[PotomacCyclist]

Only one of the top 8 new forum posts is BAFS-related right now, not counting this thread.

[PotomacCyclist]

I guess this thread is what happens when we don’t get much snow in January. People are getting cabin fever even though they should be outside riding in the relatively mild conditions (for January).

Just a reminder, in case we ever do get measurable snow across the entire region:

@PotomacCyclist 131633 wrote:

What about following a format on the monthly Road and Trail Conditions thread to make these easier to read? These threads sometimes contain off-topic or marginally-related messages. What about if hazard warning posts always start off with the name of the location in bold type and all caps? Then a more detailed description of the problem could follow. For example, something like this:

MVT/GRAVELLY POINT – 1/23/2018, 8 am

Downed tree, 100 ft. north of the airplane viewing area. Blocking the entire trail. NPS has been notified.

This would make the thread easier to read for people who want to see hazard/obstacle warnings quickly before they head off to work/school/other. There wouldn’t have to be a precise format, as long as people use similar formats that highlight the location of the problem and make the notice easy to spot by those scanning through the thread quickly.

Just a suggestion. Obviously no one has to follow this suggested format. I just thought that it would make these threads easier to use by those who are in a rush in the mornings, evenings or any other time of the day.

[PotomacCyclist]

@PotomacCyclist 125709 wrote:

I don’t think there’s a formal process for landowners at existing buildings. I’ve written to some owners (Potomac Yard Shopping Center, National Harbor) about bikeshare without much success. Others have contacted landowners and businesses about adding bike racks at their properties. I don’t know how successful this is, but it can’t hurt to try. Some owners are completely resistant to bike facilities, for whatever reasons. (They may think that cyclists are dangerous, even though there are plenty of car drivers racing through and next to their properties at high speeds, and they don’t try to keep cars out.) Some older buildings may have narrow sidewalks and little room for bike racks, unfortunately.

I believe there are rules or practices for new developments, especially larger ones. Tim mentioned that new properties are supposed to be more bike-friendly. I can confirm this is the case with the new developments I’ve seen in Arlington. The new buildings all have bike racks. Some new and old buildings and parking garages have indoor bike parking/bike rooms. Some may even have showers and locker rooms for cyclists but I can’t confirm that.

Community and neighborhood groups are another place to discuss and coordinate email/in-person requests for bike racks, although not everyone may be as enthusiastic about bike racks as people on this forum. Most of the area Business Improvement Districts have been trying to promote cycling and bike infrastructure.

The Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO) could be a good resource and partner:

http://www.columbia-pike.org/?page_id=215

[EDIT: I see that CPRO has already been mentioned.]

The new developments on the eastern end of the Pike have many bike racks. I don’t think there are as many new projects on the western end, but I believe there are a few being planned and built.

A few updates:

– Apparently it does help to contact property owners, especially if many people do it. The National Harbor owners have changed their tune on cycling in a major way. They have installed bike racks throughout the main development and are now publicly talking about bringing Capital Bikeshare to NH.

– Regarding western Columbia Pike, there are now 22 spaces at the U racks in Glencarlyn Park, at the new learners loop at Columbia Pike & FMR Drive. It’s a block away from Cafe Sazon but it’s closer than Arlington Mill.

– In the more distant future, a new development is being proposed for the Food Star grocery site at S. George Mason Drive. Columbia Pike Village Center will have ground-floor retail, a grocery, apartments and “secure bicycle parking.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2016/01/on-columbia-pike-surface-parking-will-give-way-to.html

The Arlington project page indicates that the secure storage facility will have 126 bike parking spaces, presumably for resident use only. But there will also be 28 public spaces on the streets.

http://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/columbia-pike-village-center/

This presentation indicates that there would be bike racks on both Columbia Pike and on S. George Mason Drive. There will be a new grocery (likely to be a Harris Teeter), and a park or a central garden and a water feature.

http://arlingtonva.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2015/11/AWG-PPT_Part2.pdf

https://www.arlnow.com/2015/08/13/county-seeking-input-on-new-pike-village-center-design/

These spaces will combine with the new racks at Glencarlyn Park and the racks between FMR and Wakefield St to provide much better bike parking options along western Columbia Pike. However, Columbia Pike Village Center won’t be ready for at least a couple years.

[PotomacCyclist]

I briefly considered signing up for the slacker team although I haven’t participated in BAFS in the past and I’m not signed up with Strava. Plus I don’t like cold weather. So I will just be a non-participating observer, again. But yesterday, I did manage to ride in DC, Maryland and Virginia, all in the same day. But not continuously. I took Metro in between the jurisdictions, then did some riding in each location.

[PotomacCyclist]

Some background info on the process of bringing bikeshare to Reston and Tysons:

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?5521-Capital-Bikeshare-coming-to-Reston

[PotomacCyclist]

I think the Tysons bikes and stations will be best used in conjunction with the new Silver Line Metro stations, for “last mile” trips or shorter trips within central Tysons that are a bit too far to walk. Hopefully this will encourage fewer people to make short trips by car in that area.

It’s a good sign that the Tysons Partnership is playing a major role here. This means that they will continue to push for more bike projects in central Tysons, not just bikeshare. There’s a lot of work to be done, but at least they seem to recognize that and they are making some efforts to become more bike-friendly.

[PotomacCyclist]

I’ve noticed that some store and restaurant chains put more of an emphasis on providing bike parking than others. I think this has to be a corporate-level policy, at least in some cases, because I see consistent patterns. In particular, Chipotle restaurants and REI and Target stores have bike racks much more often than some other national chains. I’ve tracked enough locations and bike racks in the DC region now to know that these patterns exist, whether by choice or by accident. I tend to think it’s by choice and corporate policy. (I guess this is a benefit of mapping bike racks, seeing patterns that wouldn’t be noticed otherwise.)

So this got me thinking. Why not encourage more chains to have similar policies, if there are indeed such policies? A properly-installed U bike rack is a relatively small expense for a large chain. At the same time, it can bring in bike-riding customers, including those who might stop to make an impulse purchase. I’ve looked around for bike racks in the middle of some longer outings in exactly this situation, trying to find a casual restaurant with bike racks for an unplanned stop.

Bike racks are also an easy way to build some good will, especially for some brands that have gotten hammered in recent years for the health of their customers. This includes chains like McDonald’s, whose sales have started to plateau in many areas. They have been hit hard by documentaries like “Super Size Me.” I haven’t seen the entire film so I can’t judge it on its merits. I just know that it has been influential among many observers and it has contributed to the mixed fortunes of McDonald’s recently. I do think portion size is only one factor in diet and health. High-sugar diets are perhaps an even bigger problem and most fast-food places serve sugary sodas, not just McDonald’s.

(I’m not really a McDonald’s fan, because the fries are way too salty and I’ve had some burgers with brown lettuce, hidden in the center of the bun, after the peak dinner period when they seem to be trying to get rid of old food without throwing it away. Other fast-food places do similar things, in my experience, such as using scraps in their sandwiches after the midday lunch rush is over.)

Anyway, knowing that some chains already seem to have bike-parking policies and knowing that McDonald’s is still the biggest or one of the biggest chains out there, I thought it would be good for McDonald’s to institute a similar policy of providing more bike parking at its restaurants nationwide, and even worldwide. They could hype up the policy to show their concern (real or not) about the health of their customers. Even if they would only do this for the PR benefit, it could bring the idea of practical cycling to a large new group of people, inactive McDonald’s customers who don’t walk or bike that much. While I don’t think the presence of bike racks at McDonald’s would magically transform the lifestyles of all the customers, it would be another step toward normalizing the idea that many people bike for transportation, to commute and to run errands.

I know that not all McDonald’s customers are inactive and unhealthy. But many are. Plus I know that McDonald’s is still popular and influential in many areas, including many locations that aren’t that focused on cycling today.

Since there are so many McDonald’s restaurants, if there were a nationwide policy to promote bike rack installation, this would bring bike racks to many new areas, including suburban and rural areas that do not have many bike racks today.

It would cost relatively little for McDonald’s to add bike racks. Even just a few racks per location could help, and the cost per restaurant would not be exorbitant. In situations where the bikes begin to see heavy use, the company and the franchisees could see that bike racks lead to more sales and so more racks could be added.

I sent them a message about this suggestion. I don’t have any expectations that this will spur them into a brand new policy, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to try. If enough people bring up the idea, maybe sooner or later, they will think about instituting it. Maybe bike and advocacy groups like BikeArlington and WABA could make similar suggestions, not just to McDonald’s but to other large national and regional chains.

If McDonald’s adopts a bike parking policy and promotes it, it could encourage even more large chains to adopt similar policies to add bike racks at their stores and restaurants nationwide. This could be a potentially large source of additional bike parking nationwide, without having to scrounge around for public funding for new bike racks. Perhaps this could free up local, state and federal agencies to focus more on building protected bike lanes, safer intersections, bike/pedestrian bridges and separated trails, if they don’t need to focus on installing as many bike racks.

This effort can exist alongside efforts to encourage businesses to participate in bikeshare networks. While some businesses and groups have been willing to contribute to the cost of installing bike stations nearby, others might be deterred by the high cost of a station. In comparison, bike racks are much less expensive but they still provide some bike-friendly credibility.

***

As far as small independent stores go, I see patterns there too. Of course most bike shops have bike racks. But so do many health food stores and some places with a connection to environmental issues.

[PotomacCyclist]

@consularrider 132048 wrote:

Well, in this far eastern “suburb,” Weather Underground has a “little” snow in our ten day forecast. <2cm tomorrow, <2 cm Saturday, 3-7 cm on each of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, <2 next Thursday, and finishing with a whopping 20-30 cm next Friday. Now, If I can only get the Pugsley back together and get out and ride, I may be in line for the snowiest rides pointless prize in BAFS this year 'cause it doesn't look like anyone in the immediate DC area will be competing.

The BikeArlington Forum only covers the Planet Earth, not Mars or Neptune. Sorry.

But if you can prove you are a Jedi, or a non-Replicant, then an exception might be made.

[PotomacCyclist]

As far as road and trail conditions go, there might be a small amount of snow on Sunday evening. Weather Underground says there’s a 43% chance, with total accumulation likely to be less than an inch.

It will rain on Friday evening and Saturday morning, but temperatures are supposed to stay above freezing, at least in Arlington and DC. Maybe it will be a little cooler in the outer suburbs.

[PotomacCyclist]

@lordofthemark 132005 wrote:

Today someone wrote in the AlexandrIA Times suggesting that the population of the City be capped, to avoid worsening congestion from more cars. While I think he exaggerated the extent of congestion, it is true that for someplace like Alexandria to grow and provide more housing close to regional job centers, we need to improve all non auto modes.

So is that guy (or gal) going to monitor every apartment, home, hospital, back alley and street corner, to make sure no excessive births happen? Or that no more individuals cross over the Alexandria border, from abroad but also from Arlington, DC, Fairfax or Maryland?

That person sounds as hysterical and loopy as the person who complained that Long Bridge Park in Arlington would bring about bird-carried plagues upon local residents.

One huge problem with that person’s suggestion is that traffic congestion in Alexandria and elsewhere in the regional center is dependent on overall population, transportation planning and economic growth, not just what happens in Alexandria.

hozn wrote:

Luckily as cyclists we get effectively zero enforcement and the option to ride on sidewalks, bike paths, and streets.

There are traffic enforcement stings that target cyclists and pedestrians along with those targeting car drivers. At the same time, I regularly see pedestrians, drivers and cyclists get away with breaking road laws. A couple weeks ago, I saw a woman jaywalk and amble slowly across a high-speed road at night. The speed limit is 35 mph there, I believe. Insane. When I used to work near a bike messenger center (FedEx office where a group of bike messengers would hang out all day, waiting for delivery assignments), I would frequently see one of them zip through, around and in between car traffic in all directions in a busy intersection. Insane.

Of course I see car drivers running red lights almost every single day, especially when I’m walking to an intersection. They speed up to try to beat a yellow light, fail miserably and continue speeding through the red light. This happens all the time. Not every driver does this, but a large percentage do. Maybe 10 to 30 percent of the first drivers to reach the changing light. While many drivers get tickets, a huge number do not, and their actions have very serious consequences (driver, pedestrian and cyclist deaths). It’s extremely rare for a cyclist to cause the death of someone else. Not so rare for a car driver to cause the death of someone else. So I’m not too concerned even if there is more enforcement against car drivers (which I don’t really think is the case).

[PotomacCyclist]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10432[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10433[/ATTACH]

Despite the appearance of being in a remote setting, this is actually just outside DC.

[PotomacCyclist]

I see some of that nonsense on social media too, when someone complains about a single cyclist who engaged in reckless behavior and then goes on to imply that “all cyclists” are menaces and threats to Western Civilization and the existence of humankind. Or something like that.

I could see if someone complained about Mr. or Ms. ??? specifically, but some of these people (including a particular Wall Street Journal board member and The Washington Times columnist) expand this to include all cyclists. I think part of it is that some of these hidebound people still have this idea of all cyclists being wild-eyed, hippie, eco-warrior/terrorist, granola-eating, bath-avoiding enviro-freaks. Or something like that. It doesn’t compute when they hear about people like the Navy SEAL who was killed while riding his bike in Maryland not long ago. I can almost hear the internal gears grinding to a halt, or the computer memory banks starting to overload when they read “Navy SEAL” and “cyclist” in the same sentence. “How can this be? A Navy SEAL is not a wild-eyed hippie treehugger? This does not compute.” Or “F-that! No way! I’m so angry that I’m gonna run over you and all of your Lycra-wearing snooty friends like they were bowling pins!” (I’ve actually seen people post comments very similar to this, in the U.S., including the part about thinking of cyclists as bowling pins and flying into rages and a wild desire to run them over with a truck. :rolleyes: )

And who can forget the eloquent W. Times column about Capital Bikeshare being “ugly smugly.” Such refinement. Such class. Such insight. :rolleyes:

[PotomacCyclist]

Did you add it to the map? We can send in corrections and additions to Google Maps. The Google team examines the proposed edits and updates, then posts them once they are verified. I changed a DC marker just last week. It took a couple days but eventually the info was corrected.

[PotomacCyclist]

Copied over (with edits) from the thread about a road/trail conditions website:

What about following a format on the monthly Road and Trail Conditions thread to make these easier to read? These threads sometimes contain off-topic or marginally-related messages. What about if hazard warning posts always start off with the name of the location in bold type and all caps? Then a more detailed description of the problem could follow. For example, something like this:

MVT/GRAVELLY POINT – 1/23/2018, 8 am

Downed tree, 100 ft. north of the airplane viewing area. Blocking the entire trail. NPS has been notified.

This would make the thread easier to read for people who want to see hazard/obstacle warnings quickly before they head off to work/school/other. There wouldn’t have to be a precise format, as long as people use similar formats that highlight the location of the problem and make the notice easy to spot by those scanning through the thread quickly.

Just a suggestion. Obviously no one has to follow this suggested format. I just thought that it would make these threads easier to use by those who are in a rush in the mornings, evenings or any other time of the day.

[PotomacCyclist]

Simpler would be better. Something like a map that has an icon that marks obstacles, hazards and other problems. There could be a limited set of easy-to-read icons, to mark common issues such as icy patches, flooded trails, downed trees, car crash injuries and damage, police/Secret Service closures (since this is the DC area) and maybe a couple other categories.

The ice icon could have an icicle or two hanging from a tree branch next to a slick frozen patch. This would have to be simple in order to show up on a mobile-friendly map.

The flooded trail icon could show water above a trail, similar to existing traffic signs that warn of low-lying flood-prone areas.

The police/Secret Service icon could show a police barricade, or a simplified version of one.

But once someone adds these to a map, how long would the icon markers stay in place? Would they disappear after a set time? Or would they need to be removed manually? By users or by an administrator? If the icons aren’t cleared, then the map would fill up with old hazard markers.

If this is too complicated, maybe we could set up a format on the existing Road and Trail Conditions thread to make those easier to read? Those threads contain off-topic or marginally-related messages. What about if hazard warning posts always start off with the name of the location in bold type and all caps? Then a more detailed description of the problem could follow. For example, something like this:

MVT/GRAVELLY POINT – 1/23/2018, 8 am

Downed tree, 100 ft. north of the airplane viewing area. Blocking the entire trail. NPS has been notified.

This would make the thread easier to read for people who want to see hazard/obstacle warnings quickly before they head off to work/school/other.

[Author]

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