From a reader:
“Wanted to let you know I got stopped by MPD on my bike today for running the red light at W (going down 14th). Ticket was $25!! Another cyclist that was also stopped before me said she had watched a number of bike messengers fly by before he stopped me, a regular bike commuter.”
This is the free bike clinic offered now at Qualia Coffee at 3917 Georgia Ave. NW.
I stopped by last weekend and there was a very friendly vibe going on. It’s just a super cool event that you can get your bike fixed this way. An organizer sent some photos.
“Dear PoP,
I’ve attached a few photos from theBikeHouse bike clinic. We are holding them behind Qualia Coffee on Georgia Avenue on Saturdays between 12 and 3 PM. If you have a problem with your bike, need something installed, or just have a question about your ride, you can come to us and we will walk you through how to fix it. Our goal is to empower you to have the confidence and know-how to successfully perform your own work. At this stage, we do not have parts for sale, so bring any parts you have and we will help you install them for free (although a 5-7 dollar per hour donation is welcomed and encouraged, it is by no means required, ever.)
For more information, please visit www.thebikehouse.org”
Folks had seemed pretty happy with Smart Bike DC when I asked back in November. But there has been some chatter on the Columbia Heights Listserv questioning the expansion:
“Does anyone know the status of the SmartBike program’s expansion? Back in March, they were saying that the program would grow from 10 stations to 50 by this summer, including a station that would be placed in Columbia Heights: http://wtop.com/?nid=30&sid=1628439
However, it doesn’t look like any new stations at all have been installed: https://www.smartbikedc.com/smartbike_locations.asp
Did I miss something? Was there a change in plans? What’s going on?”
Council Member Jim Graham responds:
“Thanks for including me on this. I understand DDOT had hoped to simply expand the existing bike sharing program. Unfortunately, the existing provider has not been that cooperative, so DDOT has been exploring the possibility of using a different bike sharing company. This is causing delays.
I am asking Jim Sebastian of DDOT to provide us with the latest estimate.
We are all very eager to see this successful program expanded.”
Wow, I wonder how difficult it will be to find a new provider?
“Dear PoP,
I’m writing about something I’ve seen mentioned a couple of times on your site, with some discussion/debate, but which is very close to my heart.
This morning, I stopped by Alice Swanson’s ghost bike. I was placing some flowers in the basket and debating whether to clean out some of the older flowers left there, when a gentleman came up and asked me if I was a friend of Alice’s. I said I was, and he said that he lived in the area and biked by every day, and appreciated seeing the bike every day.
I know that not all of your readers and commenters feel the same way, and I don’t know what the future plans are for Alice’s bike. I do know that I try to tend to it whenever I am nearby, and I know that countless others– those who knew Alice and many who didn’t– also keep it looking nice, and often decorate it for holidays and such. If this is a distraction to riders or an eyesore to some, I’m sorry– that is certainly not the intention. For many of us, it is a place to remember Alice and to have an outward expression of our feelings at her loss and also at her life, and the ghost bike itself stands as a reminder of caution.
Today is the one year anniversary of Alice’s death. Whether Alice’s bike remains for another day or another decade, I hope that it will be a reminder to all of us to be safe, to ride safe, walk safe, drive safe, and be aware of one another. And I hope that it will remind all of us to tell our friends and loved ones that we care about them, to appreciate their presence in our lives, and to never take them for granted.”
“Dear PoP,
I was wondering if you had any information about an accident that occurred at about 8:15 this morning just off U St. I commute by bike from Park View down to Farragut every day, and as I was turning from V south onto 14th St., I passed by a cyclist who had been hit by an SUV. There was already a crowd of people there helping her, so I didn’t stick around very long, but she was lying on the ground not moving, and I’ve been worrying all morning that she was seriously hurt. If you know anything about the accident, would you mind posting? It would be a good opportunity to remind cyclists to stay safe as it gets warmer and more of us are out in traffic in the mornings.”
Anyone witness this accident and know what happened? Please stay safe out there.
Years ago, back in DC after living in London for a period of time, I was heading downtown late one morning by Metro. Already a little unnerved by the sterile quiet, compared to the slightly seamy vitality of the London Underground, I overheard two young suit-and-tie guys talking. About their commute. Something like, “Yeah, after morning rush hour I can take this or that road and shave X minutes off the drive, plus the parking garage is cheaper after 10am…”, with the other guy nodding intently and sharing his own strategies.
I thought – as any self-respecting early 20s aspiring rock musician would – could anything be more boring, more indicative of a decline into numbing soulessness than having nothing else to talk about than your commute?
But especially in Washington, where work life and home life are so neatly segregated, the morning and evening commute becomes a third ‘place’, a sizable chunk of the week for most people. Why sacrifice such time, simply passing from point A to B? Many turn inward, swathed in an iPod cocoon for the duration. But what about the life and landscape and backstories that surround us as we trundle along in our stoic self-containment? Continues after the jump. (more…)
Many folks didn’t like yesterday’s garage graffiti. Is this one better?
I know there are lots of bike supporters out there so I thought this might be of interest. A buddy of mine who is an avid biker was trying to getting his bike fixed but there were huge lines at all of his usual stomping grounds. He had heard that there was a spot somewhere on 14th Street that fixes bikes. And indeed there is – Rollin Cycles located at 1320 14th Street, NW. They have bike sales, repairs, and rentals. He says that there is a lot less attitude here than at other spots. And of course you can rent a movie while you’re there!
Much better than Harley Davidsons idling…
Taken outside the Lincoln Theater on U Street.
This one is from Wayan Vota. At first I didn’t realize how funny it was until I read his title – “This a Steep Hill to Climb?”.
Submit your photos via email or to the PoPville flickr pool here.