Improvements to Banneker Park area of DC

[TwoWheelsDC]

@elbows 165588 wrote:

Now that we are past 3 years of construction on the Wharf, I’m wondering, why can’t there be some simple fixes to Benjamin Banneker to make it easier for cyclists who are avoiding the mayhem of Maine? Here is some of the history of this discussion.

1) Curb ramps would be very helpful.

2) A connection from Banneker to 9th St SW would help cyclists who are taking Case Bridge to avoid Maine. Cyclists can wiggle their way through 9th but it is awkward.

They are working on these exact fixes literally as we speak.

This is from last week:

[Judd]

Some additional info from Greater Greater Washington is below. I saw something more recent, but I can’t seem to find it.

https://ggwash.org/view/41147/this-plan-would-make-it-easier-to-walk-or-bike-from-lenfant-plaza-to-the-southwest-waterfront

[lordofthemark]

@TwoWheelsDC 165589 wrote:

They are working on these exact fixes literally as we speak.

This is from last week:

When I rode by the other day, that curb cut was done (unless I am having a senior moment) making it easier for folks coming from the WB right lane on Maine to get onto the narrow substandard sidewalk leading to the crosswalk across Maine (which leads to sidewalk hell past the fishmarket construction). The path up the hill to Banneker park was still blocked, but I guess will re-open soon.

The other Banneker improvements would be great, but not clear on the schedule.

I continue to fail to look closely at the maybe under construction cycle track on the Wharf side of Maine.

[chris_s]

@lordofthemark 165597 wrote:

I continue to fail to look closely at the maybe under construction cycle track on the Wharf side of Maine.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15491[/ATTACH]
https://twitter.com/bikepedantic/status/909895081599148032

[TwoWheelsDC]

Work continues apace on the sidewalks on the NW corner of 9th/Maine, but there was too much traffic and too many workers around to stop and take a photo. I’ll see how it looks tonight when it’s clear of people.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Today from the top:

[dasgeh]

@elbows 165588 wrote:

1) Curb ramps would be very helpful.

It’s unclear: are they putting in the obviously needed curb cut at the top of the hill to get to the Case Bridge. Riding a bakfiets, curb-hopping is impossible, and you have to get on the side walk about a mile away.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dasgeh 165735 wrote:

It’s unclear: are they putting in the obviously needed curb cut at the top of the hill to get to the Case Bridge. Riding a bakfiets, curb-hopping is impossible, and you have to get on the side walk about a mile away.

It’s *possible* that the existing cut-less curb that dumps directly from the Case Bridge path to the circle will stay, but they will be adding ADA-compliant ramps across the median at the top of the circle and where the new stairway meets the path. But since they are putting in a bike line around the circle, I think they will put a cut in at the existing path entrance.

[IMG]http://washcycle.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8345198c369e201bb0859c529970d-600wi[/IMG]

[chris_s]

@dasgeh 165735 wrote:

It’s unclear: are they putting in the obviously needed curb cut at the top of the hill to get to the Case Bridge. Riding a bakfiets, curb-hopping is impossible, and you have to get on the side walk about a mile away.

Unless something has changed since the EA, YES they are putting a curb ramp right at the end of the case bridge sidewalk.

[Steve O]

It’s too bad they don’t get rid of the switchback entirely. It’s actually not even needed.

The distance from the red arrow to the green arrow is longer than the riding distance from the red arrow to the blue arrow. If you’ve ridden there you have probably noted that the point at the blue arrow is slightly lower than the green. So a straight ramp from the red arrow to the green arrow would actually have a lesser slope than the switchback and there would just be a single <90-degree turn to get from the bridge to the circle. The switchback is, in fact, unnecessary.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15509[/ATTACH]

[TwoWheelsDC]

Monday update:

[elbows]

I think a fellow cyclist said it best last night, “They find a new way to screw up Maine every day.”

From my perspective, it would have been best to put the curb ramps in at the circle before they started all of this. Can’t see when the ramps are coming but at least they are coming sometime.

I would like to see a connection between Case and G St. I guess it isn’t in the cards, but I do see a lot of cyclists going from Case to G St NW. Maybe Maine will be so awesome I’ll change my route.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@elbows 165854 wrote:

I think a fellow cyclist said it best last night, “They find a new way to screw up Maine every day.”

From my perspective, it would have been best to put the curb ramps in at the circle before they started all of this. Can’t see when the ramps are coming but at least they are coming sometime.

I would like to see a connection between Case and G St. I guess it isn’t in the cards, but I do see a lot of cyclists going from Case to G St NW. Maybe Maine will be so awesome I’ll change my route.

My understanding is that DDOT is planning to put a contraflow bike lane on G to complement the Banneker project, so that will be helpful to those riding westbound and seeking to avoid Maine.

I, for one, am not at all excited for the PBL on Maine and believe it to be a massive waste of resources, as it basically is just the sidewalk in front of a massive multi-use complex. It’s like putting a PBL between the road and the arrivals drop-off area at an airport or something. My prediction is that it will have to many people standing around in it or running across it to grab their ubers or whatever to be legitimately useful for avoiding riding on Maine.

[lordofthemark]

@TwoWheelsDC 165857 wrote:

My understanding is that DDOT is planning to put a contraflow bike lane on G to complement the Banneker project, so that will be helpful to those riding westbound and seeking to avoid Maine.

I, for one, am not at all excited for the PBL on Maine and believe it to be a massive waste of resources, as it basically is just the sidewalk in front of a massive multi-use complex. It’s like putting a PBL between the road and the arrivals drop-off area at an airport or something. My prediction is that it will have to many people standing around in it or running across it to grab their ubers or whatever to be legitimately useful for avoiding riding on Maine.

One thing that will make it different is that the street on the water side of the project will be open to cars (it will technically be a “woonerf” so that will be an alternative drop off area. Not sure if hurried uber drivers will want to deal with the delays of driving through a woonerf though.

Note the PBL will almost certainly be more useful for riders if a LOT of riders use it. I am not that familiar with the more heavily used PBLs in DC – the ones I ride most often, on Eads, are so devoid of riders at most times, its hard to blame the peds who use it. There are enough people who ride on Maine now (including on the north side sidewalk) that I suspect we should at least do better than that, even if we don’t get riders who now use the Case bridge.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@lordofthemark 165858 wrote:

One thing that will make it different is that the street on the water side of the project will be open to cars (it will technically be a “woonerf” so that will be an alternative drop off area. Not sure if hurried uber drivers will want to deal with the delays of driving through a woonerf though.

Note the PBL will almost certainly be more useful for riders if a LOT of riders use it. I am not that familiar with the more heavily used PBLs in DC – the ones I ride most often, on Eads, are so devoid of riders at most times, its hard to blame the peds who use it. There are enough people who ride on Maine now (including on the north side sidewalk) that I suspect we should at least do better than that, even if we don’t get riders who now use the Case bridge.

I dunno if Eads is the best comparison, as there’s relatively little ground level retail and not much nightlife…The Wharf is getting a legit music/entertainment venue, thousands of apartments, and like a dozen bars/restaurants in the span of a couple blocks, all within a few feet of the PBL.

I’ve ridden enough similar bike lanes in crowded spots in other cities, and generally the “serious” cyclists just avoid those areas. Imagine if they extended the sidewalk in front of the Georgetown mall by five feet and painted some bikes on it…that’s basically what the Maine PBL is, only G-town doesn’t have the additional street-facing residential on top of the retail.

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