[Steve]

@rcannon100 34454 wrote:

Er, no. That would only be true if you close the door to democracy so that the process only includes those in the room. That would be silly – and not democracy.

I will say this, a govt official, or even a govt contractor, should be careful about saying that citizens cannot complain, or saying when and how citizens have permission to engage the political process. That would be treading very close to first amendment problems.

This is generally people without children, without jobs that are overly demanding, or without something else in their life. And then they build walls around the fiefdom and say “You cant complain unless you show up to the meeting.” Political discourse in Arlington has transformed.

Is there really a need for the personal level of this attack? After all, Tim is one of the few people who dedicate their career (at least currently) to trying to improve the cycling in Arlington that we all enjoy. And from the few ABAC meetings that I have attended, I don’t think it is at all fair to characterize the rest of the group as you have. To the point of where this started, I think the comment was more of the “if you don’t vote, you can’t complain” type. While you can participate in the forum, on some level if you don’t attend the meeting, you are forfeiting a vote. It’s much like the blog in that you can attempt to be political, and you can even greatly influence the political discussion, but voting remains important.

[Steve]

@TwoWheelsDC 34349 wrote:

I usually take New Jersey down to Eye SE, then across SW to Water street, then past the fish market to Ohio and 14th St. bridge. It adds about a mile to the routes you mentioned, but I suspect it won’t actually add any time, since the lights on Eye are timed pretty well and Water street doesn’t require any stops.

http://goo.gl/maps/Bxr88

You also have the option, based upon TwoWheels’ route, to take that up Ohio Drive to the Memorial Bridge. In the AM (from VA to DC) I ride roads because of how dark and empty the Custis is. Taking the roads puts me on the 110 trail up to Mem Bridge. Crossing on the Memorial Bridge to Ohio Drive is a little easier than making an additional 2 GW Pkwy/VA-27 crossings near Memorial Circle to get down to the MVT.

In the PM, I take the 14th St. Bridge to MVT to Custis, just like TwoWheels, because it is the easiest way for me to get to Custis, and I prefer that to Wilson or Lee Hwy.

A side note: does anyone know if/when they are going to finish Marshall Dr next to Iwo Jima? I have been cutting thru the park to avoid Marshall, but in the dark is sketches me out a little sometimes. It’s been that way since before BikeDC.

[Steve]

@jabberwocky 33943 wrote:

I’m getting confused. Are people actually arguing that the stop signs on the W&OD have no legal weight and can be ignored? Because, uh, stopping at those roads seems like a really good idea to me.

I think people are arguing for this:

http://www.vabike.org/the-idaho-stop-what-do-you-think/

[Steve]

I think people are arguing for something more like this:

http://www.vabike.org/the-idaho-stop-what-do-you-think/

[Steve]

I completely agree with the spray paint suggestion. The vertical cuts are always a big thing that I am worried about, and that would help greatly without costing anything. Also, I suggest possibly signage in two forms: 1) Signs that state there is uneven surface for cyclists. Often you see these types of sings for cars, but they go away once the road is mostly re-paved. For cyclists, must smaller grade difference cause issues. 2) Signs that clarify the right of cyclists to use the whole lane around construction sites. I know the video example was the cut in the road, but the issue I run into more often is how filled with dirt, rocks, and debris the bike lane can get (or just the far right side of the driving lane) next to a construction site. It would be nice to have some signage or sharrow painted to notify drivers that cyclists may use the entire lane to get around these areas.

[Steve]

Great time last night. I enjoyed getting to meet some of you. Thanks for setting it up Kathy.

[Steve]

I’m in. Looking forward to it.

[Steve]

Sometimes I wish I was riding fast enough that someone accused me of thinking that I was in the Tour. I need to work out more….

[Steve]

No chance he wears a helmet.

[Steve]

There are two parts of this that I love, aside from just that fact that you’ve done all the cycling:

1. “bikes acquired with the intention that they would be the last commuter bike I would ever need: 5” – I read this quote minutes after looking at a Surly Cross Check online, and felt immediately that I was doing it too.

2. “money saved: $0” – One of the things that always bothers me a little is when car-free advocates say that it leads to so much saved money and increased wealth. No it doesn’t. Budgeting leads to saved money. Sure, removing the car from your budget, often the second biggest expense (after housing), makes it easier to save, but it doesn’t actually make you save. If you’re like most of us, it just means you spend more elsewhere, which of course can be fun.

Great post and congrats!

[Author]

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