HELP! Moving to town: avid commuter (365, rain, sleet or snow)… where to live?

[eminva]

@WillStewart 15076 wrote:

Does anyone commute in from the Kensington or Silver Spring area? Are the Beach Rd and Rock Creek Parkway trails suitable to commute in on?

I used to commute from Takoma to downtown DC and I took 14th Street. Rock Creek Park was a possibility, but much more time consuming — too twisty/turny and less direct. Much of 14th Street had bike lanes, although there were always the busses to contend with (I imagine it is the same today).

Liz

[SilverSpring]

I commute in from Silver Spring just near the Takoma Park border (so we’re allowed to have nuclear weapons in the basement) and a few blocks from the Montgomery College campus. I take 14th, too, although sometime what I perceive as the hills are a bit much. I vary it with 5th/6th which is a pretty straight shot downtown to 10th and Penn. There’s a bit of bike signage and perhaps a mile or two of bike lane, but I’ve never found it too trafficky either morning or evening (save for crossing New York by the Police station). Either way is 7-8 miles (although I take the CCT for a longer ride on nice days).

[thecyclingeconomist]

Is the trail through Rock Creek Park north to Chevy-Chase/South Kensington safe?

[DismalScientist]

@thecyclingeconomist 15091 wrote:

Is the trail through Rock Creek Park north to Chevy-Chase/South Kensington safe?

From crime: probably yes.

From bad design (narrow lanes and tight turns), missing asphalt, kamikaze joggers, locked gates at the zoo: probably not.

[creadinger]

@DismalScientist 15092 wrote:

From crime: probably yes. From bad design (narrow lanes and tight turns), missing asphalt, kamikaze joggers, locked gates at the zoo: probably not.

Unfortunately the depressing scientist is correct. The trail in DC is safe enough, but it’s poorly maintained and in some spots the engineering clearly shows that the trail was an afterthought. I think that on a daily basis this would be maddeningly frustrating. I used to ride it every now and then for fun, but as the fun factor diminished I took other routes.

Once you get out of the District though, you can probably jump on the road (Beach Drive, Jones Mill Road) as it widens out a bit. In DC Beach drive is really narrow and it’s somewhat of a commuting artery for people looking to avoid 16th street and I don’t know if dealing with angry drivers trying to pass you on a narrow road would be something you’d want to deal with daily either.

Like others have already mentioned, I think your best bet is to jog a bit to the east to get on the bike lanes of 14th St, or go a little west and take the Capitol Crescent Trail. Which ever suits you best.

[thecyclingeconomist]

Thanks again! I just was hoping to have a less urban (off city streets), more natural surrounding when riding in. I guess 14th is the best route North to South in and out of the district.

Is the W&OD trail well maintained out to Vienna then?

[KLizotte]

@thecyclingeconomist 15161 wrote:

Thanks again! I just was hoping to have a less urban (off city streets), more natural surrounding when riding in. I guess 14th is the best route North to South in and out of the district.

Is the W&OD trail well maintained out to Vienna then?

WO&D, Capital Crescent, MVT, and Four Mile Run are all in good to excellent condition and are popular commuter routes. Custis is bumpy in some parts due to tree roots pushing through the asphalt but it is slated to be repaved in sections over the next year or so. I can’t speak with authority on the other trails (those in MD for instance). I would agree that the trail running through Rock Creek Park itself is only good for weekend travel due to its design and poor maintenance (riding on Beach Drive on the weekends when the roads are closed to traffic is great fun though).

[americancyclo]

If you haven’t checked the google maps with bike route overlay, here is the route most folks (I think) would take from Vienna, VA to 11th and K St. It’s about 80% off street paved trails. Almost 100% through VA, but once you get to DC, you’re going to have to ride on some streets a bit. This would work for your commute in, but I might revise it a bit for the ride home.

http://g.co/maps/cw4hp

[eminva]

@americancyclo 15175 wrote:

If you haven’t checked the google maps with bike route overlay, here is the route most folks (I think) would take from Vienna, VA to 11th and K St. It’s about 80% off street paved trails. Almost 100% through VA, but once you get to DC, you’re going to have to ride on some streets a bit. This would work for your commute in, but I might revise it a bit for the ride home.

http://g.co/maps/cw4hp

That takes you on M Street, Pennsylvania and L Street, which is fine (I do it), but he expressed a reluctance for city streets, and those are some congested streets with the usual assortment of urban hazards (delivery trucks stopped at the curb during rush hour, busses all over the place, taxis pulling random u-turns, etc.).

You could add a bit of distance and take the Roosevelt Bridge and go through the GW Campus on H Street (urban streets, but very tame). You could add more distance and take the MVT or W&OD down to the 14th Street Bridge and using a combination of National Park Service land and 15th Street cycletracks, get most of the way without too much time on city streets.

I live in Vienna and can highly recommend it as a place for a family. My commute is 14 miles each way, though, and I’m only going to 18th & L.

Liz

P.S. to the OP: The W&OD is very well maintained out to Vienna. It is very beautiful and natural; takes my breath away every morning when I turn onto it.

[americancyclo]

@eminva 15180 wrote:

That takes you on M Street, Pennsylvania and L Street, which is fine (I do it), but he expressed a reluctance for city streets

Liz, you bring up a good point. TCE is going to have to figure out how much ‘city’ he’s willing to deal with on his commute (Wherever he ends up). We all have our own personal tolerance levels.
@eminva 15180 wrote:

those are some congested streets with the usual assortment of urban hazards (delivery trucks stopped at the curb during rush hour, buses all over the place, taxis pulling random u-turns, etc.).

I find there is an enormous difference in the level of traffic and activity on M St. depending on how late I’m running. Between 6:30-7:00am, it’s not bad at all, and I usually have the street to myself. After 7:45am it begins to turn in to a zoo. Don’t even get me started on approaching that area for the afternoon commute home. I used to split traffic lanes, but now I save myself time and stress by taking the Roosevelt in to VA on the way home.

[Terpfan]

I grew up in Moco, livaed in College Park, lived in upper NW (Shephard Park), and now live in Alexandria. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to all of them. Arlington’s definitly an option too. My suspicion is that affordability may be more of the headache you run into than anything else.

I didn’t read pages 3 and 4 fully so I’m not sure if anyone pointed out that you can’t take your bike on the Metro during rush hour. Only during ‘off-peak’ hours. However, you can put it on the front of a Metrobus fairly easily at all times. I say this because if you’re looking at portions of DC, the bus routes run fairly late (somtimes later than Metro such as 16th Street routes) and in certain parts of the city you can still find kind of what you’re looking for. In DC, maybe between Upshur Park and Sherman Circle. I know of at least one rental property there that met your criteria (I think it was slightly less than your total budget and did have a garage). In DC, garages are fairly rare and pretty much confined to outter portions of DC. As for education for kids, yah I wouldn’t send kids to DCPS except in a few rare occassions (I think the school here is decent–closer to Shep Park you get a great ES, but then it goes downhill).

In MoCo, you’re not going to be the distance you want with those parameters. I mean that’s basically Bethesda or Silver Spring. Maybe you could find something in Langley Parkish area, but then you run into the safety issue you described. But you will get the good schools. Takoma wasn’t a bad recommendation although 3bdrm and garage may be closer to 3k there I would guess.

Arlington–I would defer to others here, but there schools are better than Alexandria imo.

Alexandria–what you want you won’t find in Old Town for that price. You may be able to find it a few miles south down Rt 1 in the communities between the Pkwy and Rt 1. However, then your commute will be 10miles minimum (from Old Town to there is probably 8.5 I would guess).

As for maintenance of trails–I’m not sure what you’re comparing them to, but I would say they’re all in good shape. Each have a few sections with bumps due to tree roots, but nothing too bad. The bigger problem is the volume of people on them in good weather times.

My 2 cents worth for you. Vienna is probably a good choice for you.

[WillStewart]

@Terpfan 15213 wrote:

I’m not sure if anyone pointed out that you can’t take your bike on the Metro during rush hour. Only during ‘off-peak’ hours. However, you can put it on the front of a Metrobus fairly easily at all times.

Many good points, Terpfan, just wanted to point out that a folder can be taken on Metro anytime if wrapped in something (and I’ve seen simple canvass ‘throw over’ sacks stitched together just for this purpose).

From Metro’s website:

“Folding bicycles and non-collapsible bicycles of all types that are folded or disassembled and enclosed in carrying bags, cases or boxes are deemed “luggage” items and are permitted inside railcars at all times. The carrying bags or cases must be made of a sturdy material such as canvas, nylon or leather-type materials.”

http://www.wmata.com/getting_around/bike_ride/guidelines.cfm

[thecyclingeconomist]

Thanks for the further details. Let me reiterate that I am not freaked by the thought of ANY urban commuting, but mainly do not want the majority of by daily commute to be with cars (I don’t want to breath their exhaust, and car congested streets are not beautiful to look at IMO.)

I used to cycle-commute in Los Angeles! There aren’t even bike lanes as part of any thought process there… I built a 29er so I could bunny hop 2 foot curbs to get out of the way of buses/semi-trucks going 50mph where there was no shoulder. I’m all good with a little bit… but it sounds to me like the W&OD trail is what I want to ride daily.

To do the folder legitimately, I might have to get a bike-friday! That makes 12 bikes I need to house now. Thanks a lot!

Last question: what about the cycling route along the banks of the Potomac going up and out northwest from the district?

Thank you again for the overwhelming response and VERY helpful hints. Honestly, this is what is dictating where I live more than any other information.

[WillStewart]

@thecyclingeconomist 15268 wrote:

To do the folder legitimately, I might have to get a bike-friday! That makes 12 bikes I need to house now. Thanks a lot!

The Bike Friday Sat R Day is an interesting option as is the TW Bents Cobra. You could always reprioritize what you want to keep in your current stable.

A note about Vienna (I grew up there) – it might be possible to find a 3BR house for $2500, but most of the older houses there do not have garages. A large percentage have basements, however, and many of them are walkout.

The Metro is not that close to the trail, though there are bus routes that make getting to the trail or the Metro fairly easy. And if you bike to the Metro and park there, no need for a folder, obviously.

If you lived generally near the intersection of Park St and Moore St (many older affordable homes over there, especially to the North, though not many garages and not necessarily many basements), you’d be near the Fairfax Connector 462 bus route to Metro to take you to the Metro, and a very close to the WO&D trail.

Also, within the route of the 463 bus are neighborhoods along Electric Avenue, Follin Lane, etc, which are right by the trail and are a mix of older affordable homes and newer expensive ones (you’ll see night and day differences in Vienna, sometimes side by side).

This google map will be helpful if you also click on the “Bicycling” layer to highlight the WO&D and feeders.

One last note, in addition to Vienna and Falls Church, also consider the small unincorporated gems like Dunn Loring and Idylwood which are also along the trail, near metro, and have older affordable homes. You’ll see these east of Vienna on the google map link above. Southern McLean might be an option, though price might be an issue.

@thecyclingeconomist 15268 wrote:

Last question: what about the cycling route along the banks of the Potomac going up and out northwest from the district?

Property near the river tends to be very expensive.

[tbr]

To get out of traffic. I think the easiest trails are the Custis Trail that follows the orange line into Virginia and the [Blanked on name] that runs into Alexandria. Four Mile Run connects these two opens up more neighborhoods in Arlington. These keep you out of traffice for nearly all of your commute. The Cresent trail coming down from Maryland and Bethesda is nice but darker at night with less foot traffic through some wooded areas.

[Author]

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