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This is why all vehicles should have forward and backwards facing cameras along with “black boxes.” Would help hold people accountable for their actions (this includes drivers, peds and cyclists).

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Wow, I didn’t know it was possible to ride over such a large tree. Such skillz could come in handy in the city!

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^^People in the suburbs do really weird things to pass the time. Must stay in the city….

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I once saw a guy washing his bike in the dog wash station in my apartment building. The bathtub and sprayer are very similar. Kinda got me thinking….

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What a badly written article (and possibly bad science). Did they account for the cooling effects of wind? Did they test people with and without compression clothing doing the same exercise? No explanation for the weird conclusion that compression clothing lowered body temps while running but not cycling.

Bad, bad journalism.

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@cvcalhoun 153678 wrote:

My evening commute would have been a lot nicer if it hadn’t started by discovering that someone had stolen my jacket, my Bar Mitts, my gloves, my headlight, and my Garmin –just in time for a ride in the dark, the cold, and the wind. The good news, such as it is, for tonight’s ride, was that they left my heavy wool sweater, I have a Cycliq Fly 12 video camera and headlight (which I’d taken up to my office for a master reset and a charge, because it had been acting up) in addition to my regular headlight, and I have a watch which is also a Garmin. Longer term, the best news was that they left behind my Cycliq Fly 6 video camera and tail light, and my Ortlieb panniers, either of which was actually more valuable than the Bar Mitts.

I think I’ll be taking my bike up to my office, instead of leaving it parked in the garage, until my firm moves to a new building which will have a bike cage.

Wow, that’s terrible. Especially if the thief is a fellow cyclist. Seriously evil.

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@dbb 153707 wrote:

There are a lot of cyclists who pass through Arlington on their commutes. Highlight that and say how valuable Arlington’s commitment is and how the county is a regional leader. Butter them up!

One can also say that you like to bike to Clarendon/Ballston, etc. for dinner/entertainment, whatever. In other words, cyclists also spend money in Arlington not just cut through on their commute.

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FYI: I copied and posted the original paragraph in this thread to the cycling listserv in my agency. I’ve had a bunch of people respond that they were unaware of the initiative and have written an email to the county in support of a bridge. Try to get the word out!

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I’m a bit befuddled. Neighborhood residents are that much in arms about *cyclists* riding through their neighborhoods? For real?! How do they think cyclists are going to get to/from the trail?

Also, taking out the trails in Bannaker Park seems crazy too. That hurts not only cyclists but peds (including those who push strollers and use wheelchairs) from using the park.

I’ve been riding a lot of trails/bike trails all over Europe (esp Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands) lately (in the virtual world) and I’m struck by how expansive and well-integrated the trails are. It’s really frustrating to see how little can be achieved in this country and I don’t see it getting better any time soon.

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Why does VDOT’s bridge have to be so long? I know they are trying to minimize the gradient but why? All I can think of is ADA requirements. There are steeper gradients along the trail due to hills. Perhaps because they have to build the bridge high enough so trucks can get through. Perhaps spirals could be used at both ends to get up to the top of the bridge. I agree that the bridge over Rte 7 is unobtrusive.

How about a tunnel instead?

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@thucydides 153519 wrote:

Note that the Arlington-East Falls Church neighborhood association (or least its president) has come out against the project in a letter to the council. It’s cloaked in “let’s slow down and study this language” but the clear intent is to kill it. She cites a hodge-podge of “let’s see if something sticks” reasons. Many if not most are pure non-sequitur, e.g., there are flaws in other parts of the trail so let’s not fix this if we can’t fix it all. A real doozy complaint is that a bridge, “presents a massive visual and functional barrier to the sights and activity of East Falls Church area.”

So people complain when government tries to fix a problem and they complain when government does nothing. Which is it people?!!!!???? Please make up your mind because I’m getting dizzy!

Even if they don’t like cyclists what about kids, the elderly and disabled trying to cross that intersection??

Massive visual barrier? Ummmm, it’s a ten lane intersection next to a major highway that bisects the area. It’s pretty hard to get uglier than that. We promise to put up a pretty bridge. Really. Trust me!

Between this and what is happening in the WH and the Hill at the moment my head is gonna explode.

Adding it to my list of outrage emails I have to send, I’ll send a note to the county this weekend.

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This sound similar to an accident that occurred last fall in Mt. Airy, MD. One of the employees of the LBS was riding home or to errands on a road that looks very similar to the one pictured above. A female driver hit him because (she claims) the sun was striking her windshield and she didn’t see him. He died as a result of his injuries.

He was the person who originally got me set up on my trike so I am very saddened by his death since he was a very kind, gentle man. He had very little money and his bike was his primary mode of transportation and I understand he was lit up like a Christmas tree at night. Unfortunately the road he was taking was the only one available because the interstate cuts that area in two and there are no low volume roads crossing the highway in that area. So basically he died because he was poor and had no other alternatives to transportation mode or choice of road. It’s outrageous.

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@Powerful Pete 153443 wrote:

Conditions continue to be trying here for Team 12’s SHO… :rolleyes:

I understand conditions in the DC area were… breezy?

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Powerful Pete promises palm trees and delivers!

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The view from the bike path this morning on to the Pacific…

The mosquitoes down there are unregulated therefore not afraid of wrongful death lawsuits. I hear they are particularly fond of meaty spandex clad butts. Beware the mosquito!

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Ha! I grew up in northern Mass no more than 10 minutes from the NH border. The rule was that if the school superintendent could get his car out of his driveway we were going to school. One year some enterprising seniors snuck over in the middle of the night and piled the snow up at the end of his driveway. Unfortunately I don’t recall if we got the day off or not. And this was before snowblowers were invented! The horror!

Oh, and I grew up in a house that was only heated with a wood stove in the basement (and, no, it was not at all warm on the top floor where the bedrooms were located). I spent my Saturdays out in the woods chopping down trees and stacking wood with my father and sister for about four months each year. It wasn’t till I got to college that I realized that most people don’t do that. That was also where I discovered the wonder and pleasure of central heating and haven’t looked back since. Give me central heat or give me death!

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@Powerful Pete 153381 wrote:

Conditions continue to prove challenging here in the SHO for Team 12. But fear not, I soldier on.

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Palm trees suffering a bit due to all the heat in the last few days. :rolleyes:

You may be struck by a falling coconut. Wear your helmet man, wear your helmet!

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