Bad @$$ Commuter on Gallows Road

[JimF22003]

Wow some people have a lot more guts than I do when it comes to which roads and which times to ride. There is tons of nasty construction and narrowed lanes on Gallows Road between the metro station and Rt 50. It scares me just to drive it. The road is so torn up and filled with debris that I actually picked up a nail in my CAR a couple of months ago that ruined my car tire…

My hats off to the rider I saw last night about 6:15. Guy was well-lit, riding perfectly safely, and he was MOVING. He was ahead of the traffic all the way from the metro station to the hospital. I kept wanting to pull ahead of him and run interference for him in traffic, but I couldn’t catch up! Looks like he turned off on Woodburn Rd. by the hospital, so as far as I can tell there really isn’t an alternate route he could have taken.

Except for a short stretch of Gallows from the metro to the W&OD, the whole road is a disaster. Luckily I’ve got some alternate routes, but this is a road that needs some serious thought to the needs of walkers and bikers.

Topic

[eminva]

We live in Vienna and my son will be going to Luther Jackson Middle School (corner of Gallows and Route 50) next year. I am sad that bicycling to school is not even a remote option for him for the two years of middle school.

If there is a silver lining, I hope when they finish with all this, the area is more bikeable than it was before they started.

Liz

[americancyclo]

I’m hoping that once that MOSAIC complex is complete, there will be more investment in bike/ped infrastructure, particularly around that intersection of gallows and 29, if not all the way down to rte 50

[JeffC]

I hope that area gets better too. I live a few miles farther east on Lee Highway closer to Arlington but head that way a few times per month to go to H Mart. The intersection of Lee Hwy and Gallows (plus a few blocks in either direction) is just a road condition disaster zone. I realize it is from construction and there is no reason to repave somthing while still building but still that area is a cluster $%*&.

[americancyclo]

I don’t know that it’s going to get much better for you, with the HOT lanes bridge going in. They’re going to have to rethink that entire intersection after they start getting more car traffic from the beltway, and THEN do construction. The things I’ll put up with to get cheap, fresh produce.

[dasgeh]

As I was crossing the crosswalks on the DC side of the inbound Memorial Bridge, I was surprised by the lack of cars coming inbound. Then I saw him: a bike commuter in the traffic lanes. I can only assume that he rode the entire bridge in the lanes. Good for him! The pavement on the bridge has been getting steadily worse this winter…

[DaveK]

@dasgeh 13592 wrote:

As I was crossing the crosswalks on the DC side of the inbound Memorial Bridge, I was surprised by the lack of cars coming inbound. Then I saw him: a bike commuter in the traffic lanes. I can only assume that he rode the entire bridge in the lanes. Good for him! The pavement on the bridge has been getting steadily worse this winter…

I do that occasionally, outside of the peak hour and only on my road bike. I’ve never had an issue as long as traffic is light. I find it safer to ride with traffic than to cross the GW at the crosswalk, but only if I can come close to keeping up with traffic.

[PotomacCyclist]

Maybe the Gallows Rd. cyclist could have taken Prosperity Ave. from the Metro to the Cross County Trail, then onto Tobin Rd. and Woodburn. I don’t know what Prosperity Ave. is like but it looks to be better than Gallows Rd. for cycling. The CCT appears to be paved at that section, but I can only see one part of it on Google Maps.

I used to work in that area but I only biked there a couple times. Not really a fun place to ride.

[JimF22003]

@PotomacCyclist 13609 wrote:

Maybe the Gallows Rd. cyclist could have taken Prosperity Ave. from the Metro to the Cross County Trail, then onto Tobin Rd. and Woodburn. I don’t know what Prosperity Ave. is like but it looks to be better than Gallows Rd. for cycling. The CCT appears to be paved at that section, but I can only see one part of it on Google Maps.

I used to work in that area but I only biked there a couple times. Not really a fun place to ride.

It would be cool if he was a forum reader. I’d love to hear his story.

[Author]

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