2014: A Good Year In Cycling.

2014 was a bad year for NBA players and Valdamir Putin (trying to care here, really).  But it was a great year for cycling.  Because cyclists are generally better people than NBA players and Vladmir, they . . . we deserved a banner year.

The biggest transit stories of 2014 included the expansion of bike lanes into Southwest, DC, where there is increasing development of apartment buildings and decent restaurants.  The 4th Street lanes connect that quarter to the Mall and Northwest.  That means that you can ride from midtown to the ballpark, valet park your bike, watch the game, have a decent dinner, and ride back home.  This is a good thing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/top-10-traffic-transit-stories-of-2014-in-the-dc-region/2014/12/26/08e23ade-8545-11e4-a702-fa31ff4ae98e_story.html

In 2014, DC accomplished having 69 miles of bike lanes, including lanes in very ward of the city.  Now no one will be left out of the cycling movement.
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/27647907/dc-adds-69-miles-of-marked-bicycle-lanes


In 2014, "Park-Its," those rubber stoppers you see in parking lots, were added to a portion of Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th and 10th Street, a place where taxis and commuters negotiate illegal u-turns each day, and where I have personally witnessed an offending taxi driver hit a cyclist.  If these work, they could be added to other bike lanes and prevent people from parking in them.  Cheers.
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/25232/park-its-now-protect-the-pennsylvania-avenue-bikeway/

Although Capitol Bikeshare's supplier Alta was purchased in 2014, the system still expanded drastically into the suburbs.  Bike share also set up special docks during the Concert for Valor honoring wounded veterans, making bike share the best way to get to the show.  I was nearly run down by a couple on bike share bikes who could hear Metallica opening the show.  They became unglued over being tardy and began to ride like Lance Armstrong after an injection of performance enhancing drugs.  It was a gift that they were not behind the wheel of a 3000 pound car as they crossed in front of Pashley. Thanks to bike share.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/10/28/359658191/firm-buys-big-bike-share-service-expansion-and-higher-rates-seen
http://alexandriava.gov/localmotion/info/default.aspx?id=55082
http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/news

And cycling's appeal was restored in the South in 2014, proving the South can rise again without all the icky features that made it so unappealing for a century or two.  Former DDOT Director, Gabe Klein, authored a study for the City of Charleston that encouraged expansion of bike lanes and a trolley system.
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/TheBattery/archives/2014/12/27/5-ideas-from-transportation-planner-gabe-kleins-peninsula-mobilty-report
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20141228/PC1002/141229512/1022/report-offers-paths-to-a-better-mobility-future

Of course there were cycling tragedies in 2014.  No, I do not refer to the cyclists who were killed by cars this year.  That is terrible as I have blogged in the past.  But among the saddest stories of the year was the closure of Adeline Adeline in Tribeca.  Adeline had been the most elegant of bike stores in the entire country, catering mostly to female city commuters like me.  There wasn't a speck of spandex in the place.  Mecca in Tribecca.  Sort of.  I mourn it even now.
http://tribecacitizen.com/2014/11/18/adeline-adeline-is-closing/

Here are five things you can do to make it easier on yourself to bike commute in 2015.
Locate where you will store your bike, and get a u-lock.
Scout out your shower options near work if your commute is long or uphill.
Get decent panniers.
Make sure you have fenders.
Ride your bike to work everyday unless there is driving rain.
Done.

With that in mind, if I see you in the bike lanes in 2015, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Rich and Poor Cycle Now. Will Bike Trains Entice the Middle Class next?

Who is using what form of transit?  As it turns out, people who make a lot of money and those who make very little both ride their bikes to work.  However, the vast middle class still tends to commute by car, shop in malls, and watch American Idol.  Okay, part of this is made up.  But not all of it.  #bikesnob A major factor in anyone's  decision to bike or not is the distance the person has to commute.  So what could fix this disparity that leaves most middle income earners stranded in the suburbs?  The new Maryland bicycle train.  A fantastic Christmas present to the land of bad car drivers, good crab cakes, and a weird state flag.  #biketrain  Welcome to Washington, you of the Maryland middle class.  Please leave The Gap, the SUV, and the Starbuck's behind, but bring along your Trek.  Oh, and thanks for the nice bike feature at the Christmas lights show at Watkins Regional Park.  I see a great future for Maryland cyclists being made.  #cyclingpollyanna
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/25208/new-info-about-who-rides-a-bike-in-dc-will-let-us-make-the-city-even-greater-for-cyclists/
http://www.bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/new-bike-friendly-train-car-added-dc

On the subject of bike infrastructure for all, a group of cycling advocates in Chicago have mobilized to get a fair share of the bike infrastructure put in African American neighborhoods.  Like a little bird of hope in an otherwise sad month in the history of race relations.  Can't we all just ride a bike?  #chicagocycling #cantwealljustrideabike
http://chi.streetsblog.org/2014/12/19/advocates-request-a-fair-share-of-bike-resources-for-black-communities/

The workers of Capitol Bike Share appear ready to unionize, or so reports Nextcity.org.  The workers voted 41 to 14 in favor of the plan.  Now, as long as they don't strike and leave me marooned somewhere, I guess this could be a Norma Rae with the cardboard sign moment in the history of sharing.  #bikeshare #bikeshareunion
http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/dc-bikeshare-union-vote-capital-bikeshare-alta

Do drivers read the newspaper? Some of them do, even while driving.  If drivers do read the newspaper, they might have read about the death of Kadian Harding, the son of the CEO of City Bikes in Washington, D.C., who was killed while cycling in England.  His father's story appeared in the Washington Post today.  Share it if you can.  Kadian loved cycling and was just a kid.  The practice of dehumanizing of cyclists should take a pause for Kadian.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/kadian-journal-a-father-tries-to-survive-the-loss-of-his-son-14/2014/12/08/772ced9a-68ee-11e4-a31c-77759fc1eacc_story.html

So if I see you in the bike lane, and you are rich, or poor, or just middle class, and especially if you come from Maryland, let's be smug.  Ho, ho, ho.
Elisa P.

Bike Tom Boys and Bike Sartorialists Sans Helmets, and Bike Share Hygiene

What should the cycling sartorialist wear in winter?  The best shoes, the most elegant, funnel-neck wool coat, a lot of lights, and a self-satisfied smile.  Drivers will feel envy.  The godfather of elegant cycling of the 21st Century is Mikael Colville-Anderson, of Copenhagen Chic, the blog about well-dressed, helmet-free cyclists. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/jun/26/healthandwellbeing.fitness  But what about the tom boys?
There once was a tom boy named Wende Cragg, who liked to tear up the mountain with the boys, but without a helmet.  She made all the little girls who liked to ride their bikes in stylish flats and well-tailored clothes seem prissy.  And now there is a movie about how a group of cyclists in Fairfax, California invented mountain biking.  #wendecragg  There she is, second from the left with the shag hair cut and knee socks.  And Gary Fisher is there too, with the facial hair that is suddenly "a thing" again.  If you want to read more, go to sonic.net.  #mountainbiking  In the meantime, have fun trying the spot the helmet in this crowd.

http://mtb4her.com/video-the-photos-that-made-mountain-biking-cool/

How did cycling become popular once again?  This British documentary explores the reasons why cycling is now being used as transit by more people.  I have my own theory.  People are sick of getting home too late to spend time with their kids.  They hate the fact that cars make people act terrible in ways they never would if they were face-to-face.  It could be that people are getting smarter, possibly because of some additive that has been placed in the water supply or some evolutionary process that has recently accelerated.  Actually, the documentary is less than $30 online and might make a nice Christmas gift for the cyclist in your life.  #bicyclethefilm  #cycling
http://bicyclethefilm.com/shop/
For the trailer, go to:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bicycle?gclid=CM3HgKW-ycICFe_m7AodhDMAeA

Bike share is an amazingly wonderful thing for humanity.  Like votes for women, electricity, penicillin, and the cotton gin.  A year's membership would be a great gift for someone you love.  But it may not always be a clean or well-maintained thing, according to a recent audit of Citibike.  Worse, the docks are empty more than they should be.  Holy deterrent!  http://nypost.com/2014/12/11/city-audit-proves-wheel-messy-for-embattled-citi-bike/ 

Citibike was dinged for unclean bikes, and broken bikes and docks.  Oh, for crying out loud, they are kept out in the elements.  Yes, I am aware that some guy in New Zealand was caught riding his bike with nothing on, which prompted the police to write him a ticket for riding without a helmet. A bike befouled and placed in a faulty dock could prove a real downer for share lovers.  http://road.cc/content/news/138716-naked-cyclist-fined-nz-not-sporting-helmet   As for the bare bottomed cyclist, I would point out that this occurred overseas and not in Manhattan, where there are arguably tens of thousands of far weirder people than on that small, two island country.  As for broken docks and bikes, the audit checked a fraction of the system's infrastructure.  Not a scientific approach in my view.  I have wondered if this audit was commissioned by some bike share hater.
Not only is bike share wonderful, but bike share schemes can help people with fewer financial resources, if the program is planned and managed well . . . and kept clean . . . and the docks and bikes in good repair.  Most importantly, if people are to use the system, they need to be able to find a bike.  A reasonably clean bike.
http://road.cc/content/news/138699-study-bike-share-schemes-could-help-neediest-society-only-long-term-planning  So if you give the gift of bike share this year, place a small travel packet of hand sanitizing wipes under the tree too.  #bikeshare  #citibike  #nakedcycling  #mostthingsleftoutsidegetgummedup

So if I see you in the bike lane, whether you are wearing a tailored dress and heels, or knee socks and a pair or brown Pumas, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Hewson, Hasids, Hipsters and Apps

Should you have your own little seat cover for bike share?  Something that has a pattern that defines you in this moment in your life, and won't be an embarrassment years later like that ill-considered mullet?  Polka dots, perhaps.  Maybe something animal print?  A Mondrian if you are feeling special.  Little bicycles, so that you are beginning to act like the woman who wears the Christmas tree sweater to the Christmas party.  Hmmm.  Maybe not.  Sounds a little like those useless seat covers in public restrooms.  And yet, some feel that this is a good idea, maybe even worth $35.  Perhaps this was inspired by naked bike day, which raised all sorts of concerns about bacteria.
http://sf.racked.com/archives/2014/12/04/cityseat-bike-seat.php

If the most successful bike share programs have a lot of stations with fewer bikes in each station, so one narrative goes.  If this is true, then Washington should consider that model, says Greatergreaterwashington.org.  There could be one on nearly every corner with as few as seven bikes.  Perhaps, but I wonder how they could be kept full or empty enough to meet demand.  It seems more efficient to have the hale among us walk a few extra blocks to get a bike from a big dock knowing one will actually be there since the Bikeshare trucks have been by.  But if there's an algorithm for that, okay.  I am for it. #bikeshare
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/25056/capital-bikeshare-needs-smaller-stations-but-more-of-them/

More good news reported by GGW for bike share users.  There is now a site to help you choose your transit method based on when the next bus or train is coming and how many bikes are in the nearest dock. #davidalpertforpresident  #bikeshareapp
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/25083/ride-dc-puts-real-time-transit-info-on-the-screen/

If you live in a small house or apartment and bike storage has given you the design blues, you may want to check out the Schindelhauer thin bike, which can be stored almost flat against the wall.  At the Berlin Bike show this week, the German company debuted its limited edition, iPhone-white bike with the pedals that fold up and handlebars that turn.  It is a beautiful, sparely designed item worthy of Jony Ive or Massimo Vignelli. #schindelhauerthinbike
http://road.cc/content/news/137934-berlin-bike-show-launches-limited-edition-version-schindelhauer-thinbike

Heard rumors that Bono - as in Paul Hewson - of U2 fame biked around NYC unrecognized simply by dressing as an Hasidic Jew?  When The Edge made this claim (in jest of course) there were several who believed him.  Not so says an online Jewish news source, adding that Hasidics have opposed cyclist-scoff-laws and bike share stations because the users do not dress modestly.  "Hipsters vs. Hasids," the Huffington Post once dubbed this clash.  It's always hipsters vs. someone, usually someone in an S.U.V., or taxi, so it seems fresh to add a little variety to the tales of various fabled wars between cyclists and "others."  #bono
http://gawker.com/bono-likes-to-ride-his-bike-while-dressed-as-a-hasidic-1666737633
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/08/hipsters-hasidic-jews-fig_n_384579.html
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/04/debunked-u2s-bono-was-not-dressed-as-a-hasidic-jew-when-his-bike-crashed-in-central-park/
http://www.jta.org/2014/12/05/news-opinion/the-telegraph/no-bono-did-not-disguise-himself-as-a-hasidic-jew

Looking to get fitted so that when you ride you won't have knee pain?  Remember that height isn't the only factor to consider in saddle positioning.  Here's a little guide for you until you can get to an expert fitter.  #bikefitting
http://www.bicycling.com/maintenance/repair-maintenance/bike-fit-set-your-saddle-height?adbid=541185812793020416&adbpl=tw&adbpr=17900130&cid=socRe_20141206_36773827

So if I see you in the bike planes, whether you are a Hasid, Hipster, or a cleverly-dressed combination of the two, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Burn it Off and Warm It Up.

Winter riding can be a challenge, but there are mistakes you can avoid, according to Gearjunkie.  To use the parlance of Glamour Magazine without the inanity: Do wear a balaclava so that you look like a combination between a terrorist and a snake.  This will cause drivers to fear you, and it will keep your neck warm.  Double bonus.  Do consider a fixie since it has fewer moving parts to hold salt and gravel.  Don't ride your best bike that has no fenders, and don't forget to use more lights than your crazy Aunt Betty puts on the front of her split-level every Christmas. #wintercycling  #fixedgear
http://gearjunkie.com/winter-bike-commuting-10-tips-to-ride-safe

bikenyc.org

How far and how long do you have to ride to burn off Thanksgiving dinner?  Very far and for hours, which can provide you with the excuse you need to mollify the spouse.  It does not burn calories if you stop for beers along the way, but there is probably a study - a dubious one, but a study - that shows stopping for beers helps burn calories and/or counteracts the effects of tryptophan.  #bicyclingthin
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/nutrition-weight-loss/how-far-should-you-ride-burn-thanksgiving-dinner

Some people admire great novelists, brain surgeons, doping running backs, or powerful CEOs.  A lot of us admire the people who help us bike around cities.  If you are of that ilk, read this interview with Kimberly Lucas, Washington, D.C.'s Department of Transportation's bike planner.
http://www.planetizen.com/node/72432/planning-career-help-people-share—bikes-course

Care to ride on the sidewalk in San Jose, California?  Then be under 12 years of age or a cop.  Otherwise, risk a ticket.  Or worse, find yourself cast as a bully who knocks down senior citizens.  #whaaaaa?????
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_27040183/san-jose-may-ban-sidewalk-bicycling-downtown-contentious

Electric bikes are still picking up speed in the U.S., and this blog gives some basics on what you need and what it will cost.  The post was made by a couple in Eureka, California who decided to make the change.  What sort of pack should you buy?  How far can it go?  What extras do you have to get to make it actually work?  Will you fly like a rocket? #electricbike
http://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/the-new-magic-carpet/Content?oid=2770644

Or would you prefer to be a rocket cyclist?  Yup, they existed at one point, before the plaintiff's attorneys' bar had grown quite as powerful as it is today.  Now a rocket bike definitely should not be ridden on a sidewalk crowded with seniors.  Nor with a long coat that looks suspiciously combustable.  Nor with a leather helmet that seems unlikely to protect any part of the brain, let alone the parts you especially like and need.
http://mashable.com/2014/11/22/rocket-cyclists/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link

So if I see you in the bike lanes, and it has started to snow, and you have a rocket pack on your rear rack, and so many lights that drivers think you are the actual White House Christmas Tree, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Sunday Bloody Sunday for Bono and Other Cycling News.

How can it be that one of my favorite musicians, Dubliners, and half-Catholic-half-Protestants crashed his bike on - as I understand it - a Sunday?  Was he riding on The Edge?  Clearing his head of the frustration of still not finding what he was looking for?  I did not need another reason to like this guy, really.  But I am so jazzed to learn he is a cyclist.  Oh, and I hope he gets well soon.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bono-intensive-therapy-bike-injury-20141119

A brave cyclist in Beijing blocked a Mercedes that was driving in the dedicated bike lane in China's smoggy capital.  It did not exactly evoke the image of a lone protester in Tiananmen Square in 1989, but it was incredibly bold.  The western man atop a bike against a high end luxury car being driven in a "communist" country was also worth a chuckle.  Shouldn't this have been an image of a humble Chinese pedestrian wearing a blah cotton Mao shirt as he stared at some westerner atop a high-end carbon road bike?  Is the world upside down?  Enjoy.

http://road.cc/content/news/136300-brave”-expat-cyclist-blocks-car-using-beijing-cycle-lane-one-man-demonstration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeFzeNAHEhU

Van Gogh's Starry Night is one of those paintings even knuckle draggers can remember.  Now a Dutch artist has recreated it in the form of an illuminated bike path in Van Gogh's own Holland.  What could  be more beautiful than a nighttime ride along the image of a swirling, powerful constellation of stars?

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/glow-dark-bike-path-inspired-van-goghs-starry/story?id=26924214

It's that time again!  Winter.  Snot-cicles.  Your face frozen like bad plastic surgery.  Your hands so stiff that they remind your office colleagues of rigor mortis.  Well a guy in Minnesota (of course, where else?) has some winter cycling advice for you.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/11/19/guy-on-a-bike-dressing-for-winter-cycling/

Policy and Advocacy:

Just when I think we have it bad here in the U.S. when it comes to the fictionalized war between cars vs. bicycles, along come a few Australians to lower the level of debate.  This opinion piece in a Brisbane newspaper would seem to liken a pelaton of cyclists on a suburban street to a criminal street gang.  Made me feel a little the superior of the former colonies for at least a nanosecond.  Sigh.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-we-need-to-put-wheels-in-motion-for-cyclist-registration/story-fnihsr9v-1227128667983?

Theft:

Chilean students have designed a bike they believe is theft proof.  The reason is that the bike is not rideable if you saw through or cut it.  Caveat: Maybe in a world where bike thieves do not operate mobile chop shops, but not in any major U.S. city.  The idea is great if bike thieves were just looking for a ride instead of parts to fence for meth money.  Buenos suerte colejos.  La idea es briliante.
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/20345/20141118/chilean-students-design-theft-proof-bike-yerka.htm

So, if I see you bundled up in the bike lane, and you are riding a bike, not dragging pieces of a bike, and the ground alights beneath us to reveal a miasma of stars like you never see in an era of light pollution, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Stop Complaining and Ride

What the . . . ?
Is a self-described cyclist who is against bike share committing treason?  Meet Linda of Santa Monica, assuming that's her real name, who thinks the program is too expensive and hard to use.  She claims to have used bike share in London.  Perhaps she is one of those prolific letter-to-the-editor writers who is actually a passive shut-in.  A free cup of coffee goes to the person who can confirm that Linda is not her real name, or who change her mind if it is.  #skeptical #bikeshare  Worry not, Linda, if that is your real name.  There are delays in rolling out the program.
http://smdp.com/letters-google-bikeshares/143286
http://smdp.com/proposed-bikeshare-vendor-struggles-delays/143780

Crash, blackness, what happened?
The Washington Area Bicycling Association is in favor of law that would allow for shared liability in bike and car accidents.  The insurance industry and the Washington Post's editorial board are not.  You be the judge.  #bikelaw #bikesversuscars #3000poundsagainst112onafatday
http://www.waba.org/advocacy/take-action/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/protecting-cyclists-and-pedestrians-should-not-come-with-special-treatment/2014/11/11/9c94906a-69c5-11e4-9fb4-a622dae742a2_story.html

Chutes and Ladders has been around for centuries.  Now cycling advocate Mikael Colleville-Andersen has created a version, Snakes and  Ladders that uses bikes instead of cars to promote cycling.  Is there a Nobel prize for awesome?  Buy the game.  Indoctrinate your kids.  Change the world.  #normalizecycling  #chutesandladders #snakesandladders
http://www.wired.com/2014/11/copenhagenize-cycling-game/

The BBC's morning show devoted a week to the cycling culture and infrastructure.  This is a good thing.  Right?  But there were still complaints about the coverage's integrity.  Sigh.  Let us pause a moment to consider morning programs in the developed world.  When coiffed and heavily made-up deliverers of feel good stories give cycling a week's worth of attention, that is a good thing.  I've not seen any lengthy treatment of the subject by American network news-entertainment shows.  Concerts in the square, celebrity chefs using hot-pots to demonstrate blintzes, cute pets, and oddly conceived marriage proposals, yes.  But a nice story about the everyday cyclists, never.   #bikenews
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2014/nov/10/the-bbc-still-getting-it-wrong-on-cycling-coverage

The guys who move your bike share bikes around want to join a union.  And it looked good for them until Capitol Bike Share recently hired a union busting firm, according to Politico.  I spoke to a bike share worker today who remained optimistic.  "People don't see bikes like the rest of transit."  He added that he thought the issue of unionization was "a work in progress."  While I do not see a sweating Norma Ray moment in the offing, bikes are transit and should be treated that way.   Whether a union will help this or not is yet to be determined.  #bikeshareunion
http://www.politico.com/morningshift/1114/morningshift16056.html

I like the idea of a solar powered bike path but remain baffled by the concept.  Would DDOT sell back to the grid?  Would the path simply be heated to prevent icy conditions during the next polar vortex?  Those Dutch.  They don't wear the wooden shoes anymore, its been over 60 years since one of them tried to save Ann Frank, and Dutch tulips now come from Equador, but they will always be in the heart of any true city cyclist.   #bikepath
http://www.bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/netherlands-begins-installation-worlds-first-solar-bike-path?adbid=532333250920714242&adbpl=tw&adbpr=17900130&cid=socBL_20141112_35427327

So, if I see you in the bike lane, whether it is solar powered or not, and assuming you are not a morning show "personality" who is blocking the lane, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Holidays Looming - Get Cranking

Events:

Cyclists are superior to everyone else, I think we can all agree without any winking or irony.  Soon it will be the season of giving, and cyclists have an important role to play.  Prove your superiority by participating in the Cranksgiving ride in Washington, DC, or 49 other locations, where you can ride to pick up and deliver food for a designated charity.  The rules and D.C. point of contact information are hyperlinked below, so you now have two fewer excuses for not participating.  You weren't going to just show up at one of those Thanksgiving Day spin classes were you?  Gobble, gobble.  #cranksgiving
https://www.facebook.com/events/1500173526914056/?context=create&source=49&sid_create=2458710117
http://www.cranksgiving.org/howto.html
http://www.bicycling.com/blogs/everydayrider/time-give-cranks?adbid=529649320870424576&adbpl=tw&adbpr=17900130&cid=socBL_20141104_35012747

Safety:

Outrage and support for Chris Boardman, who explained his appearance on a British morning show sans helmet and in normal street clothes thusly:  If cycling looks and feels normal, more people will cycle.  Love this guy.  #normalizecycling
What prevents injuries to cyclists more, helmet wearing, or cycling infrastructure?  The answer is not easy to prove.  Helmet use may reduce cycling.  Helmet use may impact cyclists' behavior, making them more prone to take risks.  In Holland, where there is a high percentage of cycle use, helmets are rarely worn, and injuries are few, there are loads of bike lanes.  In general, when infrastructure goes in, injuries go down.
If more people cycle, the more likely it is that cycling infrastructure will increase.
#mandatoryhelmetlaw
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/hard-prove-helmets-make-cycling-4558639
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/campaigning/article/20141103-campaigning-news-Boardman--Why-I-didn-t-wear-a-helmet-on-BBC-Breakfast-0

Lanes:

Here's a nice little film about protected bike lanes that offers anecdotal proof that they reduce injuries.  And it's a delicious view for cycling nerds, which will one day rule the universe.  I'm just sayin'.
#bikelanes
http://vimeo.com/109772951

So if I see you in the bike lane, especially if you are hauling food for a charity, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Trick or Treat - Alta OKs Workers' Union Then Sells Immediately. Boo.

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The trend continues.  Now DC bike share workers are following New York in requesting to be part of a union.  Before bike share workers could finish petitioning for collective bargain, Washington's Capitol Bike Share's company, Alta agreed to the unionization.  Pretty crunchy, Oregon-based Alta.  You should care because bike share re-balancers work until after midnight re-balancing bikes to distribute them around to docks so they are ready for you in the morning.  They push the bikes up and roll them down ramps in the back of the trucks that are get slippery during the rain.  The trucks are not well-lighted in the back, which is dangerous.  And if you want cycling to be considered a form of transportation, remember many transportation workers are unionized.  Let's hope they keep their demand reasonable to everyone feels kindly toward them years from now.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/10/24/d-c-bikeshare-workers-look-to-unionize-and-build-a-nationwide-bikeshare-powerhouse/

Alta, that crunchy company, may have had little to lose by agreeing to collective bargaining by Capitol Bike Share workers.  Rumor was afoot is that Alta was being sold to REQX Ventures and Equinox.  Yup, the gym company.  Then it happened.  Boom.  Just like that.  That means Boston, DC's and Chicago's share programs are in the hands of a large investment firm.  How this will affect shares remains to be seen.  #altabike #REQX
http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/10/27/hubway-boston-sold-alta-bike-share-to-related-cos/
http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2014/10/27/duly-noted-divvy-chicagos-bike-share-has-a-new.html
http://inthecapital.streetwise.co/2014/10/27/inthecapital-beat-1027-livingsocial-numbers-hot-goss-dc-firms-writing-checks/

Belfast Northern Ireland may make you think of the IRA, or sops, or Loyalist/Orange tensions.  But now you can think of it as another city with bike share.  In 2015, Belfast will be getting its own version of Boris Bikes. #belfastbikeshare
http://road.cc/content/news/133828-belfast-get-boris-bikes’-spring

Are you a little tech-y?  A little nerdy?  Wonder which app uses which API to predict bike share dock flow?  Me too.  Here's one. #geeksonbicycles
http://www.programmableweb.com/news/today-apis-qucit-offers-predictive-bikeshare-availability-api/brief/2014/10/23

Lanes:

London may someday get a bridge across the Thames for cyclists and those other people.  What are they called again?  Pedestrians?  Mayor Boris Johnson did something an American politician would have trouble doing.  He listened to a politician from the other party and invited her to share her cycling bridge vision.  Wow.  This image appeared in the Guardian Newspaper.  #borisjohnson #borisbike #bikebridge
http://road.cc/content/news/133819-mayor-london-open-canary-wharf-cycle-bridge-–-asks-whether-it’s-sort-curly-wurly
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jun/24/garden-bridge-london-thomas-heatherwick-joanna-lumley

Policy and Advocacy:

Millennials don't want to drive and, according to Fast Co., they are not likely to take it up anytime soon.  Their use of technology to locate bikes in share docks or the next subway train attract millennials to urban areas and walkable, bike-able communities. #hopeforthefuture
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3037378/millennials-dont-drive-and-here-why-they-arent-likely-to-start-anytime-soon

Ford Motor Company makes cars.  Right?  And now they have entered a licensing agreement with Pedego, an electric bike company.  Hey, what's going on up there in Detroit?  First certain car makers added employee bike sharing.  Then Shinola starts making cool bikes in the middle of the Motor City.  Now Ford is going to put its name on an electric bike, a souped-up Mustang of a bike too.  What's next?
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ford-pedego-electric-bike-20141023-story.html

Mayoral candidates in Washington, DC are answering transit questions about cycling.  It used be the case that they only answered transit questions about subway, bus and taxi service  #evolution
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/24633/david-catania-on-metro-economic-development-streetcars-bike-lanes-building-heights-and-much-more/

Had you reached the point where you would rather hear dishes hit a tile floor than read anything else on the subject of banning cyclists from the sidewalk?  Me too.  But if you don't mind yet another opinion piece on the subject, here it the latest form Washingtonian Magazine's Blog.  Are you also the type that does not mind political attack ads?  Yikes.  #cyclinglaws
http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/capitalcomment/local-news/should-cyclists-be-allowed-to-ride-on-dc-sidewalks.php

Safety:

The rates of bike accidents that result in fatalities are up slightly.  Why?  Well it depends on who you ask.  Most folks analyzing the problem agree on two factors in this up tic; alcohol and helmet use.  I think the fact that more people are cycling to bars is a good thing.  It means that they are not in 3000 pound cars.  Helmet use should still depend on where you are cycling and how much liquor you have had to drink I think.  I could draft that legislation.  Seriously.   #bicyclehelmets  #sopsonbikes  #drinkingandriding
http://wamu.org/news/14/10/27/are_the_roads_becoming_more_dangerous_for_bike_riders

Random notes:

American boxing icon Mohamed Ali may have taken up the sport after his bicycle was stolen.  I can understand his rage.  But if someone took my Pashley, I would hesitate to turn to boxing since it would ruin my manicure.  Plus, his ability to channel his anger was far higher than mine.  I could not become motivated the to become world's greatest boxer.  And like many women, I would not look good with a pugilist's nose.
http://capovelo.com/community/topic/2324-muhammad-ali-became-a-boxer-because-his-bicycle-was-stolen/
http://www.ali.com/legend_boxer_main.php

This drone video of bikes on a path is freakishly mesmerizing.
http://vimeo.com/106894206

Have you ever noticed how hip Mrs. Gulch's bike was?  And a fixy at that.  A smile, a different nose and she might have been less bitter.  This character always lacked verisimilitude to me.  How could she be so grumpy and ride her bike. #flawsinozscript

Halloween:

Moonlight bicycle rides are a great way to celebrate Halloween and burn calories.  And you won't have to recall the parade of horribles your parents claimed would happen if you ate anything that was not in a sealed wrapper.  #razorblades #ratsinHersheybars
http://www.foxcitiescycling.org/events/halloween-moonlight-ride/

So if I see you in the bike lane, and I think you are wearing a costume but I cannot be sure and do not want to offend, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Bike Whisperers, Pro-Cycling Law Firms, and How Bikes Save Governments Money

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Capital Bike Share is now four years old.  It has 200 stations in D.C. and 140 in the 'burbs.  Riders burned more than 186 million calories riding bike share in D.C. over the last four years.  There have been no fatal crashes on bike share in D.C..  Mean people and trolls do not use bike share according to hard science.  And people who use bike share are more attractive and earn points toward heaven.  Okay, at least some of this is true.  Happy Birthday to one of the best things to happen to D.C. since the National Gallery opened.  And it's safe too. #capitalbikeshare
http://dcist.com/2014/10/capital_bikeshare_celebrates_fourth.php
http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/capitalcomment/local-news/capital-bikeshare-users-burned-186-million-calories-last-year-and-other-fun-facts.php
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/26811647/capital-bikeshare-program-celebrates-4-years
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2014/10/16/the-district-gets-its-200th-capital-bikeshare-station/

Safety:

Heard about the Intersection of Doom, where cyclists go to get killed, where tumble weeds blow past and the stink of death is in the air . . . Except no one got killed there in the last 16 years. #bikehysteria
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/24532/where-dc-area-bike-fatalities-happen-in-one-map-and-whats-the-real-intersection-of-doom/


Do drivers pay attention to bike lanes?  Well certainly drivers of box trucks do because they love to park in them.  But apparently cars do not pass cyclists at safer distances because of a painted line on the road.  They do give a wider berth if the road is wider. #bikelanes
http://www.bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/do-drivers-care-about-bike-lanes?cid=socBL_20141015_33720607

Lanes:

Want people to stop cycling on the sidewalk?  They mostly do it to be safe, it turns out.  As soon as you install bike lanes, they stop using the sidewalk.  Where are there the fewest lanes?  Minority neighborhoods, which is why most tickets issued for sidewalk cycling are given to blacks and latinos.  Bummer.  #totallyfixable
http://usa.streetsblog.org/2014/10/21/nyc-bike-on-sidewalk-tickets-most-common-in-black-and-latino-communities/

Policy and Advocacy:

Gosh bike lanes seem like such a waste of public money.  Right?  Wrong.  Check out this analysis of Copenhagen's lanes and infrastructure:

It’s not all one big eco-hippy love-fest, though – it’s simple financial common sense. The cost of 1km of cycle track is paid off in five years by the health benefits of users getting more exercise. Car traffic drops by 10% on these stretches and cycling increases by 20%. The 41% of the population who arrive at work or school by bike contribute a whopping €235m (£185m) a year to the public coffers. Re-allocating space from less cost-efficient transport forms like cars to modern, cost-effective bicycles makes sense.

#saving taxpayer dollars  #infrastructureinvestment #bikelanes  #oh just put the darn things in already
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/oct/16/copenhagen-cycling-innovation-lycra-louts-green-wave-bike-bridges

And studies in the U.K. say that investments in cycling infrastructure could actually save millions. Savings are projected at over 30 billion dollars for England's public health system over the next 20 years. #stating obvious stuff here
http://road.cc/content/news/133324-studies-say-investment-cycling-would-save-nhs-billions

Law firms in the U.K. have joined the movement to get better #cycling infrastructure.  It would be fantastic to see major law firms in the United States take a stand for cycling.  But respectable law firms only, please.  Not the people who advertise on late night television for victims of medical malpractice, or bring class actions suits against pharmaceutical companies.  August, serious, intellectual law firms with obscene amounts of legislative influence.  Here are some of the British firms on the right side of history:
https://cyclingworks.wordpress.com/category/legal/

Could it be true that no city with widespread cycling has improved safety by having a mandatory helmet law?  Yup.  And Mayor Bill de Blasio is not backing a helmet law for NYC either.  #helmetlaw
http://www.streetsblog.org/2014/10/16/nypds-2011-bike-safety-plan-recommending-a-mandatory-helmet-law/


In NYC, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg takes pride in her city's transition to a cycling mecca:

New York has—against all odds—embraced and has been transformed by a mode of transportation which is inexpensive, burns no fuel, emits no carbon, helps tackle obesity, connects people to their communities and let’s face it, brings joy.

See this nice piece in The Examiner.  I especially agree with the joy part.   #PollyTrottenberg
http://www.examiner.com/article/nyc-tops-2014-list-of-usa-haute-bike-cities

China, which is presently facing an environmental crisis over its air pollution, is trying to reverse its transition to a car culture.  The growing Chinese middle class has come to see cars as the spoils of wealth, not unlike Americans have done for 50 years.  Over 100 more cars come into Beijing every single day.  Staggering.  But in China, the government simply orders people to ride bikes instead of driving some days.  I guess I am against that.  Right?  That's a violation of civil liberties.  Right?  It's just wrong.  Right?  And bossy.  Right?  Hesitating . . . hesitating.  Hmmmm.  Testing my civil rights resolve here . . .
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ywang/2014/10/20/return-of-bicycle-culture-in-china-adds-to-billionaires-wealth/

I have to confess the steady drumbeat of stories about how women do not bike is depressing.  Yesterday I noticed myself in a pack of seven male cyclists at a traffic light and could not see another female for several blocks.  This morning, it seemed like there were only women in the lanes.  But I accept the statistics that say more men cycle to work than women.  So I am thrilled to see this positive piece about how to get women cycling.  It's very easy to identify what is not working in society.  It's a greater achievement to identify workable solutions.  Thanks to #Amy George  #womencyclists
http://www.baconsrebellion.com/2014/10/women-flex-their-biking-muscles.html

Interested in becoming a female bike mechanic?  Bicycling Magazine has this scholarship announcement.
http://www.bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/women-win-scholarship-bike-maintenance-school?adbid=z121zhx5cua5ypzuj22ai1w5ao20snryk04&adbpl=gp&adbpr=114021379793531981404&cid=socBL_20141021_34159477

Random notes:

There are plenty of self-proclaimed bike fitters.  Then there are people for whom it is a labor of love.  Bike whisperers.  Meet a Smiley al-Abd, Washington's fixer of all things bikes.  El-Abd works from his suburban Maryland garage helping cyclists from the U.A.E. to Washington, D.C. figure out how to ride more comfortably.  And not surprisingly, this Egyptian-born wizard is a mechanical engineer who knows how to make things run smoothly using plumb bobs, protractors and levels.  What else?  #smiley el-abd  #bikefitter #bikewhisperer  #giants among us
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/washingtons-bike-whisperer-fixes-cyclists-woes/2014/10/16/7f37fcca-4416-11e4-9a15-137aa0153527_story.html
http://www.carrieregancoaching.com/my-favorite-people/

It's hard not to smile at this little film about Project Upcycle.  Fun guys convert a damaged grocery cart into a magic tricycle. #projectupcycle
http://vimeo.com/108876913

So if I see you in the bike lanes, on a Capital Bikeshare three-speed, or a high-end Cannondale adjusted by none other than the bike whisperer, let's be smug.

Elisa P.