Newsletter: showing off
Happy Friday,
Here’s a question: you have a friend who bikes coming to visit. They want to go on a bike ride. Where do you take them? What are the places you’re proudest to call part of your biking home turf? I’ve taken visiting friends out to Lake Artemesia, the C&O towpath, and Mason Neck; I’ve dragged my parents out to ride on the Pennsylvania Ave protected bike lane, and my in-laws all over the Montgomery County Ag Reserve. A nighttime bike tour of the National Mall is and the Tidal basin is always a hit.
But I think my current favorite “LOOK HOW COOL THIS IS” experience to share with folks from out of town is the Met Branch Trail at 4pm on a weekday. The region has a long way to go before we can break our dependence on cars, but this little corner of the city is a glimpse of what the future could look like. It’s crowded with people walking, running, scootering, and biking. Parents with kids on cargo bikes, folks in suits on bikeshare bikes, kids pedaling themselves home from school, all set to the music of Metro and MARC trains rattling by. If you’re in a grim mood, grab a cup of coffee and a seat on a bench in Alethia Tanner Park and watch humanity pedal by.
Things to do this week:
- Join the “I Bike, I Buy Stuff” Campaign: Business owners are an important stakeholder for street safety redesigns. Join our campaign to remind business owners on Connecticut Ave that their customers get there by bike.
- Support Better Bike Connections at the Brookland Metro: A new development proposed for the Brookland Metro Station offers an opportunity for better bike connections. Read more from Ward 5 For All and take action!
- Sign up for the Cider Ride. We’re not supposed to have favorites but this is definitely my favorite WABA ride.
- Share Feedback for Long Bridge Drive Trail—a proposed multi-use trail along Long Bridge Drive connecting the future Long Bridge to Crystal City.
- Register for WABA’s October 29th Montgomery County Bike Summit
A Fun Route Idea For the Weekend
Downhill to snacks: A scenic city jaunt* from the Woodley Park Metro: zoom down a big hill, ride along the river, grab some snacks or a pannier full of paperbacks at Eastern Market.
*Standard caveat: this route hasn’t gone through WABA’s rigorous vetting process. That said, I rode it after work on Tuesday and it was good!