Another car driver on the W&OD

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 76608 wrote:

Is it from motor traffic or from tree roots?

Probably both, but that doesn’t mean that reducing the number of motor vehicles won’t slow the deterioration. I think we should work towards the goal of keeping heavy motor vehicles off the trails, which would include encouraging those that use the trails regularly (Parks & Rec, Dominion, Wash Gas, ACPD) to change over to vehicles more suited to the trail — gators, bikes, ebikes, Segways, etc. That’s not to say those users should stay off the trail, or even be on the trail less, just that they think about the danger they pose to others and the impact they are having on their surroundings, and make informed choices.

[americancyclo]

A few weeks ago I saw some big trucks on the W&OD trailside near Columbia Pike and they had big squishy looking tires that i would imagine distribute their weight well. I’m willing to bet the cost of specialized equipment to use on the trail would be greater than the cost of repairing the damage to the trails done by said vehicles.

Maybe Tim could arrange an ArlCo trail maintenance show and tell for us!

[Tim Kelley]

@americancyclo 76615 wrote:

Maybe Tim could arrange an ArlCo trail maintenance show and tell for us!

Kevin Stalica would be the guy for that: trails@arlingtonva.us

[sjclaeys]

@Steve O 76607 wrote:

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.

Do you need someone to loan you the book also?

[Steve O]

@sjclaeys 76617 wrote:

Do you need someone to loan you the book also?

If you have a good one, sure.
Maybe someone could go sit there and read it for me, too.

[dasgeh]

@americancyclo 76615 wrote:

A few weeks ago I saw some big trucks on the W&OD trailside near Columbia Pike and they had big squishy looking tires that i would imagine distribute their weight well. I’m willing to bet the cost of specialized equipment to use on the trail would be greater than the cost of repairing the damage to the trails done by said vehicles.

Maybe Tim could arrange an ArlCo trail maintenance show and tell for us!

We were told on Monday that the work they did on the Custis Quincy – Lee overpass was $160k. Say that without trucks on the trail, they need to repave every 5 years; with it’s every 4. Savings would buy 160 gators (which you can also get snow plow kits for) in 20 years.

[CaseyKane50]

The Holmes Run Trail also suffers from way too much traffic. Police cars travel on the trail between Eisenhower and South Jenkins, A small trash truck goes along the trail emptying the trash cans and maintenance trucks travel along the trail (including the one’s below, clearing the trail of ice). Yesterday, as a change of pace, an officer on a motorcycle came through.

There are a couple of stretches along the trail where the asphalt is clearly deteriorating under the weight of the vehicles and they routinely kick up gravel onto the trail. That of course requires a crew in a truck to come along and clean up the gravel.

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[cyclingfool]

@Steve O 76618 wrote:

If you have a good one, sure.
Maybe someone could go sit there and read it for me, too.

If none of us can loan poor Steve O books or camera equipment, the least we could do is feed him peeled grapes and wave a palm frond to keep him cool, perhaps while serenading him…

[rcannon100]

@CaseyKane50 76622 wrote:

The Holmes Run Trail ….

Have they removed that large, um, obstruction, from the Holmes Run Trail (the above ground sewage pipe)?

[dbb]

@americancyclo 76615 wrote:

A few weeks ago I saw some big trucks on the W&OD trailside near Columbia Pike and they had big squishy looking tires that i would imagine distribute their weight well. I’m willing to bet the cost of specialized equipment to use on the trail would be greater than the cost of repairing the damage to the trails done by said vehicles.

Maybe Tim could arrange an ArlCo trail maintenance show and tell for us!

I think those trucks were performing tree trimming for the power company. If so, it was pretty cool that the power company required trucks that wouldn’t leave deep ruts.

[mstone]

@brendan 76601 wrote:

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.[/quote]

I’ve definitely seen bike cops on the W&OD, but they’re few and far between.

Quote:

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.

Weight is a hugely important factor in road damage. The W&OD should hold up fine under intermittent use by light trucks and police cars. What really kills the trail are the giant trucks used by the utility companies.

[PotomacCyclist]

I remember getting upset about seeing the police car on FMRT because I rode up behind the car and didn’t notice it until I got relatively close to it. I was riding at a moderate speed, which I always do on trails. Sometimes you get lost in your thoughts on empty stretches of the trail. Plus wind noise is significant even at moderate speeds on a bike. If I had been riding in the other direction, it’s possible that I could have run into the car head-on or been forced to veer off the trail quickly. Ramming into a tree would not have been good for my health. I just don’t expect to see cars on narrow bike trails. I doubt many other cyclists are expecting them either.

After the initial problem, I faced the issue of frustration from the car blocking both sides of the trail. The officer was driving slowly, mostly because the trail was barely wide enough to fit the car. There was no room to pass, not even on the grass because of a sound wall. This was a couple years ago so I don’t remember all the details. But I do remember both the surprise of riding up to the car, and then the frustration of not being able to pass.

I think police patrols are a good idea, but not with cars on bike trails.

[scorchedearth]

@CaseyKane50 76622 wrote:

The Holmes Run Trail also suffers from way too much traffic. Police cars travel on the trail between Eisenhower and South Jenkins, A small trash truck goes along the trail emptying the trash cans and maintenance trucks travel along the trail (including the one’s below, clearing the trail of ice). Yesterday, as a change of pace, an officer on a motorcycle came through.

There are a couple of stretches along the trail where the asphalt is clearly deteriorating under the weight of the vehicles and they routinely kick up gravel onto the trail. That of course requires a crew in a truck to come along and clean up the gravel.

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That is appalling. I’ll bring it up with my city staff contacts at the next BPAC meeting to see how this works and what can be done to prevent this damage.

@rcannon100 76622 wrote:

Have they removed that large, um, obstruction, from the Holmes Run Trail (the above ground sewage pipe)?

Yes, that project has been completed.

[OneEighth]

Oddly enough, after a long spell of not seeing vehicles on the trail, I saw a park service pickup enter the trail and head west toward the 50 underpass a little before 5:30 yesterday evening and another, commercial, pickup also heading west by the 50 underpass a little before 6:30 this morning.

[consularrider]

@OneEighth 76694 wrote:

Oddly enough, after a long spell of not seeing vehicles on the trail, I saw a park service pickup enter the trail and head west toward the 50 underpass a little before 5:30 yesterday evening and another, commercial, pickup also heading west by the 50 underpass a little before 6:30 this morning.

Well, there were the two workers at 7:15 this morning carrying the diamond orange “Utility Work” signs along the W&OD just east of the 50 underpass.

[Author]

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