Gravel on W&OD

[eminva]

Hello —

This thread is inspired by the report of the unfortunate incident on the Fresh Bikes ride last night.

For what reason have they spread gravel along the sides of the W&OD? First they did it in Vienna after the repaving, and now they’ve done it on the bridle path in Falls Church, which is immediately adjacent to the trail in some spots. I realize with repaving there is a steep drop off at the edge of the trail, but is gravel the best solution to that problem?

The result is that there is really no bail out option if you have a sudden obstacle in your path. The gravel does not make for a soft landing for people who run off the trail (I’m thinking kids on bikes, skateboards, etc.). And finally, the gravel works its way on the trail and creates a hazard.

I’ve been meaning to bring a broom out to the trail on a weekend to clean up the area around the small sidepath in Vienna where I exit the trail. It was been really tough getting through there safely since they laid the gravel, which gets all over the W&OD as well as the sidepath.

Liz

Topic

[acc]

I’ll be out there this morning by ten and get it cleaned off.
I’m almost certain I know where you enter the W&OD.

[GuyContinental]

@eminva 27618 wrote:

Hello —
For what reason have they spread gravel along the sides of the W&OD? First they did it in Vienna after the repaving, and now they’ve done it on the bridle path in Falls Church, which is immediately adjacent to the trail in some spots. I realize with repaving there is a steep drop off at the edge of the trail, but is gravel the best solution to that problem?

I’m pretty far from a civil engineer but I think that the problem is twofold- drainage and wear. If you think back to when the Vienna section was rebuilt you’ll remember that the drop is fully 10″ from the paved surface to the bottom, a gap that is now filled with gravel. The gravel + trench probably forms a french drain that clears water from the trail. Without the combo you would get standing water which erodes the sides of the trail and pools in low spots. Worse, add a zillion runner ninja footfalls and now you have a hard packed, non-draining trench.

As for the lose gravel- I actually have a real answer for that- twice now I’ve seen utility/tree trucks in the Vienna section running (albeit slowly) with dual wheels in the gravel which kicks out a ton of loose rock. Both times they have done a reasonable job of cleaning up after themselves but the debris was substantial.

Over time the gravel will silt in a bit (think the Reston – Herndon section) and make for a better landing pad and be more resistant to spreading debris. Also, there aren’t a whole lot of “bail-outs” on streets, bridges, trails or most other terrain- I’m not sure that they need to be explicitly designed in on MUPs either. Heck, I’ve seen MUPs (in Portland) that dealt with drainage simply by leaving the ditch… if you think that the gravel is bad, imagine launching into a foot-deep rock-lined canal!

[vvill]

We all just need a gravel racing bike.

http://salsacycles.com/culture/new_for_2013_introducing_warbird/

[eminva]

@acc 27619 wrote:

I’ll be out there this morning by ten and get it cleaned off.
I’m almost certain I know where you enter the W&OD.

Wow, thank you! No problem if you don’t, though — I think I’ll remember this weekend.

And vvill, I need another bike like I need a hole in my head. Although this goes to show, there truly is a bike for every situation.

Liz

[acc]

I just swept around Talahi and the W&OD. If that isn’t the spot let me know.

[GuyContinental]

If I carried a backpack or a panier I’d have room for a dust broom! Alternatively, come October I could be the riding Warlock with one of THESE shoved in my jersey.

We are all stewards of the trail- if you see a dangerous situation with debris or downed branches, take the minute it takes to clear it a bit.

[jcpetrson]

As a runner, I am very thankful for the gravel. It’s much better surface for my knees and gets me away from Lance Armstrong. The W&OD team are excellent in keeping the trail clean and debris free.

[eminva]

@jcpetrson 27645 wrote:

As a runner, I am very thankful for the gravel. It’s much better surface for my knees and gets me away from Lance Armstrong. The W&OD team are excellent in keeping the trail clean and debris free.

I was thinking that gravel was too big to run in — pea gravel would make a nice running surface, I would think. But you are saying you like to run in that big gravel? I am just asking out of curiosity. Also, when I used to run, I once fell while running in extremely deep, big gravel (at much higher altitude than what I was used to. I was actually hoping my running companion wouldn’t notice me and I could just die there).

Liz

[eminva]

@acc 27643 wrote:

I just swept around Talahi and the W&OD. If that isn’t the spot let me know.

YAY! I’ll keep an eye on it and get out there with a broom as needed, too.

Liz

[dasgeh]

@GuyContinental 27644 wrote:

We are all stewards of the trail- if you see a dangerous situation with debris or downed branches, take the minute it takes to clear it a bit.

Exactly thinking when keeps moving a barrier out of the way to allow access between the “bike parking” and the MVT at TR Island.

[chris_s]

@GuyContinental 27644 wrote:

If I carried a backpack or a panier I’d have room for a dust broom!

This is such a common problem I’m of half a mind to buy a bunch of cheap Walmart brooms and hide them strategically along the local trails. Mark them with a secret sign or something so we can all find them when the need arises.

[JimK]

I hit a relatively large piece of that white rock while turning from the W&OD on to the connector trail to Owaissa. It blew a hole in my Conti 4000S front tire that was only about 80 miles old and inflated to about 115 psi. Fortunately, Performance gave me a new tire, no questions asked. I’ve been carefully avoiding gravel since then.

[Arlingtonrider]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1546[/ATTACH] It does help to carry a little broom sometimes.

[bobco85]

Alright, I’ve been considering trail clean-up through carrying a broom on me for quite a while now, and about a week ago actually started looking into ways to make it happen without success. Is there a way to get a broom that either folds/unscrews/telescopes to a normal size (longer than 3 feet) that will fit in a backpack? I’ve been searching online for one, but the problems seem to be: too expensive (I’m looking for a <$30 fix here), brush part too small, or too flimsy (will be used in rough outdoor environments). All I really need to find is the pole part with a screw at the bottom to fit into a typical broom brush (they all seem to screw in). Anybody have any ideas?

[Certifried]

@Arlingtonrider 28509 wrote:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1546[/ATTACH] It does help to carry a little broom sometimes.

I will see your broom, and raise you a sweeper

[Author]

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