[Steve]

@Starduster 95324 wrote:

All the more reason to be *visible and audible* at the Board meeting when the construction contract comes up. Let us all know when, please…

Completely agree. And also before the meetings, as I think their mind is made up fairly often before the meeting. Anyways, I sent my email. Thanks for staying on top of this, Chris.

[Steve]

The notion that we shouldn’t create a bike trail because of environmental concerns is…..well……..(deep breaths).

[Steve]

@chris_s 95185 wrote:

He came and listened. Then he asked a question about sharing trails because he’s heard from pedestrians that are scared of bikes.

He didn’t say anything I found insightful, nor did he actually allow the BAC to ask HIM any questions.

Basically what Chris said, though I thought it was reasonable. He’s fairly new as a board member. He came to our meeting, and asked what we thought were the biggest issues facing cyclists in Arlington. We talked about the Intersection, trail safety, police involvement, etc. He was there mostly in “I’m new and want to know what the committees see as the major issues” mode. The sharing the trails thing was irritating, but whatever. We are probably a little sensitive to this type of question, moreso than we should be.

While it is fair to say that the BAC didn’t get to ask him any questions, and to criticize him for that, the BAC doesn’t get to ask ANY of the board members questions, so at least this one came to listen. Hell, the county manager hasn’t even ever been to a meeting, and she’s technically the person we are advising.

[Steve]

For what it’s worth, John Vihstadt did actually attend a BAC meeting a few months back, to listen to some of the major thoughts and issues that the BAC thought were important. Even if it’s not much, it’s certainly more than any other board member has done.

[Steve]

@mstone 95162 wrote:

Thank you, now I do feel old.

I was in high school.

[Steve]

I was in knickers, a long sleved running shirt and a short sleve jersey over that. Wool cap, but no gloves or ear warmers. I only wish I’d had thin gloves, as my hands were cold for the first half of the ride.

The past two winters, I’ve really only not rode once or twice because of temps, when it went well below 10 degrees. Even then, the temps didn’t concern me as far as riding goes, just the thought of something mechanical happening and how that might put me in a bad spot with the temps. My commute goes from about 545-630 in the morning, and so it’s very dark in the winter and not many other riders out (like I usually only see a couple of other people).

[Steve]

@cyclingfool 95065 wrote:

Winner winner chicken dinner.

Whoooohoooooo! I have also only been across it once (to ride up to Spokes), but recal the interesting fence, that goes up into an almost tunnel.

[Steve]

@cyclingfool 95034 wrote:

Others may recognize this quite quickly. Amazingly, it was my first time here in my years of riding.

Is that the 395 overpass connecting Shirlington to the base of Quaker/Martha Custis?

[Steve]

@cyclingfool 94843 wrote:

I didn’t realize the NN Shipbuilding had that.

While it doesn’t have private ones such as GM and NN, there is a googlemap of all of the known/planned bikeshares in the world. I’m sure it’s not completely accurate, but I think its fairly good, as the Cincinnati one that became operational only last week or so is on there. (link)

[Steve]

Anyone go the opposite way, taking Holmes Run trail to Filmore to Beauregard/Walter Reed to the FMRT?

I’m not that familiar with the area, but when I ride to Port City, I usually use FMRT/WalterReed/Holmes Run trail, but obviously going the opposite direction on Holmes Run so I’ve never been further north that Filmore.

[Steve]

@dasgeh 94617 wrote:

Thanks to all the riders who came through (about 500 in the 2 hours I was there)

When I first read this, I though wow that must be unusually high. But when I rode thru on my way home, around 4, I was more or less my normal number (mid/high 800s to low/mid 900s). Then I got happy to think that it means that the morning rush hour probably regularly sees that many riders!

To Rootchopper’s post, I completely agree, though on the flip side, when I pulled up to the intersection, a cyclist rode across during a break in the cars illegally as well, right in front of the cop, and the cop simply gave him the “wow, right in front of me?” look. He did nothing. This seemed a bit crazy to me, because he had to stop to wait for a break in the cars, and so the cop is just standing like 30 feet away. Anyways…

I thanked the cop for their participation all day, and for standing on the corner. Any progress is much appreciated in my book.

[Steve]

My hands being cold pretty much went away last winter by using skiing gloves. It’s a nice little benefit of bar-end shifters, and not needing great dexterity with your hands to use them.

Cold weather cycling I think I have mosty figured out……it’s the inbetween temps of the fall that make it so that I am almost always dressed improperly, either too much or too little.

[Steve]

@jnva 94647 wrote:

One day I went through there and I was #666

Did your bike immediately turn into a car?

[Steve]

As I’ve stated before, I don’t have a huge problem with people running in the street or cycletrack. I understand how/why it can be problematic and unsafe, which is why I don’t think it’s easy to make a blanket statement on whether or not it is safe. Everything, just like riding, is situational. I would never run down Wilson in the bike lane, but I almost always run down Key in the street (when I used to run more). I do this for a variety of reasons, and have never felt like I was creating an unsafe situation.

It amazes me sometimes the way we cyclists talk about peds/runners in the same manner that drivers talk about cyclists. The point is this, are all runners in the street bad or just the one idiot that did something dumb? I think I would say no, if they are being smart, courteous, predictable, etc, then run where you please. If a specific individual running in the street does something dumb, I think you have to try and view them as an individual, not “all runners.”

Oddly enough, as a cyclists, I hate when runners go contra-flow. I MUCH prefer them to go in the same direction as cars/bikes. It makes passing a much more predictable affair. If someone is running at me, especially in the bike lane, I never know which way we are supposed to pass.

[Steve]

I’m with most folks on here in that around an hour each way is probably when I would consider it to be a long commute, and the kind that would start to make me consider cutting back on days.

Another factor is probablly “added time,” not just time. Driving would take me about 40-45 min roundtrip, while biking take me around 90. So my real “cycling time” is an added 45 minutes give or take. That’s less than the time it would take to go to the gym or something like that each day, and basically adding 45 minutes to my day to be able to ride 20 miles seems like a great deal.

The more highway/further distances probably make people’s added time get even higher, and so if riding took more than 60 minutes or so longer than driving, it’d be tough.

[Author]

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