another lemond reunion

it's been too long, lemond. not since early may, when i left you on the floor in dc. unlike the ride i borrowed over the summer, you're not made of carbon fiber. your uncustomized paint job's dinged up and your tires are overworn. i never changed your seat so it's not stiff and hard like the the ones ridden by the pros and gear enthusiasts. your stem's too long for me, and you don't have the fancy doubletap shifters and braking system that spoiled me during your absence. but that doesn't matter. we've been through so much. you're mine, my true first and no other bike'll ever feel as right.

no road pedals yet, since i didn't bring them or my road shoes. SPDs can suit me just fine for now. one day, the lemond'll get the upgrades it deserves, but that'll come in time. nice parts or not, it'll always be my best ride.

anyway i only rode to run errands today. made a point to make good use of the new designated bike lanes on new hampshire.

the street turns into a one way street the block before hitting U street, a major intersection. before, continuing on it northward by bike meant having to briefly bike against oncoming traffic. i've made the move plenty of times, and i'm happy they've inserted the intervention to make it a two-way for bikes.




i recently learned that DC is unique in the local planning scene because DDOT (district department of transportation) gets pretty much the same status as the US department of transportation, so it doesn't run into as many constraints for its programs. and unlike other cities, DC, with mainly an urban constituent, doesn't have to negotiate its urban priorities/decisions with suburban and rural interests as much. not sure how that necessarily helps inter-regional cooperation, but it definitely allows the city to move projects forward at a faster pace.

the DDOT head, gabe kline, is also known for being someone who's willing to go ahead and do things, experiment around, and see what works; and that's another reason why the bike/ped projects have been moving along so fast lately. hopefully through this, dc can set good examples in what can be accomplished in city planning.