Organizing to advocate for bike routes to new charter locations?

[Anonymous]

Anyone at Inspired Teaching, Lee, or Mundo Verde make any progress advocating for safe bike routes to these schools' new locations. Wondering if there may be a way to join forces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone at Inspired Teaching, Lee, or Mundo Verde make any progress advocating for safe bike routes to these schools' new locations. Wondering if there may be a way to join forces.

or redirect your efforts to advocating for good neighborhood schools so your kids can walk to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone at Inspired Teaching, Lee, or Mundo Verde make any progress advocating for safe bike routes to these schools' new locations. Wondering if there may be a way to join forces.

or redirect your efforts to advocating for good neighborhood schools so your kids can walk to them.

Actually, some of us HAVE good neighborhood schools. We choose to go to charter schools, because of the programming. Not sure why you can't get past that.

[Anonymous]

There are enough bike lanes already.

[Anonymous]

We didn't get into any of those schools, but I think it would be great to get some bike-friendly routes there. I think that ITS/Lee are really tough to get to by bike from the Mt Pleasant/Adams-Morgan area, where I think a lot of ITS families currently live, given the traffic by WHC/Children's/Michigan Ave. I would contact Tommy Wells and some of the bike shops in the area, particularly Bicycle Space, which does a lot of bike lane advocacy. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Seriously, I can't handle more bike lanes. Especially now that I'm about to get rezoned from a school 3 blocks away to one that's nearly a mile. Starting in 2015 when our kid starts K, we will be forced to drive rather than metro. Bike lanes so more idiotic bikers can take up road space and driving traffic can get more congested just seems like a good way to add to the clusterf*ck that DME is creating.

[Anonymous]

depends on your/ your kids' health, but most people who can handle a 3-block trip can handle a "nearly a mile" trip on foot. of course, it's your choice to drive.

the more bike lanes, though, the more people who will choose to bike instead of drive, and the fewer bikes in your car lane. that will make your commute easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, I can't handle more bike lanes. Especially now that I'm about to get rezoned from a school 3 blocks away to one that's nearly a mile. Starting in 2015 when our kid starts K, we will be forced to drive rather than metro. Bike lanes so more idiotic bikers can take up road space and driving traffic can get more congested just seems like a good way to add to the clusterf*ck that DME is creating.

Bike lanes don't actually cause traffic congestion to get any worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, I can't handle more bike lanes. Especially now that I'm about to get rezoned from a school 3 blocks away to one that's nearly a mile. Starting in 2015 when our kid starts K, we will be forced to drive rather than metro. Bike lanes so more idiotic bikers can take up road space and driving traffic can get more congested just seems like a good way to add to the clusterf*ck that DME is creating.

Bike lanes don't actually cause traffic congestion to get any worse.

Not true. No one can make a blanket statement about the implications of bike lanes. I'd agree that some likely haven't impacted traffic, but others certainly have. When bike lanes went in on Sherman Ave and 11th Street, it resulted in both streets going from two lanes to one at key points. The traffic down Sherman and around 11th and Mass are pretty terrible now.

[Anonymous]

I say bring on the bike lanes. Let's keep our populations safe and healthy and stop depending on cars unecessarily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I say bring on the bike lanes. Let's keep our populations safe and healthy and stop depending on cars unecessarily.

If the education policy of our city is going to be to undermine neighborhood schools and have most students live outside of walking distance, our transportation policy should at least encourage modes other than private automobiles.

[Anonymous]

So Inspired Teaching has had a relationship with Safe Routes to School in the past: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/. It is a national program but I think that DDOT runs in locally?

I will admit I don't remember what all the details were - I think they assisted in making sure the areas immediately around the school were safe for pedestrians and bikers. I would expect them to help us next year with the move, but not sure if they go as far as assisting in new bike routes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So Inspired Teaching has had a relationship with Safe Routes to School in the past: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/. It is a national program but I think that DDOT runs in locally?

I will admit I don't remember what all the details were - I think they assisted in making sure the areas immediately around the school were safe for pedestrians and bikers. I would expect them to help us next year with the move, but not sure if they go as far as assisting in new bike routes.

Has a relationship? What does that mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Inspired Teaching has had a relationship with Safe Routes to School in the past: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/. It is a national program but I think that DDOT runs in locally?

I will admit I don't remember what all the details were - I think they assisted in making sure the areas immediately around the school were safe for pedestrians and bikers. I would expect them to help us next year with the move, but not sure if they go as far as assisting in new bike routes.

Has a relationship? What does that mean?

They dated for a while, but ended up breaking up. Now it's just a weekend booty call.

[Anonymous]

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (aka WABA) is the local bike advocacy organization that also provides education, outreach, encouragement programming, and they plan events and rides too. The WABA education staff and their fleet of 20 kids bikes spends typically one week in 12-15 elementary schools every year, Public or charter, teaching kids about safe bicycling and pedestrian safety too. WABA is the local contractor for the DC Safe Routes to School program which is a federal program that is run by local Transportation departments with contractors doing the work. In order to participate in the SRTS program, you need to contact the DDOT coordinator, Jenny Hefferan email [e-mail] to get your school on the list for education classes and a pedestrian and bicycling safety evaluation.