Bike route 1?

[chris_s]

The light blue line:
https://vdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=d6fe387ccb444235be71e4da92b9966c

[Judd]

For all of the US Bicycle Routes on an interactive page:

https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/us-bicycle-route-system/maps-and-route-resources/

[mstone]

@lordofthemark 219827 wrote:

Any other thoughts about bike route 1 would be interesting (to me, if THIS was the route they designated, it shows how few good options there are in that part of FFX)

yes, it’s grim

edit to add: of course, the massive detour around quantico to avoid the death zone that are the roads between quantico and the river is also quite the thing

[CaseyKane50]

@Judd 219830 wrote:

For all of the US Bicycle Routes on an interactive page:

https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/us-bicycle-route-system/maps-and-route-resources/

The VDOT and Adventure Cycling maps show different routings through Alexandria. VDOT shows the main route north through Jones Point Park, while the AC map shows the route running along Royal, turning into the Wilkes Street tunnel and then turning onto Union.

For those interested, here is a VDOT summary report on USBR1 from the 14th Street Bridge to the southern boundary of Prince William County.

I have tried to get the city to install USBR1 signs through Alexandria, but have not made much headway.

[scoot]

@mstone 219834 wrote:

that detour around quantico to avoid the death zone that are the roads between quantico and the river is also quite the thing

And the detour is very hazardous as well.

For instance: Minnieville Road. From Tackett’s Mill to Fowke, at least there’s a wide sidepath and a low turn volume that is mostly residential. South of there it’s an utter disaster. 45MPH stroad with a lot of speeders AND a lot of turning traffic. With a sidewalk and poorly engineered curb cuts. Anyone considering this route would do better to bail out at Fowke, to Jenny / Rollingwood / Smoketown / Beaver Ford / trail / Chinn Park to avoid that stretch.

[mstone]

@scoot 219846 wrote:

And the detour is very hazardous as well.

For instance: Minnieville Road. From Tackett’s Mill to Fowke, at least there’s a wide sidepath and a low turn volume that is mostly residential. South of there it’s an utter disaster. 45MPH stroad with a lot of speeders AND a lot of turning traffic. With a sidewalk and poorly engineered curb cuts. Anyone considering this route would do better to bail out at Fowke, to Jenny / Rollingwood / Smoketown / Beaver Ford / trail / Chinn Park to avoid that stretch.

I think they try to avoid routes with a lot of turns and road changes. They also like off-road routes (a lot of less confident riders simply won’t do a street, even if it’s objectively better/safer) so the sidepath is attractive from that perspective. Time of day is a factor. And part if it is probably just that PWC has gotten so much worse over the past decade.

IMO it’s tanyard hill rd that will kill you on this route if you’re loaded and not knowing what you’re getting into.

[Author]

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