Metro has begun testing a new, secure bicycle parking facility at the College Park Metro station.
Metro’s first Bike & Ride facility, which is expected to open to the public next month, is a secure, enclosed parking structure with space for more than 100 bikes. The enclosed 2,400-square-foot room can be found on the first level of the parking garage.
Bike & Ride users will need a personal access card to enter the Bike & Ride, providing a second level of security beyond a bike lock.
Bike parking in the facility is charged at a rate of 2 to 5 cents per hour. There are no monthly or annual fees. A one-time $5 charge is applied for new customer ID verification.
The testing period, which will continue for about a month, will allow a selected group of users to try out the new system and evaluate how it works. Metro is looking for comments on everything from the lighting, access and racks to the signs, card and door. Once comments from the testing period are addressed, the facility will become available for all registered Metro customers to use.
Pleas help us find the guy that broke his jaw yesterday. We are looking for a reliable witness.
My dude is a teacher and was riding home from work yesterday around 3:30 on a Capital Bikeshare bike. He was around Colombia Road and Mozart Place, NW when an SUV pulled abruptly into the bike lane, nearly hitting my husband. As he negotiated around the SUV he thumped the side of the vehicle with his hand (doing no damage) to let the driver know he was there. The driver aggressively followed him in the bike lane for a short distance and then stopped the car and got out.
Words were exchanged but my husband never thought it would escalate and kept his hands on the handlebars of the bike. With no real provocation, the driver punched him in the face, knocking him down. He then threw the bike out of the way of his SUV and drove off. My husband and a guy in another vehicle chased the driver but didn’t manage to get a license plate number. If we could get just the license number and a witness that saw the attack, it could really help the police find this guy.
My husband has to have surgery tomorrow to put a plate in his face to secure his broken jaw. I think that no matter where you stand on the bike/car issue, that’s an insane price to pay for touching someone’s vehicle.
You mentioned some weeks back the Daily Rider bike shop coming to H St. NE. Just now on the bus I saw that they have a “coming soon” display up – I wanted to send you an exciting update!”
There’s even better news – they’re opening today. The Daily Rider, located at 1108 St, NE, announced a March 29th opening. Great addition to H Street!
New Belgium Brewing today announced the much-anticipated Tour de Fat2012 schedule. Now in its 13th season, Tour de Fat brings together passionate bike lovers for a day of two-wheeled revelry while raising money for local nonprofits. Tour de Fat is a thrilling rite of passage that includes an unparalleled costumed bicycle parade, New Belgium beer, dazzling entertainment, local food, unusual bike contests and much more. Coming to 15 cities across the country, New Belgium has added Atlanta and Washington, DC to this year’s lineup.
In 2012, Tour de Fat, which is a free event, will exceed the $2 million mark for money raised for local nonprofits through beer and merchandise purchases. Funds generally go to organizations in the world of bike advocacy, with money spent in a wide variety of ways, including trail maintenance, safety education, lobbying for better bicycle communities and a wide variety of other impactful initiatives.
The pinnacle of Tour de Fat is the ceremonious car-for-bike trade. At each Tour de Fat, one person becomes the center of the show as he or she gets up on stage, hands over car keys, and pledges to live one year car-free. Tour de Fat is now seeking volunteers to accept the swapper challenge. Each car-for-bike swapper will choose a local bike shop to help them turn their $2,250.00 budget into their ultimate car-replacement commuter bike. The cars will be auctioned by Vehicles for Charity, with proceeds to benefit local cycling organizations.
Swappers are chosen after submitting an application that describes why they are willing to trade in their vehicle for a shiny new bicycle. To submit an entry, go to the New Belgium Tour de Fat Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TourDeFat), click on events and your city of choice, and upload your application video. Applications may also be written and sent to: trademycarforabike@newbelgium.com.
“This is a big year for Tour De Fat as we added two terrific cities to the roster and look to surpass $2 million in funds raised for organizations that do great things for bicyclists and beyond,” said Matt Kowal, Tour De Fat Impresario. “In addition, our community of car-for-bike swappers is about to grow, which is a highlight of our whole year. Bike advocacy should always be this much fun.”
A few tidbits about Tour de Fat:
Start sewing, collecting and dreaming up something to wear as Tour de Fat encourages embracing your inner costume-loving self. Come dressed up to help put on the most colorful, respectful and creative bike parade ever witnessed in each city.
Tour de Fat seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as possible and composts and recycles waste. Bring only what you need and watch for proper receptacles. We’ll do the rest!
All performers grab your attention from alternatively empowered stages decked out in recycled materials; trucks and transport use biofuel sourced from recycled waste oils; and all vendors operate off the grid.
This is a pro-bike celebration, not an anti-car rally. Non-cyclists are more than welcome to join the festivities.
“It’s official: our first two stations are now in place on the National Mall. The Mall stations are located at 14th & Jefferson SW and on Ohio Drive near the MLK Memorial.”
I just walked by as they were loading the biker into the ambulance at 19th and Florida. Biker appeared conscious as they were moving arms and seemed to be talking to EMTs. Bike was in bad shape and partly under mid-sized car. Not a Cap bike share bike. Hope you can get more details. Seems like you’re reporting too many of these lately.
The Daily Rider Bicycle Shop is coming to 1108 St, NE this spring:
The Daily Rider’s collection of bicycles currently includes models from Biria and Bobbin. We will soon be carrying Gazelle, the original Dutch bike, and we will be introducing several brands that have yet to be seen in the Washington, DC area market.
Our collection includes models that feel at home in the city, with racks for your bags and fenders to keep you looking sharp when you arrive. There’s no need to put on special clothes, shoes, or equipment. If you have ridden Capital Bikeshare, you’ll be familiar with how seamlessly you can integrate the right type of bicycle into your daily life. Our brightly colored bicycles don’t require you to match your clothing to them, but the invitation is open!
Want your current ride to more closely fit your lifestyle? We have a full selection of bags and baskets to accommodate your laptop, your change of clothes, or even your dog! Installation of most accessories is included with purchase. We’ll even give your ride a once-over and make sure everything is working well.
Back in late Jan. we learned that BicycleSPACE was moving to 1019 7th St, NW next to the Passenger. On Sat. I was happy to see that they had already soft opened. The space is much larger than it looks from the outside. It goes pretty far back and has a basement as well.
