bicycling

Meet Arlington’s Penny-Farthing Commuter

By ARLnow.com

Ken Matthews actually doesn’t like attention.

You just wouldn’t know it if you saw him riding down the street on his 1891 Columbia Light Roadster “penny-farthing” bicycle, a bike so old that the only replacement tires you can find for it are sold by the Amish.

Matthews, an employee in the Arlington County communications department and self-professed lover of “old stuff,” has been riding a bike to work every day for 10 years now. For a couple of days last week, Matthews caused a bit of a stir when he started commuting from his home in Falls Church to the county government building in Courthouse on the penny-farthing, instead of on his usual, low-key 1972 Peugeot three-speed. Tweets and emails started coming in to ARLnow.com, asking what was up with the guy pedaling through Ballston on the old-school, high-wheel bike.

As it turns out, the Peugeot had been stolen — like two other bikes before it — and the penny-farthing was the only working-order bike in Matthews’ sizable vintage bicycle collection. The married father of two says he doesn’t ordinarily commute on the penny-farthing, largely due to the fact that it takes twice as long to get wherever he’s going since he is constantly stopped by curious strangers who want to take photos and ask questions. That’s not to say, however, that Matthews doesn’t like the occasional ride on the 120-year-old bike, which weighs 35 pounds and requires little maintenance due to the lack of parts like chains or inner-tubes.

“Keeping it well-oiled is pretty much all you have to do,” he said. “It’s bombproof.”

Matthews’ 2- and 4-year-old also enjoy rides on the penny-farthing, made possible by the fact that his Cannondale children’s bike trailer can attach to the penny-farthing’s “backbone” (the pole that holds the smaller wheel).

You won’t be seeing much of the penny-farthing from here on out, since Matthews has fixed up another vintage bike as his every-day commuter. But the penny-farthing will still make occasional appearances. The bike, which could fetch as much as $2,000 at auction, technically belongs to one of Matthews’ friends, who rides it in parades. The friend has let Matthews ride the penny-farthing in exchange for storing it for the past several years — since the nearly 5-foot tall bike won’t fit in the friend’s home.

1/9

Accident Involving Bicyclist Near Key Bridge

By ARLnow.com

(Update at 10:30 a.m.) A bicyclist was struck by a van near the Key Bridge in Rosslyn this morning.

The accident happened on Lynn Street, near the intersection with Lee Highway. Two lanes of Lynn Street were blocked as medics treated the bicyclist and as police took photos of the accident scene.

The bicyclist was taken to George Washington University Hospital with unspecified injuries. So far there’s no indication that those injuries are life-threatening.

Accident on GW Parkway Narrowly Misses Cyclist

By ARLnow.com

A three-car accident on the GW Parkway this morning could have been much more serious had a cyclist not hesitated at a pedestrian crossing.

Two injuries were reported after a pickup truck rear-ended at least one of two cars that had stopped at the crossing. According to a video posted on Facebook by a witness, the female cyclist hesitated before crossing in front of the two cars. That act of vigilance may have saved her life.

“This right here is the worst bike crossing in the entire city,” said a man narrating the video from behind the camera. “The speed limit here is 45 miles per hour, and you have to come to a complete stop for the bike crossing. There should probably be a tunnel here, or something like that, instead.”

“I wonder when or if the NPS will figure out how to reduce accidents there,” another witness told ARLnow.com, in an email.

The two injuries reported by medics on the scene were both said to be vehicle occupants. U.S. Park Police and Arlington County Fire Department spokesmen did not have any additional information about the accident.

Bike/Pedestrian Underpass to Columbia Island Marina Now Open

By ARLnow.com

A bike and pedestrian pathway between the Mt. Vernon Trail and Columbia Island Marina/Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Grove is now open.

The pathway opened less than two weeks ago. It runs under the new Boundary Channel Humpback Bridge, which carries traffic from the GW Parkway and the Mt. Vernon Trail.

In addition to making Columbia Island safely accessible via the Mt. Vernon Trail, the new underpass allows easier access to the Pentagon’s North Parking Lot. The lot is connected to the LBJ Memorial Grove by an existing wooden pedestrian bridge.

Below are a few photos of the grove and the marina.

1/12

Morning Poll: Pro-Car or Pro-Pedestrian?

By ARLnow.com

The issue is presented as a set of two mutually-exclusive options: either continue to support transportation policies that make it easy to own and drive a car, at the expense of bike and pedestrian safety; or support policies that make it easier and safer to walk and bike, at the expense of drivers.

Yesterday on the Arlington’s Commuter Page Blog, county Commuter Services Transportation Bureau Chief Chris Hamilton lauded Europe’s pro-pedestrian and anti-car policies, which have “reduced traffic and the number of cars in cities… re-conquering space for pedestrians.”

The policies, outlined in a New York Times article, include “making it harder and more costly to park… capping the number of parking spaces in new buildings rather than providing minimums… slowing cars down and closing streets to cars altogether and creating pedestrian plazas… synchronizing signal priority for people and transit, not cars… and giving people on foot the right to cross a street anywhere they like.”

“By following these examples we can make the Washington, DC region an even greater place to live,” Hamilton concluded.

Arlington’s stated transportation policy is to focus future street improvements on facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders. One example of this in action is the the proposed improvements to the Meade Street Bridge in Rosslyn. The current plan, as outlined at a public meeting last week, calls for the addition of dedicated bicycle lanes, the conversion of a free-flowing off ramp from westbound Route 50 to a square intersection and the addition of two traffic signals on either side of the bridge

If the choice is limited to pro-car or pro-bike-and-pedestrian policies — as opposed to policies that attempt to benefit both cars and alternative transportation choices — which would you support?

Meeting Tonight to Discuss Bikeshare Expansion

By ARLnow.com

County planners are holding a public forum tonight to discuss the expansion of Capital Bikeshare into the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

As we reported earlier this month, the meeting will seek input on 33 potential sites for Bikeshare stations throughout the corridor. In addition those sites, the county is also soliciting suggestion for other station locations via an interactive ‘crowdsourced’ map.

The selection criteria for new stations stipulate that the stations get 4+ hours of direct sunlight daily, be on flat ground and avoid creating “a dangerous situation for street users,” among other requirements. A total of 30 stations are expected to be built over the next year.

Tonight’s meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the Cherry/Dogwood rooms of the county government building at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard.

Arlington Cyclist Wins Trip to Tour de France

By ARLnow.com

Arlington resident and competitive cyclist Joe Praino has won a dream trip to the Tour de France after collecting the most votes in a nationwide contest.

Praino will join Team Liquigas-Cannondale at the Tour after winning the Facebook-based contest, which was sponsored by Cannondale and Peloton Magazine. As an honorary member of the U.S.-Italian team, Praino will travel in the team car and help out behind the scenes.

In addition to the all-expenses-paid overseas trip, Praino will receive a $6,000+ Cannondale SuperSix EVO road bike, cycling apparel, and a magazine subscription.

Praino won over voters on the contest’s Facebook page with a humorous, two-minute video (above) that explains why he’s always wanted to see the Tour de France up close.

Video courtesy Cannondale

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pentagon Suspect Suspected in Shootings — The man whose arrest prompted authorities to shut down Washington Boulevard during the Friday morning rush hour is now being investigated for a possible connection to a mysterious series of incidents of shots fired at the Pentagon and various Northern Virginia sites linked to the Marine Corps. Yonathan Melaku, a 22-year-old Marine reservist, is currently being held at a Loudoun County jail. [Inside Nova]

Arlington Cabbies Stage Sit-In — Arlington taxi drivers surprised county officials by packing into a Arlington County office yesterday in protest of regulations that they say give the owners of taxi companies too much control over drivers. [Washington Examiner]

Pike ‘Bike Boulevards’ Generate Opposition — Some residents are upset about what they see as a lack of advanced notice regarding Arlington’s plan to build ‘bike boulevards’ on two streets that run parallel to Columbia Pike. Also: more details on how the bike boulevards would work. [Greater Greater Washington]

Bishop O’Connell Teacher Missing — A popular English teacher at Bishop O’Connell High School has gone missing. Tom Duesterhaus was last seen on Friday in Virginia Beach. [Patch]

Photo courtesy James Mahony

Pedestrian Improvements Underway on Shirlington Road

By ARLnow.com

Work is underway on a series of pedestrian improvements on Shirlington Road.

The sidewalk in front of the Weenie Beenie, between Four Mile Run Drive and 27th Street S., is being expanded from 5.5 feet to 12 feet. In addition, the traffic signal at Shirlington Road and Four Mile Run Drive is being upgraded, LED street lights are being added and other aspects of the streetscape are being improved.

The improvements are intended to make bike and foot travel safer in an area of high pedestrian and vehicle traffic.  The sidewalk serves pedestrians heading between Nauck and Shirlington, as well as cyclists and joggers heading between the W&OD Trail and the two sections of the Four Mile Run Trail.

“We’re trying to greatly upgrade that pedestrian/bicycle connectivity,” said Arlington County Director of Transportation Dennis Leach. He added that the upgrades were made necessary, among other reasons, due to the narrowness of the preexisting sidewalk.

“We’ve had some real concerns,” Leach said. “The existing condition is poor.”

In addition to safety enhancements, the $196,000 project will also improve the landscaping along Shirlington Road, upgrade the bus stop at the intersection with Four Mile Run Drive, and bolster the handling of storm water to prevent runoff into Four Mile Run.

Leach said the project is the “first phase” of a larger pedestrian improvement initiative that will see the widening of the Shirlington Road bridge over Four Mile Run. Widening the bridge and the corresponding sidewalk will allow more than one cyclist to cross at a time on the busy stretch. The Four Mile Run Trail alone, Leach said, handled 1,300 people per day during the month of May.

Meeting Tonight to Discuss Pike ‘Bicycle Boulevards’

By ARLnow.com

Columbia Pike simply is not conducive to safe bicycle travel.

Much of the Pike — with four travel lanes, a turn lane and, eventually, a streetcar line — does not have room for bike lanes. Meanwhile, traffic tends to be too fast and too congested for safe shared use by bicyclists. And the sidewalks are too narrow for bicyclists and pedestrians to safely co-exist.

So what are cyclists — and county planners — to do?  The solution being discussed tonight, which has been in the works since 2004, would create two “bicycle boulevards” that run on quiet residential streets parallel to the Pike.

The east-west routes — along 9th Street S. and 12th Street S. — would remain open to vehicular traffic but would be marked as designated bicycle boulevards. In addition to street markings, crosswalks, signage, and trail access, the project would include bicycle and pedestrian safety enhancements to the busy intersections of S. Walter Reed Drive and 9th Street, S. Walter Reed Drive and 12th Street, S. Glebe Road and 9th Street and S. George Mason Drive and 12th Street.

Some have expressed concern that the creation of the bicycle boulevards could produce additional safety hazards and disturbances for residents along the routes. Those critics and other interested parties will be able to learn more about the project tonight at a public meeting. The meeting is scheduled to be held at the Patrick Henry Elementary School Cafeteria (701 S. Highland Street) starting at 7:00 p.m.

Map via Arlington County

Meeting Planned to Discuss Capital Bikeshare Expansion

By ARLnow.com

With about 30 new Capital Bikeshare stations planned for the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor over the next 6-12 months, the county is seeking input as to where exactly the new stations should go.

Planners have already identified 33 potential CaBi expansion sites throughout the corridor. They have now scheduled a public meeting to discuss the proposed station locations and to gather additional location suggestions. The selection criteria for new stations stipulate that the stations get 4+ hours of direct sunlight daily, be on flat ground and avoid creating “a dangerous situation for street users,” among other requirements.

The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on June 27 , in the Cherry/Dogwood rooms of the county government building at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard.

A list of the proposed station locations, after the jump.
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