November 16, 2011: Police activity on Water Street.
It seems that complaints from car drivers about bikers not respecting stop signs have reached a critical mass and the police have decided to do something about it.
This morning I was pulled over by a motorcycle cop for running the stop sign on Water and Wisconsin.
I did see him in advance and he looked a bit too interested in me as a biker, so I slowed at the sign to what I thought was an acceptable stop (did not put my foot down though). He pulled me over, explaining that was not a 'quality' stop and after telling me he is there to enforce the stop he let me go.
The guy behind me ran the sign, was pulled over and asked for his drivers licence, so I am guessing more severe punishment was meted out.
A friend of mine riding through the same place a bit later did not have problems, but noticed a motorcycle and car cop stuffing down some doughnuts so I guess they were on break....

I resolved to try riding more through the river side park as I suspect the cops will be coming back more often, product of a combination of complaints (yes, we riders sometimes are not very considerate there) and doughnuts.

Good conditions on the Capital Crescent Trail this morning, still icy at the usual cold spot by mile 6 marker/tunnel - but there's a clear path through. 

Snow Days

For those willing to make there way through slippery streets and snow covered trails, winter commuting has its special rewards.

Photo by Jan Zika, 12 January 2011

Register Now For Bike to Work Day - May 15th, 2009

(Click for Link)

Securing your bike

In 1999, the New York department of City Planning conducted a survey to find out why New Yorkers did not bike to work. The biggest reason was not fear for safety but fear of bike theft.

Bikes for some reason are popular targets for theft, as former president Jimmy Carter and his wife Roslyn recently learned. If it can happen at the Carter Center, it can happen at the World Bank, and frequently does. Last fall there was a rash of thefts from the racks outside the MC building and one theft reported from the IFC garage.

Here's a description of a common bike theft and advice from a comment posted on the IBRiDers blog:

My son left his bike at the Bethesda metro station yesterday January 12 09 at 9:30 am. He attached it with a traditional lock (a sturdy cable one) to the bike rack that stands at the station entry. When he came back at 6:00 pm, the bike was stolen. So beware to put a really strong lock in you intend to bike and ride the metro... Also, you may want to know that in some places ( notably Bethesda-Chevy Chase for sure) you can register your bike at you local police station. You can then notify the police , if it is stolen. And who knows.... the police may find it afterwards, a few miles further down, abandoned in a parking lot, it would be your lucky day.

Better policing, an effective registration system, secure parking facilities would all help. But, in the meanwhile, your best defense is a good lock.

So what lock to use? The short answer is the stronger the better. but there are trade-offs -- weight, convenience, capacity. The best article I have seen was published on Slate last year: The best locks to protect your wheels.

So protect your bike. It's your friend. If you are commuting to work, the best place is indoors, inside a secure area. And even there you may want to have a good lock. The same goes for bikes at home, which are often stolen from garages or back porches. Or at the Carter Center........
Any advice for other riders? Leave a comment.

Bikes and the Inauguration

The bike parking offered by WABA for the inauguration seems to have been a great success. It was well covered in the media and even out-of-towners who arrived without bikes had heard about it.

However, I did not use the valet service. I stayed home for the official ceremony and then headed for the Mall around 3 pm, planning to see how far I could get. On the way in, I met a steady stream of bikers and walkers returning along the Custis trail in Arlington. By the time I reached the Mall, there were very few barriers left, and so I rode up to the base of the Washington Monument and beyond to where the parade was forming up. I saw many, happy people still savoring the moment, some sitting on the ground watching the replay on the giant TV monitors. A few bands were warming up, but most were just trying to stay warm while they waited to march. The only group that looked prepared for the long, cold day were the Native Alaskans in their furs sitting on the state float.

Going home I took advantage of the GW Parkway closure and rode the empty highway from Roosevelt Island up to Spout Run. The best bikeway in the area!

Commuting Routes in DC

This is a placeholder for queries and recommendations about cycling routes from the District of Columbia to DC (or anyplace else). Posted comments will be incorporated in the main text as they accumulate.

You can also share your information about trails and roads: snow, ice, potholes, unsafe conditions of all kinds. To pass the word to other riders, add a comment to this post. Give specifics: where, when, what's the problem.