[wheelswings]

What a festive and fascinating ride, Komorebi. Thank you so much for organizing and leading!! It was wonderful to ride with y’all and to see the creative tree-stump sculptures. Thanks, Casey, for hanging back each time I wanted just-one-more picture!

[wheelswings]

Such a PSA fits in well with the industry playbook on “jaywalking.” It’s all part of automakers’ successful efforts to shift the blame to the buffoons killed by drivers.
For those not familiar with the history of the term, take a look at:
https://www.vox.com/2015/1/15/7551873/jaywalking-history
The emergence of so-called jaywalking is covered also in Climate Town’s must-watch video, How the Auto Industry Carjacked the American Dream.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOttvpjJvAo

[wheelswings]

This is simply a note of gratitude to those who take the effort to post these reports on trail conditions. Even when there’s not been a major new weather event, I am always wondering what has melted or frozen over, and to what extent I should stick to the roads or venture onto the trails …pick your poison, cars or ice or both! I really appreciate the updates. w&w

[wheelswings]

Thanks, bentbike33 and mstone. Your observations are supremely helpful. One direction would be in evening rush hour; the other would be later. I’m thinking I’d best not undertake this by bike… I’m too aware of the drunk driving and speeding these days and the skyrocketing #s of road deaths. The suburban street-scape is just crazy (and will only get worse when we add electric SUVs weighing as much as 9000 lbs… grotesque.) Thanks much!! c.

[wheelswings]

I’ve biked to DCA for one trip to Kansas and two to Massachusetts.

Each time, I’ve had early morning flights which meant riding to the airport in the dark. Twice my returns were late at night. The entry and exit from the airport have felt spooky.

Parking amidst the skeletons of other bikes, and my own prior bad experiences elsewhere, have taught me to be supremely careful (and nervous) about DCA parking. I don’t have multiple bikes to choose from. But I use wheel-locks on front and back, two U-locks, and two cables when parking there.

Each time I’ve packed in my knapsack and tied a small extra bag to it (like a cloth grocery bag). My trips were all in the 3-to-6 day range.

[wheelswings]

“Don’t even try. Whiskers has already got the KOM.”

[wheelswings]

I just got home. The Roosevelt Bridge is in good shape for now, wet but minimal ice. The MVT from the IoD/Rosslyn to the Roosevelt Bridge has a number of icy stretches so it’s best to exercise caution.

[wheelswings]

It so happens, I have a limerick that addresses this very matter.
Warmly,
w&w
Lyricycle.org

[wheelswings]

@Fulton 201711 wrote:

Careful if you ride down Marshall Drive (the downhill that goes from the back gate of Fort Meyer, where Meade Street ends, along the cemetery and Netherlands Carillon and Iwo Jima Memorial) to Route 110. Very deep and long pothole.

I contacted Arlington, which informed me that it’s NPS jurisdiction. I called NPS and reported it. Fingers crossed that they fix it soon.

Hi Fulton. Are the street signs at Marshall/Meade and Marshall/110 the Arlington colors, black on white? Did someone in NPS actually confirm that this is their land? I called an NPS contact this evening and read him the above description of the location, and based on what you wrote he said your initial instinct was correct…that this road is Arlington County’s land. He said he once had to get Arlington’s permission to transport a heavy truckload for NPS on that very road. He said a lot of people are confused since it runs between monuments.

(But if your NPS person is taking responsibility and has agreed to fix the pothole, then great, they’re welcome to fix it!)

[wheelswings]

My thanks to those who’ve signed up to follow Lyricycle on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter…really appreciate it! I’m still learning how to do this social media stuff. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thx! w&w

http://www.Lyricycle.org
Instagram: Lyricycler
Facebook: Lyricycle
Twitter: Lyricycle

[wheelswings]

@Jessica Hirschhorn 199273 wrote:

Crowds seem to be OUT these days. Hard to re-schedule given no solid prediction of the future, but I would think a month or more later might be prudent. SAD!

Correct. The organizing committee has been discussing the situation offline. Although we are still waiting for everyone to weigh in, I can say with certainty that we will be cancelling the end-of-season prize ceremonies.
We are brainstorming alternatives.

The number of infected individuals is increasing exponentially. Cancelling events saves lives by “flattening the curve” of cases, as there are far too few test kits, hospital beds, respirators, etc. for the explosive transmission rates predicted. Social distancing is the only responsible option. Unfortunately the situation will get worse before it gets better.

The Freezing Saddles prize ceremony is one of the most fun and funny events in the whole year. I sure-as-heck wish we weren’t in this position. And this time we were excited to show off our new venue. The owner of East-West Coffee and Wine was going all-out for us to make it an amazing event.

We will write more shortly to confirm the cancellation and to suggest other plans.
In the meantime, wash hands, don’t touch your face, and be safe (on and off the bike).

With affection and clean virtual hugs,
w&w

[wheelswings]

I filled out the Goals-of-Vision-Zero questionnaire last night. As others note, the six goals are wishy-washy, all about striving, e.g. for data collection. Stop “striving” and just do it, Arlington!

They try to please everyone… “strive to ensure safe transportation, no matter how you get around,” rather than seeking to protect the most vulnerable road-users (pedestrians, bicyclists, other micro-mobility users). Those driving 4000+ lb cars and SUVs will survive in Arlington, no matter what. The language reminds me of “share the road” signs, as if we’re all equally at risk.

Also the goals speak of protection as a “community-wide responsibility,” which seems evasive… we should be focusing on concrete steps the County can take to improve safety… enforcement, signaling, protected lanes, right-on-red restrictions, etc.

And they say their initiative is about striving to serve every Arlingtonian in a way that meets their unique needs. Huh? Not sure what they were smoking when they wrote that.

[wheelswings]

My Abus had me scrambling at 11 pm, latched to a pole in Seven Corners. Took 30+ minutes to open so I could ride home. Into the recycling bin it went, just too risky. My current Abus works great, though I’ve only used it for two years thus far.

[wheelswings]

Just seeing this now… I can bring over my can of graphite tonight if you’d like. PM me here or send a Strava note if you want to give it a try. w&w

[wheelswings]

Some in this world wear their hearts on their sleeves (or bags), while others just quietly observe.

[Author]

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