D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council

Highlights of BAC accomplishments in July: The BAC held its bimonthly meeting on July 11. Ward 4 member Rachel Maisler spearheaded memorial rides in honor of the two cyclists killed in late June and early July. Maisler spoke at a July 19 Vision Zero rally organized by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Here's a clip of my speech at the @WABADC rally earlier. You can read my remarks (as prepared) here: https://t.co/aCKbEL5B7N #bikedc pic.twitter.com/yqt3lf6PPj — HandlebarsDC 🚴 (@HandlebarsDC) July 19, 2018 This month: August activities BAC committees are meeting as follows: Safety, Education and Enforcement Committee Meeting Tues., Aug. 7 6 p.m. West End Library conference room 2301 L St NW Legislative Committee Meeting Wed., Aug. 22 6 p.m. The Potter’s House 1658 Columbia Rd NW Facilities Committee Rolling Meeting To be determined BAC committee meetings are open to the public. September preview DDOT Director Jeff Marootian will speak at ...

Bike Parking at DC Gov't buildings (2010) Current DC Bicycle Advisory Council member David Cranor made a Freedom of Information Act request to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in 2011. The purpose of the request was to view the findings of a report that surveyed bicycle parking at District government buildings . The report, which was prepared by Alta Planning and Design and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association , was the official response from DDOT regarding DC Council's request for a survey of bicycle parking at District facilities as a required in the Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Act of 2007 . DCBAC has created a map based on the locations reported in Appendix E: Bicycle Parking Inventory . While the data is somewhat old and the District has made improvements to bicycle parking since this report, anecdotal evidence would suggest that parking is still insufficient. It also points to he problem of a lack of secure parking, highligh...

The next meeting of the Safety, Education and Enforcement committee (BAC SEE) will be the second Tuesday of even-months as usual, which falls on Tuesday, February 12, 2013. The SEE meeting will begin at 6:30pm at Teaism - 400 8th Street NW (we will have a table downstairs). Topics for discussion : Report-back on Penn Ave U-turns outreach day (which involved the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the DC Taxicab Commission, and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association). We will ask how it went, what did it take to make this happen, and should this sort of event happen more? Follow-up on MPD training update - what traffic enforcement priorities is MPD communicating to officers? Please let me know if there are other items you have to discuss. As always, BAC meetings are open the the public.  For more information, please contact the BAC SEE committee Chair, Jameel Alsalam .

Below are meeting notes from the bi-monthly Legislative Committee meeting held at Busboys and Poets @ 5th and K streets NW June 20, 2012.   ---   Second-hand bike sale: We discussed current regulations relating to 2nd hand bike sales. Currently 2nd-hand bike sales occur online at sites like Craigslist. It's agreed that this is a deterrent to people buying bikes - since many people don't feel they have the knowledge to buy in a "buyer beware" situation like that; while not serving to deter bike theft. (In addition the second-hand market is not taxed).  Shane Farthing of WABA had a specific purpose in seeking to change the regulations, because doing so might help certain non-profits that would like to buy and sell bikes as part of their model. It was also agreed that the lack of a legitimate 2nd-hand market, as exists in other cities, might be indicative of onerous regulations. Erik Kugler of Bicycle Space was in attendence, and while he said...

Below are twitter updates from tonight's WABA Women's Bicycling Forum at the West End Public Library from 6p to 8p. WABA has asked that the public use the twitter tag #womanbikedc to convey your thoughts about the forum. The goal of this conversation is to produce executable recommendations that utilize WABA's reach and resources to put more women on bikes. The event is open to the public to observe the discussion. You can read more about the forum here . Responses no longer available.

In 1896, civic rights pioneer Susan B. Anthony made the following statement about bicycling : " Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood ." From a Black Women Bike Ride Photo by theDCeye Monday, December 12, 2011, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association will hold a forum that hopes to determine why over a hundred years after her statement, there are statistically fewer women bicycling when compared with men.  The Women's Bike Forum (registration is required, space is limited) will begin at 6:00p until 8:00p at the in the small meeting room in the West End Neighborhood Public Library , 1101 24th Street NW. The roundtable discussion will include a panel of women who are active in the local bicycling community and will sha...

Thursday, September 29, 2011, the District's Office of Police Complaints (OPC) and the Police Complaints Board issued a report entitled " Improving the Safety of Bicyclists and Enhancing Their Interaction with Metropolitan Police Department Officers ".  The report offers several recommendations on how to improve the relationship between the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and bicyclists as well as recommending a stronger and more communicative DC Bicycle Advisory Council. A copy of the OPC report appears at the end of this post (courtesy of the  Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA)). The 11-page report is the product of a February hearing before the Council of the District of Columbia's Committee on the Judiciary.  It discusses complaints from that hearing including 1) how MPD officers interpret the laws related to bicycling in the city, 2) how MPD officers ineffectively investigate crashes between motor vehicles and bicyclists, and; 3) the impression...

On Thursday, September 22, NBC4 posted a report by Jackie Benson regarding an increase in thefts involving culprits on bicycles.  According to the report, an email issued by the 3rd District Commander, Jacob Kishter , stated police would increase enforcement in robbery areas, including in introduction of stopping bicyclist to see if they are stolen or were used in the commission of a crime. However, the story focused on the following: "If the rider cannot prove ownership, take the bike for safekeeping until they can prove ownership." View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com . That statement, of course, set the blogesphere and Twitterverse ablaze. Shani Hilton of the Washington City Paper who was concerned that this policy would not only be impractical but probably racist.  Even DCBAC picket up on the story while it was still influx and tweeted: "Okay, so #MPD are stopping bicyclists and confiscating bikes but aren't profiling! Not Good. washingtonci...

At the last DC Bicycle Advisory Council meeting held Wednesday, September 7, WABA discussed its efforts to introduce legislation before the Council of the District of Columbia to create better protections for bicyclists who are harassed or threaten by motorists. According to WABA, the proposed law creates a civil right of action for an assaulted cyclist and   provides for attorneys fees if the cyclist-plaintiff prevails--thereby providing an incentive for attorneys to represent the victim. Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells will co-introduce an anti-harassment bill with Ward 2's Jack Evans and Ward 1's Jim Graham . Below is a resolution supporting the anti-harassment bill and the rights of  bicyclists who use of District streets. Resolution - Support of Bicyclists Rights

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 companion to the the details of the Tommy Wells ride, below are pictures from the Thursday, July  28, 2011 Council Member Tommy Wells' Bike Ride for Better Connections on South Capitol Street.  The pictures highlight some of the issues with the corridor and well as shows the potential for the development of better cycling and pedestrian facilities.

Council member Tommy Wells, District Department of Transportation (DDOT) officials, Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) staff, representatives of DCBAC and the public toured South Capitol Street and the surrounding corridor.  At least 20 people were in attendance, along with representatives of the media ( Fox 5 and WAMU ) who reported on parts of the ride. DCBAC would like to hear what the public has to say about this project and how bicycle access to this area can improve. The purpose of the ride was to highlight some of the planned changes to this area which is anchored by the redesign of South Capitol Street and the replacement of the Frederick Douglass Bridge as recommended in the recently completed Final Environmental Impact Assessment .  The ride also provided an opportunity for the DDOT project director to view the sight for himself to see the current impediments and listen to the concerns of the bicycling public. Along with WABA, DCBAC drafted a letter in ...

Pictures from Bike to Work Day - Freedom Plaza - May 20, 2011

The DCBAC issued comment s regarding the South Capitol Street Final Environmental Impact Study (FEIS) submitted by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT).  As mentioned previously , the FEIS is a massive transportation infrastructure project that will replace the Fredrick Douglass Memorial Bridge and many of the the roads and sidewalks that approach it on both sides of the river the bridge crosses, the Anacostia.  While DCBAC supports many improvements associated with the project, the FEIS neglected to implement certain bicycle enhancements contained in build alternatives not selected and well as improvements stipulated in the District of Columbia Bicycle Master Plan . DCBAC recommended several enhancements including the following: better access to the Anacostia River and its trail, better separation of bicyclist from motorist and pedestrians, and better access to the Anacostia Metrorail station.  If you can comments or suggestions, please post them b...

Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes under construction. (R.Myers) It's that time of year again, when cyclist from across the country converge on the District for the 11th annual National Summit at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Organized by the League of American Bicyclists , the event hopes to consolidate the effort to make bicycling more than just a recreational activity but according to the league, a way to improved bicycle-friendliness and livability in many communities while improving physical activity, safety and livability in the U.S.  This is more important now due to high rates of obesity in the United States and the hours spent sitting in cars instead of being more active. More acute not than ever, bicycling can help reduce the congestion on our road and transportation system while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on oil, foreign or domestic.