Crash behind Target on Potomac Ave trail

[Emm]

I know that spot–it used to be on my commute. I’ve witnessed so many near misses with that curb it’s not even funny. It juts into the sidewalk at a weird angle, and narrows the path right at that point. Whoever designed it really missed the boat with it. If you don’t know it’s there you’re not likely to realize it until it’s too late.

[ginacico]

@Emm 148330 wrote:

I know that spot

Me too, and I’ve been hyper wary of it since the first time I saw it. +1 for pulverization. Glad the guy was (sorta) okay.

[KLizotte]

Wow, I’ve never noticed it before but will now be on the lookout. Not sure who is responsible for that? Potomac Yard owner or Alexandria.

Can’t say enough good things about having a helmet mounted mirror. He would have known the car was coming and probably could have avoided this accident.

[bentbike33]

@LeprosyStudyGroup 148329 wrote:

I’ve always marked this curb as a dangerous thing because it mysteriously juts out into the path, where not only would you not expect it to be there, but it’s at an angle which makes it hard to see anyways. It’s like a little 8 inch tall wall in the sidewalk when you approach it from either direction.

Here’s a google map steetview of it, which doesn’t really do justice to how bad it is:

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.834798,-77.0487111,3a,75y,257.93h,53.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6NxezTTekIpNx-SfBtDN6w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The thing needs to be pulverized and the transition extended to cover the width of the path.

Wow! Just, wow! What function could this possibly serve other than to dangerously troll cyclists using the trail for its intended purpose.

[Steve O]

Additionally dangerous is the crosswalk lines lead someone right into it.
Has anyone tried to report this?

[Tim Kelley]

I know a guy, let me see what he says.

[Judd]

I know that curb well. Never reported it. Would be glad to take care of it if I can borrow someone’s concrete saw.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tim Kelley]

It’s in the Shopping Center’s ROW, but Alexandria has an easement for the trail. Top Men are looking into it to try to fix the situation.

[LeprosyStudyGroup]

That’s awesome Tim. Thank you. Wish I could tell this morning’s bloody acrobat that it’s already being looked into. No flyby on strava

[mstone]

@bentbike33 148341 wrote:

Wow! Just, wow! What function could this possibly serve other than to dangerously troll cyclists using the trail for its intended purpose.

It looks like a particularly bad implementation of an ADA guideline to provide clear boundaries to the crossing (rather than smooth transitions without a clear boundary). The current guidelines/practice lead to transitions which are generally much worse for cyclists, this is just a particularly egregious example. But if you’ve noticed, crosswalk transitions are much more likely now to have a couple of right angle ramps with cubs rather than a smooth apron, leading to a bunch of dangerous 36 inch targets rather than a 6 foot sloped approach. The intent is to make it easier for visually impaired to determine which direction the crossing is in. I’m not sure how to resolve the different needs of cyclists and the visually impaired moving forward.

[LeprosyStudyGroup]

What a clever way to get more people with disabilities out on the trails :rolleyes:

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