Mount Pleasant Part of New Bikeshare

BIXI bikestation. Photo by stevey

As expected, Mount Pleasant will receive a bike station under the District's new bike sharing system,  Capital Bikeshare. This bike share will replace the SmartBike DC system which currently houses 100 bikes at 10 stations.  The new stations will accommodate over 1,000 bikes all over the city and some in Arlington as well, via regional partnership.

Capital Bikeshare is based on the BIXI system (BIcycle + taXI = BIXI).  BIXI was first active in Montreal, then Vancouver, Boston, Minneapolis, even Europe and Australia.  Now it's on the way to DC.  The new bikes are awesome looking, although I liked the SmartBike DC bikes, too.  DDOT plans to have the bikes and stations operational by the end of fall this year.  I am highly skeptical, but hey, surprise me DDOT.  The Mount Pleasant station will be near Lamont Park or the corner of 17th and Mount Pleasant Streets NW.  Don't quite have the exact location, but perhaps in the park itself?  Or near the H8 bus shelter?  

There are three other stations within walking distance of Lamont Park; 14th and Irving, 16th and Columbia, Adams Mill and Lanier Place.  And below is the DDOT map with all of the station locations, including Arlington VA.  Exciting stuff!  For all of its troubles, DDOT is really adopting a forward thinking philosophy regarding transit by instituting these types programs (Circulator, Streetcar, Bikeshare, etc).  To that I say huzzah!

View Capital Bikeshare in a larger map

Bike to Work, Rally Home

May is National Bike Month. And today is Bike to Work Day. Washington Area Bicyclist Association is obviously playing a large role today, hosting several events. Since most of us are commuting towards downtown Washington and not the other direction, most of the action is focused there or at least headed that way.

The Mount Pleasant bike convoy will depart for downtown DC from Lamont Park at 7:30AM. Like the other convoys, it will end at Freedom Park (14th and Penn Ave NW, in front of the Wilson Building). There will be refreshments, some giveaways, lots of other bikers and a few speakers. I think Fenty was there last year?

After a hard days work, get back on that bike and head home. If you're coming back to Mount P, make a short detour over to our neighbors in Columbia Heights for a WABA sponsored end of day-start of weekend rally. That's at the 14th and Park Plaza.

There are more and more bikers sharing the road, not just in DC, but in urban, suburban and rural areas all over the U.S. Yes, the bike-vs-car story is so old and there have been so many stories and hyperbole over that issue. But events like today's bike to work day are a positive way to reinforce that bike transport is pretty much here to stay in the United States and we should do our best to accommodate riders, promote bike friendly policy and ensure safety of drivers and bike riders. Be open to making that happen. Good riding people.

Prestigious Euro Bike Race Coming to DC

Everyone knows of Tour de France. It's the bike race of bike races. The two other races on par with the Tour de France are Vuelta a España and the Giro d'Italia. One of those races is coming to DC! The Giro d'Italia organizers have decided to stage one portion in the District of Columbia. If all goes well, in May of 2012, the streets in front of the White House, National Mall, Wilson Building, National Archives, Kennedy Center, Rock Creek Park and Arlington National Cemetery will close for some of the world's best riders. Last year's total race distance was 3,418 km, or about 2,124 miles!

The prologue, or first stage, of the May/June race will be held in DC and the riders would then fly back to Italy to resume the remainder of the race after a full day of rest. The racing in DC would be for one day only.

This is an attempt to grow the sport of cycling outside of the European continent. Sort of like what the NFL tried with the World League of American Football, but not as garish and bloated. And in a much smaller dose. Stupid Americans. I kid, I kid. Hold the hate mail.

DC will appreciate the Giro and if we can pull this thing off, I see multiple visits in out future. Maybe Lance should start getting ready now.

Bicycle Transit Center Coming Along

The Union Station Bicycle Transit Center is slowly taking shape. The District's attempt at making the multi-modal transit center of union Station even better is about to take a giant leap forward. The Center will be able to securely house 180 bikes, parked inside. Outside there will be room for 30 additional parked and secured bikes.

The structure will encompass 1700+ square feet including some retail. The retail portion will include administrative space, bike rental and even bike repair. During business hours attendants will control access to the building. After hours, bike owners will have access to the inside space, and their bikes, by way of access card. Pretty neat! There will be some type of membership system. Initial rates were supposed to be something like $100 per year, or $1 per day to park. Cheap considering the convenience of knowing your bike is safely parked. I'm betting a SmartBike DC location won;t be far off, or part of the Center proper. Go DDOT! Keep it coming.

Smartbike is Coming Soon

Smartbike DC is almost here! This station is one of 10 planned stations. Its at F Street and 7th; on the sidewalk in front of the National Portrait Gallery. Smartbike DC is run by Clear Channel and DDOT. Its more of a bike share than a bike rental. There's a $40.00 annual fee, and riders are limited to three hour rides per share. There is no per hour charge. No hard and fast date set for the opening. There will be four rental locations on the 42 bus route. Pretty swell.