Thursday, May 10, 2012
May is nationally celebrated as Bike Month, and Arlington’s in on the action. From events encouraging commuting by bike to lazy recreational rides through the city, there’s something for everyone.
The first major Bike Month event in Arlington was Bike to School Day, which took place on Wednesday this year. Across Arlington County, some kids did what they do every day — they rode to school. Others joined with their peers to form bike trains to school. Arlington’s generally compact school districts and multiuse paths make getting to school by bike a smart option for lots of students. This Sunday, Bike DC will provide a chance for a car-free ride through both Washington and Arlington. Several thousand cyclists will roll along a closed circuit that starts near the National Mall, heads up Rock Creek Parkway, comes back down and across the Roosevelt Bridge, heads up the George Washington Parkway, and drops back down to the Air Force …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The semi-annual safety campaign is here again. But it's not going to give us safer streets.
Around this time every year Arlington – and surrounding jurisdictions – engages in a safety campaign called Street Smart. The stated goal of the Street Smart campaign is to “to change motorist and pedestrian behavior, and reduce pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and injuries.” Honestly, I can’t say that I think the Street Smart campaign contributes much to accomplishing those goals. That isn’t to say it doesn’t have some good points to make – I agree with all of the tips it gives pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. However, the Street Smart campaign suffers from two serious flaws that keep it from being effective – poor implementation on the street, and the fact that even when it’s done right, it’s much too short an effort. Every year …
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Arlington recently renewed its status as a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community, but has refocused on its quest for gold.
There are only 14 gold-level Bicycle Friendly Communities in the United States. Palo Alto, Calif. Minneapolis. Arlington, Va.? Arlington County hopes so. As noted in this column last year, Arlington County has long been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists, or LAB, for its significant efforts to become a more cycling-friendly community. This led to its becoming the first silver-level community in the area, well before Washington earned that designation. However, Arlington, during County Board member Jay Fisette’s tenure as chairman, set its sights on becoming the first gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community on the East Coast. Since the last time Arlington County was renewed at the silver level, it launched Capital Bikeshare, …
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Or in Arlington's case, a county.
Wednesday, in a Rosslyn conference room, people from organizations and county government offices across Arlington gathered together to focus on a common issue: improving Arlington’s “bike culture.” This column has touched on the trickiness of defining bike culture before, and the composition of the group that met in Rosslyn reflected an understanding of that challenge. Bike culture isn’t more bike lanes – otherwise Arlington County’s transportation engineers could manage it alone. Nor is it simply better law enforcement – if it were, an Arlington County Police Department task force could handle it. It’s not even the challenging matter of getting more kids on bikes and keeping that interest as they grow – something Arlington Public Schools…
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A look at the latest campaign for street safety in Arlington.
Last week, three organizations devoted to improving transportation in Arlington – Arlington’s Car-Free Diet, Walk Arlington and Bike Arlington – joined together to roll out a new street safety campaign. It’s based on a smart approach that’s inclusive of all modes of transportation. The campaign is based on the principle of “Be[ing] a PAL on Arlington’s Streets,” where PAL is an acronym for Predictable, Alert and Lawful. These principles are at the core of all traditional transportation safety instruction, and easily translate from cars and motorcycles to bicycles and shoes. One particularly encouraging aspect of the campaign is that it doesn’t settle for reminding us of legal minimums of behavior. The campaign poster (see the attached PDF…
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Arlington is a safe place to ride. But it's not perfectly safe. Be prepared.
From a cycling safety perspective, Arlington has a lot of things going for it. The street speeds are, for the most part, not very high. There are enough cyclists around that motorists are generally not surprised when they come upon one. That said, there's still plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong when you’re on a bike. From the structural (Custis trail at Lynn Street) to the unexpected (a kid running into the street), there are always dangers out there. What should you do if you end up in a crash on your bike? Several things. Obviously, your first priority is your own physical safety. Perhaps not so obviously, that involves not escalating things with the person you think may be at fault. Years ago I was T-boned while driving my …
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
These things can't be found in any catalog, but it sure would be great to see Arlington get them.
In the modern spirit of the season, I present my holiday wish list for Arlington cyclists: 5. End the subpar cutting and "repairing" of our streets. Yes, frequent pavement cuts and covers are an inherent part of growth and redevelopment. While Arlington manages most aspects of its growth fairly well, the pavement repair quality has taken a serious nosedive in the past year. The jagged edges, unfilled cuts, and unexpected lumps routinely result in dangerous situations for cyclists and pedestrians. Arlington County needs to do a far better job than it does of holding contractors accountable for the damage they're doing to our streets. 4. It’s time for the National Park Service to become bike friendly. It's a rare Arlington cyclist that stays…
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Fall brings more changes than dark and chilly commutes. Here are a few things to think about.
Cold morning air, leaves swirling everywhere, and dark evening commutes – fall is definitely here. This brings new challenges for those of us who use our bikes to get around and enjoy Arlington. Luckily, they can all be overcome with a few easy shifts in our behavior and equipment. You've read it here before, and you'll read it again – don't go out without a light. With a flip of the daylight saving time switch, many of our commutes moved from twilight to full on darkness. If you're hauling out the lights you used last year, don't forget to change the batteries. A fresh set will make a big difference in the brightness. Speaking of brightness, I'm thrilled to see so many more commuters in bright colors this year than last, and hope that …
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Despite laboring in obscurity, some Arlingtonians are determined to live out their dreams of being the champion of any given section of the local trails. This is what we know about them.
You might have wondered what happened on your way up the Rosslyn hill on the Custis Trail last week. You were pedaling along and quietly passed a fellow commuter slowly spinning his way home. Not 10 seconds after you’ve passed him (and nine seconds after you’ve forgotten him), he blows by you, stomping in the biggest gear he has, passing you in a fury of power and dangling work ID cards. While you may not have appreciated it at the time, you just encountered one of Arlington’s many “pathletes.” Not quite ready to join the regular lunchtime peloton at Hains Point, and without the time for 50-milers out in Loudoun County on the weekend, these tortured souls reach for their dreams by competing with unsuspecting commuters, recreational riders…
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Cyclists – like most humans – often follow the herd. So it's helpful if someone will lead the herd in the right direction...
One of the area's largest group rides departs from Ballston every Tuesday evening. At its summer height, there are well over 200 riders who show up for the 17-mile loop through northern Arlington's hills. It's fantastic to see so many cyclists out using our roads. The ride generally goes quite well. While it starts out as a mass, it quickly breaks up into smaller groups of similarly skilled cyclists. The faster riders off the front get in a great workout. The slower riders in the back get a bit of social time with fellow cyclists. Those in the middle get to enjoy the torture of deciding between suffering enough to catch those in front of them or easing up to join the chattering classes in the back. It's a great time for all. The ride isn'…
Allie
6:37 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Not until my neighborhood's streets are repaved. But thanks for the info. more ›