New Bike Lane on Carlin Springs Rd

I just noticed yesterday that a bike lane has been painted on Carlin Springs Rd (both sides) in the Ballston area between Vermont/Park and the bridge over George Mason Dr. Here is a link to the stretch of road on Google Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/PbQXO. It’s very nice for people who want to climb up the hill towards Ballston, especially since (average) bicycles don’t tend to do 30+ mph up hills like the vehicles do.

The planned renovation to the bridge over George Mason Drive will include bike lanes, but I do not know if there are plans to continue the bike lanes on Carlin Springs farther than that. I’m not sure if there is room for a bike lane + 2 travel lanes (just before the bridge, Carlin Springs goes from 1 travel lane to 2), but I think it would be nicer for those of us who like to go a bit faster on that stretch and don’t want to take the Bluemont Junction trail which requires you to slow down (unless you’re a scofflaw) in order to get to the W&OD at Bluemont Park.