kevin and i went to the public comment meeting on the proposed union station bike station.  my impression was that it was a decidedly weird event.  i'll get to my thoughts on that meeting in a minute, but some recent posts and comments set the stage perfectly for how i perceive this situation. 

chris' post from yesterday is a very good one.  it points out the everyday problems that people who wish to get around by bicycles face.  tom posted a very good comment as well.  in response to tom, my general experience is that the actual property owners are not always easy to work with.  my personal opinion is that they perceive they have enough to worry about and don't see cyclists as a large enough constituency to warrant the outlay of money necessary for something like this.  especially now, around the xmas shopping season, when mall rage breaks out because parking is such a premium.  can't you hear it now: "i'm too busy dealing with mall parking rage to help you with this...what did you say it was again....bike parking lot?  yeah, i'll get to it as soon as i survive the parking situation around the holiday season..."

i may be alone here but i see this issue as being very similar to ADA provisions.  the ada mandates that site managers and buildings must make access possible for people with a range of disabilities.  if you talk to the business managers, they will complain about the costs (very real and thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars in planning, permits, construction and equipment) to make the necessary modifications.  but i tend to be less sympathetic to their argument because it often boils down to this: "i don't have many handicapped customers now so why should i be required to spend lots on making my business easier for them to use?"  but this is so clearly a chicken and egg situation that you want to slap your forehead. 

the proximal reason that few commercial real estate owners think they need bicycle accomodations is that so few bicyclists show up or ask for accomodations.  but the ultimate reason that so few cyclists show up is that the roads and parking lots around these commercial areas are so dangerous to ride on and that there are no safe and effective places to put your bike while you're there.  if they built accomodations, would more people come there?  i'm not entirely sure.  but i'm certain that if they don't make it possible that it will never happen.

in very general terms, what's probably missing from this overall discussion is a set of standard tools for someone who wishes to pursue something like this.  maybe we need to develop a tool box so that you could go to any specified area and present them with a very professional package of information.  what might be in the toolbox?  it should probably contain some very brief introductory information about cyclists and what they need (not much!) to effectively use this person's resources/business/services.  you could have descriptions of what other businesses have done (with drawings or pictures and contact information for the site managers) as an example of best practices.  you could have a list of federal, state and local agencies that might offer grants or tax breaks or easements for things like this.  and finally, it would be brilliant to have an architectural firm draw up some generic plans for a simple prototype, cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all solution so you can show the people there, in real terms, what you are talking about.  this would need to include a projected cost-estimate in current dollars.

such a toolbox would need to be customized for each individual application, in the same way that your resume would need to be tailored to each individual job you sought.  it would not be a lot of work but would stress the needs of that particular situation.  what do you guys think?  good idea?  bad idea? 

to address chris's quesiton, I'd be more inclined to suggest that somewhere in the parking garage, spots be allocated.  the garage already has the property of being covered, there's limited pedestrian traffic and there are "guards" down there.  there is also probably a concrete island somewhere that would be suitable.  i generally prefer bike racks that are public and out there and on display.  it helps to communicate the reality that biking is a very good alternative.  but in the case of the mci center, i'm not so sure.

now, on to the union station bike station meeting.  the meeting was initially described here.  kevin and i got there late owing to a really good deal on pints of guinness nearby.  when we got there, it had a very weird vibe.  there were several people presenting but they appeared to be mostly answering questions.  and the questions being asked appeared to mostly come from people who were interested in managing this facility.  many of the questions dealt with costs, overhead, ownership, subsidies, real estate, and regulations.

i'm not entirely sure what was going on so i am going to offer my best guess at what is going on.  i think that some money to build something has come through.  this money is (federal?) pollution abatement money and someone has decided that a bike parking facility is the best way to spend it.  the money will be spent.  and it's very, very probable that it will be spent on this product. 

again, i may be misreading the situation, but that's what i'm getting from it.  the stated purpose of the meeting was to get input.  but they already have plans, technicals, scale art models, traffic flow ideas and what not.  it looks like most of the decisions are made.  what i find troubling is that i think this particular idea is a solution in search of a problem.  when general interest questions were asked, there were really no answers.  what happens if this thing fills up?  there will be more street parking nearby.  what will happen to the existing bike parking?  unclear, it will probably be lost.  is this supposed to be a service for existing commuters or is it meant to be something to convince non-cycling commuters to give it a try?  no answer.  with the prohibition of bikes on marc and metro during rush hour, is union station the best place for this?  no answer.  will there be showers and changing places in the facility?  no, there will be no running water.  so there will be no toilets?  correct.  what happens when the "attendant" needs to go the bathroom?  does she/he just lock the place up and go into union station.  awkward silence.  no answer.  giggles from bikers.

maybe i'm being way to cynical.  i don't think so as i chatted with several others right after the meeting and they had even more and better questions.  but i don't get the feeling that there's much discussion at this point.  which is a shame.

now to tie the whole post together.  some will be saying that i'm not playing consistently.  in the top of the post, i argue that we need to have bike facilities to make it easier for cyclists to get around and seen and fostering the perception that cyclists share the road and bicycles are a real transportation option.  and then in the bottom of the post, after being offered what i want, i'm turning up my nose at it.  fair enough, in a sense.  i think we need accomodations and they need to be visible.  i think the bike station is waaayyyy too much of a good thing in a single place.  it's probably not useful to think about what that money (>$2M) could have funded but i can't help it.  but i think we can come away from this with something valuable.  in place of this, is there something else that would have been better?  and should it be placed all over the city?  and the suburbs?  and the shopping centers? 

i'll start doing some research towards the toolkit and see where it takes me.  any and all help is appreciated.

- - - posted by scott

Despite my reservations about the real utility of bike lanes here and in other cities, I think it is fair to assume that they are constructed with an interest in encouraging people to ride bikes to their jobs and other destinations.  But what happens once the cyclist arrives at that destination?  Where do we lock up our trusty steeds?  A light post or a parking meter would work, I suppose, though a bike rack would be nicer.  And what if all the parking meters are taken?     

Monday night, I was waiting for Rob prior to the hockey game at VerizonCenter.  So there I was, waiting in the new pedestrian walkway between Gallery Place and Verizon Center where, in the space of about 15 minutes no less than 3 pairs of individuals attempted to lock their bikes up to whatever they could find – that’s 6 bikes in all! – and each one of them were informed by the security guard that locking up their bikes is expressly forbidden.  I was amused when I observed a bike messenger locking up his fixed gear to a pole behind the back of the security guard even while he was giving one couple his standard speech. 

I don’t blame the security guard – he’s just doing his job, and The Man’s told him to impose this stupid rule.  But with all this encouraging of bike riding, isn’t it time for facilities such as this to provide something so obvious as a bike rack?  There’s really no excuse for this outrage – the new pedestrian walkway has plenty of space, and a few parked bikes simply will not get in the way.  Direct action is clearly needed here!

-- posted by Chris (photo from Flickr, Octavio_DC)

http://www.cicle.org/cicle_content/pivot/entry.php?id=1189

dolph may look tough but clubber lang and apollo creed were so much better.

the revolution rolls along.  clothing order has been finalized and initiated.  a goodly number of new members have stepped up to the plate.  that pleases me.  some are solid racers and i think we'll field much more respectable teams in the races we choose to do as a result.  we also have a number of cycling advocates who i am hopeful will help us initiate and accomplish some off-the-bike goals as well.  please take some time to welcome our new brothers to the vanguard.

tonight is the sort of unveiling of a new idea for bike commuters.  details are below.  i'll be there a bit after six and will take some pictures, find out what i can, and post the results up some time later in the week.  If anyone is interested in coming, drop me a note and we'll arrange to hook up. 

You are invited to attend a public meeting on the design of the Union Station Bicycle Transit Center (aka the Bike Station) on Tuesday, December 12, 2006 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm in Room 1107 at One Judiciary Square (441 4th Street, NW), 11th floor, south elevator

The Bicycle Transit Center will provide bicycle parking, rentals, repairs and accessories in a new state-of-the-art building at the west end of Union Station.

The design is 65% complete and we are looking for additional input on the design and operation of the facility. There will be a short presentation followed by questions and answers. Background information is available at www.ddot.dc.gov/bikeprogram

Hope to see you there. Contact me directly if you have any questions. Feel free to forward this to anyone who might be interested.

We will also be holding a daytime meeting for organizations that might be interested in bidding on the contract to operate of the Bicycle Transit Center. Please contact me if you are interested in attending such a meeting.

James R. Sebastian
Manager, Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Transportation Demand Management Programs
Transportation Policy and Planning Administration
District Department of Transportation

i'm working up a post on the holiday light displays i see when i commute home at night.  the pictures are not great but the displays sure are.  more to follow....

- - - sg

updated below.....

compare and contrast the dire news:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/10/AR2006121001113.html

with the valuable services that are being provided:

http://www.wmata.com/bus2bus/smartbenefits/pages/Metro_start.html via this link.

we talk a lot about how the current travel infrastructure is "broken": entirely car based travel -> congestion -> sprawl -> need for more roads -> less green space -> more development -> more congestion -> more sprawl -> more need for more roads -> etc -> etc -> etc...  what we do not talk about as much is the need to have alternative transportation be all the more appealing.  this is somewhat counter-intuitive.  one would naturally assume that as commutes get longer and longer, less and less pleasant, and take up increasing shares of your life, that alternatives would seem more appealing. 

but this is not, in practice, how things work.  people who have hellish commutes will read this metro news about financial shortfalls and smile to themselves.  for them, it only serves to confirm the idea that mass transit and alternative transportation won't work very well for them, since it clearly isn't self sustaining.  i currently reside slighty west of the vienna metro stop.  if i were an average commuter, i would park at the metro, and then ride it into dc.  parking is $3.75 and let's just assume the metro fare is $3.70 each way for the trip which would put you near center city.  that's $11.15 a day or roughly $223 a month (20 workdays a month) or roughly $2,453 (48 work weeks a year).  could you operate a car for that?  in some cases, yes.  looking at insurance and wear and tear and gas, it would be tough for most of us.  you could take the bus to the metro and save a lot.  but hey, that's asking a lot of our commuters.

you're probably thinking that i'm going to tie up this post with a call for alternative transportation to conduct itself in a more becoming manner, to earn the respect of drivers and to work to be an appealing option and for jurisdictions to fund metro to a greater degree.  well, that'd be great but i don't see it happening.  no, i'm going the other way here.  we're going to the mat on this.  the problem is not necessarily metro: in all likelihood, it is no more inept or corrupt or inefficient than any other company or transit group anywhere else in the country.  no the problem here is that people (read: drivers) will read this article and smugly conclude that those great unwashed masses who don't sit for hours on our public thoroughfares are saps, and that they (the drivers) are beating the system and doing the right thing.  but they are drawing the wrong conclusion.  under my normal philosophy of put up or shut up, i proudly unveil my solution.  i will give away $10 in metro fare each month to some random winner. 

my preference is that you give it to a friend or neighbor or relative and ask they to try commuting by metro one day for free.  if you are a cyclist, you may certainly use this to get your bike to a group ride, or for some other purpose (take the kids to the national zoo for instance) but do it on public transit, not in a car.

here's the deal.  all racing union members are automatically entered in each month's drawing, because, well, because they are good peoples.  anyone else in the dc metro area who would like to be considered may send an email to metro_hook_up@racingunion.org with your email address and i will add you to the database.  all drawings will be at random and since i do the drawing, i will not be eligible to win the prize.  all i ask is that you send me a photo (same address) with you and the metro cash or a note by email on what you did with it.  but that's optional.  get those email addresses in.  drawing will take place shortly for december.  if the program goes well, i may expand it.  more on that later.

- - - posted by scott

update: before i dogged taking the bus up above, i didn't realize the true revolutionary powers of bus drivers.  you can witness it here, courtesy of one of the greatest geopolitical thinkers of our time.  this must have casued some sort of cognitive dissonance.  you can cause revolution and upheaval, but only by supporting the rights of striking workers.  can you picture it?  must support toppling of hardline, clerical, anti-american regime....but...cannot support striking unionized workers.....but must support toppling of hardline, clerical, anti-american regime....but...cannot support striking unionized workers.....  and on it goes! 

a commendation for ncvc: the order of the red star from the supreme revolutionary council for change in cycling and the social order.

this commendation is awarded for the very generous opportunity that ncvc is handing to us.  a chance to get out, drink beer, see a movie premiere and mingle with our fellow cyclists and citizens.  the union will be in full effect to show their gratitude for ncvc's kindness.  a hearty huzzah for all the early six day racers and for those who help us to remember those who went before us. 

information on the event can be found here: http://www.ncvc.net/

information on the film can be found here: http://www.sixdaybicyclerace.com/the_film.htm

thank you notes can be sent here: http://www.ncvc.net/contact.php

- - - posted by scott

i was getting some static about my zeal for the union cause and in discussing it with a friend, i came to realize that there is a tremendous similarity between the supreme revolution in cycling and the social order, and the dadaist art movement.

Hans Arp tells how he and his friends used to make rounds of the bars, opening the door of each and saying in a loud, clear voice: "Long live Dada!" The patrons would open their mouths in amazement, dropping their forks and their sausages.  --http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19191

i would say that this anecdote is entirely consistent with the union ethos.  you probably saw it here and here.  our movement echoes theirs in refusing to be contained within ordinary categories.  in fact, our very presence and actions form a powerful refutation of categorization itself.  beyond boundries, surmounting the challenges of orthodoxy, and reducing the status quo to one of those shivvery fruit and jello salads your aunt makes for every family get together.  so from this grandest of pinnacles, i offer a short poem:

i have killed the union through art.  the union is dead.  and through death lives on in lore, song, verse and memory.  long live the union through it’s death. ever greater glory beckons…

the union is dead! long live the union!

the union is dead! long live the union!

- - - posted by scott

i simply must admit to being ever so slightly less judgemental about the evils of sponsorship after reading this article.  lemmy, doing it for the kids. 

i reaffirm my general belief that the forces of money and amateur sports do not enhance each other in a positive way.  but how boss is it to say that lemmy is backing you.  he's an old softie.  please note that if you are reading this article and your name is rob halford, ronnie james dio or don dokken, this sentiment does not apply to you.  do not pass go, do not collect the kharmic equivalent of $200 US.  rollins on the other hand most certainly ought to be doing this.

- - - posted by scott with thanks to josh for the link!

this makes me sick to my stomach.  be careful out there.  don't assume that you can control the situation or that the "system" will look out for you.  i'll take suggestions for a more appropriate judicial sentence in the comments.

- - - posted by scott, link from bryan

- posted by Chris, with commendations to the photographer, Joel Gwadz (http://www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com/)

there are some times when you read something and you just know that people will take it as certain evidence for their worldview.  the eggheads call this "conceptual goggles" but the rest of us call it what it really is, intellectual laziness.  there are probably a ton of interesting and hilarious jokes that could be made about this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15947626/?GT1=8717

"what, no more hennessy?  no more wide format director's cuts?  this means war!"

rather than try to mine this for comedy gold, I'll share with you my own piece of intellectual laziness.  i see this as sure proof that regis debray was right all along when he said that "the revolution revolutionizes the counter-revolution".  the man is trying something new.  during the cold war, america tried to tackle the revolution head on through armed combat and spy vs. spy silliness.  by the eighties and nineties, we attempted a stealthier approach of economic destabilization and producing armed paramilitary groups that looked like authentic revolutionaries.  and now it's come to this.  why mess around with big budget diplomacy or arms shipments or a school of the americas.  just cut off the congac.  no more luxury cars, no more ipods, no more segways.  how will they possibly endure?  this alone has an uncomfortably elitist undertone: "you  know old boy, they simply can't get by without the finer things."  but at least it shows some adaptability and a remarkable amount of depth in that these sanctions won't affect the average citizen in the slightest.  how about that?  the counter-revolution is slowly being revolutionized. 

- - - posted by scott, link by chris.