Gap in Regional Bike Network? From Arlington across 14th St. Bridge to east + north

Our Community › Forums › Where to ride? › Gap in Regional Bike Network? From Arlington across 14th St. Bridge to east + north

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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  • August 20, 2010 at 4:15 pm #923772
    Dirt
    Participant

    You’re right…. The pinch point you identified is not a very pleasant place to ride. In the past I’ve done one of two things: Ridden the path with the pedestrians along the Jefferson/Tidal Basin area, or cut over to East Potomac Park and taken the path that leads up into L’Enfant Plaza. I then ride down to either Independence or ride along the mall, depending on my mood and traffic.

    Neither alternative is great. I seem to have a higher tolerance for playing with traffic than most.

    August 20, 2010 at 5:47 pm #923773
    Mark Blacknell
    Participant

    Great post and great graphic. If the sidewalks aren’t crowded (i.e., when it’s not summer), I’ll roll past the TJ Memorial until I can catch the road coming out of Hains Point and then take the lane from there all the way up Raoul Wallenberg Dr. then jumping onto Madison or Independence.

    There’s plenty of room on Independence for a bike lane.

    August 20, 2010 at 8:01 pm #923774
    Just161
    Participant

    Yeah, the sidewalks around TJ and East Basin Drive aren’t bad in the winter. During Cherry Blossoms, they’re virtually impossible – even on foot! In April I’ve even tried the big long-cut around the top of Hains Point (Buckeye Dr) just to come out on the other side of East Basin drive.

    I personally find Independence, East Basin, and Raul Wallenburg to be completely un-bikable at rush hour – it’s all commuters going super-fast, and there are few shoulders on these “parkways”. I’ve had alot of bad experiences trying to take the whole lane.

    Mark you make a good point – Independence from 14th to the Lincoln might be a perfect place for a bike lane. It could even be made as an addition to the sidewalk on the Mall side. (how would it work on that little bridge?) This would make the east DC-to-Arlington movement much easier – you could just roll all the way to the Memorial Bridge. The only drawback with using the Memorial Bridge is the pretty horribly unsafe at-grade “crosswalk” across the GW Parkway to get to the MVT and other trails in Arlington.

    February 17, 2011 at 7:22 pm #925029
    kt543
    Participant

    Cool map! Thanks! Is it a problem at all times? Are certain times of the day better than others?

    February 17, 2011 at 8:03 pm #925030
    gregbilling
    Participant

    map-va_to_dc.jpg

    Here is another possible solution. From the Mount Vernon trail:

    Ride across the 14th Street bridge (I-395).
    Turn left at the end of the bridge and walk your bike down the stairs to Ohio Drive
    Ride Southeast (left turn) on Ohio Drive to Buckeye Drive (turn left)
    Turn left on the unnamed street off Buckeye. Ride to sidepath/sidewalk on the bridge
    Ride across the bridge to the L’Enfant Promenade.
    Ride north on the L’Enfant Promenade

    Greg

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