Photo by laffy4k on Flickr.

Comment on VDOT’s proposed bike policy

The Virginia Department of Transportation has released a draft copy of Virginia’s State Bicycle Policy Plan for public comment and input. Comments can be submitted via e-mail until September 17. (Virginia Bicycling Federation, Gavin)  (Tip: Gavin)  

Seatless subways

Following the lead of Boston’s MBTA, the New York City subway and Houston’s METRO have experimented with removing seats from train cars to maximize capacity. New York’s experimental rail cars also include split stanchions, as suggested on this blog for Metro earlier this week. (Boston.com, Gothamist, neoHouston via Streetsblog.net, Matt’)  (Tip: Matt')  

Performance parking in the park

Yantai Park in China’s Shangdong province has instituted a pay-to-sit scheme on some popular park benches. If a park patron does not pay up for their posterior, sharp spikes will poke them from the bench seat. Park officials were inspired by an installation by a German artist who was protesting the commercialization and indignities of modern life. (Orange News, Vimeo, AJ)  (Tip: AJ)  

SmartBenefits in the bike lane

Responding to an inquiry on Twitter, Capital Bikeshare says that they are working to create a way for customers to use SmartBenefits to pay the service’s annual membership fee. (Twitter, Gavin)  (Tip: Gavin)  

Empty seat on the board

In a letter to the Post, Metro board member Michael A. Brown explains his 52 absences from WMATA board meetings since being appointed as an alternate last year by citing his busy schedule as an elected official. Somehow the other elected officials on the board have figured out how to attend the meetings.  

A founding father of Metro passes away

Cleatus E. Barnett, a Montgomery County Republican who was on the Metro board for 32 years and is credited with pushing extensions of the system into the county, has died. According to his obituary, when he used the system, he would write observations on trash, rude Metro workers and late trains in a small notebook. (Post)