Saturday, September 28, 2013
Bike sharing comes to Montgomery County
From the Post article Bikeshare rolls into Montgomery County:
County officials and biking advocates hope that the new network — a planned 51 Bikeshare stations and 450 bikes across Silver Spring, Bethesda, Takoma Park, Rockville and Shady Grove — will be a small but significant step toward a less auto-centric community.
“These little red bikes are a great symbol of change,” said County Council member Hans Riemer (D-At Large), one of a dozen local and state officials who spoke at the ceremonial ribbon cutting for a station with 15 bikes at the corner of Maryland and Montgomery avenues, among the first 14 sites activated Friday.
Montgomery, the first local government in Maryland to adopt Capital Bikeshare, joins the District, Arlington County and Alexandria in trying to reshape the way residents travel. The short-term rental system allows bikes to be picked up in one location and returned to another. Trips under 30 minutes are included in the membership fee, which ranges from $7 for 24 hours to $75 for a year.
“These little red bikes are a great symbol of change,” said County Council member Hans Riemer (D-At Large), one of a dozen local and state officials who spoke at the ceremonial ribbon cutting for a station with 15 bikes at the corner of Maryland and Montgomery avenues, among the first 14 sites activated Friday.
Montgomery, the first local government in Maryland to adopt Capital Bikeshare, joins the District, Arlington County and Alexandria in trying to reshape the way residents travel. The short-term rental system allows bikes to be picked up in one location and returned to another. Trips under 30 minutes are included in the membership fee, which ranges from $7 for 24 hours to $75 for a year.
Labels: bike share, capital bikeshare, montgomery county, reston
Monday, June 10, 2013
Bikeshare coming to Montgomery County
The WashCycle has posted several articles recently about Capital Bikeshare coming to Montgomery County, including the fact that there is now a Montgomery County Bikeshare page. We're jealous (of WashCycle's ability to write so many good articles about biking in the area, but primarily about MoCo getting bikeshare before Fairfax). At least we are applying for funding for a study...From the MoCo bikeshare page:
By late Summer 2013 Montgomery County will be extending Capital Bikeshare to:
- Bethesda
- Friendship Heights
- Life Sciences Center
- Rockville
- Shady Grove
- Silver Spring
- Takoma Park
The County’s BikesShare Program will consist of two systems:
Downcounty Bikeshare System
- 30 bikeshare stations
- 250 bikes
- Service area: along the East and West legs of the Metrorail Red Line from the District Line to Silver Spring/Takoma Park on the East and Friendship Heights, Bethesda and Medical Center Metro on the West
- 21 bikeshare stations
- 250 bikes
- Service area:
- Special focus: part of a pilot program to extend BikeShare to lower income workers commuting to work or education and training.
Labels: capital bikeshare, montgomery county, washcycle
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Montgomery Co police conduct crosswalk sting operation
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| Photo: Montgomery Co Police |
During this pedestrian enforcement, plain clothes officers dressed in bright clothing cross the street in marked crosswalks. Officers stop vehicles that do not yield to the plain clothes officers or other pedestrians in the crosswalk, and drivers are issued citations. General traffic law is also enforced. Traffic Division officers will continue this type of pedestrian enforcement throughout the month of May.
When I was on the Fairfax Co Non-motorized Transportation Committee (now the Trails and Sidewalks Committee) county police were asked to conduct a similar sting operation and they reacted by saying it was too dangerous. I'm not sure if they got the irony of their response.Anyone how rides on a trail that crosses a road with a crosswalk has encountered motorists who refuse to yield. In my experience, most motorists will yield when I'm IN the crosswalk. Some yield when I approach the crosswalk. According to Virginia law, motorists are required to YIELD to pedestrians and bicyclists in a crosswalk. I believe one difference between Maryland and Virginia is that motorists in Maryland are required to STOP for pedestrians in a crosswalk. The weaker wording of the VA law means the law can be interpreted more loosely.
Labels: crosswalk, fairfax county police, montgomery county
Friday, September 2, 2011
Biking hot spots in Montgomery Co
Fairfax Co is undergoing their first ever bicycle master planning process for the entire county and this type of map would be very useful for prioritizing funding for bike projects. Fairfax is similar to Montgomery Co in many ways, with large relatively undeveloped areas surrounding more dense areas served by Metrorail and frequent bus service.
With nine magisterial districts, there is often the tendency to allocate funding equally among districts. That approach is challenged when viewing a bicycle heat map, which indicates areas that will benefit the greatest from limited funding.
Labels: heat map, montgomery county
