Ballston, Fairfax Dr to Custis

[JimF22003]

I cut over from the Custis trail to my bike shop on Wilson Blvd in Ballston yesterday. I used the bike lanes to get there, and it was fine.

What do people do about that one block stretch getting from the path that crosses I66 to the start of the bike lane on Fairfax? Is that cobblestone stuff supposed to be rideable? I don’t see a good way to get over to the other side of the road without riding down the sidewalk for a bit.

Maybe I’m missing something. Any regulars with some advice on how you handle this?

Topic

[brendan]

@JimF22003 3969 wrote:

I cut over from the Custis trail to my bike shop on Wilson Blvd in Ballston yesterday. I used the bike lanes to get there, and it was fine.

What do people do about that one block stretch getting from the path that crosses I66 to the start of the bike lane on Fairfax? Is that cobblestone stuff supposed to be rideable? I don’t see a good way to get over to the other side of the road without riding down the sidewalk for a bit.

Maybe I’m missing something. Any regulars with some advice on how you handle this?

Are you talking about the south side of the block, heading east from the NE terminus of the bluemont junction trail? I usually just mozey through the driveways of the building(s) there until I can get past the last light before the light at glebe, then cross a lane of traffic so that I can get into the bike lane before glebe. Trying to get over into traffic coming off of I-66 blindly from behind the wall would be insane, and that sidewalk itself is a jumbled mess of danger.

Brendan

[CCrew]

i ride the cobblestones with no issue every day. I’m assuming you mean the ones in the block stretch in front of CACI?

I’m not even sure they’re actual cobblestones, may possibly be just concrete made to look like them.

[DismalScientist]

From the Custis to the bike lanes, I’ll do one of four things. If the light for Wakefield is green (i.e. Fairfax is red), I cross at Wakefield. I make sure I am not getting in the way of any traffic at Wakefield.
If not, I continue on the sidewalk to the second driveway (being careful about cars in the driveway not expecting a bike on the sidewalk.) If the westbound traffic on Fairfax is clear, I turn onto eastbound Fairfax from the driveway. I’ll stop in the middle of Fairfax for eastbound traffic.
If there is a steady flow of westbound traffic on Fairfax, I’ll proceed on the sidewalk to Glebe. If the traffic light has southbound Glebe stopped (even with the left arrow to eastbound Fairfax lit, I’ll take the crosswalk halfway across the southbound lanes and wait for the green arrow to turn left on Fairfax.
If southbound Glebe is moving, I’ll take the crosswalk across Fairfax and stop at the bike lane and wait for the green as eastbound Fairfax traffic.

This area is a dangerous design. The bike path puts you not only on a sidewalk, but a sidewalk in the opposite direction of traffic. Be very careful of drivers not seeing where you are, because you may be in a place that from their perspective they would never expect you.

[JimF22003]

@DismalScientist 3976 wrote:

This area is a dangerous design. The bike path puts you not only on a sidewalk, but a sidewalk in the opposite direction of traffic.

Exactly. I can think of five or six hacky somewhat dangerous things to do there, but none of it seems very safe.

CCrew, yes the “cobbles” are probably just formed concrete dyed red. I guess I don’t have much of an aesthetic sense It still seems like a glorified sidewalk to me, and I really don’t like to ride on sidewalks unless there’s no alternative.

[Author]

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