Are the streets ready?

A.) For those looking to get into cycling accross town, here is a good summary of DC bike rides:

B.) For those who are already seasoned veterans of biking in DC metro, or for those training for it on the weekends, this service might help.  By comparing routes you might find a safer route, or if you use the new iPhone app to record your trip’s route and pace, you will be healthier for it. 

Or at least you’ll have something to brag about in a Twitter message for us lollygagging pedastrians waiting for for bus in the cold.  MapMyRide is available for FREE.

Of Ghost Bikes and Blind Spots

On the morning of July 8th 2008, cyclist Alice Swanson was fatally struck by a truck on her commute to work.  A memorial in the form of a Ghost Bike was recently erected on the westbound corner of R Street and 20th Street, where the truck made a right turn in front of the cyclist riding in their bike lane.  On a weekend you can see the monument for yourself on foot, or you might pass it by on your bike in Monday morning like so many others who commute on R street everyday.

Like so many others in DC, I have already had my fair share of close calls with car drivers.  I have also had close calls with cyclists in the crosswalk and on the sidewalk.  In DC you cannot wait on a corner, but at least a few feet back for the wide turns of a bus.  Drivers will not necessarily yield in the crosswalk even when they have a red light at a right turn.

Everyone – drivers, cyclists, workers – is a pedestrian once they exit their vehicle.  Since wearing a helmet would not suffice for Alice Swanson, you’re on your own across town.  Perhaps the best protection is knowledge – please take a short refresher course on the rules that keep us all safe.