The Bike Lobby is too powerful in DC...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I ride a bike and drive a car. I have no problem with holding bikers and motorists to the same obligations to obey all traffic signs regardless if on a bike or a car. That makes both safer. How can anyone argue that it is safer for bikers to be able to run stop signs? Again, love cycling but this is just common sense to me.

Driver here and I agree with you. Current laws allow bikers to act like a vehicle or a pedestrian when it suits them. Treat them like cars, including enforcing stops.

As a walker, I agree. Bikers never stop at cross walks for pedestrians, and it drives me crazy!! I walk my kid to school, and need to cross at a crosswalk in the middle of the street where there’s a sign that says cars and bikes need to stop for pedestrians. Cars will stop, but bikers— never! They just move to one dude and whizz through.

Same. Cars get tickets, stop sign cams, the works. Bikers don't even get a slap on the wrist. I've seen too many close calls of bikers almost barreling into pedestrians in a crosswalk who have the green light on, because they're doing whatever they want. One biker was looking right at me and thought it'd be fun to ram right into me; luckily, I jumped out of the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also enforce bike's yielding to pedestrians and slower moving bike traffic on bike paths - city sidewalks are not part of the tour de france

This too. If bikes can keep up with cars on a road, they should be good. They should be fined if they're too slow and slowing down traffic.

Again the ignorance of the average numbskull aggressive driver.

One of the reasons drivers in DC get so frustrated with bikers is because they are often travelling the same speed or slower on DC roads and keep having to pass the same person on a bike.

That is because the average travel speed on most DC roads is between 10-12 MPH which is a speed even most casual cyclists can keep up with.

So Joe Olney and Jane Germantown hit an open stretch of Connecticut or Mass Ave and gun it and get their panzer wanker SUV up to 45MPH for a block before getting enraged at having to slow down for someone on a bike going 15MPH who they then go around before doing a rage acceleration back to 45MPH only to have that same biker coast past them 2 blocks later. And then they again gun it between the lights only to again be passed by the same biker.

Now you'd think with this happening over and over again a lightbulb would go off in Freddy Frederick's head and he would realize despite what the car commercial advertised that he in fact is not blissfully racing around an urban area with no other cars on the road but that he and his gas guzzling SUV are the traffic and are not making any better time than someone coasting along on their $300 bike.

But that would require Henry Herndon and Sammy Sterling to have working brains instead of being unthinking American consumers.

Hilarious. A perfect description of DC’s commuter populace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also enforce bike's yielding to pedestrians and slower moving bike traffic on bike paths - city sidewalks are not part of the tour de france

This too. If bikes can keep up with cars on a road, they should be good. They should be fined if they're too slow and slowing down traffic.

Again the ignorance of the average numbskull aggressive driver.

One of the reasons drivers in DC get so frustrated with bikers is because they are often travelling the same speed or slower on DC roads and keep having to pass the same person on a bike.

That is because the average travel speed on most DC roads is between 10-12 MPH which is a speed even most casual cyclists can keep up with.

So Joe Olney and Jane Germantown hit an open stretch of Connecticut or Mass Ave and gun it and get their panzer wanker SUV up to 45MPH for a block before getting enraged at having to slow down for someone on a bike going 15MPH who they then go around before doing a rage acceleration back to 45MPH only to have that same biker coast past them 2 blocks later. And then they again gun it between the lights only to again be passed by the same biker.

Now you'd think with this happening over and over again a lightbulb would go off in Freddy Frederick's head and he would realize despite what the car commercial advertised that he in fact is not blissfully racing around an urban area with no other cars on the road but that he and his gas guzzling SUV are the traffic and are not making any better time than someone coasting along on their $300 bike.

But that would require Henry Herndon and Sammy Sterling to have working brains instead of being unthinking American consumers.

Hilarious. A perfect description of DC’s commuter populace.

Except that Thomas Tenleytown, Sheryl Shaw, Bob Brookland, Ernie Eckington, Debbie Dupont, Dan Deanwood, and Marion Barry Farm engage in sh*tty driving across the city as much if not more than their suburban counterparts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also enforce bike's yielding to pedestrians and slower moving bike traffic on bike paths - city sidewalks are not part of the tour de france

This too. If bikes can keep up with cars on a road, they should be good. They should be fined if they're too slow and slowing down traffic.

Again the ignorance of the average numbskull aggressive driver.

One of the reasons drivers in DC get so frustrated with bikers is because they are often travelling the same speed or slower on DC roads and keep having to pass the same person on a bike.

That is because the average travel speed on most DC roads is between 10-12 MPH which is a speed even most casual cyclists can keep up with.

So Joe Olney and Jane Germantown hit an open stretch of Connecticut or Mass Ave and gun it and get their panzer wanker SUV up to 45MPH for a block before getting enraged at having to slow down for someone on a bike going 15MPH who they then go around before doing a rage acceleration back to 45MPH only to have that same biker coast past them 2 blocks later. And then they again gun it between the lights only to again be passed by the same biker.

Now you'd think with this happening over and over again a lightbulb would go off in Freddy Frederick's head and he would realize despite what the car commercial advertised that he in fact is not blissfully racing around an urban area with no other cars on the road but that he and his gas guzzling SUV are the traffic and are not making any better time than someone coasting along on their $300 bike.

But that would require Henry Herndon and Sammy Sterling to have working brains instead of being unthinking American consumers.

Hilarious. A perfect description of DC’s commuter populace.

Except that Thomas Tenleytown, Sheryl Shaw, Bob Brookland, Ernie Eckington, Debbie Dupont, Dan Deanwood, and Marion Barry Farm engage in sh*tty driving across the city as much if not more than their suburban counterparts.

Wrote someone not familiar with MDDriverinDC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also enforce bike's yielding to pedestrians and slower moving bike traffic on bike paths - city sidewalks are not part of the tour de france

This too. If bikes can keep up with cars on a road, they should be good. They should be fined if they're too slow and slowing down traffic.

Again the ignorance of the average numbskull aggressive driver.

One of the reasons drivers in DC get so frustrated with bikers is because they are often travelling the same speed or slower on DC roads and keep having to pass the same person on a bike.

That is because the average travel speed on most DC roads is between 10-12 MPH which is a speed even most casual cyclists can keep up with.

So Joe Olney and Jane Germantown hit an open stretch of Connecticut or Mass Ave and gun it and get their panzer wanker SUV up to 45MPH for a block before getting enraged at having to slow down for someone on a bike going 15MPH who they then go around before doing a rage acceleration back to 45MPH only to have that same biker coast past them 2 blocks later. And then they again gun it between the lights only to again be passed by the same biker.

Now you'd think with this happening over and over again a lightbulb would go off in Freddy Frederick's head and he would realize despite what the car commercial advertised that he in fact is not blissfully racing around an urban area with no other cars on the road but that he and his gas guzzling SUV are the traffic and are not making any better time than someone coasting along on their $300 bike.

But that would require Henry Herndon and Sammy Sterling to have working brains instead of being unthinking American consumers.

Hilarious. A perfect description of DC’s commuter populace.

Except that Thomas Tenleytown, Sheryl Shaw, Bob Brookland, Ernie Eckington, Debbie Dupont, Dan Deanwood, and Marion Barry Farm engage in sh*tty driving across the city as much if not more than their suburban counterparts.

Wrote someone not familiar with MDDriverinDC

No. Wrote someone who's lived in DC for 32 years. Open your eyes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I say let DC do whatever it wants with bikes. It’s neither the region’s main population nor job center anymore.

Exactly. They are only accelerating the decline. Already losing population and commercial tax base. Accelerating anti-growth transportation policies in the face of that headwind is an interesting policy choice and I think the pace at which they are trying to do this makes clear that the proponents know these changes will not stand up to the test of time.

So the contention that the people who are buying up 7 figure properties now are going to be financial losers. Got it.

In finance parlance, they are called “bag holders”. Rising rates will continue to have a drag on valuations, which has already started with average sales price declines from July to August.

Just wait for the next DC budget. CRE is taxed at 2x residential and contributes 20% of DC revenue. However, CRE tax is based on valuations from revenue generation and the CRE vacancy rate for < Class A is rising quickly and overall office occupancy across the whole region has plateaued at 47% pre-COVID, with suburban office space, particularly in Bethesda and NOVA having substantially lower vacancy than DC. Effectively the only tenants saving the DC office market right now are law firms. CRE owners are very active in challenging valuations, which means that the tax they pay is effectively mark-to-market.

How do you think DC is going to make up the revenue shortfall? Increasing income withholding or residential property taxes at this time will lead to further erosion of the tax base, which has started with the two consecutive years of population decline that are expected to continue through 2022 and perhaps longer.

But have fun in your bike lane!

[Anonymous]

You can just park your car in a bike lane. The city isn't going to do anything about it, naturally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I say let DC do whatever it wants with bikes. It’s neither the region’s main population nor job center anymore.

Exactly. They are only accelerating the decline. Already losing population and commercial tax base. Accelerating anti-growth transportation policies in the face of that headwind is an interesting policy choice and I think the pace at which they are trying to do this makes clear that the proponents know these changes will not stand up to the test of time.

So the contention that the people who are buying up 7 figure properties now are going to be financial losers. Got it.

In finance parlance, they are called “bag holders”. Rising rates will continue to have a drag on valuations, which has already started with average sales price declines from July to August.

Just wait for the next DC budget. CRE is taxed at 2x residential and contributes 20% of DC revenue. However, CRE tax is based on valuations from revenue generation and the CRE vacancy rate for < Class A is rising quickly and overall office occupancy across the whole region has plateaued at 47% pre-COVID, with suburban office space, particularly in Bethesda and NOVA having substantially lower vacancy than DC. Effectively the only tenants saving the DC office market right now are law firms. CRE owners are very active in challenging valuations, which means that the tax they pay is effectively mark-to-market.

How do you think DC is going to make up the revenue shortfall? Increasing income withholding or residential property taxes at this time will lead to further erosion of the tax base, which has started with the two consecutive years of population decline that are expected to continue through 2022 and perhaps longer.

But have fun in your bike lane!

Oh, great, the "worship my tax money" people are here. Get over yourselves. I'm not groveling for your pittance.

Commercial real estate (and residential too) can come down in price. At some point others will move in and fill the gap. In fact, we could use some lower costs here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can just park your car in a bike lane. The city isn't going to do anything about it, naturally.

True.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also enforce bike's yielding to pedestrians and slower moving bike traffic on bike paths - city sidewalks are not part of the tour de france

This too. If bikes can keep up with cars on a road, they should be good. They should be fined if they're too slow and slowing down traffic.

Again the ignorance of the average numbskull aggressive driver.

One of the reasons drivers in DC get so frustrated with bikers is because they are often travelling the same speed or slower on DC roads and keep having to pass the same person on a bike.

That is because the average travel speed on most DC roads is between 10-12 MPH which is a speed even most casual cyclists can keep up with.

So Joe Olney and Jane Germantown hit an open stretch of Connecticut or Mass Ave and gun it and get their panzer wanker SUV up to 45MPH for a block before getting enraged at having to slow down for someone on a bike going 15MPH who they then go around before doing a rage acceleration back to 45MPH only to have that same biker coast past them 2 blocks later. And then they again gun it between the lights only to again be passed by the same biker.

Now you'd think with this happening over and over again a lightbulb would go off in Freddy Frederick's head and he would realize despite what the car commercial advertised that he in fact is not blissfully racing around an urban area with no other cars on the road but that he and his gas guzzling SUV are the traffic and are not making any better time than someone coasting along on their $300 bike.

But that would require Henry Herndon and Sammy Sterling to have working brains instead of being unthinking American consumers.

Hilarious. A perfect description of DC’s commuter populace.

Except that Thomas Tenleytown, Sheryl Shaw, Bob Brookland, Ernie Eckington, Debbie Dupont, Dan Deanwood, and Marion Barry Farm engage in sh*tty driving across the city as much if not more than their suburban counterparts.

Wrote someone not familiar with MDDriverinDC

No. Wrote someone who's lived in DC for 32 years. Open your eyes.

Agree. There are terrible drivers from every jurisdiction in the DMV. Some bad cyclists as well. That’s why slowing down the traffic on CT Ave is a good idea.

Some enforcement would help but since that doesn’t seem forthcoming…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I say let DC do whatever it wants with bikes. It’s neither the region’s main population nor job center anymore.

Exactly. They are only accelerating the decline. Already losing population and commercial tax base. Accelerating anti-growth transportation policies in the face of that headwind is an interesting policy choice and I think the pace at which they are trying to do this makes clear that the proponents know these changes will not stand up to the test of time.

So the contention that the people who are buying up 7 figure properties now are going to be financial losers. Got it.

In finance parlance, they are called “bag holders”. Rising rates will continue to have a drag on valuations, which has already started with average sales price declines from July to August.

Just wait for the next DC budget. CRE is taxed at 2x residential and contributes 20% of DC revenue. However, CRE tax is based on valuations from revenue generation and the CRE vacancy rate for < Class A is rising quickly and overall office occupancy across the whole region has plateaued at 47% pre-COVID, with suburban office space, particularly in Bethesda and NOVA having substantially lower vacancy than DC. Effectively the only tenants saving the DC office market right now are law firms. CRE owners are very active in challenging valuations, which means that the tax they pay is effectively mark-to-market.

How do you think DC is going to make up the revenue shortfall? Increasing income withholding or residential property taxes at this time will lead to further erosion of the tax base, which has started with the two consecutive years of population decline that are expected to continue through 2022 and perhaps longer.

But have fun in your bike lane!

Oh, great, the "worship my tax money" people are here. Get over yourselves. I'm not groveling for your pittance.

Commercial real estate (and residential too) can come down in price. At some point others will move in and fill the gap. In fact, we could use some lower costs here.

You use insults to compensate for your inadequacy. Im sorry you’re innumerate. Let me make it more simple. Even before a recession was forecast, the DC CFO projected declining revenue from real property tax through 2024. The only thing buttressing revenue projections was super optimistic projected income tax withholding.

I perfectly understand the rationale behind wanting to keep people out of your city. It’s a natural NIMBY instinct. However, in practice what that means is that you are forefeiting the dynamism and vibrancy that is what urbanism is supposed to bring. The next result is that you’ll have your bike lanes, but your city - the economic life - which is the sole rationale for agglomeration is moving to the suburbs that are rapidly urbanizing around a transportation strategy of cars and public transit. While you, on the other hand, are trying to turn a city until the suburban cul-de-sac that you grew up on. Have fun with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I ride a bike and drive a car. I have no problem with holding bikers and motorists to the same obligations to obey all traffic signs regardless if on a bike or a car. That makes both safer. How can anyone argue that it is safer for bikers to be able to run stop signs? Again, love cycling but this is just common sense to me.

Driver here and I agree with you. Current laws allow bikers to act like a vehicle or a pedestrian when it suits them. Treat them like cars, including enforcing stops.

Once cars are treated like cars, then bikes can be treated like cars. You assume cars actually follow the laws too. They don't.

...what do you think cars are treated like now?

Well, if you are requiring bikes stop at every light and stop sign, then let's start with that same requirement for cars.

Show me where cars aren't required to stop at lights and stop signs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I say let DC do whatever it wants with bikes. It’s neither the region’s main population nor job center anymore.

Exactly. They are only accelerating the decline. Already losing population and commercial tax base. Accelerating anti-growth transportation policies in the face of that headwind is an interesting policy choice and I think the pace at which they are trying to do this makes clear that the proponents know these changes will not stand up to the test of time.

So the contention that the people who are buying up 7 figure properties now are going to be financial losers. Got it.

In finance parlance, they are called “bag holders”. Rising rates will continue to have a drag on valuations, which has already started with average sales price declines from July to August.

Just wait for the next DC budget. CRE is taxed at 2x residential and contributes 20% of DC revenue. However, CRE tax is based on valuations from revenue generation and the CRE vacancy rate for < Class A is rising quickly and overall office occupancy across the whole region has plateaued at 47% pre-COVID, with suburban office space, particularly in Bethesda and NOVA having substantially lower vacancy than DC. Effectively the only tenants saving the DC office market right now are law firms. CRE owners are very active in challenging valuations, which means that the tax they pay is effectively mark-to-market.

How do you think DC is going to make up the revenue shortfall? Increasing income withholding or residential property taxes at this time will lead to further erosion of the tax base, which has started with the two consecutive years of population decline that are expected to continue through 2022 and perhaps longer.

But have fun in your bike lane!

Oh, great, the "worship my tax money" people are here. Get over yourselves. I'm not groveling for your pittance.

Commercial real estate (and residential too) can come down in price. At some point others will move in and fill the gap. In fact, we could use some lower costs here.

You use insults to compensate for your inadequacy. Im sorry you’re innumerate. Let me make it more simple. Even before a recession was forecast, the DC CFO projected declining revenue from real property tax through 2024. The only thing buttressing revenue projections was super optimistic projected income tax withholding.

I perfectly understand the rationale behind wanting to keep people out of your city. It’s a natural NIMBY instinct. However, in practice what that means is that you are forefeiting the dynamism and vibrancy that is what urbanism is supposed to bring. The next result is that you’ll have your bike lanes, but your city - the economic life - which is the sole rationale for agglomeration is moving to the suburbs that are rapidly urbanizing around a transportation strategy of cars and public transit. While you, on the other hand, are trying to turn a city until the suburban cul-de-sac that you grew up on. Have fun with that.

You realize that other than the 1968 riots, there has never been a time when DC real estate has LOST value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I ride a bike and drive a car. I have no problem with holding bikers and motorists to the same obligations to obey all traffic signs regardless if on a bike or a car. That makes both safer. How can anyone argue that it is safer for bikers to be able to run stop signs? Again, love cycling but this is just common sense to me.

Driver here and I agree with you. Current laws allow bikers to act like a vehicle or a pedestrian when it suits them. Treat them like cars, including enforcing stops.

Once cars are treated like cars, then bikes can be treated like cars. You assume cars actually follow the laws too. They don't.

...what do you think cars are treated like now?

Well, if you are requiring bikes stop at every light and stop sign, then let's start with that same requirement for cars.

Show me where cars aren't required to stop at lights and stop signs.

It is more a matter of ignoring said requirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also enforce bike's yielding to pedestrians and slower moving bike traffic on bike paths - city sidewalks are not part of the tour de france

This too. If bikes can keep up with cars on a road, they should be good. They should be fined if they're too slow and slowing down traffic.

Again the ignorance of the average numbskull aggressive driver.

One of the reasons drivers in DC get so frustrated with bikers is because they are often travelling the same speed or slower on DC roads and keep having to pass the same person on a bike.

That is because the average travel speed on most DC roads is between 10-12 MPH which is a speed even most casual cyclists can keep up with.

So Joe Olney and Jane Germantown hit an open stretch of Connecticut or Mass Ave and gun it and get their panzer wanker SUV up to 45MPH for a block before getting enraged at having to slow down for someone on a bike going 15MPH who they then go around before doing a rage acceleration back to 45MPH only to have that same biker coast past them 2 blocks later. And then they again gun it between the lights only to again be passed by the same biker.

Now you'd think with this happening over and over again a lightbulb would go off in Freddy Frederick's head and he would realize despite what the car commercial advertised that he in fact is not blissfully racing around an urban area with no other cars on the road but that he and his gas guzzling SUV are the traffic and are not making any better time than someone coasting along on their $300 bike.

But that would require Henry Herndon and Sammy Sterling to have working brains instead of being unthinking American consumers.

Haha, cyclists are way faster than cars are typically. I was driving down RCP last Friday afternoon and traffic was so backed up that a group of three girls in Georgetown gear walked from the P St ramp down to the Thompson boat center entrance faster than the cars were going by a few minutes.