In other news, representatives of motorists on I-95 asked VDOT if donations could be made to pay for needed exit signs. Oh, wait, that doesn't happen, because... car.

Congrats on nine years! Thanks for all the great posts!

At one point last week, I remember seeing a Strava segment creatively titled Alpe d'Crystal for this piece of "infrastructure", but it sadly appears to have already been taken down. In any case, it looks more like a course to test one's bike handling skills more than an accommodation for cyclists. Fortunately, it's only temporary FWIU, if that's solace to anyone.

Well written piece, Jim. Thanks for following up with the police about their statements to media about these types cases. Hopefully your outreach and contact with Lt. Alexander will be fruitful.

The second one is a little less inspiring if you add the word car. :(

"The temporary mulch trail is a little tricky to ride." Walk bikes? ;-) LOL

I think it's superfluous and redundant of the National Bike Registry to have a separate registry in Alexandria. Personally, I'd be more impressed if they did more on stolen bikes than simply taking a report. My Surly LHT was stolen from my building's basement in March. The value of my bike with dynamo lighting system, racks fenders, etc. was pushing $2,000, but other than taking my report over the phone, I don't think officers ever did anything on the case. I imagine the response to a report of a stolen car of similar value would have been more serious, but maybe I'm wrong on that. When I lived in NE DC several years ago and a bike was stolen from the garage of the house I was sharing with a couple folks, MPD came to my house and talked to me and took additional information. If nothing else, it made me feel like my case mattered on some level. I've never once heard of a bike thief being caught or charged in Alexandria, while I have heard of it happening in DC and Arlington, for instance, and I have heard of sting operations with bait/dummy bikes in those jurisdictions, too. I, for one, would appreciate a more vigorous and more public effort on the part of Alexandria PD to do something about bike theft, or at least publicize and communicate their efforts better to the community, something that goes beyond shuffling more paper, which is what it sounds like the sales registry amounts to. So, if the PD's desire to have bike sales registered is part of some new grand strategy actually to crack down on and do something about bike theft, then so be it, but I honestly can't see how it will be any more helpful to them than the NBR. It will also miss all the sales that happen outside of bike shops, like the used MTB frame I purchased off Craigslist to build up a new bike.

Quick! Make a left on M! ;-)

@contrarian: *How many people read that opening sentence and thought, "How is he going to finish this one?" LOL

A bill to make bicycling on sidewalks legal unless the locality prohibits it did not get out of committee I don't have overly strong feelings on sidewalk riding. I hop on and off them in a couple spots at times if it's convenient or if I'm at my destination, but avoid them as a general rule. I think laws on sidewalk cycling are kind of like the sodomy laws that were on the books in some states until recently (or perhaps still are on the books). The law is kind of pointless if it's never enforced. Has anyone ever gotten busted for sidewalk cycling? Are these laws ever enforced, with the possible exception of the DC CBD, but even then...

Good one. Felt like a little salt in the wound since my Surly was just stolen a few weeks ago, but a good one nonetheless.

$15 million out of a $10 billion budget?! That's a whopping 0.15% of the city budget! All this bike stuff is going to bankrupt us! Since we all know the war on cars is going strong, I assume the District's outlays for automobile infrastructure will be well under $15 million this year. ;-)

@unclejed I've seen it a lot, too. Or people just treating the far end of the crosswalk as the stop line, instead of using, oh I don't know, the STOP LINE as a stop line. I just navigate around them as carefullyas I can and give them a stink eye if they're looking and occasionally a finger if it's well deserved. Yesterday near on the Mall (Jefferson and 15th) on the evening commute, I saw a cyclist do what I've so often wanted to do, give a good open hand smack to a the trunk lid of a guy's fancy Beamer that had stopped smack dab blocking the crosspark, er, crosswalk. Driver rolled window down, "pleasantries" were exchanged, and everyone moved along. Ballsy move on the part of the cyclist... something I've only ever dreamed of doing. DB in the BMW got what he deserved, though.

Yet another reminder of why I only pick up the Examiner for the free NYT crossword in the back on those rare days I take metro. Hardly ever even glance at the headlines of stories within. Thank you for taking on his mindless drivel with reasoned thought.

Speaking of infrastructure, might I also point out the ridiculousness of the road design there? I took a look at the crash scene on Google Maps, and there is a shoulder on the road, but it's only ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD! Can any genius transportation engineer explain to me why a road would be designed like this?

There's plenty of logical arguments against mandatory helmet laws. Washcycle and other posters here have made the case quite clearly IMO. Too bad people would rather demonize and patronize those with legitimate concerns about a helmet law (like its likely impact on ridership levels) and oversimplify the position of those against the law as being against helmets altogether. The whole law presupposes that cycling is inherently dangerous, which it is not. Again, a point well made over the years by Washcycle. If this passes, it screams out for acts of mass civil disobedience. I am picturing a massive group ride with no helmets on going from police station to police station, or perhaps around the state capitol in Annapolis while wearing snarky tee shirts.

Ray Lahood was on Diane Rehm for a full hour this morning. I missed almost all of it because I was in a meeting, but I hope to download the podcast. Just a heads up to those who might be interested. I assume he talked a fair amount about bikes...

Totally agree w/ 7. Love the last paragraph. It captures perfectly what started running through my head when I saw that this letter complaining about DC was from a woman in Crownsville. Tip to anyone living thirty miles away from their job and complaining about the time it takes to commute: Want a shorter commute? Don't live thirty miles from your job! Simple enough.

Congratulations!!! and Congratulations!!!

I meant seven years. (I'm a walking incarnation of the holy hand grenade scene in Monty Python this morning...)

Happy belated Blogiversary! Five years of amazing stuff. I've been full-time bike commuting about three and a half of those five years and reading this blog religiously as well. It's hard for me to imagine a world without TheWashCycle! Thanks!

This actually looks to me like the signs you see as you approach this park in Alexandria along the MVT from the north. http://goo.gl/maps/yCD1L The MVT is a better alternative to continue through to Old Town anyway. I usually ride past here a couple times a week on my way from work to class. I can understand if someone took issue with the ban on bikes here, but I don't personally. There are these switchbacks and some choke points along the path along the river (IIRC), including a couple spots with stairs (again IIRC).

Bicycling improvements to Oxon Hill Road would be a godsend. Currently, the shoulder comes and goes, it's a bumpy, potholed mess. A decent bike lane would make the ride to Fort Washington an enjoyable experience. Agreed. As for the G'town attempted bike theft, I have a feeling I know what will happen in that case... or more accurately, what WON'T happen. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/09/why-bike-theft-so-hard-stop/3274/

Fixing it for you... 49-year-old Patrick McCusker of Cockeysville was riding a bicyclist [sic] and collided with a bus. I'm guessing that McCusker was riding a bicycle and not a bicyclist. Why am I not surprised that the fine editorial staff over at WaPo managed to miss that, too.