Bicycling promotion at the neighborhood scale

 In "Making cycling irresistible in DC 2.0" (2008) and "Best practice bicycle planning for suburban settings using the action planning method" (2010), I mentioned the need to promote bicycling at the neighborhood scale, to increase biking take up.

On Capitol Hill in DC, a few yeas ago a "Kidical Mass" group was formed.  I don't know if it morphed into "Hill Family Biking" but that group has arisen with regular rides.

Again this is particularly important in terms of raising awareness and attention about biking as a realistic mobility option, especially within districts like neighborhoods, to schools, store trips, etc.

Too many people think biking is recreational or a joke in terms of sustainable mobility.  But in cities, it can be a great way to get around generally, or a very good complement to transit, making it a much more efficient way to get around.

Another element I don't mention enough is the "Bike Bus" aspect of Safe Routes to School, where parents escort kids riding to school.  (Also "Walking School Buses.")

-- "Salt Lake woman organizing ‘bike bus’ method as new transportation for school kids," Fox13
-- "Salt Lake woman organizing ‘bike bus’ method as new transportation for school kids," Utah Public Radio

WMATA posted signs when there were closures on the Red Line a few years ago, promoting biking as an alternative, but there was no associated programming.

A year or two ago, in Chicago, where there was a CTA closure, a local bike advocacy organization did do a one-day bike bus, but this needs to be done more often.  

Last weekend, a couple bike shops in College Park, Maryland sponsored a ride on the newly expanded Trolley Trail along Rte. 1/Rhode Island Avenue in Prince George's County, Maryland.

-- "Hyattsville’s Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail opens for pedestrians and cyclists," WTOP-AM

From the article:

The $6.4 million bicycle-pedestrian route project will connect the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail to the Anacostia Tributary Trail in Hyattsville, Maryland. The new, 10-foot wide, half-mile-long paved path stretches from Farragut Street to Charles Armentrout Drive, connecting to the Northwest Branch Trail that comes out of Silver Spring leading into D.C. 

Joe McAndrew, assistant secretary for transportation for the state’s Department of Transportation, said the path will also improve safety and accessibility.

“It’s a critical connection, connecting the town of Hyattsville [and] College Park, to many trail connections that will take you into the District of Columbia, and throughout the state of Maryland,” McAndrew said. 

Hyattsville leaders see it as another magnet for customers and visitors to the city’s restaurants, breweries and cultural scene.

This is an especially important addition to the trail system not only for making connections between trails, but for safety reasons because Rte. 1 in Hyattsville and up to East-West Highway is particularly narrow.  

I pretty much am willing to ride in any street condition, but this is one of a couple stretches in the area where I ride on the sidewalk because it's dangerous to mix with traffic.

Providing this alternative is a step forward.