April 2011 - Spokes Magazine

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complete continued from p.13 don’t change have a system that includes and works for them. McCann points to the recent addition of the counterflow lane and bike signals on New Hampshire Avenue crossing 16th (in D.C.) as a perfect example. “Adding a double-yellow line for bikers and suddenly people went from being scofflaws to law-abiding citizens.” McCann notes that Washington, D.C., “has really embraced multi-modal roads and making roads work for everybody.” D.C. has a “Complete Streets” policy which was signed by Gabe Klein before he left his position. D.C. has been designing multi-modally for several years and especially in the last two and McCann commends the “creativity and thinking ahead” as the “spirit you want to see with ‘Complete Street.’” For example, when Pennsylvania Avenue received the unusual treatment where bike lanes were put in the middle of the road, initially, there were problems. “They got a lot of pushback and ended up redoing it,” she said, “but they were still committed to doing it; they didn’t take it out.” While Maryland has had a “Complete Streets” law that was passed in 1996, McCann says it’s not really enforced. “Part of it is that ‘Complete Streets’ is in regard to new roads and reconstruction, so it’s really slow, but they haven’t grabbed it and run with it.” She adds, “Montgomery County has a ‘Complete Streets’ policy which is new so they haven’t really had time to implement it. In Virginia there’s a “Complete Streets” policy that’s internal to the DOT which McCann says they’re working on implementing and are slowly moving in the right direction. With a new governor she hopes this continues to be the case. Arlington, however, is like D.C. in that they’ve been doing “Complete Streets” for a while. McCann notes that they started doing it more from a transit perspective, trying to make best use of the metro. While McCann works at making “Complete Streets” a national objective, she points to the “shared spaces” movement happening in Europe as a similar concept. “The idea is that you get rid of all the signals, and signs, and pavement markings, usually at major intersections or plazas, and the drivers automatically slow down because they have to be watching for pedestrians and everyone else.” While this might sound crazy to a population used to zoning out behind the wheel, McCann says that studies are showing it’s safer because everybody has to be paying attention. “In the U.S. people get road rage because people are reacting to what others are supposed to be doing rather than reacting to what’s happening.” McCann says the concept is partly based on third world countries where everybody is watching and paying attention and adjusting to what’s happening around them. Because McCann’s own bike experiences include biking across the country, various countries in Europe, and biking in Cambodia and Southeast Asia she’s very familiar with people having a completely different system of handling traffic. Of biking in the third world she says, “Erase what you think about biking in the country, it was such an eyeopener. Everyone’s out there mixing it up but somehow it works. You move predictably and steadily and people behind you react. ‘Complete Streets’ seems irrelevant there because they have another set of rules and other cultural conventions about how they travel.” Whether or not your future involves discovering the cultural bike norms of another locale, navigating your current environment is on its way to becoming easier. While bike commuting logistics may be overwhelming, McCann believes that “Complete Streets” will initially allow for more errand running and simple transportation. So the next time you find yourself dumped off an all-too-short bike lane, consider that with continued commitment and rising awareness, these “paths to nowhere” might actually be paving the way to “Complete Streets” for everyone. To find out if your community has adopted a “Complete Streets” policy or for ways to become involved, visit www.completestreets.org. 14 April 2011
THE PERFECT RIDE NO MATTER HOW YOU DESCRIBE IT, THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN THE PERFECT RIDE— WHERE YOU, YOUR BIKE, AND THE TRAIL ALIGN FOR ONE INCREDIBLE DAY. ONLY YOUR MID-ATLANTIC SPECIALIZED DEALER HAS THE KNOWLEDGE, BIKES AND EQUIPMENT TO MAKE EVERY RIDE THE PERFECT RIDE. VIRGINIA ALEXANDRIA SPOKES, ETC. 1545 N. Quaker Lane (703) 820-2200 ASHBURN SPOKES, ETC. 20070 Ashbrook Commons Plaza (703) 858-5501 BELLEVIEW SPOKES, ETC. 1506 Belle View Boulevard (703) 765-8005 FAIRFAX SPOKES, ETC. 10937 Fairfax Boulevard (703) 591-2200 FREDERICKSBURG OLDE TOWNE BICYCLES 1907 Plank Road (540) 371-6383 HERNDON A-1 CYCLING 2451 I-3 Centerville Road (703) 793-0400 MANASSAS A-1 CYCLING 7705 Sudley Road (703) 361-6101 VIENNA SPOKES, ETC. 224 Maple Avenue East (703) 281-2004 WOODBRIDGE OLDE TOWNE BICYCLES 14477 Potomac Mills Road (703) 491-5700 MARYLAND ANNAPOLIS CAPITAL BICYCLE, INC. 436 Chinquapin Round Road (410) 626-2197 BALTIMORE PRINCETON SPORTS 6239 Falls Road (410) 828-1127 COLUMBIA PRINCETON SPORTS 10730 Little Patuxent Parkway (410) 995-1894 FREDERICK THE BICYCLE ESCAPE Rt. 26 & Monocacy Boulevard (301) 663-0007 HYATTSVILLE ARROW BICYCLE 5108 Baltimore Avenue (301) 531-9250 LUTHERVILLE LUTHERVILLE BIKE SHOP 1544 York Road (410) 583-8734 MT. AIRY PATAPSCO BIKE & SPORT 5 North Main Street (301) 829-5604 WASHINGTON, D.C. GEORGETOWN BICYCLE PRO SHOP 3403 M Street, NW (202) 337-0311 April 2011 15
Page 1 and 2: Serving Cyclists in the Mid-Atlanti
Page 3 and 4: On theCover Ride with heroes and Wo
Page 5 and 6: BICYCLE RIDE ACROSS GEORGIA 32nd an
Page 7 and 8: It was a day that pretty much finis
Page 9 and 10: F I S H E R D R E A M E D . T R E K
Page 11 and 12: town and bike valet/parking locatio
Page 13: public health people, and low-incom
Page 17 and 18: than two miles on the NCR trail tog
Page 20 and 21: Triathlete Doug Landau (right) was
Page 22 and 23: Behind Bars Let’s Talk About Bike
Page 24 and 25: COMMUTER CONNECTION by ron cassie r
Page 26 and 27: Progress Continues on Black Rock Mi
Page 28 and 29: calendar of events To be listed, se
Page 30 and 31: calendar continued from p.29 teur a
Page 32: SATURDAY & SUNDAY | JUNE 11-12, 201

April 2011 - Spokes Magazine

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