D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council

As a public service, DCBAC periodically views bicycle-related comments / questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. This week, comments regarding Bike to Work Day and riding on the sidewalk. Feel free to comment.

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments / questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. This week's comment is about bicyclists who ride against traffic.  WABA has produced a document that discusses safe riding techniques for children  and debunks some bicycling-related myths. It says that bicyclists should ride on the right with traffic because motorists expect traffic to be coming in a particular direction.  Wrong way cyclists Question: I work on a one-way street with bike lanes. You would not believe (or may be you would) the number of cyclists going against traffic. Can you please get the word out that people get killed that way. The bike lanes follow the same rules as the regular lanes. A great deal of these folks are riding the red rent-a-bikes and riding without helmets. I like Bike Share but perhaps some read of the rules should be a requirement . Answer:   Robert T...

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments / questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. This week - "Problems with the Humpback"? The Washcycle was on top of this with his " Dr. BikeLock " segment. Feel free to comment. Humpback Bridge Question: Dr. Gridlock -- I know that you endured months of questions and complaints about the Humpback Bridge project. I just wanted to point out what a fantastic job was done on this project now that it is finished. As a driver, cyclist, and pedestrian who uses this bridge, the before and after is like night and day. The bike/pedestrian path was so narrow before that it made for a harrowing dangerous experience. My only complaint is the 20 feet of asphalt that is missing to make a more direct approach for cyclists and walkers to the 14th Street Bridge from the Humpback Bridge. There is currently an awkward T junction with the Mt. Vernon Tr...

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments / questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. This week, comments regarding who has the right of way on a right turn a bike or a car so the bicyclists doesn't get the "right hook"? The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition offers a good explanation and advice on how bicycles and motor vehicles should interact.  Also, Bikesafe shows several types of collisions, including the right hook, and suggestions on how to avoid them.  Feel free to comment. Bicycles Question - Hello Dr. Gridlock, I live in Dupont Circle, and as you know there are many bike lanes in that part of town. Often I see a bicycle and a car traveling parallel to each other arrive at an intersection at the same time - with the bike in a bike land to the right of the car. If the car is turning right and the bike is going straight, who has the right of way? Answer - Robert Thomso...

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments/questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. Sign in question via Washcycle, photo by xosfan This week, just one comment about bicycling this week, this time in Virginia -  " Angst because of a lack of enforcement of bikes restrictions on the GW Parkway south of the beltway ..." While the discussion is focused on the south of I495 section in Alexandria, VA, the National Park Service also restrict bicycle usage on a small portion on Clara Barton Parkway in the District. Feel free to post your thoughts.

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments/questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. This week, just one comment about bicycling this week -  " who is responsible for enforcement against parked cars in the bike lane ..."  Feel free to post your thoughts. Parking in Bike Lanes Question. Is there any effort to increase enforcement against cars double parking in bike lanes. I was riding up 14th street Saturday night and a couple of restaurants have decided that the bike lane is actually a valet parking waiting area. They had the lane occupied for a whole block with empty cars waiting to be parked. Something tells me that should be illegal. Answer. Robert Thomson . Yep. That would be illegal. Have you called the D.C. police about it? With regard to this question, Randall Myers, DCBAC representative will send the following message to Dr. Gridlock: Regarding the question about the Metr...

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments/questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. This week, three comments about bicycling. Two reference a proper notification of events that impede traffic " Why was every major route into the District from Virginia blocked for a bike event..." and a thank you from a bicyclists about drivers... Feel free to post your thoughts.

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments/questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. This week, two comments about bicycling - "Why share Beach Drive when trail is right there" and "Bicyclists don't follow the rules"... Feel free to post your thoughts.

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments/questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. This week, two comments were posted on the discussion site regarding bicycling - comments about bike lanes and the improvements to Virginia trails. Regarding these issues, the washcycle recent observations about the 15th street Cycletrack and the South Capital Street Trail. Bike lanes Q. How are the comments running about the bike lanes? A. Robert Thomson - Not too much lately. Cyclists seem pretty happy with them, including the new lanes on 15th Street NW in DC. Drivers never like sharing the road with cyclists. They tend to object either to setting aside space for cyclists or to having the cyclists in the regular travel lanes. Further Bike/Running Trail Evolution Q. The recently completed links connecting Eisenhower valley through the Wilson Bridge are wonderful. There's now a "missing link...

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments / questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited. This week, several comments about rolling through stop signs, improvements to the humpback bridge for bicyclists and pedestrians, and drawing a correlation between allegedly reckless Zipcar drivers and allegedly reckless Capital Bikeshare users.