Results tagged “bikelanes”

Bicyclist Jessie Posilkin sent an email to WABA this morning (and was kind enough to cc DCist) about another bicycle sting operation that looks like it's been set up in Logan Circle today. Posilkin reports that she was given a $25 ticket for going the wrong way on Vermont Ave. into the circle, much the same as the folks who were ticketed for going the wrong way on New Hampshire Ave. toward U Street back in July (and other times since, for that matter). While Posilkin admits breaking the law, she also notes that "there is no good way to enter Logan coming from Vermont- all routes seem inefficient (and the traffic lights at the different one way stops are confusing)." Cyclists heading in to the Logan area today, consider yourselves warned.

All our sympathies go to the SWDCBlogger's roommate who was intentionally struck by a driver while riding late last Friday night on 14th Street SW near Constitution Avenue. Witnesses to the incident picked up the driver's tags, so the hope is that justice will catch up with that automomaniac. Anyone else who was hanging around the Mall after 1 a.m. and saw the incident should get in contact with the blog's author.

We've been interested in D.C. Council member Tommy Wells's amendment to add additional fines for drivers who double park in bike lanes for a while. Greater Greater Washington has been all over this story from the beginning, so it's no surprise you can read the news there: yesterday the Council passed a set of new laws regarding new fines for drivers who endanger pedestrians and cyclists, and Wells's revised amendment was included. The fine for drivers who park in bike lanes will be $65. Wells said he believes drivers who are ticketed for double-parking, however, will generally not be issued two tickets for both infractions, so the fine may be limited only to drivers who park in bike lanes that are not adjacent to parking lanes. The same bill also raised the fine for drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians from $50 to $250.

The intersection of U Street, 16th Street and New Hampshire Ave. in Northwest has long been a perilous spot for pedestrians and cyclists alike. It's just a weird confluence of two major thoroughfares plus a diagonal avenue that runs one-way, in opposite directions, for one block only on either side. If you've ever tried to cross U Street on foot there, you know just how unpredictable the flow of traffic can be. Last year DDOT was even considering cutting off vehicle access to New Hampshire from the intersection in an effort to make the crosswalks less dangerous.

The D.C. Council was supposed to be on recess starting today, but they couldn't quite get through their packed legislative session Tuesday, so they'll be coming back for more on Thursday. Hopefully Carol Schwartz can stand being away from Rehoboth for a couple more days.

Let the bike vs. car wars continue! Toward the end of last week Matthew Yglesias linked to a new D.C. version of MyBikeLane.com, a site that allows users to upload photos capturing the license plate numbers of cars that park in city bike lanes. Yglesias promised to start uploading photos straightaway, and sure enough, a handful of photos at the top of the page are courtesy the Atlantic blogger, including the one above.

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association sent around word today that Bicycling Magazine has named Washington, D.C. the #1 most improved bicycling city in America (you can download a pdf of the story here, since it appears it's not yet available on Bicycling.com). The news was timed well with WABA's efforts to remind everyone to sign up for Bike to Work Day (coming up on May 16).

Not very many media outlets have really mastered the art of producing web video, but Slate's team of online video producers tend to stand out from the pack (see their Larry Craig arrest report reenactment for further evidence). Via Matthew Yglesias, we get this truly funny report on the stupidest bike lines in America (and elsewhere in the world). Slate ended up giving the top honors to a 20-ft. stretch of bike lane they found in Silver Spring, Md., that literally goes nowhere. Have you guys ever seen this supposed "bike path"?