D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council

Our December Bicycle Advisory Council Facilities Committee (BAC-FAC) meeting will be Monday , December 2 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Shaw's Tavern , 520 Florida Avenue NW. The agenda includes discussion of fostering effective engagement with the National Park Service (NPS) and prioritizing projects which involve NPS property or an in District control but must adhere to certain NPS requirements. The National Park Service operates several large and small parks in and around the District. Some categorized the relationship between NPS and the region's bicyclists and pedestrians as cool at best and acrimonious at worst, with cyclists wanting expanded and safer access to NPS facilities and NPS being focusing on larger or high profile parks, preservation, and fiscal constraints.

The bimonthly BAC meeting is Wednesday, November 6, beginning at 6pm. BAC will discuss reports from our subcommittees and other bike-related topics including the status of bicycle facilities by the District Department of Transportation. The meeting will take place at 441 4th Street, NW at One Judiciary Square, in Room 1114, which is on the 11th floor. Please remember to bring government identification to enter the building. To get to the meeting room, please use the South lobby elevators. Bicycle parking is available in front of the building please remember to also bring your bike lock. As always, BAC meetings are open to the public and we encourage you sharing your thoughts.

Below are observations from Monday, October 7, "Get to the Park" BAC Facilities meeting from the BAC-FAC chair, Jeanie Osburn ( BAC-FAC@dcbac.org ): To Rock Creek District Department of Transportation staff person Mike Goodno and I rode around Columbia Heights last night looking for good routes from east-to-west and west-to-east to get to Rock Creek Park from the Park View section of the District. (This mid-city north, east-west corridor will likely be important as more bicyclists travel across town.)  By 5pm the rain had stopped, so the ride was dry.

As the WeMoveDC process begins its transition from the information gathering to the planning stage, the ideas that they've gathered from thousands of District residents are now coming together - on maps. In anticipation of WeMoveDC's third round of  Workshops – Ideas to moveDC - beginning October 21, BAC has obtained a draft version of the WeMoveDC maps that list ideas and approached for the District's bicycle facilities (displayed below). There are a lot of moving parts in this process, but thanks to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), we now have maps that break them into component as well as composite maps. BAC would like #BikeDC to look at these maps and either tell us what you think or tell WeMoveDC at its upcoming meetings. We'd also like you to note if anything should be included, for example, with all these new routes, what about safe, secure bicycle parking? WeMoveDC has three approaches or alternatives loosely based on themes of 1) Stay ...

Earlier this year, Council member's Mary M. Cheh and Tommy Wells introduced the Bicycle Safety Amendment Act of 2013 (Bill 20-0140) .  The purpose of this bill is to streamline and update certain aspects of the District's bicycling laws. The document below contains two files, the Draft Committee Report and its Fiscal Impact Statement. The Committee on Transportation and the Environment's report explains in detail how the Council envisions the implementation and purpose of the law and what has transpired between the introduction and the anticipated final vote. As required for most legislation, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer produced a Fiscal Impact Statement (FIS), which determines how the proposed legislation could affect the District financial plan and how much the law could potentially cost to implement. The FIS also provides a clear and brief explanation of the legislation. This document starts on page 10 below. B20-140 Draft Committee Report and ...

Please join the Bicycle Advisory Council's Facilities Committee (BAC-FAC) for its October 7, 2013 ride this Monday. The ride will began at approximately 6:00 PM 5:00 PM from the intersection of Park Road and Park Place NW on the west side of the Armed Forces Retirement Home (Old Soldier's Home) in the Park View section of the District. The objective is to scout reasonable east / west routes across Columbia Heights from Old Soldier's Home to Rock Creek Park.  We will be accompanied by a representative from the District Department of Transportation, who will help answer your questions. Please remember to bring a helmet and installed front and rear bike lights. For those on the list who ride that area frequently have suggested routes or if you have questions about the ride, please contact Jeanie Osburn ( BAC-FAC@dcbac.org ), chair of this committee.

The next bimonthly Legislative Committee Meeting will be held at the Busboys and Poets , 1025 5th Street NW Teaism , 400 8th Street NW. The Wednesday, October 2nd meeting will begin at 6:30pm and last until around 8:00pm. Please feel free to join us to discuss the District's laws as they pertain to bicycling. The agenda will include a discussion of the recently proposed Used Bicycle Sales Amendment Act of 2013 introduced by Council Member Muriel Bowser . This proposed law appears reduce some of the legal and administrative hurdles involved with businesses interested in buying or selling used bicycles. The law also could provide an entry point for people unable to purchase more expensive new bicycles for sale at District shops. Some have argued; however, that the application of the proposed law would be onerous for bicycle stores and because of the potential of a "quick sell", could exacerbate bike theft not only in the District but also regionally. If you canno...