Intersection of Doom – Traffic Enforcement

[Rootchopper]

After a two-week vacation I am back commuting to Rosslyn by bike. My commute involves taking a left hand turn from the Mount Vernon Trail connector through the cross walk at the I-66 ramp on N. Lynn Street, part of the Intersection of Doom. Today, my crosswalk was obstructed my a car seeking to make a right turn on red into heavy cross traffic while pedestirans were present. I yelled out to get the driver’s attention (so she wouldn’t run me over). She waved. Then, as I rode against the flow of vehicluar traffic (not fun) I yelled at her to get out of the cross walk.

When I sent a tweet about this to the Arlington PD they said they have lost their funding for a detail at this intersection. They advised that I should call their non-emergency number. What an absurd response. Should I just put it on speed dial and call it constantly during my 2 1/2 block ride down N. Lynn Street?

Whay does routine traffic enforcement require special funding? Doesn’t the ticket revenue offset the cost of the detail? Seriously.

So much progress has been made to increase safety during rush hour in Rosslyn. Now the county seems to have given up.

Topic

[sjclaeys]

Don’t forget that this is the same ACPD that gave 2/3 of the tickets during its supposed “Safe Streets” campaign to cyclists for things like filtering. They also have enough funding to set up an electronic sign berating cyclists about stopping at an intersection and setting up a sting operation to ticket cyclists at that stop.

[scoot]

Are you salmoning for multiple blocks on N Lynn after coming off MVT? Is that better than going one more block west to get to Fort Myer Drive? (Or dealing with the GWMP/27 crossings to get to 110 / Iwo Jima)

All the more reason we could use an extension of the south-side TR bridge path up to Iwo Jima (and a connection to that from MVT) …

[Rootchopper]

I ride the sidewalk, so technically not salmoning. It’s legal (I checked). I go slowly. in four years only one pedestrian complained. She was having a bad day, I think.

[rcannon100]

So the zen of vacation is already suffering?

[scoot]

@Rootchopper 143319 wrote:

I ride the sidewalk, so technically not salmoning. It’s legal (I checked). I go slowly. in four years only one pedestrian complained. She was having a bad day, I think.

Yes, sidewalk riding is legal anywhere in Arlington, and I didn’t mean to question your specific judgment on this maneuver. I was just surprised and disappointed that there doesn’t seem to exist a better way to get to the eastern part of Rosslyn from MVT without riding a sidewalk in a pedestrian-heavy area right near a Metro station.

Hopefully the eventual Rosslyn redesign will make things better. I think part of the plan was an extra bridge connecting from MVT to the new 18th St.

[dasgeh]

@scoot 143361 wrote:

Yes, sidewalk riding is legal anywhere in Arlington, and I didn’t mean to question your specific judgment on this maneuver. I was just surprised and disappointed that there doesn’t seem to exist a better way to get to the eastern part of Rosslyn from MVT without riding a sidewalk in a pedestrian-heavy area right near a Metro station.

Hopefully the eventual Rosslyn redesign will make things better. I think part of the plan was an extra bridge connecting from MVT to the new 18th St.

No judgment if you ride the sidewalk on Lynn, but I sometimes end up taking Fort Myer Dr WB in the mornings, and it’s surprisingly ok. (With the size of the road and the traffic, it seems like it would not be fun to ride, but it’s fine).

The redesign also involves making Lynn 2-way, so that will help your situation.

[americancyclo]

@rcannon100 143320 wrote:

So the zen of vacation is already suffering?

Ahh, the first noble truth.

[chris_s]

@dasgeh 143373 wrote:

The redesign also involves making Lynn 2-way, so that will help your situation.

It also involves a Protected Bike Lane on Ft Myer Drive and one on Nash.

And yes, a new bridge connection from the MVT to either Arlington Ridge & 18th or Arlington Ridge & 19th.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Looks like the Key Bridge Marriott is being redeveloped. Time for a re-do of this intersection?

[Judd]

@FFX_Hinterlands 168466 wrote:

Looks like the Key Bridge Marriott is being redeveloped. Time for a re-do of this intersection?

Here’s the Arlington County project site for improvements to the Intersection of Doom. Looks like Fall 2019 completion date, only 14 years after the first public meeting.
https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/lynn-street-esplanade-custis-trail-improvements/

[SpaceJockey]

@scoot 143361 wrote:

Yes, sidewalk riding is legal anywhere in Arlington, and I didn’t mean to question your specific judgment on this maneuver. I was just surprised and disappointed that there doesn’t seem to exist a better way to get to the eastern part of Rosslyn from MVT without riding a sidewalk in a pedestrian-heavy area right near a Metro station.

Hopefully the eventual Rosslyn redesign will make things better. I think part of the plan was an extra bridge connecting from MVT to the new 18th St.

I’m guilty of this, but I consider sidewalks to also be the domain of bicycles if they ride with and reasonably around pedestrians and are not jerks (also a good opportunity to practice bike handling skills!). People can follow the law to the grave if that’s the statement they want to make, but I think all parties including law enforcement would prefer to not have a skidmark of a biker on their work day. The only time I have ever been pulled over for riding on sidewalk was in peace, love, and happiness Santa Cruz, California because they must have lost their cool.

[Author]

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