WABA Quick Release

Archive for August, 2011

Last week, Montgomery County Council Vice President and  Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy, and Environment Committee Chair, Roger Berliner, sent a letter to County Executive Leggett arguing in favor of an expansion of bikesharing to Bethesda.

In his letter, Berliner states:

I believe the Bethesda area is particularly well-suited for expanding our bikesharing system.  With its high metro ridership, proximity to existing bikeshare stations, and already congested roads, I believe conditions are such that a network of stations would serve our constituents there quite well.

He goes on to list a number of community and business group already supportive of the expansion, argues that bikeshare could be useful to mitigate BRAC traffic impacts near the National Naval Medical Center, and notes the potential of the White Flint area to provide a “missing link” in the bikeshare network between his proposed Bethesda-area network and the stations coming to Rockville.

Click here to access the full letter.

Recently, we learned of the release of an National Park Service “Record of Determination Reconfirming and Restating Bicycles are not allowed on the roadways of the Clara Barton and George Washington Memorial Parkways.”  The full ROD text is posted on the NPS website in a PDF.  We have sent the following letter to Superintendent Dottie Marshall, who issued the Record of Determination (ROD), and we await her response.

Nps ROD Response

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is pleased to announce its Regional Call to Action Summit on November 3rd, 2011 in Arlington, VA. At the Call to Action Summit, WABA will be presenting a five-year plan of regional and local priorities for bicycling in the Washington Region. The summit will include presentations on the Metro’s long-term bicycle and pedestrian plans, health planning and bicycles, a panel discussion on the economics of the bicycle industry and much more.

We want your input on the regional plan!

1) Please attend a Local Stakeholder’s Meeting

We will be holding short, two hour meetings in the six local jurisdictions that WABA serves in order to gather your ideas and give you–the region’s local bicyclists–a chance to provide input for the regional plan. We ask attendees to please download and complete the Pre-Meeting Planning Sheet prior to the meeting.

9/13 – Prince George’s Co. – Greenbelt Library Aud., 6pm to 8pm – More Info & RSVP
9/20 – Montgomery Co. - Kensington Park Comm. Library, 6pm to 8pm – More Info & RSVP
9/27 – Arlington Co. – Shirlington Branch Library, 6:30pm to 8:30pm – More Info & RSVP
10/4 – Alexandria Co. – Nannie J Lee Rec. Center, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm – More Info & RSVP
10/11 – District of Columbia – Benning Library, 6:30pm to 8:30pm – More Info & RSVP
10/17 – Fairfax Co. – Patrick Henry Library, Vienna, VA, 6pm to 8pm – More Info & RSVP

2) Can’t make the local meeting?

The one page PDF planning sheet gives a basic framework for providing input for the five year regional priority plan we are creating. Whether you are at your local meeting or not, WABA and your fellow bike advocates want to hear from you!

Please submit your input by emailing advocacy@waba.org by October 21st, 2011

Attend the Regional Call to Action Summit on November 3rd, 2011

Time: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Call to Action Summit Location
Waterview Conference Center
1919 N Lynn St
Arlington, VA 22209

Google Map Link (create bicycle directions!)
Metro Accessible via the Rosslyn Station on the Blue & Orange Lines
Bike Accessible via the Mount Vernon Trail, Custis Trail & the Key Bridge

More information and to RSVP for the November 3rd Call to Action Summit

We hope to see you at a local meeting or the Call to Action Summit on November 3rd.



Its time to learn some urban riding skills.  WABA is hosting a series of classes this fall designed to help you become a safer,  happier and all-round better cyclist. Click here to sign up for our immediate schedule of classes.  Hurry, because they will fill up quickly.

We have classes for every level of cyclist.

Our Learn to Ride (L2R) classes are for people who have never ridden a bike before but want a dedicated group of instructors to help them to learn.

Our Confident City Cycling 1 (CCC1) class is for people who don’t have the skills to safely bike in traffic or who are  just a little rusty and want a refresher course.  CCC1 students will learn the basics of proper road biking and practice essential drills to make you a better cyclist. Plus, all CCC1 students will learn how to change a flat tire.

Our Confident City Cycling 2 (CCC2) class will build upon skills learned in CCC1 and teach you how to avoid specific dangerous situations with cars, pedestrians and the road.  CCC2 will cover emergency maneuver drills to give you the knowledge to be a well-rounded cyclist.  CCC2 will also have you practice with our instructors on the road so that you can confidently ride our city streets in style.

The rain didn’t stop this weekend’s 9th mobile bike shop in downtown Anacostia. WABA staff and volunteer mechanics from The Bike House biked to the Big Chair, set up their stands and spent the afternoon teaching 22 guests of all ages how to do everything from changing inner-tubes to replacing cables and housing.

Get to know your local bike shop and join our Bike Ambassador as we head out to a slew of DC shops next week for WABA’s first-ever shop outreach week! We love our local bike shops (without them, there wouldn’t be anybody out there on the streets to advocate for) and we want you to love them too.

It’s back-to-school season and nothing says “Welcome to DC, college freshmen!” like a bike! You can buy one brand new from any of DC’s excellently stocked and superbly staffed bike shops or you can bring that “deal” you found online in and the masterful mechanics will fix it up and get it ready to ride.

We’ll be out at a different shop each evening after work, handing out bike maps and safety info and encouraging folks to head on in and stock up on bike parts, apparel and accessories. Show us your receipt from the shop dated the day that our Ambassador is there, and you will be entered into a weeklong raffle for a WABA prize pack!

What’s more, if you purchase a WABA membership at any of the shops next week, you will get a bonus gift from us and 2 more entries into the raffle. Wait, hold on, did we mention that WABA memberships purchased from our Ambassador will be discounted down to $25? This is the steal of the season!

Here is the schedule for Shop Outreach Week, all appearances will be 5pm-7pm. Come out, say hi, and get into your local bike shop!

• Monday, 8/22 – City Bikes Capitol Hill, located at 719 8th Street SE
• Tuesday, 8/23 – The Bike Rack, located at 1412 Q Street NW
• Thursday, 8/25 – BicycleSPACE, located at 459 I Street NW
• Friday, 8/26 – Bicycle Pro Shop & Revolution Cycles Georgetown, located at 3411 M Street NW

WABA is looking for two interns for this fall. Both internships will involve improving our advocacy and outreach capacity to specific underserved communities of cyclists. These positions are unpaid, but WABA is happy to work with local colleges and universities to provide course credit to any student looking for experience in transportation/bicycle advocacy or community outreach and organizing.

Bicycling Advocacy & Outreach Intern – Spanish Language

Bicycling Advocacy & Outreach Intern – Women’s Cycling

Applying is easy, just send your cover letter and resume to jobs@waba.org and we’ll be in touch!

Last Friday, over a hundred two-wheeled concertgoers joined WABA for Bike to the Concert Night at Yards Park. Participants in the festivities experienced all the well kept secrets that this large outdoor park has to offer, including a fountain play area, waterfall-fed wading pool, large swaths of green picnic areas, and a wooden boardwalk overlooking the Anacostia channel.

During the concert, bikes filled the racks and helmets scattered the lawn while QuietFire, a local funk band, played their sweet tunes against the setting sun.

Here at WABA we are often asked what should be done when a bike is stolen or damaged.  After some commiseration, we invariably ask the victim whether there are records of the missing bicycle such as type of bike, year, distinguishing characteristics and most importantly: the serial number.  Unfortunately, the answer is all too often, “no”.

Recovering a stolen, lost or damaged bicycle without a complete record of the bicycle–including photos, serial number and purchase information–is very challenging.  Police will need complete information to file a useful missing property report.  The likelihood the police are able to recover your bicycle greatly increase with more information in the report.

With this in mind, we have created our Bicycle Owner’s Record form for you!  The form allows you to keep your personal information, your bicycle information (such as the color and type and purchase information) and other info that will be useful to police and insurance companies in one convenient location.  You should also include copies of your purchase receipt or bill of sale and photos of the bicycle. Include a photo of the entire bike and maybe one of distinctive markers (stickers, scratches, etc.) that could be used to identify your bike.

Take a few minutes TODAY and fill it out.  This free form is for your personal records and should be stored in a safe location like a safety deposit box or home safe.  WABA doesn’t want it back, so please do not send us completed forms — they are for you!

Download the form!