February 2015 Trail Conditions

[Powerful Pete]

Happy to report that Hains Point is gloriously clear. Thanks NPS…

[PotomacCyclist]

Send them over to the MVT next.

[kingman762]

@jopamora 108788 wrote:

The circled part of the path is unplowed, but walkable. The rest is pretty clear.

Agreed. Memorial bridge to the pentagon reservation is a mess. You can ride it without studs (it’s hard packed snow) if you keep up your momentum and go straight. Otherwise it’s hike a bike for 100 yards or so. Once again the pentagon has done a great job and it’s clear from there on.

Also the pavement in front of the Lincoln memorial is mostly snow/ice except for a couple shoveled ways. The paths along the reflecting pool are also hard packed snow and ice up to the ww II Memorial, partly sanded. Rideable without studs if you keep your momentum and go straight (the pedestrians make it a challenge though).

[Harry Meatmotor]

@Mikey 108807 wrote:

There is a foot-wide melt path along the 14th street bridge except for the last 100 feet on the VA side, probably due to the salt laden plow wash that hit the main span of the bridge path. The last 100 feet and the MVT, suck, the humpback is only walkable at this point. The case bridge was plowed, as was the Washington channel waterfront near the titanic memorial. sidewalks around thsouthern end of lenfant plaza were not.

I think that update might seal the deal for me for tomorrow’s commute. I’ll give it a whirl and write up a report once i get into the office and settled. route in tomorrow = 4mr @ S. Glebe to S. Eads to 18th St. to Boundary Channel to LBJ park to MVT to 14th St. Br.

normal (dry) 9+ mile commute in takes ~30 minutes—35 minutes max. anything more than 45 minutes = fail in terms of worthiness. I know, I’m a picky SOB…

Thanks a bunch for the update!!!

[jrenaut]

DC bike lanes are still crap. They plowed 15th NW again and it’s passable but it’s slushy (and likely frozen by now). W NW is unusable. 11th NW north of Florida has stretches that are clear but usually not for a full block.

I wish DDOT would stop crowing about how they’ve been on every block in the city when it’s clear they aren’t considering the bike lanes.

However, the nicest part of my commute was PA Ave where you could see the tracks where u-turners went right over the snow-covered zebras.

[peterw_diy]

@jrenaut 108824 wrote:

DC bike lanes are still crap. …

I wish DDOT would stop crowing about how they’ve been on every block in the city when it’s clear they aren’t considering the bike lanes

So take the lane, right? IMO clearing MUPs like Custis & 4MR (& MVT, boo!!) is more important than bike lanes that share asphalt with auto lanes.

[dasgeh]

@peterw_diy 108825 wrote:

So take the lane, right? IMO clearing MUPs like Custis & 4MR (& MVT, boo!!) is more important than bike lanes that share asphalt with auto lanes.

I agree when you’re talking about “just paint” bike lanes, but when you’re talking about the 15th Street Cycletrack/Protected bike lane, just no. That should be cleared, and cleared as well as an MUP (which has to be cleared _better_ than a road, because there are no cars driving on it to finish the job).

[Rod Smith]

…and cars can slip a little bit without tipping over.

[dbb]

@Harry Meatmotor 108823 wrote:

I think that update might seal the deal for me for tomorrow’s commute. I’ll give it a whirl and write up a report once i get into the office and settled. route in tomorrow = 4mr @ S. Glebe to S. Eads to 18th St. to Boundary Channel to LBJ park to MVT to 14th St. Br.

When you come through the Columbia Island marina parking lot towards the tunnel under the Humpback Bridge, take the plowed path that leads to the marina storage and cut across the grass to your left to the trail. Will reduce the amount of snow you ride across or walk by 100 feet or so.

[DismalScientist]

Trail on south side of 50 between Rosslyn and Pershing is untreated.

[jrenaut]

@peterw_diy 108825 wrote:

So take the lane, right? IMO clearing MUPs like Custis & 4MR (& MVT, boo!!) is more important than bike lanes that share asphalt with auto lanes.

I absolutely do take the lane, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay. DC has decided bike lanes are important, which is wonderful, but then when it gets a little difficult to maintain them they conveniently forget.

[Mikey]

@Harry Meatmotor 108823 wrote:

I think that update might seal the deal for me for tomorrow’s commute. I’ll give it a whirl and write up a report once i get into the office and settled. route in tomorrow = 4mr @ S. Glebe to S. Eads to 18th St. to Boundary Channel to LBJ park to MVT to 14th St. Br.

normal (dry) 9+ mile commute in takes ~30 minutes—35 minutes max. anything more than 45 minutes = fail in terms of worthiness. I know, I’m a picky SOB…

Thanks a bunch for the update!!!

My commute from the Pentagon to buzzards point normally takes me 25min. Today was double that, and I rode at speed from the Pentagon to the Columbia island bridge, through the marina parking lot, and from the north end of the bridge to the waterfront.

[PotomacCyclist]

Most of the Eads St. bike lanes appear to be plowed, but I saw a couple short sections that have piles of snow/slush in them.

[wheelswings]

@colleen 108818 wrote:

Does anyone have a report on the WOD between Shirlington and Columbia Pike this afternoon?

The WOD was packed in snow and ice, not ride-able… at least not the parts I saw, which were between Shirlington Road (you can ride with the traffic along Four Mile Run Drive instead, like I did, but it’s not so fun) and George Mason Drive (I cut up 16th St. and zig-zag’ed up the map on the assumption that the rest of the WOD would be equally hopeless).

Sorry the WOD news isn’t better….

[peterw_diy]

@jrenaut 108830 wrote:

I absolutely do take the lane, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay.

Be sure to complain via something like http://311.dc.gov so DC is more likely to do something. Squeaky wheel.

[Author]

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