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Click here to sign the 2011 Resolution to Ride Responsibly!

This morning, as I was riding to the office, I hit a red light. And I stopped and waited for it to turn green. As WABA’s DC Bike Ambassador, I do this a lot. What’s more, it’s part of my job to try and get everybody else to do it too. Even among WABA members, encouraging cyclists to obey the law can be a challenging task. So, it was both a pleasant surprise and an unfortunate indicator of how much work I have left to do when a motorist pulled up alongside of me at that red light and rolled down his window to say:

“You’re the first cyclist I’ve ever seen follow the laws!”

And then he gave me a thumb’s up and drove away. This is exactly what WABA has long been working towards: making the streets a safer and more enjoyable place for bicyclists, and consequently, all other road users too. Safe bicycling is not just about keeping bicyclists safe, it’s also about respecting the safety of others.

So this winter, WABA is announcing our Resolution to Ride Responsibly, an online New Year’s resolution that we encourage all cyclists in DC, Maryland and Virginia to take. The arrival of a new year is the perfect time to reflect on the past and to change bad habits, make personal improvements and lay the foundation for the next twelve months. We want people who ride bicycles–whether for fun, for work, or for transportation to either one–to think about what it means to ride safely and responsibly and to make these things their priority for 2011.

WABA’s Resolution to Ride Responsibly

In 2011…

…I resolve to be a more responsible bicyclist.

…I resolve to better respect the rights of other road users.

…I resolve to make a good faith effort to better follow the law.

…I resolve to yield to pedestrians.

…I resolve to help make bicycling safer and easier for all of us.

Please click here to sign the Resolution! Help WABA and everybody on a bicycle by being a responsible rider.

Plus, it turns out that being responsible out on the road isn’t particularly difficult or burdensome, and it will actually make you a better cyclist. But that’s not all!

It will also:

• Make you thinner – Stopping at red lights and stop signs burns more calories.
• Make you more attentive – Headphones and cell phones while cycling are a bad idea.
• Make you a role model – Other cyclists will emulate you, honest.
• Make your husband/wife/parents/children/girlfriend/boyfriend/boss happier – Because they won’t have to worry about you being irresponsible.
• Change drivers’ attitudes – Following the law makes you more predictable, which makes it easier for drivers to anticipate you, avoid you and go on their way without aggravation.
• Help the bicycle community – Like it or not, all cyclists are often tarred with the same brush, and lawbreaking cyclists make us all look bad.
• Help WABA – Bicycle-specific traffic laws may be out of reach for now (think: Idaho stop), but being able to say “look at all the cyclists out there following existing laws” would be a huge help!

Remember, click here to sign the Resolution to Ride Responsibly and click here to read our press release. We’ll be collecting signatures throughout January (for all you late resolution-makers), and to kick off the year in the responsible gear, we’re having a New Year’s Resolution Ride on Saturday, January 8th.

You can sign up for the ride here, but please sign the Resolution to Ride Responsibly first!

Want an excuse to buy a new bike helmet or cycling jacket?  Here your excuse, City Sports is opening a new store in Georgetown at 3338 M Street NW.  The doors open on December 14th at 10am.  There is the usual $10,000 in gift bag giveaways, $3,000 in shopping spree giveaways, and hourly in-store raffles that goes along with store openings.   In addition to the giveaways, City Sports will be donating $1 per shopper to one of three local charities including WABA!  So, bike on down to Georgetown, buy yourself (or someone else) something nice for the holidays and help WABA too!  At the end of your transaction, you’ll receive a token to place in one of three jars. Make sure to place yours in the WABA jar.

Sometimes you just need a little extra push in the right direction.   If you’ve ever been curious in an electric bike is right for you or are already thinking about purchasing one, join WABA today (if you haven’t already) to take advantage of this amazing deal.   E+ Electric Bikes in Reston now offer a FREE TUNE UP to WABA members and $400 off electronic bikes.  If that doesn’t get you revved up for the holidays, what will?

WABA's giveaway lights

Daylight Saving Time is ending and it’s going to be getting dark earlier. So as usual, WABA will be giving out free bike lights to those who need them. But we’re going to do things a bit differently this year. We’re hoping to focus on the “those who need them” part.

Of course, everyone needs a light if riding a bike at night. But I’m not sure everyone needs one supplied by the DC government and WABA.

Here’s my confession: Before I started working here, I hit up WABA for a new light every year. I would see the “Got Lights” giveaway advertised, show up, and get my free light. And since I put it to good use, I never thought twice about it taking a light. Seemed like a nice perk of membership.

But now that I’m working here and know a bit more about the program, I see what it’s really meant to be. It’s intended to get lights into the hands of people who ride at night regularly, but who either can’t afford or otherwise won’t access a light. From my limited research, it seems that Los Angeles was the first place to really effectively use light giveaways to improve cyclist safety, and they did it by targeting the large population of Latino riders who often commute to and from work in the early morning or late evening when it’s dark.

DC’s program is modeled somewhat on that one. WABA’s giveaways have generally taken place in areas with a large Spanish-speaking population in order to target the same demographic that Los Angeles successfully targeted with its campaign. But still, the big WABA tent and public announcements drew a large number of members and cyclists (like me) who could have afforded to buy our own lights at any shop, and just thought of these as a membership perk.

So this year, we’re going to do things differently. Starting last week, WABA staff began taking smaller batches of lights with them while riding around the District after dusk. When we see people actually riding without lights at night, we offer them lights. But we’re not advertising it and we’re not telling people where we’re going to be with much (if any) advance warning.

The goal here is to use these lights to make the greatest possible impact on safety. We want every light to go to someone who (1) actually rides a bike (2) at night  (3) without a light and (4) would not otherwise get a light.

So if you can afford to purchase your own light, we would encourage you to do so. We have a full list of regional bike shops who would love your business here.  And last night I donated back to WABA the $18 it cost  to provide me with those 2 light sets I received in past years.  If you’d like to similarly help us with our safety and advocacy efforts by donating the cost of a light set, you can do so here with a donation of $9.

To those of you who were hoping to get your annual blinky-light set from WABA, I hope you understand why we’re changing tactics this year.  Of course, we won’t turn you away if you find us on the street or visit us at a giveaway event.  But we hope that you’ll help us get lights to those who most need free lights.

(And we’d like to thank DDOT for their generous grant covering the cost of many lights, as well as District Hardware/The Bike Shop for providing the light sets at a discount and rushing them here prior to the end of Daylight Saving Time.)

A few months ago, one of our favorite bike-themed t-shirt makers–Pedal Pushers Club–announced they were making the move down to DC, and somewhere in the back of our collective mind a light bulb went off. “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship” we thought to ourselves. And lo and behold, today Brett from PPC waltzed into WABA HQ with an armful of these fantastic new Ride DC shirts.

These things are gorgeous! And if you’re anything like us, you’ve got to get your hands on one. Well, here’s the kicker: 20% of every Ride DC shirt sold from the Pedal Pushers website goes straight to WABA. This is big. A partnership of this magnitude doesn’t happen every day, and here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor, and the best part is, you can even look good doing it!

So what are you waiting for? Click on over and get one for yourself.