D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council

Below are the before and after pictures from the trail clean up event that happened the morning of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, January 16, 2012. The before pictures were taken on January 10, 2012. Co-sponsored by the Student Conservation Association , DDOT , and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy , students and volunteers worked together to clear invasive species, mulch newly planted trees, clear and brush the foot path that runs parallel to the main paved trail, and conduct trash pick-up and removal.  dcbac , a set on Flickr.

The National Park Service  (NPS) requests public comment regarding the installation of Capital Bikeshare stations on the National Mall. This represents a change from the previous NPS policy, which did not allow bike stations on NPS land.  In an  article  published September 22, 2010 by  Lydia DePillis  of the Washington City Paper, the reason for Capital Bikeshare restrictions was based of partly on concession contracts with companies that had the right of first refusal for services.  This appears to have changed as a result of demise of the Tourmobile operator.  In addition, Six members of Congress recently sent a letter to NPS urging them to follow through on its plans to allow Capital Bikeshare stations on the Mall. In changing its position, the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website further states that, " Participating in this bikeshare system would fulfill the goal of enhancing bicycle use at ...

DCBAC is would like to here your comments and suggestions with regard to altercations between the District's Pedicab operators and the National Park Service Police (NPS) on or in the vicinity of the National Mall.  Also, DCBAC is interested in the public's thoughts on the proposed pedicabs operator regulations. DCBAC plans to gather this information and will likely present it to local and federal authorities. DCBAC would especially like to hear comments from actual pedicab operators.  Comments can be left below or you can send an email to dcbac@dcbac.org. As reported by various news outlets including Patrick Madden of WAMU radio and David Schultz of Transportation Nation , the District's pedicab operators have been targeted by the NPS Park Police as part of its “education campaign” designed to remind pedicab operators of the laws they have to follow.  According to some Pedicab operators, however, the Park Police have been targeting them unfairly for tickets and ar...

(Photo by thedceye) The Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT)is a great transportation assets for the District. For it to reach its potential; however, trail users, advocates and the community that surrounds the trail must determine what the the future of the trail should be and how we can make it more safe today. On Wednesday, June 22, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy hosted a Trail Safety Open House to discuss ways to protect users of the Metropolitan Branch Trail from crime. Several nearby residents and trail users attended the event and expressed some of their concerns to government and community representative as well as talked amongst themselves.    Now that we've met on the MET, what's next?

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 29 from 6:30p to 8:30p at the Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW to discuss the Environmental Assessment (EA) that rehabilitates a 1.7 mile section of Oregon Avenue NW.   This hearing will help the project planners determine the optimal construction alternative that will make the road, which abuts Rock Creek Park, more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists, among other goals. BAC and the DDOT Supervisory Transportation Planner, Jim Sebastian, are interested in public comments about the project. Also, those who live in the area or use the road, are encouraged to attend the hearing to provide suggestions or observations.  This is the third public hearing for the project and is likely the final opportunity for public comment.  The final decision document will be transmitted some time this summer with reconstructi...

The Housing Complex section of the Washington City Paper had an article by Alex Baca about Jan Gehl , a Danish planner and regular bicyclist who's been married for 45 years, and what he sees as the failing of cars and how they interact with people, among other things.  Demographic information gathered from the US Department of Transportation, states that bicyclists 65 and older make up 5 percent of all bike trips so his insight at 75 years old is important.