WABA Quick Release

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It should surprise no one that WABA has been working to improve traffic enforcement and the protection of bicyclists on the District’s roadways. We have worked countless hours on this issue and testified at two hearings held by the DC Council’s Committee on the Judiciary on this matter. Those hearings led to a finding by the Office of Police Complaints of deficiencies in the Department’s enforcement and relationship with cyclists and led MPD to appoint a liaison to the bicycling community to work with the District’s Bicycle Advisory Council.

These are positive steps, but there is much more to be done.

Often, when there is a major crash or a cyclist is cited for an infraction that he or she feels is undeserved, that cyclist or a family member calls WABA for advice. And often, when a WABA staffer or an attorney for the cyclist/family follows up on the facts of the case, we find that the story is quite different than the one contained in the police reports. In some cases, the facts presented in the reports or the citations issued simply do not match the stories of those on the scene.  In other cases, even as presented, the facts do not justify the conclusion drawn or the citation issued.

We have been working to make the case that as cycling grows in the District with the support of District programs and infrastructure, the District also has a responsibility to educate police officers on the application of traffic laws to bicyclists. Absent the physical protection of an automobile surrounding us, we rely on the protection of the law.

Unfortunately, we tend to encounter these enforcement errors on an individual basis, one at a time, as impacted cyclists contact us. We have worked to systematize this and get better data through the creation of our crash tracker survey, and it has been useful in getting more information on more crashes. But we are still working to show that the issue is not an occasional error by an occasional officer who misunderstands a provision. Rather, it is a systemic lack of appropriate training for all officers that needs to be rectified by a significant training effort.

Lacking the resources to launch a full analysis of every crash report related to bicycling, we recently chose to focus on a single regulation and review every citation for a violation. We submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to MPD and the DC Department of Motor Vehicles. Because the names and contact information of the cited party are not disclosed through the FOIA process, we attempted to select a provision in which we would not need to contact the cited party or follow up with witnesses to show errors. For this reason we selected the District’s “riding abreast” regulation, 18 DCMR 1201.7:

Persons riding upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or part of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Persons riding two abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and, on a lane roadway, shall ride within a single lane.

Note that this law:

1. Cannot apply to a bicyclist riding alone;
2. Does not relate to the relationship between any bicycle and any non-bicycle vehicle.

We submitted our request seeking information on citations for violation of the “riding abreast” regulation on March 16. The statutory period for acknowledgment passed without response from MPD. On April 9, we followed up with MPD, noting the delay beyond the statutory limit, and also submitted an identical request with the District’s DMV, which oversees adjudication services. On April 19, we did receive acknowledgement of the initial request from MPD but have received no substantive response to date.

DMV, however, has provided both an initial response with overview data of the citation history in its records, as well as a more detailed supplemental response including individual Notices of Infraction. Both responses are below.

Dmv Foia Riding Abreast 1 of 2

Dmv Foia Riding Abreast 2 of 2

A very quick analysis reveals that not a single citation is supported by the officer’s description. In many cases no description is provided, so one cannot conclude whether the citation was justified. But in every case in which a description was provided, a violation of 18 DCMR 1201.7 is not described. Also, notably, there was no instance of two citations being issued at the same location, as might be expected for a law requiring two bicycles.

We continue to be concerned that officers entrusted with enforcing the laws that we need to help keep us safe on the roadways are not adequately trained on those laws or the application to cyclists. Wrongful citations have ramifications, and those ramifications can go well beyond the $25 fine or the frustration of being ticketed when the other party committed the unlawful act. Under the District’s contributory negligence system, insurers will frequently rely on a citation to deny coverage for injuries in a crash, forcing the cyclist who acted entirely within the law to run a complicated legal gauntlet of contesting the wrongful citation and winning, then taking legal action to compel the insurer to provide compensation for any injuries.

In short, bicyclists need MPD to get these citations right. We have seen recent cases in which the intervention of the officers appointed to act as liaisons to the cycling community–Lt. Breul and Commander Crane–have led to the withdrawal of improper citations. The documents provided reveal another such instance. But this sort of intervention is only available in the rare and clear-cut cases in which the officer’s description fails to match the citation as a matter of law. Intervention of this sort is unavailable when the dispute is a factual matter, such as which party has the duty to yield. In any event, the District cannot rely on one or two individual officers to catch the mistakes of many. MPD needs to improve its understanding and application of laws as applied to bicyclists, and that requires a real, robust, and funded training effort.

We hope that the District’s leadership will view this analysis broadly and conclude that we have a real, systemic problem with MPD training that needs a solution. In the absence of that, we hope that this law–which seems to do nothing but provide an invitation to wrongly cite bicyclists–will be amended or repealed to ensure that the wrongful application stops.

And finally, we hope that this analysis will spur others to help us to evaluate the application of laws to bicyclists and push for improvements. We focused on a single, seldom-used citation in this analysis. There are many other provisions that need exploration, but that will generate much more data and, potentially, require much more investigation and follow-up. If you are interested in focusing on these issues, WABA has applied for and received a $3,000 Advocacy Advance Rapid Response Grant to provide stipend(s) to support this campaign and our efforts to show the need for better training of law enforcement officers in the District.

If you are interested in helping WABA make our streets safer by helping us in this manner, send an email to advocacy@waba.org explaining the approach you would take or provisions of law of interest to you.

And please mark your calendar for the next hearing on bicyclist and pedestrian safety and enforcement before the DC Council Committee on the Judiciary: May 30th at 10am. It is important that as these hearings continue bicyclists continue to show up, tell their stories, and ensure that the Committee and the Council takes bicyclist safety seriously. To sign up to testify, contact Jessica Jacobs at jjacobs@dccouncil.us.

Join America Bikes, Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Earl Blumenauer for a press conference announcing new survey results on Wednesday, May 9.

A new national poll by Princeton Survey found that the overwhelming majority of Americans want to maintain or increase federal funding for sidewalks, bike lanes, and bike paths. These results add a critical perspective to a pressing national debate about transportation, as lawmakers conference to develop a new transportation bill that will affect bike infrastructure funding in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

The press conference is open to all and will take place from 9:30 until 10:15 AM on Wednesday, May 9 at the House Triangle on Capitol Hill.

Speakers will include Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, a statement from Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Angela Fox of the Crystal City Business Improvement District.

The press event at the House Triangle follows a National Bike to School Day celebration in Lincoln Park. From 7:30 – 8:30 a.m., school children will gather in Lincoln Park and ride in bike trains to nearby Capitol Hill public schools.

Sandra Moscoso, a lead organizer of the Capitol Hill Bike to School Day event, will also speak at the America Bikes press conference. As a parent who enjoys biking with her kids to school, Sandra is glad that federal bike funding has benefitted her neighborhood.

“My best days are the ones when I bike to school with the children,” says Sandra. “It’s really fun, biking to school. We have this time together on the road, not plugged into a cell phone or reading in the back seat.”

Sandra appreciates the bike lanes in her neighborhood and the educational programs that make biking more accessible. Sandra’s family recently took WABA’s ABCs of Family Biking class, and her kids have participated in bike education offered through DDOT’s Safe Routes to School, a federally funded program for students.

Federal funding had provided education and infrastructure to make biking safer and more accessible for her family, says Sandra.

“There are mental barriers to biking, and there are physical barriers. We need federal funding to address both.”

This post was written by WABA Member and America Bikes Communications Coordinator Mary Lauran Hall.

 

Congratulations to all the jurisdictions awarded Maryland Bikeshare Program grants.  Within our immediate area, Montgomery County and UMD/College Park received implementation grant awards, and Prince George’s County/City of Greenbelt received feasibility study grants.

From the MDOT release:

The grant-winning projects include both feasibility studies for several jurisdictions and actual implementation and opening of bikeshare stations for others that are further along in the planning and design process.  The winners are divided into two categories – funding to implement a bikeshare facility and funding for a feasibility study to determine potential bikeshare station locations.  The Bikeshare Grant Program is funded through the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program and will cover 80 percent of the total project cost.  Local jurisdictions are required to pay a 20 percent match.

The winners of grants to implement bikesharing systems are:  Baltimore City, Montgomery County and joint partners with University of Maryland at College Park and the City of College Park.  The winners of grants for feasibility studies of potential bikeshare stations are:  Frederick City, Howard County and joint partners with Prince George’s County and the City of Greenbelt.

On Saturday, WABA provided our first mobile bike repair clinic of the season alongside the Anacostia River & Jazz Festival at the Anacostia Park skating rink.  We made lots of friends, gave out nearly 100 DC bike maps, and fixed dozens of bikes.  Thanks to all who came out, and especially to our volunteer mechanics.

DDOT has released its evaluation of its innovative bike facilities and is hosting a meeting to discuss those projects and future projects, including the L Street cycletrack.  Please plan to attend, review the evaluation, and provide your feedback on the proposals.  (Hint: this might be a good chance to weigh in on whether you think anecdotal evidence from New York provides sufficient justification to include “mixing zones” on L, or whether you believe better separation is merited.)

From DDOT:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

***PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE***
Public Meeting on Innovative Bicycle Facility Research and Protected Bike Lane on L Street, NW

(Washington, D.C.) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host a public meeting on Thursday, May 3, 2012 to discuss the results of the Innovative Bicycle Facility Research Project and present and take comments on a proposed protected bike lane for L Street, NW.

The Innovative Bicycle Facility Research Project is a one-year effort to analyze three existing bicycle facilities:  (1) bicycle signals and bike boxes at the intersection of 16th Street, U Street, and New Hampshire Avenue, NW; (2) the two-way cycle track on 15th Street, NW between E Street and V Street; and (3) the center median bicycle lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
An executive summary of the study is now posted online at http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/Publication%20Files/On%20Your%20Street/Bicycles%20and%20Pedestrians/Bicycles/Bike%20Lanes/DDOT_BicycleFacilityEvaluation_ExecSummary.pdf.

The study assesses the operations, safety, and perceptions of the bike facilities through extensive quantitative data collection and analysis, as well as intercept, neighborhood and business surveys.  The objectives were to improve the safety and operations of these existing facilities, and guide future DDOT projects, including the proposed L Street, NW protected bike lane.

The proposed L Street protected bike lane between 25th and 12th Streets is planned for summer installation.  Separated by flexible posts, the bike lane will be placed on the north side of the road.  It will be the second of its kind in the city (15th St was the first), and will provide more protection from cars than a typical bike lane.  The plans will be available for review at the meeting.
What:               Public Meeting on Innovative Bicycle Facility Research
and L Street, NW Protected Bike Lane

When:              Thursday, May 3, 2012
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Where:             Reeves Center
2nd Floor Community Room
2000 14th Street, NW

Getting There
Transit: The Reeves Center is one block from the U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metrorail station on the Green Line. It is also accessible via the Following bus routes:
*       DC Circulator – Woodley Park/Adams Morgan/McPherson Square Route
*       Metrobus – U Street lines 90, 92, 96 and 14th Street lines 52, 53, 54
Bicycling: There is a Capital Bikeshare station adjacent to the Reeves Center on 14th Street and another at 16th and U Streets, NW.
Parking:  On-Street metered parking is available.
DDOT is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, its projects, programs, and services on the basis of race, color, national origin, or gender, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or on the basis of disability as provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
If you need special accommodations or language assistance services (translation or interpretation), please contact Mike Goodno at             202-671-0681       ormike.goodno@dc.gov<mailto:mike.goodno@dc.gov> in advance of the meeting. These services will be provided free of charge.

From BikeArlington Events & Outreach Coordinator, Zanna Worzella:

Every Tuesday night is bike night in Arlington!  BikeArlington is hosting weekly gatherings where people can chat and learn about biking in Arlington, and in the DC region.  The sessions are informal, social and informative and are open to the public – this includes people don’t ride or are considering to ride a bike to people who ride 20 miles a day just to get to work.  Each week, a different topic is discussed – riding safely in traffic; equipment, clothing and gear (including a fix-a-flat tutorial), and routes and directions.  WABA will lead 1 of 2 traffic riding/safety sessions each month, sharing all of their experience and knowledge about safety while riding so everyone can feel more confident when they bike with traffic.

WABA will be leading today’s session that is taking place at the Westover Library.  Specific discussions will include crash prevention which cover bicycle rules and laws, lane positioning, and hazard avoidance.  But we leave the discussion up to you so please come with plenty of questions and we’ll make sure to answer them.  We’ll have free refreshments on hand and will also be raffling off a FREE set of front and rear bike lights at the end of the session.

Register for the event here:  http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3327742367.

Best,

Zanna

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) is looking for a full-time coordinator for the DC Bike Ambassador program, an innovative grassroots approach to bicycle outreach and encouragement.

The DC Bike Ambassadors are educators and enthusiasts who are working to bring better bicycling to the people of the District. Carefully selected for a love of bicycling, an understanding of the benefits that bikes can bring to communities, and effective communication skills, they are out on the streets day and night to promote bicycling and act as two-wheeled role models in our city.

The DC Bike Ambassador Coordinator is responsible for all aspects of the Bike Ambassador program, including volunteer recruitment, training and coordination, event scheduling and staffing, developing new strategies and approaches to bicycle outreach and encouragement, and online program support and marketing. The DC Bike Ambassador coordinator will develop, produce and distribute bicycle safety publications, implement bike safety and education presentations, manage volunteer coordination and training efforts, participate in WABA events (both on- and off-bike), and the maintain and expand the Bike Ambassador program’s unique trailer program.

Responsibilities

 The DC Bike Ambassador Coordinator will:

1. Develop the calendar of Ambassador events and appear in public as the face of area bicycling.
2. Communicate an effective and encouraging message about bikes and bicycling to employers, employees, cyclists, motorists, pedestrians and the press.
3. Develop and implement Ambassador events, including: scheduling, logistics, planning, volunteer coordination, loading and unloading, staffing events, and pulling the bicycle trailer(s).
4. Run the Bike Ambassador Trailer program, which involves pulling an advertising/public awareness bike trailer to target bicyclist, motorist and pedestrian behaviors.
5. Administer all aspects of the program, including: budgeting, volunteer recruitment/coordination, data entry, organization/inventory, equipment maintenance, clerical work, grant reporting, etc.
6. Advertise for, hire, and supervise a Part-time Bike Ambassador, as well as recruit and manage interns.
7. Assist WABA in a non-Ambassador program capacity as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

 The ideal candidate will have:

1. A strong commitment to WABA’s mission and be a skillful and committed bicyclist with a solid understanding of the principles of bicycling safety and traffic law.
2. At least two years of combined experience in: project management, events planning/management, marketing and/or volunteer coordination.
3. Supervisory experience a plus.
4. Excellent writing, presentation and public speaking skills.
5. A flexible schedule and willingness to work evenings and weekends as needed.
6. Experience with Microsoft Office, Facebook and Twitter (for professional purposes), experience with Salsa/Democracy in Action and WordPress a plus.
7. The ability to pull a bicycle trailer weighing 100 lbs. for 1-3 hours.
8. The ability to lift at least 50 lbs.
9. The ability to organize time wisely and multi-task in a relaxed, fun environment.
10. Conversational fluency in Spanish strongly preferred.
11. Prior League of American Bicyclist Instructor certification a plus.

Benefits include flexible schedule, vacation, sick and personal leave, and WABA’s retirement and health insurance programs. Compensation: low to mid-$30K’s. This position is full-time, 40 hours/week.

 About the Washington Area Bicyclist Association

Making bicycling better through advocacy and education, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) promotes biking as a healthy, low-cost, and environmentally-friendly form of transportation and recreation. With 4,000 members region-wide, WABA serves bicyclists throughout the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area, including the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland and Virginia.

Contact

Send a cover letter describing why you are the person for the job along with a resume to jobs@waba.org.  No phone calls please.

Position available immediately. Applications accepted until the position is filled.

WABA is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, disability, sex or age.

 

Last year, one of WABA’s most popular and influential outreach activities was our East of the River Mobile Bike Shop series.  In the spring and summer of 2011, we partnered with DC bike co-op The Bike House to repair bikes in parts of the District where residents lack easy access to a local bike shop.

In 2012, we plan to host a mobile bike shop each month throughout the Spring and Summer, and we need the help, hard work, and talent of local mechanics willing to provide technical support for cyclists in need.  WABA seeks interested organizations and individuals with the mechanical expertise to replace cables, patch tubes, replace brake pads, and provide general repair services at these outdoor community gatherings.

If you are an organization interested in taking on this year’s mobile bike shop series, please review the following RFP and submit a brief proposal to mobilebikeshop@waba.org by April 6th.  And if you are a mechanically-inclined individual interested in volunteering, send us an email with your skills and availability.

Mobile Bike Shop RFP

And we wish all the best to our friends and 2011 partners from The Bike House as they focus their mechanical skills on serving Petworth and Bloomingdale cyclists at Annie’s Ace Hardware at 1240 Upshur Street, NW and at the Bloomingdale Farmer’s Market at 1st & R Streets, NW. For more information on their work visit www.thebikehouse.org.

As a self-avowed infrastructure nerd I have long been fascinated by how our public infrastructure defines and serves our cities. Normally, at WABA, roadways are the primary type of infrastructure we address. But the parallels and overlaps between how we move people and how we move water in a space-constrained environment fascinate me. And frankly, I wanted to learn more, I wanted to do it by bike, and I wanted to invite others who are interested in DC’s infrastructure, its evolution, its present state, and its future.

Thus, on April 1, WABA will partner with DC Water for the Down the Tubes Ride. It will be a tour of DC’s water infrastructure past, present, and future.

The Past

In the weeks leading up to the ride, our friends at Ghosts of DC will be digging up stories detailing the history of the places we will visit and pass along the way.  Those stories will be posted here and on the Ghosts of DC blog.

The Present

Our ride will begin at Ft. Reno (accessible by Red Line at the Tenleytown station), where we will be greeted by members of the DC Water team to provide us an overview of the site and its role in the water network. From there, we will continue downhill–roughly as the water flows–to the Bryant Street Pumping Station where we will be given a behind-the-scenes tour of that historic location and often-overlooked architectural gem.

After our tour at Bryant Street we will meander–still downhill–to the O Street Pumping Station beside the Anacostia River, where DC Water was instrumental in allowing the connection of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail boardwalk between Yards Park and Diamond Teague Park. We will tour the inner-workings of the O Street Pumping Station before heading across the South Capitol Bridge to Poplar Point.

The Future

At Poplar Point, we will welcome Carlton Ray, Director of DC Water’s massive Clean Rivers Project, to explain the project, its scope, and the impact it will have on the future of the District’s water treatment and environment.

The ride will end at the Anacostia Metro.

This is a family-friendly event. Our ride pace will be leisurely, we’ll be stopping often, and we’ll be learning lots. Due to space constraints and security at the locations we will be touring, the ride is limited to fifty participants.

What: Down the Tubes Ride
When:  Sunday, April 1st
Start:  9:00 am Tenleytown metro
End: Aproximately 1:00 pm Anacostia metro
Cost: $30 Adults, $10 Youth

Click here to reserve your spot and register.