Gap in Regional Bike Network? From Arlington across 14th St. Bridge to east + north

[Just161]

I know this isn’t quite in Arlington, but after a years’ commuting between DC and Arlington, it seems to me that there’s a sizable gap in the region’s bike network, and a good place to target improvements would be right around the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and Raul Wallenberg / Maine Ave area — or, by adding reasonable bike lanes/paths to the western half of the Mall.

14th Street Bridge seems the best connection from the Mt. Vernon Trail and the rest of the great trails in Arlington, TO the eastern side of DC – Union Station, Gallery Place, the ball park, Capitol Hill, etc. it’s better than beating through pedestrians around on the Mall to get to the Memorial Bridge. But this connection has major problems, particularly in the direction from Arlington to DC, from where you come down off the 14th St. bridge, to where you can pick up better bike routes on the Mall or in the neighborhoods in SW (Water St., e.g.).

Bikes using the 14th St. Bridge are funneled down one little stretch (in orange below) where there are tons of pedestrians, and we’re boxed in by highways on one side and the Tidal Basin on the other. Southbound you can ride in the road, but the cars move much faster than bikes on East Basine Drive, and northbound your have no choice but to either a) ride on the sidewalks or b) take a huge long-cut through Hains Point. Roads in this area are very inhospitable to bikes, and there’s not many good alternatives.

I’m guessing this is a major movement bikers want to make in this city, judging from my own (admittedly anecdotal) experience.

This problem could be addressed with a few targeted improvements — either by expanding east-west bike mobility on the Mall west of 14th street (Jefferson and Madison, and now PA Ave do this well but only east of 14th), or by improving bike access around the Jefferson and through the messy intersection at the yellow star below.

What do you think??

Topic

[Dirt]

You’re right…. The pinch point you identified is not a very pleasant place to ride. In the past I’ve done one of two things: Ridden the path with the pedestrians along the Jefferson/Tidal Basin area, or cut over to East Potomac Park and taken the path that leads up into L’Enfant Plaza. I then ride down to either Independence or ride along the mall, depending on my mood and traffic.

Neither alternative is great. I seem to have a higher tolerance for playing with traffic than most.

[Mark Blacknell]

Great post and great graphic. If the sidewalks aren’t crowded (i.e., when it’s not summer), I’ll roll past the TJ Memorial until I can catch the road coming out of Hains Point and then take the lane from there all the way up Raoul Wallenberg Dr. then jumping onto Madison or Independence.

There’s plenty of room on Independence for a bike lane.

[Just161]

Yeah, the sidewalks around TJ and East Basin Drive aren’t bad in the winter. During Cherry Blossoms, they’re virtually impossible – even on foot! In April I’ve even tried the big long-cut around the top of Hains Point (Buckeye Dr) just to come out on the other side of East Basin drive.

I personally find Independence, East Basin, and Raul Wallenburg to be completely un-bikable at rush hour – it’s all commuters going super-fast, and there are few shoulders on these “parkways”. I’ve had alot of bad experiences trying to take the whole lane.

Mark you make a good point – Independence from 14th to the Lincoln might be a perfect place for a bike lane. It could even be made as an addition to the sidewalk on the Mall side. (how would it work on that little bridge?) This would make the east DC-to-Arlington movement much easier – you could just roll all the way to the Memorial Bridge. The only drawback with using the Memorial Bridge is the pretty horribly unsafe at-grade “crosswalk” across the GW Parkway to get to the MVT and other trails in Arlington.

[kt543]

Cool map! Thanks! Is it a problem at all times? Are certain times of the day better than others?

[gregbilling]

Here is another possible solution. From the Mount Vernon trail:

Ride across the 14th Street bridge (I-395).
Turn left at the end of the bridge and walk your bike down the stairs to Ohio Drive
Ride Southeast (left turn) on Ohio Drive to Buckeye Drive (turn left)
Turn left on the unnamed street off Buckeye. Ride to sidepath/sidewalk on the bridge
Ride across the bridge to the L’Enfant Promenade.
Ride north on the L’Enfant Promenade

Greg

[Author]

Replies