Author name: tom

A wide mural on a fence reads "ANACOSTIA". On the left side of the mural are images of Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, and cherry blossoms. A black child holds a hand-made sign with dripping paint reading "I (heart) DC". On the right side of the mural, three Black musicians play (a guitarist, trombone player, and keyboard)

The Bike Lab visits Anacostia

In my series on neighborhood change along streets named for MLK, Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia neighborhood was identified as notable; between 2000 and 2017, Anacostia saw Black population increase, while median income also increased. That unusual pattern could represent development without displacement, the Holy Grail of community and economic development. The bicycle is the Bike Lab’s preferred data-gathering tool, so on a visit to DC, I had to roll through the neighborhood to get a better sense of it.

A residential street with somewhat broken-up pavement approaching an intersection with a faded STOP stencil painted in white. The intersection has seven large orange plastic highway barriers installed diagonally across it, with six visible reflective yellow directional signs. The back side of additional signs, presumably directing cars on the other side of the barriers, can also be seen. There is a small gap in the center of the barriers.

Letting the community lead

Oakland’s Department of Transportation continues to work towards aligning city practices with the values expressed in its Geographic Equity Toolbox. The latest example is a report on the community engagement for a now-adopted Community-Led Traffic Safety Pilot program, which was received very differently in neighborhoods which have a history of being harmed by infrastructure projects.

Keep’n it real

Social factors related to cycling are important, and poorly understood. I’ve tried to get connected with as many cycling sub-cultures as I can; one I’ve participated in for years is East Bay Bike Party. I’ve been DJ’ing at EBBP since I built a bike sound system as a COVID project, and I had an interaction this year that let me to consider the meaning of the EBBP community.

On a rainy day, dozens of bicyclists are standing in one lane of a two-lane commercial street. In the foreground are several people standing with their bikes, wearing yellow safety vests, facing the crowd. One of them has a flag attached to the bike reading, "Cease Fire Now."

The tool you have

The Bike Lab’s premise is that the bicycle can be a tool to understand and fight structural injustice. Bike riders everywhere share the same experience of freedom and mobility, and that shared experience can break down barriers and create new connections across communities. The Gaza Sunbirds sponsored a global solidarity ride in support of aid to Palestine, which created controversy in the East Bay bike community.

Getting it backwards

I had the privilege to accompany Backwards Brian to the Climate Ride Green Fondo. I talked with some of the organizers about their decision to allow him to join after hearing about what happened with AIDS LIfeCycle. To Climate Ride’s credit, they were willing to sit with the discomfort for a while, and eventually let Brian do his thing. Can we foster that kind of inclusion throughout the bike world? I’m pretty sure we’d all benefit.

On the Waterfront

I got into a good rant at Oakland BPAC this month, on the topic of the Transforming Oakland’s Waterfront Neighborhoods (TOWN) project, the city’s attempt to give away millions of dollars in support of the cynical and extractive effort to let a billionaire (A’s owner John Fisher) enrich himself by building 3,000 luxury condos at Howard Terminal. I got annoyed, because the project ignores the East Oakland waterfront neighborhoods which really need infrastructure, but also because it looks like a bad idea on its own merits.

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