The Cycling Classic will hold races for all levels of cyclists ranging from amateurs to elite.
The first day will take place in Clarendon and the second will take place in Crystal City. On Sunday, before the normal slate of races and rides, the event will honor the memory of a fellow cyclist and race competitor.
Garvey Out-Raises Gutshall — Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey out-raised Democratic challenger Erik Gutshall by more than $20,000 in April and May. Garvey raised $57,143 to $36,751 for Gutshall. Both candidates received donations from about 300 people. [Washington Post]
More People Biking to Work — The traffic woes and Metrorail headaches caused by Metro’s SafeTrack maintenance work is apparently pushing more people to commute to work via bike. On Monday, Arlington’s “Bike-o-Meter” near the Key Bridge recorded 2,325 bike trips, double the normal number for a Monday around this time of year. The pleasant weather probably helped, too. [WJLA]
The first stage of SafeTrack involves single tracking on the Orange and Silver lines between Ballston and East Falls Church. Trains will run every 18 minutes, with additional Orange Line trains running from Ballston to New Carrolton.
In response, Arlington County will supplement WMATA’s efforts to assist travelers with its own. ART routes 55 (Rosslyn-East Falls Church) and 52 (Virginia Hospital-Ballston-East Falls Church) will use 40-foot buses instead of the usual 35-foot buses to add capacity during the surge. The county is also considering adding a bus lane on Lee Highway to speed up 55 buses during rush hour.
Memorial Day Traffic to Peak Thursday — Heading out of town for Memorial Day? Try to avoid driving Thursday afternoon or evening, which is expected to have the worst traffic of the holiday period. A better time to leave is between 8 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday. [Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments]
Ideas for Making Arlington More Bike Friendly — Chris Slatt, chair of the Arlington Transportation Commission, has 10 “big ideas” for making Arlington even more bicycle friendly. [Greater Greater Washington]
Today is Bike to Work Day around the D.C. area. More than 1,500 people were expected to participate in Arlington alone.
This year Arlington County hosted seven “pit stops” for the event — in Ballston, Crystal City, East Falls Church, Rosslyn, Shirlington and at Penrose Square on Columbia Pike. Six were morning pit stops; the seventh, also in (or, at least, near) Shirlington, is an “afternoon party” at New District Brewing, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
(Updated on May 9) A weekend of cycling races is on tap for the weekend of June 11-12.
The two day Air Force Association Cycling Classic, sponsored by Boeing, is returning to Arlington for its 19th year next month.
From 8:30-10:30 a.m. tomorrow, and from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursday, Arlington officers will be participating in a special detail in the Crystal City and Clarendon areas, promoting the campaign and enforcing traffic law violations by motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
“Approximately 25 percent of the traffic fatalities in the Washington area are pedestrians and bicyclists, with nearly 90 deaths per year,” ACPD notes in a press release (below). “Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians are reminded to pay attention to one another and always proceed with caution and care for each other’s safety.”
VDOT Holds HOT Lane Meeting — Last night VDOT gave the first formal public presentation of its plan to expand the I-395 HOV lanes and convert them to High Occupancy Toll lanes. The meeting was held at Wakefield High School and addressed issues from toll pricing to transit improvements to sound walls. [WTOP, Fox 5]
Bike-on-Bike Crashes Problematic for the Law — A new article asserts that Arlington County Police normally do not file reports for bike-on-bike crashes. “This is a bike accident. Life happens,” an officer reportedly told a victim after one recent incident. Incomplete or nonexistent police reports have frustrated victims and attorneys seeking legal redress — and led to the hiring of private investigators who try to gather evidence and find witnesses. [Washingtonian]
The new Conte’s Bike Shop in Virginia Square quietly opened for business last week.
The store, at 3449 Wilson Blvd, is awaiting some additional window signage and product inventory before holding its grand opening.
Using census data Arlington County was able to determine which parts of the county have a higher percentage of bike commuters.
So where do bike commuters live?
Yesterday, inspired by the Washington City Paper profile of PoPville’s Dan Silverman, who goes on 12-mile walks around the District looking for news, ARLnow.com decided to do all of our reporting and commuting via bike.
(It should be noted that our Borderstan news site — which covers Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, U Street and Columbia Heights — competes for scoops with PoPville.)
Tandem bicycle riders, fixed-gear aficionados and other cyclists are set to have the chance to race inside a Crystal City parking garage next month.
The “Wednesday Night Spins” indoor race series in the garage at 2345 Crystal Drive is scheduled to kick off March 2 for bicyclists of all abilities, without restrictions on bike types.
