My OperaBike Lanes
Saturday, November 10, 2012 3:52:55 PM
The editor and wife were coming back into town Thursday slightly before rush hour and came East on L Street. The editor has found that at this time of day, K Street is about one lane of traffic and one lane of stopped busses. Also, L Street is somewhat smoother, and the manhole covers aren't more than an inch or two from the surface of the street, which is not true of K Street.
The first thing he noticed was that a whole lane was given over to bikes, instead of cars (parking non-rush hour, cars during). The editor was not aware that traffic density had declined that much that we could forgo a perfectly good traffic lane. We saw some green things. But the time we got to the 1700 block of L, he had it figured out. Cars are supposed to cross over to the bike lane in the opening in plastic posts if they want to turn left. The bicyclists are supposed to cross onto the sort of narrow green stripe and use that. (Some one in DCDOT has seen too much speed skating.) Many people had figured it out and many had not. The whole thing is described in the WaPo here. If you want to read the edition of the article that you didn't pay a dollar for, go here.
The editor is convinced that the District has no financial problems anymore. This is an utter waste of money. While he has spent several years in the biking community, with some very minor racing experience, he does understand the almost fanatical "bikes will save the world" of some, and the trendiness of it all. DC DOT has way too much time on its hands. C. Northcote Parkinson lent his name to the syndrome.
The editor has been convinced for many years that the local nomenklatura simply does not care to comprehend that DC is not a self contained entity. It is part of the metropolitan area. It is also a tourist town, and many of those tourists drive. The traffic circles are an acquired skill, but learnable. If one reads all of the close-by traffic signs on each signposts as a stranger, one can't be sure he's not going to get towed or ticketed. It is not a comfortable place to drive, and continually works to make it more nerve-wracking.
The editor has met many successful people living in Northern Virginia who will try very hard not to drive into DC. It's a big city, dense traffic, and it has those circles. If one is not involved with the Federal government in any fashion, there is nothing in the District that can't be found in Montgomery County or Northern Virginia. (Notice that he left out Ward 9.) It's not a crime thing; it's just "why do it?" If a tourist town such as Rehoboth Beach made driving from place to place as Alice-In-Wonderland as DC, it wouldn't be a tourist town for long.
The first thing he noticed was that a whole lane was given over to bikes, instead of cars (parking non-rush hour, cars during). The editor was not aware that traffic density had declined that much that we could forgo a perfectly good traffic lane. We saw some green things. But the time we got to the 1700 block of L, he had it figured out. Cars are supposed to cross over to the bike lane in the opening in plastic posts if they want to turn left. The bicyclists are supposed to cross onto the sort of narrow green stripe and use that. (Some one in DCDOT has seen too much speed skating.) Many people had figured it out and many had not. The whole thing is described in the WaPo here. If you want to read the edition of the article that you didn't pay a dollar for, go here.
The editor is convinced that the District has no financial problems anymore. This is an utter waste of money. While he has spent several years in the biking community, with some very minor racing experience, he does understand the almost fanatical "bikes will save the world" of some, and the trendiness of it all. DC DOT has way too much time on its hands. C. Northcote Parkinson lent his name to the syndrome.
The editor has been convinced for many years that the local nomenklatura simply does not care to comprehend that DC is not a self contained entity. It is part of the metropolitan area. It is also a tourist town, and many of those tourists drive. The traffic circles are an acquired skill, but learnable. If one reads all of the close-by traffic signs on each signposts as a stranger, one can't be sure he's not going to get towed or ticketed. It is not a comfortable place to drive, and continually works to make it more nerve-wracking.
The editor has met many successful people living in Northern Virginia who will try very hard not to drive into DC. It's a big city, dense traffic, and it has those circles. If one is not involved with the Federal government in any fashion, there is nothing in the District that can't be found in Montgomery County or Northern Virginia. (Notice that he left out Ward 9.) It's not a crime thing; it's just "why do it?" If a tourist town such as Rehoboth Beach made driving from place to place as Alice-In-Wonderland as DC, it wouldn't be a tourist town for long.
