Capital Bikeshare

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Capital Bikeshare Stations Launch in Rosslyn — Four Capital Bikeshare stations were quietly installed around Rosslyn on Saturday. There were no public notices or proclamations before the installation — unlike earlier in the week when officials announced that four stations were to be installed on Wednesday. The county followed up that announcement with a notice that the installation was delayed indefinitely. Update at 12:05 p.m. — See info on the installations from Bike Arlington. [Patch]

Humpback Bridge Work Nears Completion — The National Park Service expects construction on the Humpback Bridge reconstruction project to wrap up in mid-June. The final construction phase will allow a full merge from I-395 onto the northbound GW Parkway. [WTOP]

Bengali New Year Celebrated on the Pike — The local Bengali community came together for their traditional New Years celebration on Saturday. Despite the wet weather, Bengalis gathered near Columbia Pike for a parade, musical performances, dancing and ethnic food. [Pike Wire]

County Pay Raises in the Works? — On Saturday, Arlington County Board members instructed County Manager Barbara Donnellan to proceed with a study of county workers’ compensation, which some within county government believe is too low. Also on Saturday, the County Board voted to raise their own pay ceiling from $49,000 to $57,337. While board members won’t be getting any more money this year, the move opens up the possibility of a pay raise next year. [Sun Gazette]

Rosslyn, Courthouse CaBi Stations To Open This Week

By ARLnow.com

Update at 4:15 p.m. on 4/12/11 — The opening of the first four CaBi stations will be delayed, county officials say. No revised opening date was given.

It’s official: four Capital Bikeshare stations will open in Rosslyn and Courthouse on Wednesday.

The long-anticipated CaBi roll-out along the Orange Line will eventually result in 30 stations and 200 bikes added by the end of 2011, according to Arlington County. Crystal City and Pentagon City are already home to 14 CaBi stations.

“Capital Bikeshare is an integral part of Arlington’s commitment to cycling and to providing transportation options,” County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said in a statement this morning. “Bringing the red bikes to the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor this year will make cycling more convenient for Metro area commuters, and will offer our community another car-free, healthy transportation choice.”

The four stations that are scheduled to open on Wednesday include:

  • North Lynn Street and 19th Street in Rosslyn
  • Wilson Boulevard and North Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn
  • North Pierce Street and Clarendon Boulevard in Rosslyn
  • 15th Street and North Uhle Street in Courthouse

Courtesy photo

Capital Bikeshare Expansion into N. Arlington Nears

By ARLnow.com

If you’ve been waiting for Capital Bikeshare stations to come to the Orange Line, you might not have to wait much longer.

Capital Bikeshare stations are coming “very soon” to the Rosslyn, Courthouse and Clarendon areas, according to BikeArlington Program Manager Chris Eatough. Some sort of announcement about Capital Bikeshare’s expansion into North Arlington may come on Monday, Eatough hinted.

Previous reports have suggested that 20-30 Bikeshare stations may be installed along the Wilson Boulevard corridor by the end of the year. Crystal City and Pentagon City are already home to 14 CaBi stations.

Conveniently enough, Capital Bikeshare memberships are being sold at a steep discount this weekend. LivingSocial is offering one-year memberships for $37, down from the normal $75 price, and one-month memberships for $12, down from the normal $25.

The deal has proven quite popular. As of 4:00 p.m. LivingSocial was reporting that more than 4,500 memberships have been sold.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Reed

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Capital Bikeshare Stations Coming to R-B Corridor — Crystal City and Pentagon City have had all the Capital Bikeshare fun so far, but now it’s North Arlington’s turn. The approximate locations for the first four Bikeshare stations in Rosslyn and Courthouse have been decided, with installation expected to take place next month. Also decided: the stations will be placed on the street, likely replacing existing parking spaces. [People-Powered Arlington, TBD]

Bill Could Make Common Traffic Offenses Misdemeanors — If a bill currently under consideration in the Virginia General Assembly becomes law, it could make rolling stops at traffic lights and other common traffic offenses misdemeanors punishable by jail time or a hefty fine. The bill is intended to give police the flexibility of charging drivers with reckless driving when a specific situation warrants. Supporters, including Del. David Englin (D), say the bill could help improve pedestrian safety. [We Love DC, Richmond Sunlight]

Bike Trail Will Link Pentagon, Pike, Memorial Bridge — The Route 110 Bike Trail is being touted as a more convenient alternative to the Mt. Vernon Trail for many trail users. The project to pave the dirt path into a proper trail just got a big infusion of cash, thanks to the county board approving $250,000 in grant funding from the state. Construction won’t begin, however, for at least another year. [TBD]

Flickr pool by Damiec

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Will Capital Bikeshare Experience Distribution Problems? — Due to the one-way flow of commuters, bike share programs tend to experience some degree of distribution problems. At any given time, some stations will be full of bikes, making it impossible to return one, while other stations will be empty, making it impossible to rent one. Such a situation forces bike share officials to manually move bikes from place to place, adding costs to the system. More from TheCityFix blog.

Moran Throws Racy Fundraiser — Rep. Jim Moran is pitching a night at the theater for big donors — but they have to leave the kids at home. For $2,400, donors get two tickets to the anti-Vietnam War musical “Hair” at the Kennedy Center, along with an invite to a pre-show dinner reception. But the offer comes with a warning: “Please note: this performance contains strong language, mature content and brief nudity.” More from Politico.

Arlington Man Kicked Off Flight Due to Disability — Arlington resident Zuhair Mahmoud says a Dubai-based airline refused to allow him to board a flight because he is blind and was not traveling with a companion. The airline’s CEO says he’s sorry for the incident. More from the Associated Press.

Arlington Lawyer Stripped of License — An Arlington lawyer accused of practicing law without a license, who had his license to practice law reinstated in April, has been stripped of the license by the D.C. Court of Appeals. Howard Deiner is accused of representing families of children with special needs in cases while his license lapsed due to unpaid bills. More from the Washington Post.

Flickr pool photo by Chaita_1

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Feds May Get Capital Bikeshare Discount — The federal government is entering a corporate partnership agreement with the new Capital Bikeshare program. The deal will likely provide federal employees with a discount on Capital Bikeshare rentals, but details of the partnership have yet to be announced. More from The Federal Times.

Arlington Org Wins Tech Award — The Arlington-based Amazon Conservation Team, which uses technical and scientific tools to help indigenous peoples preserve the rainforest ecosystem, is being recognized for its innovative approach to benefiting humanity. The organization was named a 2010 Tech Awards Laureate by Silicon Valley’s Tech Museum. The award will presented at a gala event on November 6. More from the Huffington Post.

Columbus Day Metro Service Disruptions — The Blue and Orange Lines will be split into two sections over Columbus Day weekend, just in time for three big sporting events and a concert. Bus service will connect the Foggy Bottom and the Federal Triangle stations in the District. More from Dr. Gridlock.

Flickr pool photo by MichaelTRuhl

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Crystal City Serves Up Latin Flare — On Sunday, food and wine lovers flocked to Crystal City for the consumption bonanza known as Vintage Crystal. Now in its fourth year, Vintage Crystal continued last year’s Latin theme. There were South American wines, tequila tastings, salsa dancers and lots and lots of food. See more photos on Flickr.

Capital Bikeshare Gets New York Times Write-up — The Old Gray Lady spent some time in Arlington recently to preview the Capital Bikeshare system, which officially launched yesterday. Not content to give Arlington and DC all the spotlight for hosting the largest bike share system in the country, the Times noted that New York is studying a possible bike sharing program of its own: 30,000 bikes, nearly 30 times as many as Washington’s modest collection of 1,100 custom-designed Capital Bikeshare cycles. More from the New York Times.

Arlington Real Estate Down a Bit in August — According to data from local Realtor Laura Rubinchuk, the average residential real estate sale price in Arlington fell 2 percent last month. Overall, Rubinchuk says the market is holding steady. More from Arlington Real Estate News.

Park(ing) Day Fun in Rosslyn — The Ode Street Tribune catches some urban hula hooping on tape during Friday’s quirky Park(ing) Day celebration.

Flickr photo by Cliff1066

Arlington Represented at the Capital Bikeshare Launch

By ARLnow.com

This morning, DC and Arlington leaders held a big ol’ press corral down at Navy Yard to mark the launch of the Capital Bikeshare system. The event featured balloons, bright red Bikeshare bikes lined up in neat rows like soldiers in a North Korean military parade, and a soon-to-be ex-mayor trying to avoid his post-election Dukakis moment.

Along the Arlington folks on hand were County Board Chairman Jay Fisette, Crystal City BID president Angela Fox and board member Walter Tejada.

Bloggers at Greater Greater Washington and TheWashCycle are predicting big things for Capital Bikeshare, which is putting 1,100 bikes in rental stations across the District, Crystal City and Pentagon City. TBD, meanwhile, is taking a wait-and-see approach, while pronouncing that the lead-up to the Bikeshare launch has consisted of “lots and lots of hype.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Capital Bikeshare Launches Today — Just three weeks after the first Capital Bikeshare station was installed in Crystal City, the system is set to officially launch today. By this time, the bright red Bixi bikes should be in place and ready for their first riders. Capital Bikeshare stations are located throughout Crystal City, Pentagon City and the District. See a map of the station locations here.

Stabbing Suspect May Face New Charges — A murder charge may be filed against suspected serial stabber Elias Abuelazam as soon as today.  Abuelazam, who was arrested and released by Arlington police in the midst of his alleged stabbing spree, stands accused of stabbing 18 people in three states. More from CNN.

Lawmakers Call for Investigation into Airports Authority — Upset at the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority’s resistance to long-haul flights out of Reagan National Airport, two senators are using their position on the Commerce Committee to call for a “formal investigations and future hearings related to the governance of the airport.” Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) are calling for the probe in order to “provide greater transparency and accountability regarding the Authority’s operation and maintenance of National Airport and Dulles Airport.” More from the Washington Post.

Photo courtesy BikeArlington.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

It’s September — Start mourning the end of summer now — and get to the pool while you still can.

Man Goes Bananas in the Vegetable Aisle — Police are trying to find a man who walked into the Virginia Square Giant, spit on the vegetable display, sprayed hand lotion on a candy display, and assaulted a cashier. He’s described as a six-foot tall, 30-year-old white male with a ponytail. More from TBD.

A “Tree Tragedy” in Ballston — This is an older item that was just brought to our attention. Last month workers at Ballston Common Mall went overboard while pruning trees along the sidewalk, resulting in an incident our tipster referred to as the “Ballston Tree Massacre.” A member of a local group called the Tree Stewards apparently tried to intervene, but was ignored by the crew. The end result of the overzealous pruning: ugliness and death.

Photos from Capital Bikeshare Station Installation — The first of the 114 planned Capital Bikeshare stations was installed near the Crystal City Metro station yesterday morning. The Commuter Page Blog has photos of the installation.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Arlington’s First Capital Bikeshare Station Being Installed

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s first Capital Bikeshare station is scheduled to be installed this morning in Crystal City. The station will be installed at 27th Street and Crystal Drive, with another station set to be installed at 18th and Bell Streets immediately afterward.

The Capital Bikeshare system will feature 1,100 specially-designed bikes that visitors or commuters can rent. Mechanics have started assembling the bikes in a local warehouse.

“History in the making,” said Crystal City Business Improvement District President Angela Fox on today’s installation.

Photo via CommuterPage blog.