All earmarks are bad, but earmarks in my district are good
from Streetsblog Capitol Hill by Tanya Snyder
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Tea Party darling Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has taken a hard line against earmarks in her second term, after getting nearly $4 million in earmarks her first term. “It’s all bad, as far as I’m concerned,” she told Fox News this spring. “All this pork is bad.”
This week, she told the Minnesota Star Tribune that she wants to redefine earmarks so that they don’t include transportation earmarks. Meaning, she wants an absolute ban on earmarks, except the ones she really, really likes. “Advocating for transportation projects for one’s district, in my mind, does not equate to an earmark,” she said.
Actually, that’s exactly what an earmark is, and that’s why they’ve been so controversial. They’re one of the primary ways that the legislative branch exercises control over spending. Many lawmakers see them as indispensable, since, they assert, they know better what the needs are in their districts than federal bureaucrats in Washington
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Stay Within The Lines
Why do I relate to this?
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Imagine if: Those that did not drive did
Greater Greater Washington has some interesting stats on car ownership in Georgetown.
* 20% of households have no car
* 57% of households have one car
* 23% of households have more than one car
Now what would happen if the 20% that did not have a car followed the example of the 23% that have more then one car, there would be an increase in traffic by 46%.
Or if those multi-car households would drop just one car, there would be 21% decrease in traffic.
None of us like traffic and congestion but the solution is not more and more car centric thinking so everyone has to drive. In Georgetown if everyone followed the car light model with only car per household the traffic reduction would be 46%. 57% are already doing it, its just the 23% that is making it hard on everyone else. Think about this.
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Gossamer crankset recall
A Washington-based bicycle component manufacturer is recalling 9,300 bicycles that were outfitted with a faulty crankset that can break, causing falls and injuries.
The recall involves 21 different bicycle models from 8 bicycle brands (see list below) that were sold between February and October this year.
The US Consumer Protection Agency urges owners of the listed bicycles to stop using them immediately and take them back to the dealer for inspection and free replacement of the faulty crank arm. Eleven breaks have been reported, and two injuries.
The importer, Full Speed Ahead of Woodinville, Wash., issued the recall for its BB30 Gossamer crankset installed as standard equipment. The cranks were manufactured in Taiwan by TH Industries.
The cranks involved have two drive gears (triples are not involved in the recall). They are painted either black with "Gossamer" printed in white on the arm or white with "Gossamer" printed in black on the arm. The crank arms at fault have serial numbers beginning with either 10B, 10C, or 10D on the backside of the arm, near the pedal threads.
If the fixing bolt on the non-driver crank arm is over-tightened, the bolt shoulder can crack or break, causing the crank arm to fall off the bicycle.
The bicycle models in the recall are:
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Giving up my car was best decision ever [video]
By Chris Hrubesh, CNN
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GOP Wants to Bring Transpo Policy Back to the 1950s
A top Republican transportation staffer gave some clues yesterday about the GOP’s plan to drastically restructure national transportation policy and reverse many reforms of the past 20 years.
GOP insiders say transportation policy should go “back to its roots” in the 1950s.
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America’s Traffic Death Epidemic
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For example, the Dutch have turned away from building wide, flat streets that increase speeds in favor of roadways that prioritize the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. They call them “self-explaining streets.” Meanwhile, the United States kept on building wide, straight “forgiving highways.” The differences today are dramatic. In 1975, the Dutch traffic fatality rate was 20 percent higher than America’s. Today, the U.S. fatality rate is two and half times higher than in the Netherlands. [That’s 250%]
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More Ups and Downs – and Doubling Up
By Dottie
I’m going to continue with my “ups and downs” theme from Tuesday because it fits so perfectly.
On my way home from work last night, taking busy city streets, I rode by a group of people giving out free lights to cyclists. Up!
Dressed for 35 degree biking (thanks for the belt, Trisha!)
Not a half mile later, a driver passed me and then immediately swerved hard to the right to go around another car waiting to turn left. The maneuver put his speeding car dangerously close to my front wheel, causing me to scream and slam on my brakes. Soon the driver was stopped behind 10 other cars waiting for a red light. As I rode by, I looked in and saw a 30-something guy tapping away on his iPhone. This was too much for me to bear, so I tapped on his iWindow. He looked up with surprise and rolled it down. I said, “That was very scary back there.” He reacted with complete cluelessness and I calmly informed him that he very nearly hit me when he sped around the car just a few seconds ago. He apologized profusely and said that he never saw me.
Holy hell!! If that’s even true, it does not make me feel better. I kindly suggested that he pay attention to the road and then I turned onto a side street, anxious to get away from the rush hour madness and allow my hands and voice to stop shaking. These drivers are totally out of control. DOWN!
La Oma
But wait! Don’t give up on humanity yet: this is an overall positive post.
After that debacle, I met my friends and fellow oma-owners, Janet and Dan, for hard apple cider and sweet potato fries at a neighborhood pub. Up!
Afterward, this amazing husband-wife team demonstrated doubling up on a bike, with Janet sitting side saddle on the back rack and Dan pedaling. They made it look so easy and elegant! Then I got a chance to ride on the back rack – my first time doubling up. It was so much fun! Learning this skill is now high on my to-do list. Janet has graciously offered to be my trial passenger this weekend. Stay tuned for more detail as this progresses. There will be video. UP! 
What have your ups and downs been lately?
Cyclist hit by taxi, seeks winesses
by washcycle
A cyclist was hit by a taxi at 17th and New Hampshire and taken away in an ambulance. When he tried to report it to the police later that evening, he realized he didn’t have to. The police had saved him the inconvenience of being interviewed and just accepted the driver’s claim that he ran a red light. He’s seeking witnesses (which MPD also didn’t interview).
Has MPD never heard that there are two sides to every story? Is anyone surprised that the taxi driver blamed the cyclist for the crash?
Not to mention that it doesn’t make sense. The driver made a left turn from NH onto 17th. The cyclist was attempting to go straight on NH. As there is no left turn arrow there, either they were both running a red light or neither was. But it is impossible for only one of them to do so.
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