Disaster at the Beginning of the W&OD

[jrenaut]

That sucks. Heal up quickly.

[vvill]

Really sorry to hear that. I had a similar incident going downhill on the Custis into Rosslyn when I was new to road biking. My front tire actually punctured (presumably in the seam), and it was wet out too. Broke my wrist and elbow, but not badly, luckily.

A broken femur is really, really tough luck. Best wishes in your recovery.

[KLizotte]

Wow, that was one helluva low speed crash. I’m so sorry to hear about your accident; I broke my ankle last summer and know how frustrating and painful the healing process can be. This past July I caught a groove on the Anacostia River Trail on Navy Yard property and fell too; broke my wrist.

These types of preventable accidents are due to the lack of proper planning and maintenance of cycling trails. We simply don’t get the priority that we need. According to a blog I’ve read about Dutch cycleways they take extremely good care of their bikeways; the cracks and potholes we take for granted are unheard of. The main reason I bought a tadpole trike a few weeks ago was so that I could enjoy riding and not have to be on the lookout for cracks and holes all of the time. I’m having great fun with it and do recommend one when you get back on your feet.

Thank you very much for the head’s up about the “circle.” I’ll certainly be more careful the next time I bike through there as I’m sure everyone else on the forum will be.

Best wishes for speedy recovery; hopefully you won’t be in a cast for the full six months and that you can use a scooter to get around quickly (they are much better than crutches).

[BobCochran]

JimK, I’m really sorry to learn about your crash and I hope you heal up fast. How did you get to the hospital — did you dial 911 on your cell or did someone get help for you? I’m asking because I wonder how quick rescue personnel arrived.

I had a crash like that too several years ago when I made the mistake of bicycling on a section of concrete sidewalk on Route 193 near Mandan Road. I broke my left thumb and had fair bit of road burn. Now I make every effort to avoid sidewalks.

I agree with KLizotte that trails, once built, tend to be neglected and there needs to be a way to fund and perform maintenance on them to avoid accidents like this. Perhaps groups of riders can volunteer time and labor if localities will provide the materials and tools needed for repairs. It should not be that hard to remove and replace small sections of damaged concrete to prevent accidents like what happened with you. The skills needed may have to be learned by the volunteer crew, but it can be done.

Bob

[Starduster]

@JimK 146032 wrote:

On Tuesday, September 13, I rode from Vienna to Shirlington on the W&OD When I got to the beginning of the W&OD I decided to go around the circle and head back. The surface changes from asphalt to concrete near the circle. I slowed to about 5 mph and started the turn. One of my wheels got locked in a seam of the concrete. My forward momentum was arrested; both me and my bike were thrown to the left. The impact was absorbed almost entirely by my left femur, which was broken. A titanium pin and a few screws were inserted into the bone to stabilize it. I just got out of the hospital. I’ll be off my bike for at least six months. Over the years I have often been leery of concrete sections of the trails with big seams–a portion of the Custis comes to mind. I remember mentioning this to a friend about 20 years ago and he laughed off my concern. I hope this note serves as a warning to be careful at the circle in Shirlington, or anywhere else where there are big seams.

Wow. That is the circle at the very beginning of the W&OD? I almost went down myself rounding that section earlier this year. Same thing. 700×32’s on my bike, btw. Just narrow enough to be worrisome on seams. And yeah, the Custis Trail/sidewalk by the Marriot in Rosslyn. Also a worry, especially when I am leading shop rides through there.

Sorry you got hurt there. Heal up quick!

[JimK]

Bob

Fortunately, my phone was in the back pocket of my jersey. i was pretty much frozen in place but somehow managed to make the call. Voice dialing and using the phone’s mic/speaker made it possible. The ambulance arrived less than ten minutes after i called. The only person who stopped to check on me was a homeless guy who vowed to stay with me until the ambulance arrived. The cyclists who went by just kept going. In my experience, that was quite uncharacteristic. Most people at least ask if you need help.

[BobCochran]

@JimK 146054 wrote:

The only person who stopped to check on me was a homeless guy who vowed to stay with me until the ambulance arrived. The cyclists who went by just kept going. In my experience, that was quite uncharacteristic. Most people at least ask if you need help.

Oh wow, yes, not getting any help from other cyclists is unusual. I’ve often had people ask me if I was okay if I seemed to be doing something unusual — like walking my bicycle instead of riding it. (I tend to walk it in some locations where I can’t see if pedestrians are nearby and/or the path is very narrow. My balance is bad and I always worry about hitting kid(s) or other pedestians when I ride near recreational parks.) I’m glad you were able to get to your phone. That was quite fortunate. I think you can just tap the “Emergency Call” button on the phone’s screen and first responders will be able to find you even without your speaking anything. Of course, you will need a pretty new phone that has an E911 capability.

Do you also have a “RoadID” thingie — from roadid.com? Could be helpful.

All the best to you, I hope you heal very quickly.

Bob

[KLizotte]

Wow, I’m so sorry none of the cyclists stopped to help. That is very unusual! I simply can’t comprehend it actually, especially since you were on the ground. If it makes you feel any better I would have stopped as I’m sure most of the people on the forum would have.

If you need ortho recommendation, please send me a private message. I also have a knee scooter if you are able to use one later on down the road. A neighbor is borrowing it at the moment for her injury but I expect it back soon.

[KLizotte]

Dear Arlington County,

Can we PLEASE get the seam on the Custis filled in near the Marriott????

[BobCochran]

I wonder if it is possible for a group of cyclists (defined as: whoever volunteers) to work out an agreement with the County to repair hazards like this, using tools and materials provided by the County. That might be the fastest way to get a hazard repaired or otherwise attended to. It would be a little more complicated to work out than the adopt-a-road litter pickup program that Maryland seems to have. These repair expeditions can teach a lot of skills that can come in handy to the repair crew in some other context, at a later time.

In my area, I bicycle across the Elizabeth Spellman overpass almost daily and I sometimes see litter and broken glass there. Perhaps I can find the time to do some cleaning up. The overpass bridges at Good Luck Road and Route 495 have a lot of hard-to-see shattered car parts — including entire front bumpers — scattered on the shoulders of Good Luck Road, and those could use removal and sweeping up too. Maybe I can see if Prince George’s County will send a cleanup crew there.

Bob

[viennabiker]

Like vvii, I also took a spill at the section of the Custis Trail in Rosslyn–right before the Marriott going eastbound. This was nine years ago, and I was new to using a road bike. I got my tire caught in the groove and was probably going a bit faster than my command of the bike would have recommended. I broke my arm and took a couple months before I could ride again. At that time, I did notify Arlington County. At some point after that, I noticed that the groove had been filled with caulk; I think this was in response to requests from riders. The Bike Arlington website actually has a useful list of contact numbers and emails: http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/about/contact-us/

[huskerdont]

Some of that caulk (or whatever) in the seam in Rosslyn seems to have come up recently. I’ve almost lost it there as well a few years back; now every time I have to cross it, I make sure my front wheel goes across at around a 45% angle.

Jimk, hope you heal soon.

[JimK]

Klizotte: thanks for the offer of you knee scooter. I am not sure if i will need it; i will let you know if i do. So far, i am happy with my ortho doctor. He has a lot of experience repairing broken femurs.

[dasgeh]

JimK: sorry about the crash and I hope you heel up soon.

Everyone: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE report these conditions.

Re: Custis (and FMR, Bluemont, Rock Spring, Old Donaldson Run, etc): I meet with Arlington DPR (the folks that fix the trails) regularly. They triage the reports they get – some are given the highest priority and repaired immediately. There are 3 other “categories” a problem could fall in, but there is very little money for trail maintenance,* so problems in lower categories rarely get fixed. If multiple people report a problem, making clear that it caused a crash or near miss, they will bump a problem up to highest priority. DPR needs to hear that these issues are dangerous and cause injury. And they need to hear it from lots of people (who aren’t me). trails@arlingtonva.us

Re: W&OD: this is run by the NoVa Regional Parks Authority and has a revenue stream! (those power lines overhead bring in money). I imagine the issue here is more that they don’t understand the danger, so again, please report it. The original write up of the injury was excellent, and will hopefully lead them to a better understanding (they’ve been known to write complaints off to “if cyclists would slow down, it wouldn’t be a problem). WOD@nvrpa.org (phone: 703-729-0596)

*Speaking of money, they way we get better maintenance is to get money for the maintenance. The Arlington BAC advises the County Manager every year there should be more money for maintenance. You could help amplify that voice by joining, coming to meetings, and especially coming to stand in support when we speak to the County Board. WABA advocates for more trail maintenance money, in Arlington and throughout the region. You should join WABA, and respond to their action alerts (mostly webpages that send emails to officials, but sometimes requests to come out and increase the body count).

In fact, you could write an email right now to countyboard@arlingtonva.us and countymanager@arlingtonva.us, saying that you appreciate that there was a small budget provided for some maintenance of trails for FY2017, but that that program should be increased IN THE BUDGET THAT THE MANAGER RECOMMENDS TO THE COUNTY BOARD for FY2018. (Staff is preparing that now, so now’s a great time to write that email).

[NickBull]

Thanks for that posting, Dasgeh. I just emailed trails@arlingtonva.us about the hole in the brick section of the Custis just west of N. Oak St near Key Marriott. It’s been getting steadily worse.

[Author]

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