Is the Costco funding something we could either legally challenge or refer to the community for a referendum?

by Redline SOS on May 17, 2011 9:14 am • link • report

The Metro Custis trail analysis tells give us the shocking conclusions that:

1)Not as many people ride bikes in the Winter as the summer
2)On weekdays, there is more bike traffic during rush hours
3)On weekends, there is more bike traffic mid-day.

I like data as much as the next guy, but they should just farm this out to local universities for the cost savings.

by bgbg on May 17, 2011 9:43 am • link • report

Newt Gingrich defends subsidies to oil companies basically because it's the opposite of what liberals want.

Why pick on Newt? You've pretty much revealed the essence of modern American "conservativism". It's tax cuts everyone but the working class, and trying to "make Jane Fonda cry".

by oboe on May 17, 2011 9:45 am • link • report

In terms of the Custis trail data, I think it that trail caters too much to the lycra clad commuters as an everyday dresser. My new rule on bike commuting if that if you need to buy special clothes or equipment you shouldn't be bike commuting.

Bike facilities at Metro stations could be a win. But you need to be targeting places where people come in from a 1-2 mile radius. EFC is a great example.

Can anyone think of a reason why we shouldn't just nationalize oil companies? Seizing CITGO could be a start. Nationalize banks and oil companies and I'd be curious to see what changes in the top 20 profit making companies in America.

by charlie on May 17, 2011 9:51 am • link • report

About MoCo and Costco: Last year the Planning Board had Michael Shuman speak about his Small-Mart book and how it relates to the county. Now you have the county wasting $4M on Costco. Can't Montgomery County's officials get their stories straight? The county wastes boatloads of money on out-of-region consultants to tackle the county's zoning code, parking policies, and park and recreation issues. Aren't there local experts who can be competitive consultants to Montgomery County?

by David Rotenstein on May 17, 2011 10:02 am • link • report

I'll be interested to see how this summer's numbers on the Custis Trail tick up, to go with what seem to be year-over-year increases in the early month ridership (even accounting for the Snowmageddon dip in February 2010).

Are there similar bicycle counters (or plans to add them) anywhere else in the region? Capitol Crescent? Met Branch? Mt. Vernon Trail? 15th Street Cycletrack? It seems like hard numbers would be one of the best ways to measure cycling prevalance or trends in the region.

by Jacques on May 17, 2011 10:06 am • link • report

@jacques; also plot it against gas prices.

Maybe I'll look on the window this evening and count cars on Lee highway vs. bikes on Custis trail. I suspect cars will win easily, although the ratio might be a question. Hard because I'm not sure if I should count people going onto 66 or continuing down lee highway.

by charlie on May 17, 2011 10:11 am • link • report

@Charlie;
I really like what you said in your comment.
The lycra people are real jerks on all of the trails- they are also the jerks who hold good bicycle planning hostage to their racing needs- they are almost all weekenders or car drivers and have seen or met only a tiny minority of these people who use bicycles for everyday practical purposes. Only in the USA do you see a majority of bike riders wearing these expensive and completely un-necessary costumes.

Also- I agree about oil company nationalization. Doing this still will not lower gas prices- but at least we will be able to blame just one entity instead of many oil companies. And it will silence the anti gas tax stances of these same companies.

by w on May 17, 2011 10:17 am • link • report

@W; there are a couple ways to play it. Nationalize everything downstream. Or maybe just grab 85% of us oilfields and leave deep water gulf drilling to the "majors".

I haven't added it up, but eyeballing it the profit at the US majors this year (exxon, chevron, parts of BP and Conoco/Philips) is about the same as gas tax revenue. As much as some aspects of their operations are high cost, a lot of their oil is very low cost.

by charlie on May 17, 2011 10:24 am • link • report

The MTA has had plenty of time to prepare its Purple Line federal application to the FTA. FTA's New Starts process has not changed that much in the last 5 yeras. This is type of bureaucratic delay is inexcusable and could potentially jeopardize the entire project from becoming a reality.

by SilverSpringite on May 17, 2011 10:34 am • link • report

The fact that Metro's spokesperson is going to the TSA should tell you something about the caliber of people that Metro attracts.

by Phil on May 17, 2011 10:37 am • link • report

In terms of the Custis trail data, I think it that trail caters too much to the lycra clad commuters as an everyday dresser. My new rule on bike commuting if that if you need to buy special clothes or equipment you shouldn't be bike commuting.

I used to commute daily from Adams-Morgan to Georgetown, but 3-4 days a week I'd take the long route through Vienna, VA. And of course I'd wear sensible clothing for a two hour ride: shorts with a chamois and a breathable shirt. In the summer time, that usually meant cycling-specific baggy shorts or lycra and a some sort of light, synthetic jersey (with pockets in the back). You're certainly not going to want to ride in a cotton shirt and pants (much less underwear!) for more than 45 min or so, especially in the heat of summer.

I think a lot of this stuff can be chalked up to retro-grouchery.

In any case, if you see me out on the local trails wearing my XXXL Floyd Landis reproduction Phonak jersey coupled with a pair of worsted-wool Ludlow suit pants from J Crew, stop and give me your judgement on whether my clothes are sufficiently "generic". ;)

by oboe on May 17, 2011 10:44 am • link • report

Oh, and @w, btw:

In my experience, the worst "jerks" on the trails are shirtless 40+ year old guys riding 20 year old mountain bikes (often fitted with TT bars), Lycra shorts that are so old as to be see-through, and tennis-shoes. They seem to yield to no one and have no compunction about passing in your lane. Terrifying.

by oboe on May 17, 2011 10:47 am • link • report

@Charlie

People who ride the custis/wod to work are very often coming from places like falls church which is a 22 mile roundtrip commute. You try doing that daily without the proper gear and lets see how long you last.

As for nationalizing oil companies, take a look at the various state owned oil companies around the world and you'll see plenty of reasons why this is a bad idea. State owned industries is a failed idea which much of the world is trying to extricate itself from.

by Falls Church on May 17, 2011 10:57 am • link • report

@w..The lycra people are real jerks.

Careful, that may just qualify for an ad hominem attack censure. Namecalling is not appropriate in any event.

by HogWash on May 17, 2011 11:00 am • link • report

@Jacques If you read the link to my blog post, we're trying to get some bike/ped counts set up on the Alexandria side. The MVT there is one of our top priorities for getting counts done.

by Froggie on May 17, 2011 11:10 am • link • report

When I ride the custis trail to/from work I always go with my non work clothes, normally lycra. Have you tried some of those hills? It's impossible not to break a sweat. I'd prefer not to have already soaked through my dress shirt before 8 am.

by jj on May 17, 2011 11:11 am • link • report

Can we concede that 5% of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are jerks, and stop letting that 5% define the debate?

by andrew on May 17, 2011 11:11 am • link • report

Oboe gets a gold star for coining "retro-grouchery".

by spookiness on May 17, 2011 11:16 am • link • report

Cycling commuters are ALWAYS well behaved. It's a portion of the unskilled weekender brigade you have to watch out for. Too pansy to be on the road with traffic but not too pansy to run down joggers and small HELPLESS children on a mixed use trail.

by aaa on May 17, 2011 12:07 pm • link • report

I used to commute daily from Adams-Morgan to Georgetown, but 3-4 days a week I'd take the long route through Vienna, VA.

Adams-Morgan to Georgetown via Vienna? WTF?

by Tired Old Hag on May 17, 2011 12:14 pm • link • report

I used to commute daily from Adams-Morgan to Georgetown, but 3-4 days a week I'd take the long route through Vienna, VA.

Ah. You must be one of those traffic engineers that worked on BRAC.

by andrew on May 17, 2011 12:35 pm • link • report

@andrew, @TOH,

What can I say? I was really, really, really unmotivated to get to work... I was in great shape though. :)

by oboe on May 17, 2011 12:51 pm • link • report

"Can we concede that 5% of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are jerks, and stop letting that 5% define the debate?"

+1 Andrew

by Froggie on May 17, 2011 1:08 pm • link • report

"lycra-clad" is an amusing all-purpose putdown that's fun to use, but there's no alternative on a lengthy commute is there?

by Read Scott Martin on May 17, 2011 1:21 pm • link • report

"lycra-clad" is an amusing all-purpose putdown that's fun to use, but there's no alternative on a lengthy commute is there?

http://www.boure.com/8150.html
http://www.moontrail.com/smart-wool-rambition-short.php

Something tells me that being wool-clad won't exempt you from withering insults, though... :)

by oboe on May 17, 2011 1:27 pm • link • report

For those of us who are averse to having strangers see our knees, or (perish the thought) the voluptuous--yet well-toned--curves of our flexing buttocks:

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1082345_-1_20000__400067

by oboe on May 17, 2011 1:32 pm • link • report

@andrew-

Can we concede that 5% of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are jerks, and stop letting that 5% define the debate?

+2

You must be one of those traffic engineers that worked on BRAC.

Don't blame the engineers; blame the people making the decisions!

by Bossi on May 17, 2011 1:44 pm • link • report

Thanks, Froggie!

by Jacques on May 17, 2011 3:37 pm • link • report

@andrew
Can we concede that 5% of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are jerks, and stop letting that 5% define the debate?

+3

As a long-time bike commuter (at one point Arlington to Silver Spring: 14 miles. Also Arlington-Herndon: 17), I resent being called a jerk or belittled for outfitting myself with comfortable and appropriate clothing. For shorter rides, though, I have been seen wearing a suit. . .or sandals and a t-shirt. That's the beauty of the bike: use it for 1/2 mile to get a coffee or ride it 25 miles to work and a great workout.

by Steve Offutt on May 18, 2011 11:40 am • link • report

This Costco project includes a Costco gas station, slated to be the busiest fueling operation in the entire County, being shoehorned next to an outdoor community swimming pool and single-family residences. The project also got a waiver for Environmental Site Design and an exemption from Forest Conservation Plan, and is not required to even file a site plan or a traffic study.

by Dan on May 18, 2011 3:49 pm • link • report