20 new Bikeshare stations coming this spring; send in your location recommendations!

Via WashCycle, I found Smartplanet.com's
interview with Capital Bikeshare project manager Chris Holben. In it Holben reveals that 20 more CaBi stations will be added this spring:

There are 100 stations now. What’s the plan for expansion?

We’re looking to add about 20 more this spring and then it’s really more an issue of political will and how the budget looks. I know we’re interested in expanding. I’ve worked for D.C. government for close to 10 years and usually things work very slow here, which is typical for big projects like roads and bridges, so being able to install this many of anything in a month is remarkable. The system is so elegant that you can put down one [station] in an hour, and you flip the switch and it’s online. You bring by a truck an hour later and deliver the bikes.


I asked Holben if DDOT is taking suggestions from citizens for locations for those 20 new stations, and he said indeed they are!

My ideas for expansion into Ward 4:

• 14th & Colorado
  
• Georgia & Missouri
  
• Georgia & Piney Branch
  
• Takoma Metro station
  

What's your CaBi station location wish list? Post it here, or send it directly to chris dot holben at dc got gov

Vote for Capital Bikeshare stations to come to our neighborhood

Even though I'm an avid cyclist, I have not joined the Smartbike bike sharing program, mainly because the locations of this pilot program's stations aren't particularly convenient to any place I normally travel (and also because I own more bikes than is truly necessary, but that's an entirely different issue!).

Well, the pilot program has been successful enough that DDOT is expanding the program and giving it a new name, Capital Bikeshare. And now DDOT is looking for input from citizens regarding where they think Capital Bikeshare stations should be located. Take a couple of minutes to plot your points on the interactive map.

Some locations that I chose: the Takoma Metro stop, the (current) Walter Reed site, the corner of Georgia and Missouri (especially if when it gets developed, finally), and 14th and Colorado. Any other suggestions for good station sites in Ward 4?

A bicycle beltway in the District:Building the Fort Circle greenway

I've been reading up on an interesting bit of history. If the plans fall into place, they could influence how we get around in Brightwood, and the development of the city in general.

Back in the 1930s, a road called Fort Drive was being planned, which would link all of the Fort Parks throughout the city. By the 1960s, small fractions of Fort Drive had been constructed, but it was decided that the project was too impractical to complete, and the plans were dashed in favor of building a walkable, bikeable greenway that would link the Fort Circle Park system. That was in 1965, and the project hasn't exactly come to fruition since then, but the National Capital Park Commission wants to get it going. TheWashCycle gave a rundown of the plans several months back.

DCMud will host a web dialogue with the NCPC on Thursday 4/29/10 at 1 pm, and linking the Fort Circle Parks is on the agenda for discussion.

Among other things, I would happily welcome a bike route from Fort Stevens to Fort Reno that doesn't involve coming into contact with the decidedly bike-unfriendly Military Road!

Bike shops and road rage

I admit that I was nervous about moving to a neighborhood with no bike shops. In the past, I had very easy access to five of them within a one-mile radius from my home. So I was thrilled to learn that not one but two new bike shops are opening up in Takoma Park this spring.

We also have the good folks at The Bike House, a volunteer-run collective that (for now) operates out of the back yard of Qualia Coffee at 3917 Georgia Avenue. The Bike House people are interested in sharing their knowledge of bike mechanics and empowering those whose mechanical skills might be rusty or even non-existent. They're having a fundraising party this Friday, April 16. Pertinent info:

What: Music, Goldsprints, Good Beer, Bike House!
When: April 16th 2010 9pm-1am
Where: 4104 New Hampshire Ave NW (Taylor and NH)
Who: You & your friends (18+ to get in, 21+ for drinks)
How: $10 for a cup - then all you can drink.

Come join us to celebrate the second season of the Bike House! We'll have music, biking competitions, good beer, and good cheer.

Free rent from Qualia Coffee (thank you thank you thank you!) and an 100% volunteer workforce is awesome, but it still takes some cash to make sure your bikes leave the co-op clean, lubed, and fixed-up!
Because of that (and to cover the costs of the party) we will be asking a $10 donation at the door.

Don't have $10? Don't sweat it, we'd love to have your presence, energy, and enthusiasm just the same!

Via The WashCycle: a City Paper writer is looking for stories of motorist-cyclist road rage (I assume the writer's interest in this topic was spurred by last week's horrifying story about the cyclist who was intentionally hit by a motorist in Bloomingdale). Send your own horror stories to Rend Smith, rsmith@washingtoncitypaper.com

New Bike Ambassador; Phoenix Bike Show

The DC Bicycle Transportation Examiner interviewed Daniel Hoagland, WABA's new Bicycle Ambassador. Includes lots of audio clips in which Hoagland (who recently moved to the District from Boston) discusses his views on DC as a bike town.

And while I'm talking about bikes, I want to plug the Phoenix Bike Show tonight. OK, Phoenix is in south Arlington, a long haul from Brightwood, but it's the most established of all the bike co-ops in our area, it's a great cause, and the bike show is always a lot of fun.

From PHoenix

Metropolitan Branch Trail NY-RI Ave. section grand opening

The Metropolitan Branch Trail will celebrate the grand opening of its New York Ave - Rhode Island Ave segment on June 5, 2010.

The trail runs from Silver Spring station to Union Station and runs along Third Street NW in the Manor Park neighborhood. The trail is well situated for getting residents of Brightwood and its surroundings to Union Station and various neighborhoods of the District that might otherwise be difficult to reach via bicycle.


View MBT: Metropolitan Branch Trail in a larger map

The opening of the New York Ave - Rhode Island Ave segment has been eagerly awaited because it will provide a straight shot for cyclists between the RI Ave and New York Ave Metro stations. Currently, getting between those two points requires winding through the residential streets of Eckington (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), or biking up RI to Brentwood Rd. NE and then hitting NY Ave (not the most pleasant riding conditions on those streets).

Biking though NE DC is about to get a whole lot easier.