bike on bus adventure

[Arlingtonrider]

Great post, and I agree with your suggestions as to where signage is needed. There are stickys under the topic heading for Trail Conditions that show who is responsible for which trails (other than Pentagon area). That might be a good start for passing along information on where better signage is needed. Thanks for sharing your experiences and the great write up! I’ll check out that bus route.

[KLizotte]

That is quite a ride on an MTB on such a hot and humid day. It’s the humidity that gets ya and there isn’t much shade along the routes you took.

If you post where you are trying to go from the Pentagon I’m sure the folks here can tell you an optimal route or two. There are a few shortcuts here and there that we know of that can save you the hassle of busy streets, awkward intersections, etc. I can also show you them in person on a weekend if needed.

Would be nice if you could find a carpool (that takes your bike) to the Pentagon given the HOV lanes; may be faster than the bus.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@KLizotte 25283 wrote:

That is quite a ride on an MTB on such a hot and humid day. It’s the humidity that gets ya and there isn’t much shade along the routes you took.

If you post where you are trying to go from the Pentagon I’m sure the folks here can tell you an optimal route or two. There are a few shortcuts here and there that we know of that can save you the hassle of busy streets, awkward intersections, etc. I can also show you them in person on a weekend if needed.

Would be nice if you could find a carpool (that takes your bike) to the Pentagon given the HOV lanes; may be faster than the bus.

The weekday express busses are actually very quick from Annandale to the Pentagon, and they come fairly regularly.

[lordofthemark]

@ShawnoftheDread 25287 wrote:

The weekday express busses are actually very quick from Annandale to the Pentagon, and they come fairly regularly.

yup when I actually start bike commuting it will be on the 29G and/or the 29H. I don’t want to try for the first time on a workday. Sunday at the start point of the 16B is kind of mellow (though I suspect some of my fellow passengers were headed into their work)

The 16B can have other cycling uses – going to the WO&D/4MR at Columbia Pike without having to bike up Col Pike from Annandale.

[lordofthemark]

for my commute (when I try it, hopefully before next bike to work day) I will be going to M street and NJ avenue SE. I have a friend at work who is a bike commuter, and says he will show me the alternatives from 14th street Bridge to our workplace. Pentagon station to the 14th street bridge if there is a better way than I found (the same way that Google maps shows from Pentagon station to Jefferson Memorial – IE around the Pentagon along “Connector road” north to bridge to Ladybird Johnson grove, then back south on MVT to bridge, that would be nice.

For recreational trips to Old Town I think it would be better to skip the Pentagon, take the local bus to Col Pike and 4MR and take 4MR east to MVT (or take the bike on the 29K bus all the way to Old Town, or wherever in West Alex I want to start biking from)

I suspect my biking life will be much improved after I get a road bike.

[dasgeh]

Another option (that doesn’t sound like it will help you for work, but for fun) is to take the 16 buses up Columbia Pike to S Courthouse Road.* Hop off with your bike, and take Courthouse north 2nd Street S. Turn right and ride onto Fort Myer. If you’re military or a federal employee, show your badge and they waive you through. If you’re not, show your license, they write down some stuff, then waive you through. From there, you can use the quiet roads on the base to get the Arlington National Cemetery – which you can ride through to get to the Memorial Bridge – or to the gate by the Iwa Jima – a great way to get to Rosslyn – or to Southgate Road, which will take you to Pentagon City/Pentagon (less helpful, since you could have just stayed on the bus).

It’s a bummer that you can’t get from Annandale up to FMR/W&OD etc on your bike. But the Arlington bus network is pretty good.

*You can cut some hills and some traffic by taking any road that connects Columbia Pike to 2nd.

[lordofthemark]

@dasgeh 25316 wrote:

It’s a bummer that you can’t get from Annandale up to FMR/W&OD etc on your bike. But the Arlington bus network is pretty good.

I can, it just is going to take a long time (best access would be north to W&OD near Falls Church) Thanks for the Ft. Myers tip.

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