Gallows Road 66 Overpass/Bridge – Disappearing Lanes

[Tania]

@MRH5028 139691 wrote:

When heading north on Gallows Road near the Dunn Loring Metro there is no bike lane, which is fine until you get to the light before the 66 bridge. When heading north I’ll stay in the third lane in from the right (from the right lanes go turning, straight, straight, straight, left turn) The first straight lane disappears right before the bridge. The scary part is when I’m in the third lane and somebody goes in that first straight lane and tries to cut over into the two remaining lanes. I don’t like to take that first straight lane as I feel like I would be pinched when crossing bridge. What is the best option in this situation? I would prefer to avoid the sidewalk as it is narrow.

On the southbound side things are about the same, the bike lane disappears before the bridge and you are faced with same option – take sidewalk or squeeze over bridge.

Anybody else ride this section frequently? What works best for N and S bound? I ask because I’m starting to bike commute more and there is more traffic than when I head out for my recreational rides. Thanks!

I ride this area very often (it’s my ‘hood). The short answer is: take the lane. Cars will try to squeeze past you otherwise. I almost always take the lane although I do also sometimes take the sidewalk.

Heading north I’m usually out so early (NLT 7am) that taking the lane isn’t that big a deal and I can time the light at the metro (read: run the red light) to get out and farther up the road before that light turns green and cars start coming. I turn onto gallows from prosperity and take that far right pseudo-turn lane until the light at Avenir and then take the right travel lane until the bike lane starts up at Cedar.

Coming home – it depends. Sometime traffic is backed up pretty badly so I just wait in line with the rest of the cars. Taking the lane then isn’t that big a deal because I can go just as fast as the cars. If traffic isn’t backed up (but it’s still rush hour) and I just don’t feel like dealing with potentially nasty drivers, I’ll hop on the sidewalk at Cottage. I know, I know. But cars there can sometimes just be too aggressive (what 35mph speed limit?). When I’m on the sidewalk I go no faster than someone jogging and always give way to pedestrians.

I’ve only had one bit of nastiness taking the lane, so it’s not so bad. I do hustle though.

[MRH5028]

Taking the lane seems to be the best option, especially because the shoulders over the bridge have a lot of debris.

[dplasters]

While not on gallows, i ride on 29 where it meets gallows further south of there. Take the lane is the only option if you’re using the road. 100% with Tania on the options casual and patient on the sidewalk or moving quick taking the lane.

[huskerdont]

@Tania 139699 wrote:

I ride this area very often (it’s my ‘hood). The short answer is: take the lane. Cars will try to squeeze past you otherwise. I almost always take the lane although I do also sometimes take the sidewalk.

Heading north I’m usually out so early (NLT 7am) that taking the lane isn’t that big a deal and I can time the light at the metro (read: run the red light) to get out and farther up the road before that light turns green and cars start coming. I turn onto gallows from prosperity and take that far right pseudo-turn lane until the light at Avenir and then take the right travel lane until the bike lane starts up at Cedar.

Coming home – it depends. Sometime traffic is backed up pretty badly so I just wait in line with the rest of the cars. Taking the lane then isn’t that big a deal because I can go just as fast as the cars. If traffic isn’t backed up (but it’s still rush hour) and I just don’t feel like dealing with potentially nasty drivers, I’ll hop on the sidewalk at Cottage. I know, I know. But cars there can sometimes just be too aggressive (what 35mph speed limit?). When I’m on the sidewalk I go no faster than someone jogging and always give way to pedestrians.

I’ve only had one bit of nastiness taking the lane, so it’s not so bad. I do hustle though.

I’ve been thinking about this post for the better part of a day now and my final thoughts end up being the same as my initial impression: it just shouldn’t be this difficult to figure out how to ride to work without getting hit or hitting pedestrians.

Sure, some of us will go through all the ins and outs of what route to take to avoid a major road if you can, and whether to hop on the sidewalk or take the lane or hug the shoulder and when to do which, but the average person starting out is just not going to find it worth it. If I hadn’t had the Custis all those years ago, I never would have started. And DC, for all its faults, is better in some ways because the speed limits are lower than out in the suburbs. I’ve been hit in DC and it sucked but was no big deal because the idiot was going 15 mph, but if you get hit on Gallows you’re likely done. I commend all of you who bother to figure all this out, but I’m thankful my commute is easier than this.

[dplasters]

@huskerdont 139803 wrote:

I’ve been thinking about this post for the better part of a day now and my final thoughts end up being the same as my initial impression: it just shouldn’t be this difficult to figure out how to ride to work without getting hit or hitting pedestrians.

This is of course the reality out here, but I agree with you. The Vienna to Dunn Loring metro corridor and surrounding areas should be very bikeable but it is simply not. The corridor is expected to see large population growth with developments going up all around the Mosaic District, Fairfax Circle, Vienna Metro South etc etc. While Fairfax County has not planned for this at all, the reality is that in the next 5-10 years there will be so much added congestion to Lee Highway/Gallows Road/50 that the speed limits might not come down, but the actual speed of traffic will be a crawl for much of the day.

There should be bike lanes on Gallows from the Mosaic District to the W&O. There should be bike lanes on Lee Highway from Hilltop to Fairvew Park (although ideally there should just be bike lanes from Kamp Washington all the way in on 29 until about Fairview Park – which then would allow you to swing down to Route 50 inside the beltway and use the “Arlington Blvd Trail” but 50 at and outside the beltway is an unfixable disaster and 29 is already chocked full of lights, so basically just use that instead). I’m excited about the extension of the custis with the 66 work, but that doesn’t address going south(gallows, mosaic) and it keeps bikes in fairfax county as trail things. On/near street facilities are more visible and in my mind, more viable towards the long term goal of getting people to take a bike if its only a few miles. Trails are nice, but they don’t tend to go to stores, you still have to get on the road to get to stores and businesses.

I have long dreamed of being shoaled by a bakfiets at the intersection of 29 and gallows. It will happen one day. Maybe.

[Tania]

@huskerdont 139803 wrote:

I’ve been thinking about this post for the better part of a day now and my final thoughts end up being the same as my initial impression: it just shouldn’t be this difficult to figure out how to ride to work without getting hit or hitting pedestrians.

Sure, some of us will go through all the ins and outs of what route to take to avoid a major road if you can, and whether to hop on the sidewalk or take the lane or hug the shoulder and when to do which, but the average person starting out is just not going to find it worth it. If I hadn’t had the Custis all those years ago, I never would have started. And DC, for all its faults, is better in some ways because the speed limits are lower than out in the suburbs. I’ve been hit in DC and it sucked but was no big deal because the idiot was going 15 mph, but if you get hit on Gallows you’re likely done. I commend all of you who bother to figure all this out, but I’m thankful my commute is easier than this.

My commute truly isn’t all that bad – I’m only without a bike lane for maybe 3/4 of a mile total (and I’m only on the no-bike-lane part of Gallows for 1/4 mile). But you’re right about Gallows: the speed limit is 35mph but almost no one does that. And I do have the option of taking Cedar to Sandburg if I just don’t feel like dealing with cars although I do still have to ride on the no-bike-lane part of Gallows (or sidewalk) to get there.

I only feel a teeny tiny bit bad for taking the lane on Gallows. It’s two lanes each direction so it’s easy enough for cars to pass me. Now if I DIDN’T take the lane, it would be sketchy as all get out with the close passes…

99% of the time heading north I take the lane. Coming home I’d say it’s 50/50 between taking the lane and sidewalk. Either way, it’s still the best part of my day.

[Tania]

@dplasters 139812 wrote:

large population growth with developments going up all around the Mosaic District, Fairfax Circle, Vienna Metro South etc etc. While Fairfax County has not planned for this at all, the reality is that in the next 5-10 years there will be so much added congestion to Lee Highway/Gallows Road/50 that the speed limits might not come down, but the actual speed of traffic will be a crawl for much of the day.

There are so many wide roads in the area begging for a road diet. I think about this every time I drive on Merrilee (which parallels Gallows) – it’s wide enough for four lanes although it’s only two and the 25mph speed limit is a joke. It’s also a good alternative to Gallows (Merrilee down to Eskridge to 50 then down past the hospital). Just watch for the crazy drivers coming out of Home Depot.

[lordofthemark]

Actually going south from Dunn Loring is not that bad. When I lived in Annandale, and still rode an undersized beater, the ride to Dunn Loring was one of the few low stress routes out of Annandale – up back streets to the Gallows bridge over I495, then around the Inova hospital grounds to Wiliams, then up Eskridge (sometimes detouring into Mosaic) to Merrilee. (The worst part was a short stretch south of the beltway crossing, where the only options were taking the lane on Gallows, or riding a narrow, bad sidewalk)

But of course I had to figure that out – on my own or with help here. I suppose folks can use google maps to find routes, but that does not tell you stress levels necessarily, and often shows unbikeable walking trails (with stairs, for example) as bike trails. Good bike route signage is an underappreciated form of biking infra.

Also of course, up to a few years ago, Fairfax was making almost no effort to do anything about bikeability, other than trails. They have moved far, but it is a big county, lots of places need improvement, and compared to DC, Arlington, or even Alexandria, biking (and walking, BTW) is still not a high priority to most citizens.

As for planning, they are working on it

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/merrifield/

The big infra they placed was the expanded rte 29/ Gallows intersection, which has (I guess) improved auto LOS, but made it more difficult to cross the street. And the rebuilding of the garage/bus transfer station at the metro station itself.

[Steve O]

@huskerdont 139803 wrote:

I’ve been thinking about this post for the better part of a day now and my final thoughts end up being the same as my initial impression: it just shouldn’t be this difficult to figure out how to ride to work without getting hit or hitting pedestrians.

Sure, some of us will go through all the ins and outs of what route to take to avoid a major road if you can, and whether to hop on the sidewalk or take the lane or hug the shoulder and when to do which, but the average person starting out is just not going to find it worth it. If I hadn’t had the Custis all those years ago, I never would have started. And DC, for all its faults, is better in some ways because the speed limits are lower than out in the suburbs. I’ve been hit in DC and it sucked but was no big deal because the idiot was going 15 mph, but if you get hit on Gallows you’re likely done. I commend all of you who bother to figure all this out, but I’m thankful my commute is easier than this.

Hear! Hear!
May I encourage you to get involved in your local bike advocacy/promotion/citizens group, etc. Alexandria has its BPAC, Arlington has the BAC, Fairfax has FABB (does it also have a citizens’ committee?), DC has an advisory committee. Not sure about MoCo or PG. Also, if you don’t belong to WABA, join. They work tirelessly to make this all better.

You are absolutely correct. The major obstacle to the vast majority of people riding their bikes–either to work or for other transportation–is fear. Whether or not that fear is rational is irrelevant. Yes, we all know there are routes and techniques that make us relatively safe, but most people do not know these things and they perceive it as crazy to ride in “that traffic!”

We must make the infrastructure such that you don’t have to be brave. We need to Build it for Isabella.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]11775[/ATTACH]

[mstone]

@dplasters 139812 wrote:

50 at and outside the beltway is an unfixable disaster[/quote]

It’s fixable, VDOT just doesn’t GAF about people not in cars so they don’t want to fix it. That’s a different problem.

[mstone]

@Tania 139815 wrote:

There are so many wide roads in the area begging for a road diet.

In general, VDOT will do the opposite and build a wider road based on traffic projections that making it interstate-grade is the only way to avoid the collapse of civilization. They still talk about how successful the diet on Lawyers Road was, but they’ve built quite a few new stroads since then. It would take something huge to get VDOT to change (basically, wresting control away from Richmond, separating Loudoun & PWC from Fairfax & Arlington, and then intense local advocacy to overcome the resistance of the pro-car supervisors in FFX). I’m hoping for tiny victories at best.

[dplasters]

@mstone 139841 wrote:

In general, VDOT will do the opposite and build a wider road based on traffic projections that making it interstate-grade is the only way to avoid the collapse of civilization.

My only glimmer of hope on this point is that there simply isn’t any more cheap land for them to expand on in the area. Merrilee is fully developed for all but the stretch near the home depot/storage facility, but Halstead has narrowed the road quite a bit as well as the Mosaic district.

Widening any of the other major roads for any serious stretch would cost an unbelievable amount of money.

[mstone]

@dplasters 139868 wrote:

My only glimmer of hope on this point is that there simply isn’t any more cheap land for them to expand on in the area. Merrilee is fully developed for all but the stretch near the home depot/storage facility, but Halstead has narrowed the road quite a bit as well as the Mosaic district.

Widening any of the other major roads for any serious stretch would cost an unbelievable amount of money.

There are still the sidewalks! Also, there are still quite a few spots where there’s unused ROW on either side of a smaller road (depends on when the road was laid out). Finally, there’s recurring talk of things like taking the stretch of 50 from fair oaks to loudoun and turning it into an interstate, compete with flyover ramps and cloverleafs. Yeah, the money is the only thing holding them up, but I figure they can find a billion dollars for something like that easier than they can find ten million in bike/ped projects. (Hell, they never even managed to clean up all the sand they dumped on almost every sidewalk in fairfax this winter–something they wouldn’t even have to hear complaints about if they tore them out to add lane-miles.)

[MRH5028]

Glad this thread has sparked some discussion about infrastructure in the area. This morning on my ride in instead of making the left onto Gallows from Prosperity, I stayed straight and cut through the condo development. I then made the right onto Gallows at Belleforest/Avenir. This let me get the jump on cars on Gallows when the light changed. Worked pretty well.

I think simply putting sharrows and some “bikes may use full lane” signage near the bridge would help things a lot, at least by making cars more aware.

The sidewalk over the bridge is very narrow and I think if using that route I would get off and walk my bike, in case another bike or pedestrian comes the other way.

[Tania]

Strava leads me to believe that you [MRH5028] were right behind me this am on Gallows!

[Author]

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