Stop u-turns on Pennsylvania Ave!

[bluerider]

I saw this while I was in China recently. Lets just place one of these to the middle between the two bike lanes.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2147[/ATTACH]

[DSalovesh]

@KLizotte 37746 wrote:

Yikes! Glad to hear you are largely ok. That is so scary. Take the cabbie to the cleaners.

I know there was a WABA or BicycleSpace initiative recently to get U-turns outlawed. The law was revised accordingly but we obviously need physical barriers to protect cyclists. Anybody know if the initiative also included a petition (with signatures) to put up barriers? I’m under the impression that some sort of “arts” commission controls what goes on PA Ave and would have to approve bollards being installed.

Long story shortened: the recent “change” was really a confirmation that bike lanes count as travel lanes (so U-turns are prohibited across them) and it was done by mayoral order after WABA, The Assembly (“The DC Civic Cycling Assembly”, a community-driven activism group organized by BicycleSpace and others) and a bunch of just folks raised awareness of the problem.

And the US Council of Fine Arts makes “recommendations” about the appearance of federal spaces, which somehow includes Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s up to each project area to take those and act appropriately – for the Pa Ave cycletracks they recommended no posts, but DDOT defied them a little to put posts at the intersections. After the coronation parade (whatever) DDOT has an opportunity to do the right thing and create effectively separated bike lanes – or they may kowtow to a bunch of esteemed old theorists who never ride bikes and don’t even live here.

[mstone]

It’s spun as “CFA won’t let DDOT make the lanes safe,” but my understanding is that CFA gets to say what they think is pretty, and DDOT actually decides what is necessary for safety. So the current situation is about DDOT not really caring, regardless of what CFA thinks.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@mstone 37772 wrote:

It’s spun as “CFA won’t let DDOT make the lanes safe,” but my understanding is that CFA gets to say what they think is pretty, and DDOT actually decides what is necessary for safety. So the current situation is about DDOT not really caring, regardless of what CFA thinks.

Concur. I think, before the original build-out, they objected to striping the lanes in any way, but were overruled. But I could be mistaken on that detail.

[KLizotte]

@TwoWheelsDC 37779 wrote:

Concur. I think, before the original build-out, they objected to striping the lanes in any way, but were overruled. But I could be mistaken on that detail.

Call me simple but I fail to understand how it is that the city (or whomever is footing the bill) can find the money to repave/restripe PA Ave every four years for the inauguration but the city can’t find the money to put in a proper cycletrack along PA Ave. I could understand repaving if the street was in really bad repair and full of potholes but my eyeball inspection before the repaving seemed to indicate the street was in awfully good shape (esp compared to other streets in the area) and wouldn’t impede the parade in any way.

[mstone]

The repaving is paid for out of the Federal inauguration budget, not by the city. I think this is reasonable, the same way I might spruce up the house before a big party.

[eminva]

jrenaut, sorry to hear it, and the usual advice applies to you: fill out WABA’s crash report form online, and see a doctor to make sure your injuries are not more extensive than originally thought.

As far as the cab’s insurance company, it would not shock me if they want to throw money at the problem. From their perspective, they got off easy if the bike is the only broken thing. Take the new bike!

Liz

[TwoWheelsDC]

@mstone 37789 wrote:

The repaving is paid for out of the Federal inauguration budget, not by the city. I think this is reasonable, the same way I might spruce up the house before a big party.

I read the inauguration is allowed unlimited corporate donations. Perhaps the new iteration of the bike lanes will be the “Penn Ave. Cycletrack, brought to you by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.”

[jrenaut]

@TwoWheelsDC 37797 wrote:

I read the inauguration is allowed unlimited corporate donations. Perhaps the new iteration of the bike lanes will be the “Penn Ave. Cycletrack, brought to you by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.”

If that means we can call in air support to clear the lanes of illegal turners, I’m all for it. THAT would be an effective deterrent.

[jrenaut]

My poor bike by thetejon, on Flickr

The pictures of the bike are actually a little disappointing. I was hoping for more gore. But the rear wheel won’t turn more than a few inches, and it’s not immediately obvious to me why, so I suspect the damage is worse than it appears.

Aftermath by thetejon, on Flickr

[DSalovesh]

@mstone 37789 wrote:

The repaving is paid for out of the Federal inauguration budget, not by the city. I think this is reasonable, the same way I might spruce up the house before a big party.

Actually it’s the District that pays, and they seek reimbursement for it and other local inaugural burdens from the (joint congressional) inaugural committee. The CFA also advises congress, so were they to disapprove of the outcome of the work it’s possible that the reimbursement could be delayed or denied.

[dcv]

@jrenaut 37804 wrote:

My poor bike by thetejon, on Flickr

The pictures of the bike are actually a little disappointing. I was hoping for more gore. But the rear wheel won’t turn more than a few inches, and it’s not immediately obvious to me why, so I suspect the damage is worse than it appears.

Aftermath by thetejon, on Flickr

that sucks, let us know what the bike shop says

[Rootchopper]

Why is there so much concern about the esthetics of PA Ave when the nobody give a rats ass about the jersey barriers all over the grounds of the Jefferson Memorial. Both situations can be taken care of with relative ease and a little $$.

With regard to snow blowing, does NYC have this problem or do they actually have snow plows that are the appropriate width for their cycletracks. I asked how Syracuse University clears its sidewalks and they told me that they have plows that clear them in one pass. Seems like there are plenty of solutions.

[DaveK]

@Rootchopper 37828 wrote:

Why is there so much concern about the esthetics of PA Ave when the nobody give a rats ass about the jersey barriers all over the grounds of the Jefferson Memorial. Both situations can be taken care of with relative ease and a little $$.

With regard to snow blowing, does NYC have this problem or do they actually have snow plows that are the appropriate width for their cycletracks. I asked how Syracuse University clears its sidewalks and they told me that they have plows that clear them in one pass. Seems like there are plenty of solutions.

DC already has vehicles that can clear the cycletracks. It would be a moot point anyway as a standard vehicle can fit between the existing lines.

[mstone]

@DSalovesh 37814 wrote:

Actually it’s the District that pays, and they seek reimbursement for it and other local inaugural burdens from the (joint congressional) inaugural committee. The CFA also advises congress, so were they to disapprove of the outcome of the work it’s possible that the reimbursement could be delayed or denied.

since the district has always been reimbursed, I’m not sure the details of the flow really matter.

[Author]

Posts