Do you ride the trails at night – 7:00 pm or later?

[PrintError]

@Dirt 8694 wrote:

There are a ton of lights out on the W&OD and Custis…. which doesn’t help.

Lights out only makes a difference if there are lights to begin with. The stretch between Hunter Mill and Vienna is EEEEEEEERIE QUIET at 2 in the morning!!! (sidenote: the week I did that shift was some of the most peaceful riding I’ve ever done!!!)

[Jsnyd]

Now that it’s dark so early I rarely get to ride home before sunset. I usually start around 8:30pm. I have a Stella 200 and have never needed it on high yet. Light&motion has a good line up. I travel from Clarendon to Suitland right off good ole branch ave. I try not to think about being mugged. I think me being in that area at night is more confusing to everyone then anything else. Especially being on a bicycle with blinking lights.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.845353,-76.949892

[CCrew]

@PrintError 8705 wrote:

Lights out only makes a difference if there are lights to begin with. The stretch between Hunter Mill and Vienna is EEEEEEEERIE QUIET at 2 in the morning!!! (sidenote: the week I did that shift was some of the most peaceful riding I’ve ever done!!!)

Oh yeah. Usually just me and the occasional cop. I rarely see anyone other than cops and homeless between Reston and Arlington every morning. Ok, there was the drunk topless girl that one morning, but I digress

[PrintError]

@CCrew 8710 wrote:

Oh yeah. Usually just me and the occasional cop. I rarely see anyone other than cops and homeless between Reston and Arlington every morning. Ok, there was the drunk topless girl that one morning, but I digress

Sounds like a rough morning.

[CCrew]

@Tim Kelley 8695 wrote:

CCrew recently reported a number of the W&OD outages West of the Custis. If you have the opportunity to get the serial numbers of the lights along the Custis, I’d be happy to pass them along to have them repaired.

Thanks!

Tim, FYI, most of the stretch by Ohio was lit this morning when I came through. The section along the trail by Patrick Henry not so much so. So looks like they fixed some and not others (I listed all)

[americancyclo]

@Dirt 8697 wrote:

I’ll try and do that on Monday. Thanks!

Has there been any progress on the Custis lights? There are about 6 of them west of George Mason Drive. I’d be happy to stop and get the numbers, but I don’t want to duplicate any efforts.

[Tim Kelley]

Last I heard, the reports had been submitted to Dominion Power and we are just waiting for them to get on it…

[americancyclo]

Thanks Tim, good to know.

[Arlingtonrider]

Does anyone regularly commute from Rosslyn to Crystal City or further south on the MVT after dark (around 6 – 6:30 pm or so)?

[dbb]

14th St Bridge to Crystal City

I regularly find myself on the trail from the 14th Street Bridge to the Water Park tunnel (or occasionally, the 4 Mile Run trail up to Eads) at that time. Most of that portion is open with good visibility. A challenging portion of the trail is the stretch where the trail runs alongside the GW Pkwy just south of Roach’s Run. Late in the day you get auto headlights right in the face in that area. In a couple years of riding that route, I’ve never seen someone that gives me pause. Lot of walkers/runners with your standard cohort of ninjas.

Last winter there was an occasional homeless gent sleeping under one of the bridges in the morning but I never saw any problems.

[Arlingtonrider]

Thanks so much. It’s actually mainly the part from Rosslyn to the 14th Street bridge that I was wondering if anyone commutes on around that time.

[KLizotte]

@Arlingtonrider 10054 wrote:

Does anyone regularly commute from Rosslyn to Crystal City or further south on the MVT after dark (around 6 – 6:30 pm or so)?

My regular commute now sees me leaving the L’Enfant Plaza area at 6:00 pm, heading west on the Mall till I get to the Lincoln Memorial, picking up Rock Creek Park north to Georgetown, then either the Georgetown waterpark or M Street to get to Key Bridge, then on to the MVT to the Crystal City tunnel.

I’ve done this route enough after dark to feel safe, esp if it is before 8:00 pm. It is truly amazing how many runners there are along the Roslyn – CC segment even when it is completely dark out. Lots of commuters too.

Biggest problem is not being blinded by other bike lights and the car lights but it’s usually not a big deal. I take this longer way home to add mileage to my commute and because I often stop off in Georgetown for a quick dinner.

Thus far (knock on wood), I haven’t seen any suspicious characters (only the occasional couple making out near Gravelly Point).

[DaveK]

@Arlingtonrider 10058 wrote:

Thanks so much. It’s actually mainly the part from Rosslyn to the 14th Street bridge that I was wondering if anyone commutes on around that time.

I do – usually on the way home I pick up the MVT at Memorial Circle and ride down to 14th St Bridge. I go home that way instead of the Mall because the Mall is usually much more crowded (cars and people) that time of day versus coming in in the morning. Plus the MVT in the dark is absolutely gorgeous.

[Arlingtonrider]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the responses, KLizotte and DaveK.

I didn’t know what it was like around there in the evening, but after reading your posts, I’m looking forward to a nice ride home from the “Lights for Bikes” giveaway on Monday. I checked the weather report, and it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful evening.

Update: I love gorgeous nighttime rides, but it sounds like I’d better be prepared for Ninja City.

[Author]

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