[PotomacCyclist]

I’ve written to the National Harbor property managers in the past to suggest that they join Capital Bikeshare. I believe others have written to them too. I don’t know how much our emails influenced their thinking, but maybe it helped a little. The residents at NH have probably asked for bikeshare as well.

Glad to see that they now appear receptive to the idea. This should also mean that the facility could become more accommodating to cyclists in general. I think they would need to pave at least part of that crushed shell path, for example. It’s possible to ride on the path especially with CaBi bikes. But it’s not exactly ideal. If people are going to be riding between Old Town and NH for transportation purposes, they won’t want to be slowed down so much by that path.

The site could also make it easier to ride from that path to the street network at NH, instead of putting up roadblocks and hints that cyclists are not welcome past the entrance from the path. The main NH site is large enough that it takes a while to walk from one end to the other. That would be an ideal trip on CaBi. People attending conventions at the center would have more convenient access to the restaurants and shops on the north end of the site. They would also be able to bike up to the (future) casino and the Tanger Outlet mall from NH. I doubt many people are walking between NH and the outlet mall now. That’s nearly the same distance as that of the entire National Mall, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol Reflecting Pool.

If NH does join CaBi, they need to have multiple stations at the main NH site itself. Not just one at NH, one at the casino and one at the outlet mall. Not just because of the distances at NH but also for rebalancing issues. If one station is full/empty, there should be others nearby. (Of course, all of them might be full/empty at the same time, but that’s less likely if there are multiple stations.) People won’t ride to/from Old Town if they expect the NH stations to be full/empty all the time.

Bike traffic from convention attendees probably won’t be tied to rush hour periods. I would think that it would vary throughout the day and evenings. Would a lot of the residents use CaBi to commute to Old Town and the Metro? I don’t know. It’s a nice casual ride but perhaps a little too long for most casual bike commuters. If many of the trips are casual rides by visitors, then there would be less of a need for rebalancing stations, because those trips are less likely to match rush hour patterns.

I know that I would ride over there more frequently if there were bike stations at NH. The ride across the Wilson Bridge is nice but not enough to bring me over there that often.

CaBi could also make it easier for NH to host expos for large races like the Marine Corps Marathon. The MCM will be moving their fitness expo to NH for at least the next two years (because Events DC kept switching them between the DC convention center and the Armory, which is too small for the MCM expo now). While race expos won’t dominate the NH convention schedule, there are enough of them to raise the visibility of NH.

CaBi could also help to wash away the bad memories of the ill-fated Hot Chocolate 15K/5K race at NH a few years ago. Look it up if you’re interested. It was one of the biggest messes in the DC area for an athletic race. Too many people trying to get into NH on the same morning. Didn’t work at all. The Chicago-based organizers were barred from running future events in the county, at least unofficially. Unlike the Hot Chocolate race, which took place at NH, an expo doesn’t require all the people to arrive in a narrow time window. There will still be a lot of people for the MCM expo, but that can be spread out over two or three days. For the Hot Chocolate race, thousands of people tried to get to NH within the same few hours on race morning.

CaBi wouldn’t make it possible to host any large races at NH, but it might make any race expos more palatable, by giving them another option to get to NH. Many runners may not want to bike between Old Town and NH on the day before a long running race, to conserve energy. But some might. Plus many friends and family members of runners also attend the expo. They don’t need to be as careful about pre-race energy expenditure as the runners do.

[PotomacCyclist]

According to this recent article, College Park signed with Zagster for its bikeshare program. It’s expected to launch in January.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/prince-georges-county-is-considering-connecting-with-capital-bikeshare/2015/11/28/f177f546-9213-11e5-8aa0-5d0946560a97_story.html

Not sure that January is the best month to open a new bikeshare system, not if they want to build buzz around it. Maybe they want fewer riders at first, to work out operational issues.

[PotomacCyclist]

@ShawnoftheDread 128615 wrote:

The banned guy struck me as an obvious troll rather than a serious supporter of the ELF. And suggesting it was a user created to make ELF supporters look (even more) like idiots is not an accusation of a “conspiracy” in either the legal or popular uses of the word.

I’ve met people in real life who sound a lot like the banned guy. Same catch phrases, same rants, same code words, same biases, same arguments, same apocalyptic paranoia and worldview, and some of the same exact language. Yes, he came across as unbalanced but there are people who really do speak like that and who really do believe that stuff. I’ve heard this sort of stuff from certain individuals over a period of months. I know others from school. I’ve worked around many people like this, for extended periods of time (months and years). I’ve worked at some places very heavily dominated by conservative ideologues. A relative or two even sounds like that guy in some sentences, but not in others. That’s why I don’t automatically think he’s a troll. Because I’ve heard very similar rants in real life many times. I’ve heard many people with the habit of calling every single person who opposes any of their points a Communist or Commie or similar terms. Over and over and over again. I’m sure you know people like this too. It’s not exactly unheard of. This forum tends to be calmer than most, so we don’t usually see that stuff here.

I’ve also read similar thoughts and rants on other forums as well as from some commentators and professional cranks. (One of the op-ed writers at The Washington Times comes to mind. He has written pieces that are very similar stylistically to the banned user, although he is more anti-environmentalist but also anti-cyclist.) There are A LOT of people who really are like that. I can think of several people [not on this forum] that I’ve met who would actually post those types of messages. (In my younger days, I might have even touched on some of those passages and uttered a phrase or two close to some of those lines, but hopefully not too close to the banned guy. I was not always a bike enthusiast, not until about seven years ago.)

[PotomacCyclist]

I never understood why we are supposed to follow some random rules that a bunch of dudes put together on some website.

[PotomacCyclist]

Now he’s coming up with a conspiracy theory that someone spent the time to create an account like that, because his friend/ally went overboard.

I won’t get into too many specifics but basically every comment that I recall ended with him calling every cyclist a Communist or Commie sympathizer or a supporter of the Red Chinese because they rode “Chinese-made Cannondales.” Someone pointed out that a lot of bikes are made in Taiwan, which throws out the whole “Commie” attack while revealing that his main problem seems to be with Asian products. Every post was like that, about the overwhelming threat of the Chinese and how cyclists were complicit because they are all riding “Chinese-made Cannondales” and basically handing over the country to International Communism because of that. Over and over again, with white-hot rage against the Chinese and against DC-area cyclists.

It’s similar to other general attacks I’ve read against cyclists and bikeshare, almost always from hard right-wing people. (Sorry, but it has to be said.) They bring out the evil specter of turning American cities into copies of Chinese cities because of bikeshare and bike infrastructure. It’s always along the lines of “we don’t want to become Third World countries like China.” Of course they ALWAYS conveniently ignore how prevalent cycling and bikeshare are in many major European cities like Copenhagen, Paris and Amsterdam. That reveals that the argument is more about racial fear-mongering and hatred than it is about anything else. It’s also similar to the vitriol I’ve read on some car and motorcycle forums where people go absolutely bonkers with the racial animus when talking about Japanese cars or motorcycles. Rarely do I read the same hatred about German cars. (I don’t drive much and I don’t ride motorcycles. I just happened to come across some of these forums for other reasons.)

I pointed out that I mostly ride Canadian-built Bixi/CaBi bikes. I don’t even have a strong opinion about the ELF either way, since I’ve never encountered it myself and I don’t know what it’s like to ride near it. I recognize the potential issues but it’s different when I haven’t been in those situations yet. But I do have strong objections to race-baiting, fear-mongering, rage, hatred and non-stop personal attacks. And I think it’s laughable that an “opponent” supposedly created that account. Give me a break. I also pointed out how that guy was actually a great PR person for China and all the other evildoers he was attacking. He generated so much ill will that I can’t imagine anyone would be convinced to be in favor of the ELF if they weren’t already. Heck, he could have convinced fish to hate water while posting in favor of water.

[PotomacCyclist]

I don’t think I’ll wear bike shoes any time the temperatures are in the mid 40s and below. (Actually I’ve rarely worn bike shoes at all this year, since 99 percent of my bike trips have been on CaBi.)

I’ll probably do more work at home this winter so I won’t have to bike commute that often. When I ride for recreation, I’ll continue to ride CaBi nearly all the time. My regular winter boots will work better than any bike shoe (which has the gaping hole in the soles for the cleats).

If I ever decide to get back into any sort of athletic training, I might use spin bikes at the gym. Or get an indoor trainer and finally use my triathlon bike again. I’ve only used that for a total of about 5 minutes this year.

[PotomacCyclist]

@hozn 128570 wrote:

Are the safety patrol cyclists representatives of NVRPA? I think the lawyers (kcb203) on the thread have demonstrated the invalidity of your claims from a legal perspective. And plenty of folks have given you an indication that your abuse is unwelcome from a social perspective. Do what you want, obviously, but don’t pretend the authorities or fellow trail users see your behavior as acceptable.

Plus there’s the fact that he called in the racist attack dog on this thread. Great way to foster good will.

[PotomacCyclist]

I ran a 9-mile race during grade school while wearing jeans. Still not sure why. But I think I finished 4th in my age group.

When I returned to running seven years ago, I saw the light. No running in jeans. Or in khakis for me. I don’t even own any jeans right now. (But I must admit to owning khakis.)

I tried doing a few bike commutes in khakis but that is not pleasant, especially in the summer. Why would anyone want to do that voluntarily? Completely messes up the pants with perspiration, and puts a lot of wear and tear on clothes that aren’t really designed for sustained athletic activity.

[PotomacCyclist]

I ran a 9-mile race during grade school while wearing jeans. Still not sure why. But I think I finished 4th in my age group.

When I returned to running seven years ago, I saw the light. No running in jeans. Or in khakis for me. I don’t even own any jeans right now. (But I must admit to owning khakis.)

[PotomacCyclist]

NBC Washington is predicting 20-25 inches of snow in DC over the winter, with 30-50 inches out to the west of the immediate DC area.

Above average temperatures in December, January slightly colder than average, February significantly colder than average. Partly the effects of one of the strongest El Niños on record.

Whether or not these advance forecasts are accurate, we know it will be chilly over the winter. I just hope it’s not as bad as in February, which was one of the 10 coldest months ever in DC.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Winter-Weather-Forecast-At-Least-One-Major-Storm-344062632.html

[PotomacCyclist]

@Erin Potter 128556 wrote:

Okay, that took some interesting turns, but it’s time to shut it down. Thanks to forum folks for attempting to engage thoughtfully, but we’re calling it for OneLessCar.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]10128[/ATTACH]

I wonder how long it will be before we see a mysterious newcomer to the forum…

[PotomacCyclist]

@americancyclo 128534 wrote:

Same lime green one that parks on independence near long worth and Rayburn in the afternoons?
[ATTACH]10127[/ATTACH]

Now that I see the photo, I remember seeing that near the Washington Monument a few times. I vaguely remember the political signs. Some religious ones in there too. But I don’t remember the specifics.

[PotomacCyclist]

It was a relatively easy call for the County. They knew that the owners would get a lot more money from redevelopment, whether or not it was the County that bought the building or a private party. So the owners were likely to come around eventually because it was in their long-term best interest to do so, financially speaking. I don’t believe the building is residential, so there are no residents that will lose their homes. The pharmacist group will have to move but that’s not a major hardship, not when they will be rolling in all the money they will receive. I know I would gladly move a few blocks down the street if someone paid me millions of dollars to do so.

[PotomacCyclist]

“Unlike most marathoners, who run around 20 miles at a time in training” — um, no. They might run close to 20 miles on some of their “long runs,” but on every run? Not even most pros do that (although the pros do frequently run twice a day, running close to 20 miles a day over two separate runs, and sometimes in a single run).

As for chafing, watch the Marine Corps Marathon, which runs through Arlington. Plenty of guys with BNS (bloody nipple syndrome), because of all the chafing from their shirts. (It can happen with cotton or with polyester fabrics. Relatively few amateurs wear Lycra running shirts but tech shirts are usually made of non-elastic polyester fibers.)

[PotomacCyclist]

@OneLessCar 128523 wrote:

That’s what they said about Ted Kazcinsky. Yeah, he was weird, and dangerous.

I prefer “perimeter monkey”. One who doesn’t quite fit in, but sees impending danger first, and tries to warn everyone.

This is exactly what people have been doing on this thread regarding the use of the ELF on the bike trail. I’m not necessarily saying they are correct since I have not encountered the vehicle myself. But what you are shouting about, your noble protection of society, is EXACTLY what people have been doing on this thread. And I’d say you aren’t exactly so noble, considering your personal insults and racial innuendo. C’mon, nonstop use of “Commie” this and “Commie” that, “Chinese-made Cannondales,” and other nonsense. Please.

I don’t have a vested interest in this thread either way, but I can recognize how over-the-top, personally aggressive, personally offensive and race-baiting you are. Your friend calls you in and this is your response? You’ve definitely turned off far more people off the ELF vehicle, just because of your personality. Anyone on the fence about it would certainly be against it now. Not because they “love Commies” or “love oil companies” or “love their Chinese-made Cannondales” so much or because of whatever. No, just because of YOU. You have definitely generated far more ill will toward your friend and the ELF community in general, considering how you choose to frame it in terms of race, us vs. them, and war-like, civilization-defining terms. Frankly, the oil companies, the car companies, the Chinese Communist party, and overseas manufacturers of any product have a secret friend in you.

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