August 2016 Road and Trail Conditions

[huskerdont]

This morning, just east of the IoD toward Key Bridge but before the ramp, there were three broken beer bottles placed carefully across the sidewalk/trail with the larger pieces pointing jagged edge up. I just managed to miss them. Not having a broom, dustpan, and container, I stopped and kicked them off the trail and into the shrubbery. Not ideal, but better than ruined tires. There were still some small pieces of glass, but hopefully not large enough to cause flats.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this in the Rosslyn/lower Custis area, but at least this time it was light enough to see and avoid a flat. Flats from glass can happen anywhere, but placing the glass in the middle of the trail with big curved pieces pointing upward is beyond d*ckish.

[Tania]

Pic of tree across Custis on twitter.

[DrP]

@bentbike33 144608 wrote:

East of St. Ann’s downed tree blocks the eastbound lane.

Between the ponds a big downed tree blocks both lanes and extends off trail in both directions. If you can’t lift your bike pretty high, I strongly suggest a detour.

As I finished my ride, a county vehicle was slowly traversing the trail. I followed him to the tree at St Anne’s. I told him about the other two at the ponds (there is one that is leaning heavily by the western-most pond). I also just e-mailed the county so that they know what he is up against. He is glad that it wasn’t much worse.

While there are lots of twigs all over, there is a large leafy branch on 4MR in Bancroft park, but someone has mostly moved it to the side.

Lots of people were passing their bikes under the tree at the pond.

[dasgeh]

Another cyclist down on the Trollheim this am. He seemed alert and with just cuts, but also he and the others that had stopped already seemed very surprised this could happen.

I emailed GWMP and BikeArlington (#tiltingatwindmills) today to ask whether they had connected about possible treatments. I also suggested some short term fixes, like signage. A sign that had instructions for what to do in case of a crash might help here because (1) it would be novel and should alert people to the fact that crashes really do happen here more than in most places; (2) it may get people to report the crashes to GWMP and WABA; and (3) it would remind people not to put their bikes in hard to see places.

Relatedly, if you have a dark colored bike, don’t leave it in the darkest shadow just past the curve. One guy did that this am, and the bike was perfectly placed to cause a second crash.

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 144685 wrote:

I emailed GWMP and BikeArlington (#tiltingatwindmills) today to ask whether they had connected about possible treatments.

Your message was passed along to the people more appropriately involved on the infrastructure and signage side of things.

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 144693 wrote:

Your message was passed along to the people more appropriately involved on the infrastructure and signage side of things.

At a BAC meeting a while back, Henry (I think) offered to talk directly with NPS folks about what BA had learned about paint. But always good to involve more people who might had helpful knowledge.

[Jason]

That area is truly terrible.

@bentbike33 143907 wrote:

Good news! Arlington County has figured out a permanent fix for the Custis Moguls at the Bridge-to-Nowhere!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12241[/ATTACH]

[Henry]

@dasgeh 144695 wrote:

At a BAC meeting a while back, Henry (I think) offered to talk directly with NPS folks about what BA had learned about paint. But always good to involve more people who might had helpful knowledge.

As I have a line of communication open with NPS staff about MVT signage, I’m happy to bring up this corner. But for the record, I don’t recall ever offering to share my expertise about surface paint (mostly because I don’t have any). It must have been other Top Men who have direct experience with these matters.

Henry

[bentbike33]

@Henry 144825 wrote:

As I have a line of communication open with NPS staff about MVT signage…

Henry

Might ask them to bring their weed whackers up to the north end of the MVT. The shrubbery is encroaching on the trail both on the Trollheim and along its southern approach.

[bentbike33]

NPS is conducting paint experiments on the Trollheim again. Narrows the trail with lots of cones. Be careful coming down from the TR bridge today. No margin for error.

[KWL]

@bentbike33 144855 wrote:

NPS is conducting paint experiments on the Trollheim again. Narrows the trail with lots of cones. Be careful coming down from the TR bridge today. No margin for error.

Image of said experiment.

[Judd]

Is it the same nature of paint as before but just a different color?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VA2DC]

14th/15th St N from Rhodes to Taft was just repaved, meaning there was clean, unblemished pavement from curb to curb. I swear that by the next day, there already was broken glass in the westbound bike lane in front of the garage entrance to the building on the corner of 15th & Scott. There is always broken glass in that spot. Whenever it gets swept up, fresh broken glass appears again within days. This spot baffles me, because it’s not in front of a bar or restaurant, and it’s not close to a crosswalk or a pedestrian doorway. Is there some sort of broken glass fairy that makes the rounds to ensure that certain spots are always covered? :confused:

Here’s a Google maps picture of the spot:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]12321[/ATTACH]

[bentbike33]

@Judd 144893 wrote:

Is it the same nature of paint as before but just a different color?

I don’t know, I did not ride on it because cones.

[huskerdont]

@KWL 144880 wrote:

Image of said experiment.

[spluttering sounds]

[Author]

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