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Arlington is the next Amsterdam?
Two memorable events last week had me wondering whether the generally rather unassuming Arlington County, Va. that I ride through every day is catching up fast with Amsterdam. First, riding through the heart of Arlington in rush hour, I found myself behind an elegant young woman, dressed for success, on a real Dutch bike. Not one of the increasingly good versions of Dutch bikes that folks are making over here…but a bona fide, upright, Dutch city bike with fully enclosed chain, serious built-in lights, and a rear-wheel lock. The works. Must be great going downhill to the river…probably a bit harder work getting back home in the evening – but so styling.
A couple of days later, I’m a little deeper into the residential part of Arlington when a vision rides towards me: an adult with child on the rear rack and an even smaller child perched on the front of the bike inside the arms of their Dad. Am I imagining this? Have I been transported to Amsterdam or Amersfoort; did I pass through a time warp or some kind of cycling portal? What’s even more confounding is that I don’t know who these people are…most of the slightly eccentric bikes that I see around town are ridden by people I know well (yes, I’m talking about Arlingtonians Paul DeMaio on his Strida or Charlie Denney on his three-seater with twins out in front).
Capital City Bike Share in Arlington - Photo Courtesy of commuterpageblog.com
Arlington has been desperately seeking some bike culture for years. Now with Revolution’s City Hub generating all kinds of fun activity, bike sharing on the ground in Crystal City, and people riding Dutch bikes around town…Washington D.C. had better get its game on when it comes to street cred in the nation’s capital district.
Andy Clarke
League President
Andy Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director. Before joining the League in February 2003, Clarke was on contract to provide technical assistance to the highly regarded Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center on site at the Federal Highway Administration. He is on the Board of Directors for America Bikes, and a member of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professionals.
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October 28th, 2010 at 10:03 am
Maybe, but I’ve never been stuck in a bike traffic jam in Arlington. I routinely (1-3 times a week) find myself stuck behind 10-15 bikes queued up to go through a DC intersection. Check out 11th Street NW during the morning rush, or 16th and New Hampshire around 4 PM…
October 28th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Andy: Are you suggesting a challenge of some sort? A DC/Arlington/Alexandria/FFX/MoCo/PG contest for bike supremacy?
At WABA, our game is on in the whole region.
October 29th, 2010 at 11:30 am
Inspired by JTRXR’s comment, I would like to see which region among those Shane mentioned can send in the best photograph showing the bicycle-friendliness of their turf.
October 29th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Hey Andy,
That might have been me with my twins! My rig is not as Dr. Seuss-looking as Charlie’s bike, but it works for us. Plus it actually fits on those bus racks.
Thanks for the compliment. I think the point when we can legitimately compare ourselves to Amsterdam will be when seeing cyclists on the street doing everyday things ceases being a novelty. Still, I like the image. Sometimes when I’m riding along Fairfax Drive and I’m stopped at a light with two or three other cyclists, I squint my eyes and I can almost see it!
November 3rd, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Arlington really needs two new bike access points (bridges) up from the Potomac: from the Iwo Jima memorial to the south sidewalk of the Theodore Roosevelt bridge, and from the 14th Street bridge sidewalk straight across to the Pentagon parking areas.
December 17th, 2010 at 11:41 am
[...] It’s clear you have arrived on the sustainable transportation scene when the president of the League of American Bicyclists asks if you are the new Amsterdam. [...]
December 17th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
[...] It’s clear you have arrived on the sustainable transportation scene when the president of the League of American Bicyclists asks if you are the new Amsterdam. [...]