Bicycles in the CityBikes in the District
it is amazing
these are interesting times
never in all my years did I ever expect there to be this many bicycles on the street
there are people on bikes all over the city all day long
morning... noon... and night
not just commuter bicycle traffic
all sorts of bicycle traffic
the bicycle commuter population seems as if it has doubled... or maybe even tripled
the bike paths feeding out of the city are packed during rush hour
the Capital Crescent Trail and the Mount Vernon Trail look like train tracks with the caravan of bicycles with their halogen headlamps and their red blinking tail lights
the major ventricles feeding out of the city towards the urban neighborhoods
these roads with and without bike lanes are covered with bicycles
clusters of cyclists moving at different rates and different intensity work to navigate the city streets safely
it is amazing
it is intense
it is almost surreal
if someone were to make a feature film and display the number of bicycles as they are present during rush hour
well... the viewer may think that representation to be unrealistic
but really... it is our reality
these are different times
DC is becoming BIKE CENTRIC!
at least from the bicyclist point of view
there are more and more people on bikes each and every day
in the evening there are bicycles moving all over town
bikes with lights.... bikes without lights
toss in Capital Bike Share
well... it is unbelievable... it is awesome
those red three speed beach cruisers with their flashing head and tail lights are everywhere
the demand seems to be outweighing the demand
luckily... it is working
the movement is such that when a Capital Bike Share Station is vacant and devoid of bikes it is not long before a bike appears
just as a filled Capital Bike Share Station that has no slots for dropping off a bike has a bike removed every few minutes
and if that is not fast enough... there is another Capital Bike Share Station just blocks away
and if the user does not want to guess around the city... there is an APP for that
http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/
I wonder if the increase in bicycle usage is doing anything to decrease car traffic?
unlikely
it would be nice to see fewer cars on the road
I would really like to see fewer buses and fewer taxi cabs on the road
those vehicles are a menace to any and all not surrounded by crumple resistant side panels and front and side air bags
if you normally go around the city on your bike
change your route... bisect the city... experience the growth... experience the change... experience the movement
if you usually go to bars and restaurants by car or by public transit...
change your approach
take your bike or take a Capital Bike Share bike
be part of the change... be part of the growth... be part of the movement