[lordofthemark]

For other DC developments: I think your ride also took you along the Crosstown project (connecting Park View to the west end of Catholic U alongside the “Hospital Highway”).

Yeah, I was going to add some more comments on the rest of my ride later

DDOT also is installing advisory bike lanes on a few quieter streets (Kentucky and Tennessee) on Capitol Hill. Those will have painted bike lanes on each side, with a single 14′ general travel lane in the middle that is for both directions of car traffic. Will be interesting to see how those work out.

We have those on Potomac Greens Drive. I think they are supposed to serve a traffic calming, in a place where conventional bike lanes wouldn’t fit. I guess the neighborhood (it’s not a route to anywhere else, because that area is a giant cul de sac) is happy with it.

[lordofthemark]

Yesterday I rode K Street NW from Mt Vernon Square to NoMa for the first time in well over a year. A. There was about a block or so of what appeared to be buffer markings chalked in. This is, I take it, the first part of a PBL to be implemented? B. The existing conventional bike lanes were extended a bit? This is a temporary place holder until DDOT does PBLs on the whole stretch, or have they given up on that?

[lordofthemark]

So, ALXNOW (the little sibling to ARLNOW) did a piece last week on ebikes, quoting the guy from Pedego about sales.

Some commenter said “well at a minimum price of $2000, these are luxuries for the affluent, not transportation for working class people”

Somehow the message that there are auto replacements did not get through.

When I pointed out how much cheaper this was compared to even a small used car, someone else said “Well okay, let’s apply the personal property tax to them”. Oy.

[lordofthemark]

@LhasaCM 201941 wrote:

To provide a bit more context about what the “something” will be – the likeliest outcome from last summer’s presentation and what folks have heard out of DDOT since is converting 8th NE to a one-way road for cars. That would allow for a two-way protected cycletrack on the west side of the street, opposite Sunbelt. Benefits of that approach:
1. West-side cycletrack avoids the frequent in/out driveway traffic of Collins Elevator, Sunbelt, Hope, Ace, and the larger apartment buildings (existing at Dance Place, under construction for the Hanover project just south of Dance Place)
2. Converting to one-way for general traffic preserves the existing parking/loading zones in the corridor.
3. Simplifies the traffic pattern for school drop-off/pickup.

The biggest con to the approach is that the one-way conversion will have a ripple effect on the connecting roads, and it seems that has been the holdup in finalizing a design plan (at the February DDOT open house, I was told that they were a few weeks away – we’re more than five months later and now a few months away at the last update).

The ideal would have been to reserve sufficient right of way alongside the train tracks to continue the trail off-road, but that ship sailed when the Edgewood Arts Center was built and completely undermined by not including space as part of the Monroe Street bridge reconstruction. (I’m sure some residents will still push for that to the extent possible to retain 8th NE as it is). So absent that option, and operating under a tougher budget environment, a two-way protected cycletrack is the next best viable alternative as it can be done without a larger capital project.

I rode this yesterday, and I wanted to say that with the improvements to the MBT south of here (and trail focused development) and the completion of the MBT to the north, and more bike infra in the area generally, this will become increasingly important. I’ve never seen much auto traffic here, but then I’ve never ridden here on a weekday.

[lordofthemark]

I know bikeDC loves to hate on Bowser, and many complaints are justified. But there is evidence lower speed limits do have an impact, independent of infrastructure changes. This is a good thing. I hope we can do it in Alexandria.

[lordofthemark]

Reji rode Seminary 57 times during FS -32 in one direction, 25 in the other.

Anyone who thinks they can match that should say so soon, or I will just award her the prize!

[lordofthemark]

@matteblack 199863 wrote:

Why not? It only took me five minutes to create and I don’t even know the area. Is the general public not capable of finding routes near their homes? Is the general public not capable of using a map?

I ride Lacy regularly – its my direct route to Trader Joe’s and Lake Barcroft (and thence to Annandale).

Newbie riders, youngsters, etc are not going to take the lane there, with steep grades and traffic frequently on your tail and a need to carefully swerve to allow traffic to pass.

And that’s a good area where there is actually a grid of streets in a relatively low density place – most of the region either has no complete grid to make it possible to stay off arterials, or the density (and thus number of motor vehicles) is higher.

Things are fine in general for confident riders (as noted, much less traffic across the region, though reports of some drivers going faster than usual)

There are problems for the newb riders who cling to sidewalks (and pedestrians face similar issues) The policy solutions for these latter two groups would be the same (temporarily reallocating street space to create wider sidewalks to the extent feasible).

[lordofthemark]

@Starduster 199573 wrote:

Much needed improvement. “Social distancing” is such a new and odd phrase. It does not accurately convey that what you mean is, “STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM EACH OTHER!!!” Thank you, sir…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNIZofPB8ZM

[lordofthemark]

Anyone who thinks they are in the running for this, please PM me, and tell me how many times you have ridden these segments.

I will make a judgement call as to if and how to verify your claim.

Thanks.

[lordofthemark]

I am, sadly, cancelling the ride. Go ahead and ride on your own, maybe we will pass each other somewhere, there will be no meeting at Whole Foods. We will do this again in better times.

[lordofthemark]

Changed my mind about Lost Boy. Ride still on, but I intend to skip the cidery.

[lordofthemark]

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9mxp-wBOFU/?igshid=u7dwwmbghzaj

I am comfortable still going there, but again, this may be my last such activity for a while.

[lordofthemark]

Still on.

I think we will skip Port City. We will see how crowded Lost Boy is and play it by ear.

I expect this to be likely the last social event I will be attending (aside from coffee club) for a while.

[lordofthemark]

I’ve used the semi dockless system in Albany. I docked the bike, because that worked for me, and I did not want to pay the extra fee for leaving it undocked. There have been times in DC I would have loved the option because I was dock blocked and in a hurry. The incentive to dock it probably makes it work better than the fully dockless model in some ways, because it would reduce rebalancing costs, reduce parking issues, and for electrics make possible charging at docks (that’s why I think maybe scooters should move from dockless to semi dockless). It also makes it possible to expand reach to places that do not yet have docks.

[lordofthemark]

@zsionakides 198782 wrote:

The connector was negotiated in exchange for expanding the ANCC’s clubhouse. That type of negotiation isn’t much different than negotiating proffers with any development. Getting a connector all the way around to Columbia Heights would have significantly more utility than just Arlington View.

My understanding is that Virginia law limits the kinds of proffers localities can ask for, at least for residential development.

https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/new-virginia-proffer-law-creates-uncertainties

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