Evening commute route – Georgetown to NoMa – the big obstacles

[repowers]

If you were coming off the Key Bridge, and you had to get to K & North Capitol, how would you do it?

In the evenings I have been taking M Street through Georgetown, then Pennsylvania down to the White House, then New York back up to K Street and eastward from there.

Obstacle #1: It didn’t take me long to figure out that Mount Vernon Square is a bad, bad place to be on a bike. The NY Ave bike track just ends, and you’re on your own in a jungle of potholes, stalled cars, parked buses and unmarked lanes. My solution has been to go around – I angle off New York onto I Street (going through the plaza at CityCenterDC that once was a street), then left on 7th, then a simple right onto K. I’m curious if there’s a better way to get around Mount Vernon Square, though.

Obstacle #2: I may be crazy, but in the summer I would just plow straight through Washington Circle. Take a lane, be patient, wait for the lights, move with the cars as much as possible. With the change back to Standard Time, though, I’m suddenly very uncomfortable at being surrounded by cars like that in the dark, even with all my blinky lights. So I’ve been going around.

Now, L Street, with its semi-suicidal left-side bike track, peels off of Pennsylvania just before the circle. If you’re eastbound on Pennsylvania, how are you supposed to even get to it without getting killed?? I see guys all the time getting in the far left lane, but it’s like they’ve got a death wish. There’s four lanes of eastbound traffic, no protection and no escape route, and you’re in a spot where drivers really don’t expect you to be. I’ve been pulling to the curb at 25th Street and crossing with the light. It takes patience. But I don’t feel like I’m about to get squished.

The L Street path ends even more poorly than the NY Avenue one, and again the big obstacle is Mount Vernon Square. Mass Ave is so tightly packed you can’t even squeeze past at the curb. So taking L Street all the way isn’t a great option – you gotta bail at some point. Are there ANY south-bound streets that are bike friendly to get me back onto Pennsylvania and/or NY Ave?

If you’ve read all this, thank you!!

[americancyclo]

I’d probably go pas the White House, south on 15th and the east on E St until I got to union station and head north from there. Another option would be:
33rd
N st
27th
P st
21st
Q st
11th
N st
North Capitol

[huskerdont]

@repowers 129369 wrote:

If you were coming off the Key Bridge, and you had to get to K & North Capitol, how would you do it?

In the evenings I have been taking M Street through Georgetown, then Pennsylvania down to the White House, then New York back up to K Street and eastward from there.

Obstacle #1: It didn’t take me long to figure out that Mount Vernon Square is a bad, bad place to be on a bike. The NY Ave bike track just ends, and you’re on your own in a jungle of potholes, stalled cars, parked buses and unmarked lanes. My solution has been to go around – I angle off New York onto I Street (going through the plaza at CityCenterDC that once was a street), then left on 7th, then a simple right onto K. I’m curious if there’s a better way to get around Mount Vernon Square, though.

Obstacle #2: I may be crazy, but in the summer I would just plow straight through Washington Circle. Take a lane, be patient, wait for the lights, move with the cars as much as possible. With the change back to Standard Time, though, I’m suddenly very uncomfortable at being surrounded by cars like that in the dark, even with all my blinky lights. So I’ve been going around.

I do the Washington Circle route every day, but it is early in the morning before traffic is heavy. I still think that might be the best route. Then Penn through the White House/Lafayette Square area. I take G to Judiciary. For you, with H such a cluster right now, I think maybe dropping down to E Street may be the best route over 395. Takes you right to N. Capitol, then you can figure out the best route up to K.

G Street is fairly reasonable, though I have been hit in the bike lane there recently.

[scoot]

K Street also bridges over 395, so that might be your most convenient option, especially if you use the L Street cycletrack to cross downtown. You could try something like L to 11th to M to 4th to K.

[Steve O]

@repowers 129369 wrote:

Obstacle #2: I may be crazy, but in the summer I would just plow straight through Washington Circle. Take a lane, be patient, wait for the lights, move with the cars as much as possible. With the change back to Standard Time, though, I’m suddenly very uncomfortable at being surrounded by cars like that in the dark, even with all my blinky lights. So I’ve been going around.

Whitehurst.
Then take the tunnel under. See this post for details. You get your own private tunnel.

[huskerdont]

If M Street and Washington Circle are too hectic in the evenings (and Georgetown is far worse in the afternoons than the early mornings, I know), you could always do Water Street, then turn off of K before Washington Circle, say on 24th to I and then across the pedestrian plaza at GWU. I used to go this way years ago before I got accustomed to dealing with DC traffic, but it is a lot slower and you might have to walk the plaza part.

I don’t like the Whitehurst Freeway route myself, at least for the time of day I go in, which is early so traffic isn’t bad and drivers treat it like an Interstate. For me, the speed differentials are just too great. Running through those underpasses downtown is like a race against terror.

[gibby]

I’ve done this a couple times during the earlier part of the day and can imagine the dread of doing it during evening rush hour, but if you don’t mind going a few blocks further afield, Q St. goes all the way across town. It’s basically a 2 lane street (1 1/2 lanes at times) with very low volume traffic and the lights were pretty well timed for a decent cruising speed.
Or N St works too, once you get past about 17th St.

[kcb203]

I work at 7th and I and from the White House take NY to H Street. H Street is a good eastbound road for cycling.

[dasgeh]

Why are you taking the Key Bridge? Stay on the trail, take the TR Bridge, then take H to the White House to NY Ave. I’ve taken NY Ave to Mt Vernon Square a few times – I just used the sidewalk by the Museum, which I found plenty wide enough. I believe this is the border of the CBD, so it’s legal.

[scoot]

@dasgeh 130033 wrote:

Why are you taking the Key Bridge? Stay on the trail, take the TR Bridge

It sounds like the OP is a reverse commuter. I find crossing over TR to be quite unpleasant already when going with the primary flow of traffic. If heading into town during evening rush, I avoid it and take Key instead because it’s even less pleasant to encounter multiple oncoming bikes. Others’ mileage may vary.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Daylight’s nadir, but at least it was warm.

[Author]

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