

I just spent $40 on a mini flat iron which I hope will allow me to look more presentable at work. It doesn’t help that I share an office with a guy who simply doesn’t understand why I have a drawer full of high heels. Sigh.

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@EasyRider 155706 wrote:

When I passed by yesterday evening on the way home, there were four or five guys in some sort of uniforms, examining the gap and conferring about it.

Well there were lots and lots of traffic cones surrounding the sidewalk “cut offs” at both ends tonight. Kind of funny given that the cut offs and gravel have been there for a couple of years with no signage or repair.

[KLizotte]

This was posted to the Feds On Bikes listserv yesterday:

Bike theft is a problem worldwide and last night our office building in Salem Oregon had a bike stolen from the bike cage from the parking garage.
This is the second time a bike has been stolen from this same cage. After the first time a coded door lock was added to the inside and outside of the door and crossbars were added to the walls.
Unfortunately, no crossbars were added to the door and that’s how thieves stole the bike.

The thieves used some sort of cutting tool to cut pretty thick metal mesh on the door and the bike lock (see below pics.)

Our building plans to add crossbars to the door just like the ones you can see on the cage walls. Sadly this is too late for the person who lost their $700 bike to theft last night.

So how do we mitigate bike theft risk? (Feel free to add to this suggestion list)

1. If you have to park your bike on the street then park and lock (with strong locks) your bike where there are people around all the time.
2. If possible don’t park your bike overnight or anywhere in an unattended location that it can be seen by potential thieves or known it’s inside a bike box, etc any locks are easily cut.
3. When you have time look at your bike parking situation. Even if you think it is very secure ask yourself if you had a high powered cutting tool where could you cut to remove a bike and where are the weak points of the secure bike parking and how would you fix those week points to help deter bike thieves?
4. Suggest to whomever is in charge or your bike security to put up a camera that records. It might not prevent theft but could help in recovering the bike if police officers have a video of the thief.
5. Ask your building and office manager if they will let you bring your bike inside your office (especially if you need to park it somewhere overnight.)
6. Double lock your bike with good locks and lock your seat, etc. Yes grinder tools will still cut these but it could prevent a casual thief without a cutting tool.
7. Register your bike with local law enforcement and a national bike registration. (I’m not sure which registration is best? Anyone have suggestions on registration?

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@DrP 155611 wrote:

Freaking out? Yes, a bit. While I would love to get such road designs here, getting the drivers to go along with it will be difficult and time consuming. Just watching the number of drivers who ignore the no turn on red sign that appears at the IOD (yes, I am talking to you, Mr. Red Top Cab who was the 2nd car going through the light this morning and should have known better by being an Arlington cab and being where you should have seen the sign light up) and seeing the complete rage on the video discussed here http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?11627-Article-Ride-Angry&p=155575#post155575, which, while in England, appears to be just like our drivers, all makes me think it will be MANY, MANY YEARS before something like this will happen. Unless we make every single driver in this country re-take their driving test and include a bicycling portion of the test. On congested roads. With aggressive cars and trucks.

(I am keeping track of these road design articles, however. My cousin will be staying with me this summer while doing an internship at the Federal Highway Administration (civil engineering student). I plan to provide lots of information on cycling and pedestrian friendly designs (and prove how such a friendly place can be a great place to live). Just to encourage the next generation of engineers to include such concepts)

Your cousin should research how the Netherlands infrastructure back in the 50s-60s was just like here but a sustained outcry from the public over cyclist deaths caused the political tide to turn. The infrastructure you see now has been hard won over the decades. There are some documentaries on this issue. The moral of the story is that the public had to demand the changes to be made; now the emphasis is on people first, cars second.

That said, no reason why civil engineers and ASHTO still can’t dramatically change how they design intersections and roads to make them safer for peds and cyclists. While most drivers hate cyclists it’s hard for me to imagine they can argue against ped safety since all drivers are peds too.

[KLizotte]

@rayatkinson 155572 wrote:

The below illustration shows an updated version of the proposed Gravelly Point station. I would like to get your and everyone else’s feedback. We are still negotiating with the NPS and Motivate (Capital Bikeshare operator) so the below illustration isn’t final. I read everyone’s concerns about the station being located near the portable restrooms and close to the trail so I moved the station further from the trail and rotated it 180 degrees, which means people will access the bikes from the north (field) side of the station. Due to few alternative locations, we haven’t been able to move the station away from the portable restrooms. What do you think about the new proposed Gravelly Point station?

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Nope, no, nada, non, and nyet. Still an absolutely *terrible* spot.

It’s very dangerous for cyclists to go through that area today because

1) People are coming in and out of the port-o-potties without looking (and probably suffering from oxygen loss due to holding their breath).

2) Tourists wander all over the MUP like zombies even when big shiny objects are rolling straight at them and making lots of noise – ding, ding, ding (how these tourist managed to actually drive to Gravelly point safely always baffles me). Seriously, they look at you and simply do not comprehend that they are on the wrong side and need to move or else they simply just stand in the middle of the MUP when there is grass right over there!

3) Tourists and regulars alike routinely allow their children to lie down, play, and walk unimpeded along the MUP in that area like it’s a playground (I’ve had to weave around at least ten scooters lying on the MUP over the last four years; I once saw someone lay out a picnic blanket across the MUP by the trash cans).

4) Even informed visitors get caught up watching the planes and walk around like zombies.

5) Cyclists and runners don’t always behave well themselves (usually in a hurry during the afternoon commute); I’ve seen a couple of collisions that did not end well right in front of the trash cans.

6) People taking out a Cabi are often wobbly for a bit till they get used to the bike (just this weekend a guy on a Cabi went very wide on a MUP turn and I had to slam on the brakes in order to avoid a head-on collision; he simply looked at me blankly, didn’t apologize, slow down or even touch his brakes). Cabi riders, esp those unfamiliar with MUPs and the general area pose a risk to other MUP users.

Do not bring on the zombie apocalypse!!!! Even if you have to move the station so that it is further north and people have to walk a bit is preferable.

[KLizotte]

@SarahBee 155364 wrote:

First entry this BAFS season: was biking on four mile run and saw a cyclist with her bike flipped upside down underneath one of the overpasses. It was a beautiful day so lots of cyclists out, but no one stopped or even asked if she was okay. She had cross chained in her big chain ring and her chain fell of her cassette and was jammed between her spokes and her cassette. An easy fix albeit a little greasy. I have her a quick tutorial on shifting and was on my merry way. Moral of the story is if you ask someone if they are ok and they say “I think so”, they probably aren’t.

For this reason I now carry disposable latex gloves in my saddle bag.

[KLizotte]

Augh. It is 6:45 pm and I’m still at work! Have fun y’all!

[KLizotte]

@Tim Kelley 155196 wrote:

Sorry, our reach doesn’t extend to the suburbs of Arlington.

I wouldn’t expect the Federal DOT to have Arlington maps, although it’s likely that the DC DOT has DC maps…

Well, the next time I am over there I’ll see if there is a way I get some Arlington maps placed.

[KLizotte]

@Tim Kelley 155192 wrote:

We work with several hundred Car Free Diet partners to have County maps available by their cash registers: http://www.carfreediet.com/pages/car-free-diet-partners/ (LBS included in that)

Some hotels even have free Bikeshare membership coupons available.

And if by DOT HQ you mean the County Building in Courthouse, yes they should have some in the lobby.

We regularly print/distribute more than 50,000 bike maps on an annual basis between the regular bike map and the newer comfort map.

I was referring to the federal DOT in DC.

Wow, that’s a huge list on the website. Dentists?!!!!

[KLizotte]

@Tim Kelley 155185 wrote:

We can give you as many Arlington maps as you want!

Do you know if hotels near Cabi stations/trails carry the maps at their check-in desks? Do all LBSs have them in their stores? Anyone know if DOT HQ has them available?

[KLizotte]

I’ve given away many tubes and used up CO2 cartridges on newbs that got a flat.

I’ve also given away quite a few bandaids (including the 2 x 3″ variety), Neosporin packets, baby and sunscreen wipes to people who have had an accident or are in danger of turning into a lobster.

I’ve run out of maps to give out as well.

I highly recommend always carrying first aid materials that will let you deal with minor road rash and cuts. I have Costco quantities of the stuff at home and go through it at an alarming rate!

[KLizotte]

Truly an inspiration and a great American.

I hope his wife takes solace in knowing how any lives he has changed for the better.

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Is it ever sunny in your part of Germany?! :p

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Out of curiosity how do you park it in the city? It’s too big for a bike rack and the sidewalk so do you park and pay for an ordinary parking spot?

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