[DCLiz]

Well, perhaps I shouldn’t admit it on this forum, but the ONLY reason I ride my bike to work is for exercise. I have a lot of trouble finding the energy and time to exercise, and since I have to go to work anyways, if I bike I am at least getting exercise that day. Commuting by bike takes around 10-15 minutes longer than my 30-minute Metro commute from Capitol Hill to downtown, including wrangling the bike out of the apartment (see below), locking it up, and changing my shirt/putting on makeup at work.

My biggest barrier to biking more often is also not commonly sited: I live in a walk-up apartment building. While the landlord has provided a space for bikes in a locked room in the basement, hauling the bike in and out of the basement, up a narrow stairway with four turns, and through three doors is time consuming and unpleasant. If I had a secure place to keep my bike out of the elements on street level, I’m sure I would bike more often.

[DCLiz]

Most Metro stations (at least downtown) have a BikeShare station within a block or two. What if we just had the SWAT team directing people to the closest station and passing out instructions on how to use it?

I actually used BikeShare for this very purpose last weekend — there were delays on the Red Line, and my train wasn’t even showing up on the information display. I opened up the SpotCycle app, found a station a block away, and rode to my destination a couple of metro stops away (this was one of the few times I’ve ridden without a helmet). But, if I weren’t already a member, I may not have even thought to look for a nearby station.

[DCLiz]

Either it is safe for a vehicle to pass you in the lane (i.e. it is 11′ wide) or it is not. If it is not, then “take the lane” means take the whole lane! The point is to not give cars the visual perception that they can squeeze around you; they need to pass when it is safe to do so, just as if you were a slow moving car ahead of them.

Thanks, WABA Confident City Cycling, for teaching me this!

[DCLiz]

And now we have a penny-farthing commuter:
http://www.arlnow.com/2011/08/10/meet-arlingtons-penny-farthing-commuter/

Are you on the forum, Ken?

[DCLiz]

There was discussion about this recently on the Capitol Hill listserve. Somebody wrote to the Mayor’s office and got this response:
Dear Friend:

Thank you for contacting the Executive Office of the Mayor to inquire whether pedestrians are allowed in on-street bike lanes in the District.

Please be advised that pedestrians are not allowed in on-street bike lanes in the District, except in circumstances where an adjacent sidewalk is not present.

For further questions or concerns about this matter, please contact the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) at202-673-6813.

---

Here is a summary of rules pertaining to cycling & bike lanes:
http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/Publication%20Files/On%20Your%20Street/Bicycles%20and%20Pedestrians/bike-ped_traffic_reg_summary.pdf

From the document, “Where sidewalks are provided, it shall be unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and
upon an adjacent roadway. Where sidewalks are not provided, any pedestrian walking
along and upon a street or highway shall, when practicable, walk only on the left side
of the roadway or its shoulder facing traffic, which may approach from the opposite
direction.”

The actual regulation is in Title 18 of our municipal regulations:
http://www.dcregs.dc.gov/Gateway/RuleHome.aspx?RuleNumber=18-2305

[DCLiz]

I bet it inconveniences the drivers a lot when a cyclist or pedestrian is hit. What with the accident investigation and all. Maybe the transportation planners should factor that in to the equation?

[DCLiz]

AAA is bad on more than just cycling issues. For instance, they don’t have a great track record on global warming and have opposed using federal funding for mass transit. BWC donates 1% of revenue (not profit) to environmental cleanup and advocacy.

[DCLiz]

The advantage of an app, presumably, is that it could be used without a wireless connection (like on Metro). I’d use it for this purpose.

[DCLiz]

Yes, I’ve been a member for at least five years. I had to use the service once, and the response time was good (to Capitol Hill). I miss the AAA discounts at hotels and on Amtrak, but I consider that the price I pay to not allow AAA to lobby in my name against things that I value. If you get the premium membership (higher towing mileage), they reimburse you a certain amount of gas money quarterly, so that makes up for the lost discounts a little bit. Also, you can get bicycle coverage.

[DCLiz]

Also, I’d rather not have to put my rear tire back on, after the thief abandoned his/her attempts to steal my bike, even if the tire was miraculously undamaged.

[DCLiz]

Is there any way for the “What’s New” feature to always show you threads with messages that you haven’t read? Sometimes, I have been reading “What’s New” and when I click on it again to return to the list of threads, all of the threads have disappeared. Other times, I am reading “What’s New” in the morning over coffee, but if I don’t get through all of them, I can’t see the remainder at work. Not sure if this has been resolved in the new version or not.

[DCLiz]

I misread the title as WABA job opening, and I was blown away by the salary range until I clicked on the link.

[DCLiz]

The bike valet is fantastic! I love it because you can leave your helment, lights, etc. with the bike. The valets themselves are great guys. I wish they could combine it with a bike corral for CaBi. For me, it’s actually faster to CaBi than to ride my own bike, and the docks near the stadium fill up fast. Would be great to know that I could just leave the CaBi with the bike valet and be on my merry way.

[DCLiz]

I’m looking forward to when these become commercially available (to use in addition to a front and rear light, of course):
[video=vimeo;23544972]http://vimeo.com/23544972[/video]

Here’s the GGW write-up:
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/11200/project-aura-a-gorgeous-take-on-bicycle-lighting/

[DCLiz]

Can you tell us how the format has changed from previous years? I want to retake at least CCC2, but I’ve been wondering what the new “on-line” section means.

[Author]

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