Photo from previous bike ticketing on 11th Street, NW
Ed. Note: Yes cyclists should obey the law. Yes, drivers should drive the speed limit. Having said that – heads up!
Thanks to a reader for sending word:
“yesterday and today a cop has been stopping as many cyclists as he could and (presumably) giving them tickets/citations.
riding against the flow (it’s a one-way street), running red lights, riding on the sidewalk, etc.
not sure.
but he has stopped dozens and dozens of folks.”
From DDOT:
“The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B will hold a joint meeting on the preliminary design of the Metropolitan Branch Trail from Brookland to Takoma Park on Saturday, March 21 from 1 pm to 4 pm at the 4th District Police Headquarters, 6001 Georgia Avenue, NW.
Representatives from DDOT will present the trail alignment and solicit feedback from the general public.
The Metropolitan Branch Trail is an eight-mile, paved bicycle and pedestrian trail from Union Station in Ward 6 to Silver Spring, Md. The portion between Union Station and Brookland in Ward 5 is very popular averaging more than 500 users a day. Design is underway for the section that’s north of Brookland. This new section is proposed to run along the railroad tracks from Bates Road to the Ft. Totten Metro station, then along First Place, Riggs Road, First Street, all in Northeast, and Blair Road, NW.
More information is available at www.metbranchtrail.com.
Comments on the preliminary design, as well as requests for more information should be directed to Jim Sebastian at [email protected].
The event information is as follows:
What: Metropolitan Branch Trail Open House
When: Saturday, March 21, 2015
1 pm to 4 pm
Where: Metropolitan Police Department
6001 Georgia Avenue (at Peabody)”
From Capital Bikeshare:
“Didn’t get a chance to attend the Open House but want to add your input on the proposed membership rate changes? Send an email with your comments to [email protected]. We will be accepting comments until February 15, 2015.”
You may recognize his username from all his great photos seen illustrating tons of PoPville posts. Now we can associate his name with another great thing. An avid cyclist and Columbia Heights resident, Mr T in DC aka Anthony Nigrelli spotted a readers beloved stolen bike that we posted about yesterday afternoon. Last night he spotted it by the Columbia Heights metro and secured his own lock on the bike after positively identifying it. He then emailed the OP and she has it back with her faith restored in humanity. Well done Mr. T – good looking out!
From Capital Bikeshare:
“For the first time in our four year history, Capital Bikeshare will undergo a significant upgrade to the operational software that powers the system. The upgrade will improve the user experience for our members by expanding the management tools available to the program’s governing jurisdictions, and to our operations contractor, Motivate International Inc. (formerly Alta Bicycle Share). The new system software will also allow us to begin testing new equipment for future expansion.
The upgrade process will begin at 7pm on Tuesday, February 3, and last between 16 to 24 hours, during which time there will be a significant impact on users of the system. During the upgrade:
Credit card rentals will not be available at Capital Bikeshare stations
Key-holding members (annual, monthly, daily key) will not be able to rent bikes from the same station more than once during the upgrade process. However, these members will still be able to rent bikes from one station and drop them off at the same or another station
New memberships or renewals will not be available on the Capital Bikeshare website (www.capitalbikeshare.com)
Updates on station and bike availability will not be generated for websites, maps and mobile apps (including Spotcycle)
The “time credit” feature will not be available at Capital Bikeshare stations
Because credit card rentals at stations will not be available, we will temporarily stop kiosk membership sales for 3-day passes on Saturday, January 31 at 7pm, and temporarily cease all 24-hour membership sales on Monday February 2 at 7pm. Short term rentals will be available again upon the completion of the software update.”
On twitter someone asked about unusual bike racks so I’m trying to keep my eyes peeled for them. This one’s from downtown off L Street.
1412 Q Street, NW
Thanks to Bike Rack for sending.
“Dear PoPville,
My dog, a black lab named Charlie, and I were crossing Adams Mill Rd from Walter Pierce Park to Ontario Pl; Charlie was about 3 feet in front of me on a red leash. The cyclist was northbound, riding towards Harvard from Calvert. If he looked at all when approaching the intersection, which I doubt he did, he might not have seen Charlie in the darkness. Given his speed and where we were in the crosswalk when he ran the stop sign, he would have either hit my dog or been tripped up by the leash. He swerved to the right at the last minute, jumped the curb, and went into a iron fence around the building on the corner before falling off his bike. Then he jumped off, got up, and came straight towards us. He didn’t even check his bike, he just started yelling. “This is your fault, you’ll have to pay for the damage, I should have just hit your dog, it would have been a softer landing…” stuff like that. I was totally shocked so I didn’t say anything for the first minute and then I pointed out that we were already in the crosswalk when he appeared and he should have stopped at the stop sign. When he started demanding my contact and insurance information, I just walked away. When I looked back, he was disappearing around the corner down Adams Mill, walking his bike.”
Ed. Note: BicycleSpace is currently popped up at 700 5th Street NW as of January 3rd, before moving to permanent space at 440 K St NW.
From BicycleSpace:
“We are excited to announce the signing of a lease for a new location in the up and coming Hecht Warehouse District. The repurposed industrial space will be at 1512 Okie Street NE, and feature over 4000 square feet of retail and service space. A summer 2015 opening is planned.
The new shop will join the dynamic and rapidly changing neighborhood and pair well with established neighbors like Open Studio DC, Atlas Brew Works, New Columbia Distillers, One Eight Distilling and Mom’s Organic Market – all less than a five minute walk away- while forming part of the foundation for the community that will rise outside our doors . The shop will be an easy ride from Capitol Hill, neighborhoods in NE, as well as from east of the river, and will be a convenient stopping point for commuters in Prince George’s county and beyond. We look forward to bringing great products, great service, and great community support for everyone living in and moving through the area.
“I am thrilled that BicycleSPACE is going to be part of this transformational Douglas Development project; from the rebirth of the abandoned space, to creating a walkable-bikeable community that is connected to the greater city, to serving the residents of the historic Trinidad and Ivy City neighborhoods, we can’t imagine a better place to meld the old & the new as our city continues to grow.” Cofounder Phil Koopman”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.
I may be a myopic twit but this guy from the Washington Post is a freaking dinosaur:
“What cyclists need is a separate network of biking roads, not bike lanes. Give them trails through wooded areas, away from cars and trucks. Once they enter high-traffic areas in the city, it’s off the bicycle and onto alternative transportation. Like two feet.”
I want to get this down because I literally just got back from driving down 11th Street. Which was an absolute joy. And why was it a joy? Because the bike lane made it a pleasure. I took New Hampshire Ave and got stuck behind a cyclist – fine, sharrows, we share the road – whatever. It sucked. I was stuck driving like 6 miles an hour. Then I got to 11th Street and the cyclist went to the bike lane and I was in my lane and it was beautiful. We were both on our way.
These people who reflexively scream against bike lanes – I just don’t get it. It is so clear and so obvious that the bike lanes not only benefit the cyclist but they benefit the car driver equally if not more so! I experience it every single morning. I’m in a car and I say thank freaking God for the bike lanes.
I’m not sure if these people are being intentionally obtuse or are just so keen to pit “one side” against an “other side” but they are flat out wrong.
So I look forward to reading his next screed on the danger of ballpoint pens – don’t you realize the inkwell is the key to the purest form of penmanship!?!?
Well as far as the fight against bike lanes are concerned, I guess the silver lining is that the dinosaurs eventually died out.