Another car driver on the W&OD

[creadinger]

@cyclingfool 76454 wrote:

I’ve seen cops on the Alexandria side of 4MR near Commonwealth a few times. Again, no emergency, no pursuit. Lazy patrol?

As for knowing they’re not supposed to be on the trail, they either don’t know and think they’re allowed, or, more likely given my personal experience with and opinion of lots of cops, just don’t give a flying flip and do it anyway. There are lots of good, hardworking and fair cops, but the profession also seems to attract and/or create a disproportionate number of pricks IMHO.

I saw a Volvo on the short stretch of 4MR between Commonwealth and Route 1 about a week ago. Unfortunately I was on the Shoppers side of Route 1, so I couldn’t pursue them. My guess is they were just confused and/or thought they found a super-secret way to get to Route 1.

[dkel]

@jabberwocky 76508 wrote:

I’ve seen both cops and NVRPA vehicles use the trail as a shortcut on a few occasions.

I wouldn’t be surprised that NVRPA vehicles take shortcuts on the trail, but to be fair, I’ve seen them on some of the longer segments as well (between Ayr Hill Rd in Vienna and Hunter Mill in Reston, for example), which leads me to believe that they have to be en route to some trail-related business some of the time.

[cyclingfool]

@creadinger 76521 wrote:

I saw a Volvo on the short stretch of 4MR between Commonwealth and Route 1 about a week ago.

Taking the “Safe Routes to Schools” to Cora Kelly? You know Volvo owners, safety first.

[PotomacCyclist]

If police are going to be on the trails in non-emergency situations, I’d prefer that they rode bikes, not cars. Some of the trails are not wide enough for a car and oncoming bike traffic at the same time. On FMRT, there is a retaining wall along part of the path, so it would have been impossible for an approaching cyclist to squeeze around the police car. Cars can also damage the asphalt of paved trails.

[brendan]

@consularrider 76465 wrote:

In the morning there is frequently an Alexandria Police car parked across from the Arlington Water Treatment plant. I can never figure out what the officer is doing there, maybe it’s a mandatory break? We’ve mentioned before about seeing police cruisers and county and park maintenance vehicles routining using the trails. For the police, it seems to be related to some sort of incident on the trail. After one of those I see an increased police presence for a couple of weeks. I expect the broken flex posts are more likely because of county vehicles than the random confused driver.

The section of the FMR trail east of the plant has a bump-out (bump-in?) where it intersects a road. I came across a drunk driver with his car stuck up on the large boulder right there one night having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to get it back down.

Called 911, rather than interacting with the clearly angry drunk, but he drove off before they could find him…

…drove off eastward on the trail, then up an embankment onto the highway (route 1?) destroying some signage, vegetation and parts of his car along the way.

Luckily, no reports of injuries.

[dasgeh]

@PotomacCyclist 76590 wrote:

If police are going to be on the trails in non-emergency situations, I’d prefer that they rode bikes, not cars. Some of the trails are not wide enough for a car and oncoming bike traffic at the same time. On FMRT, there is a retaining wall along part of the path, so it would have been impossible for an approaching cyclist to squeeze around the police car. Cars can also damage the asphalt of paved trails.

In Arlington, I’m told they ride motorcycles on the trail (I’ve never seen them). It’s certainly better than a car, but I also worry about the damage to the trail. And about officers getting a false sense of “I know what it’s like to be a cyclist”, since motorcycles are seen more often by drivers than cyclists.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@dasgeh 76595 wrote:

In Arlington, I’m told they ride motorcycles on the trail (I’ve never seen them). It’s certainly better than a car, but I also worry about the damage to the trail. And about officers getting a false sense of “I know what it’s like to be a cyclist”, since motorcycles are seen more often by drivers than cyclists.

I trailed two on the Custis once. They were quite cautious and waved a few of us past near the Two Sisters.

[Arlingtonrider]

As long as they’re not causing a danger to anyone, I’m always happy to see police on the trails. I would not want to do or say anything to discourage them from being there. I’m personally unaware of any problems caused by their presence.

[brendan]

@PotomacCyclist 76590 wrote:

If police are going to be on the trails in non-emergency situations, I’d prefer that they rode bikes, not cars.

I too would prefer bike-mounted law enforcement for non-emergencies. I suspect the difficulty is getting sign off (and trained-up cycling police) by the varying jurisdictions.

Some of the trails are not wide enough for a car and oncoming bike traffic at the same time. On FMRT, there is a retaining wall along part of the path, so it would have been impossible for an approaching cyclist to squeeze around the police car. Cars can also damage the asphalt of paved trails.

True, but a somewhat weaker argument as the NVRPA also drives trucks regularly along the W&OD and (portions of?) the FMR trails for trail maintenance purposes. In my experience, the staff are also very good about driving slowly/cautiously and pulling over when they spot oncoming non-motorized traffic, or even (sometimes) overtaking non-motorized traffic. No complaints.

So far, no police car sightings.

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 76595 wrote:

In Arlington, I’m told they ride motorcycles on the trail (I’ve never seen them). It’s certainly better than a car, but I also worry about the damage to the trail..

Don’t fret too much about the occasional motorcycle. The Parks & Rec maintenance department vehicles have been driving on the trails for years without much incident.

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 76602 wrote:

Don’t fret too much about the occasional motorcycle. The Parks & Rec maintenance department vehicles have been driving on the trails for years without much incident.

The trails clearly need maintenance. If Parks & Rec vehicles and Police motorcycles are making that need worse, then it wouldn’t it make sense to look into other options? Like Gators for Parks & Rec and bikes for police officers?

[Steve O]

@bobco85 76505 wrote:

I got a response from a park manager at NVRPA (I had e-mailed their general address Feedback@NVRPA.org)

“I purchased new ones that bolt into the ground“.

Great! Probably a wider base than the current ones. Let’s make sure that if someone hits one, they are certain to fall.

Constantly replacing these bollards has got to cost more than signs and paint. So in addition to being a more hazardous solution, it’s also more expensive.

Come a nice day in spring, I’m thinking I will go out there with a book to read and set up a video camera for a couple of hours to see how many close calls or actual falls occur because of the bollards. Anyone want to join me? Or loan me their camera setup? I’ll need a newer video camera than the one I have and probably a tripod, too.

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 76606 wrote:

The trails clearly need maintenance. If Parks & Rec vehicles and Police motorcycles are making that need worse, then it wouldn’t it make sense to look into other options? Like Gators for Parks & Rec and bikes for police officers?

Is it from motor traffic or from tree roots?

Oh and I bet Dominion and other utility companies drive on it too!

[rcannon100]

It would be nice if there could at minimum be a rule that there are no non-emergency cars or trucks (police or park service) during peak / rush hours. That is an accident waiting to happen.

I have observed park trucks on trails during peak hours causing tremendous problems. At one point, Parks and Wreck decided to close down the Custis during rush hour so they could prune trees. They finished their work that day sometime after noon – making clear that they could have completed the work between rush hours.

I have observed trucks on the trails in Bluemont. Problem is, they cant really get off the trail and out of your way once on the trail – the ground tends to be too soft near the trail. Parks is running its trash trucks along the trails.

Cars and bicycles dont mix. That is why I ride trails for 95% of my ride.

I have observed police on Segways on the WOD several times. So silly looking. Does seem like motorcycles would be better.

[Tim Kelley]

@rcannon100 76610 wrote:

It would be nice if there could at minimum be a rule that there are no non-emergency cars or trucks (police or park service) during peak / rush hours.

I think Kevin Stalica and his crews get that, but sometimes it doesn’t trickle down to the contractors. If anyone sees something like what Robert mentions, you can contacts Trails: (703) 228-6525 trails@arlingtonva.us

[Author]

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