DDOT update on M Street cycletrack

[cyclingfool]

@PotomacCyclist 69910 wrote:

On the 1500 block of M Street NW, the lane will be installed as a “traditional” bike lane.

Damn church!

[PotomacCyclist]

Installation began this week as previously announced.

http://ddotdish.com/2013/11/27/m-street-nw-cycle-track-installation-now-underway/

Looks like the M Street cycletrack may have a more significant buffer between bike and car lanes, at least on some blocks. Crews are adding what appears to be granite barriers to keep cars out of the cycletrack:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4151[/ATTACH]

There are narrow gaps in the barrier, presumably to allow cyclists to ride in and out of the lane. But the gaps are not nearly wide enough to allow a driver to steer a car into the cycletrack. If this is the actual design, then it would be a major upgrade from the existing cycletracks in D.C. If the new design works well, could we see a retrofit of the 15th St. and L St. cycletracks too?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@PotomacCyclist 70370 wrote:

There are narrow gaps in the barrier, presumably to allow cyclists to ride in and out of the lane.

And drainage.

[cyclingfool]

@TwoWheelsDC 70371 wrote:

And drainage.

Good point.

[Riley Casey]

These would be a suitable retrofit for the L St cycle track.

@PotomacCyclist 70370 wrote:

Installation began this week as previously announced.

If the new design works well, could we see a retrofit of the 15th St. and L St. cycletracks too?

[DSalovesh]

That particular curbing at RI & Connecticut is very special because riders have the option to continue unprotected on M or jog right and then left on RI, for proper positioning to continue straight or turn left.

Widening that bottleneck on M was not chosen because it would require shrinking the rain garden (an Ellen Jones project from her days at Golden Triangle BID), and while DDOT may still add sharrows to the straight path I was pretty passionate a couple of years ago in suggesting, well, pretty much what they’re doing, in order to maintain a protected lane from end to end.

Came so very close, too.

[Terpfan]

They are out right now between 15th and 17th working on the lines.

[jrenaut]

@Terpfan 70783 wrote:

They are out right now between 15th and 17th working on the lines.

I’ll bet they’re pissed that this unseasonably warm weather is screwing up their plans to never ever put in the cycletrack. Luckily it’s supposed to rain later this week.

[dasgeh]

@PotomacCyclist 70370 wrote:

There are narrow gaps in the barrier, presumably to allow cyclists to ride in and out of the lane. But the gaps are not nearly wide enough to allow a driver to steer a car into the cycletrack. If this is the actual design, then it would be a major upgrade from the existing cycletracks in D.C. If the new design works well, could we see a retrofit of the 15th St. and L St. cycletracks too?

Hooray for barriers, but will the gaps be usable for all bikes? I’m a little worried that a cargo bike / long-wheelbase could get stuck when something with big enough wheels to roll over the protection blocks the bike lane.

Also, will the protection be visible at night?

[PotomacCyclist]

Maybe they will add standard flexible bollards with reflective tape, in the narrow gap between the parallel granite blocks.

[mstone]

@PotomacCyclist 70843 wrote:

Maybe they will add standard flexible bollards with reflective tape, in the narrow gap between the parallel granite blocks.

Safety first

[Author]

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