BikeDC

Photo by PoPville flickr user Faucetini

Dear PoPville,

I was biking up 15th St. on Tuesday when I saw police diverting traffic from 16th st. onto Irving. Curious, I biked further to see what was going on and found the entire block between Arkansas Ave and Oak St. closed. An accident investigation team was working and a bike was on the roadway. I didn’t get closer, afraid of what I might see. The biker went down and a car following behind hit the cyclist.

This raises the question whether biking on that section of 16th is safe. Your options are limited on 16th. You can:

1. Bike to the side of the road and hope cars pass safely.
2. Bike as fast as you can and hope to keep up with traffic
3. Take up the entire lane and piss everyone off.
4. Bike on the crowded sidewalk.
5. Bike on another road.

Personally, I try to bike on other roads through that area but there’s a bottleneck in that part of town. What do others suggest? Is 16th St. safe to bike on?

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Dear PoPville,

On Thursday in the 0800 hour (or perhaps slightly earlier), a bicycle traveling near the intersection of 22nd and P Streets NW was intentionally rammed by a vehicle. I did not witness the incident… I came outside shortly afterward and saw the bike on the ground and heard about it from some neighbors who HAD witnessed it. Their attention was at first drawn because the car (female driver) was repeatedly honking at some cyclists in front of it (not sure, but I think they were traveling West on P and then queued at the red light at 22nd). At some point this escalated into the car ramming a bike from behind, then driving off. When I walked by, the cyclist appeared unhurt but his bike was damaged, and police were on the scene.

Did anyone else happen to see what happened?

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

From DDOT:

Capital Bikeshare members save an average of $891 per year and collectively reduce their driving miles by 5 million per year. These are just some of the findings from an extensive report released today regarding the annual survey of members of the regional bikesharing program. The report contains detailed insight on how people are using Capital Bikeshare to get around in the District and Arlington, the impact of the program and the satisfaction of users.

The survey was administered in November and December of 2011 and received over 5,000 responses. As the largest bikesharing program in the nation, and one of the few to be in operation for longer than one year, this represents a wealth of useful information to anyone interested in urban transportation.

The survey analysis and report were performed by Lori Diggins of LDA Consulting. The resulting report and executive summary, along with other data on the Capital Bikeshare system, can be found online.

Some of the highlights include:

83 percent of respondents said they were more likely to patronize a business that was Capital Bikeshare accessible

82 percent of respondents reported increased bike use since joining Capital Bikeshare and 70 percent said Capital Bikeshare was an important reason

Over all Capital Bikeshare members, this translates to 5 million fewer driving miles each year

Capital Bikeshare members saved an average of $891 annually on travel

Capital Bikeshare was major/main factor for 56 percent who reduced car use

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Dear PoPville,

Last night around 8:45, our tenant encountered two teenagers in our backyard who had jumped the sideyard fence, and hoisted a stolen bicycle over it. When our tenant called up to us to come out, the guys jumped the back fence and took off, sans their ill-gotten bike—which they abandoned in our back yard.

If any of your readers had a bike stolen on Hobart Street (or in the vicinity) in Mount Pleasant this Monday night, we’d be happy to give it back to them.

If you think it is yours please email [email protected].