Introducing the Arlington County Bicycle Comfort Level Map

[rcannon100]

@americancyclo 122910 wrote:

Also, because STRAVA!!!!!!

[h=1]Zach Taylor Park CX Loop[/h]
Jeremy Cannon

KOM 3:57 · May 27, 2015

Will you PLEASE stop citing to poseurs who dont live in the ‘hood and dont know anything!!

[dasgeh]

Another candidate for a “yellow” trail, the trail along 27 to the Memorial Bridge. (Contrary to Allen’s email, I would keep 110 blue)

[chris_s]

@dasgeh 122919 wrote:

Another candidate for a “yellow” trail, the trail along 27 to the Memorial Bridge. (Contrary to Allen’s email, I would keep 110 blue)

+1

I took my wife out to dinner in DC via this last week and the narrow stretch prior to the bridge over 110 did not get me lauded for my routing skillz. Might be worth taking back to blue if the bridge project fixes the worst of that stretch.

Also worth pointing out, we took 110 trail home and she didn’t have a problem with it (other than the hill by the Carillon)

[KLizotte]

I advocate for making Connector Rd on the Pentagon reservation blue. I ride thru there all the time and rarely ever see an automobile even though the other roads around the Pentagon are busier. Weird but true.

I would also advocate making the DIY markings more visible on the map. They are itty bitty!

For the Washington, DC side, you could…..show the C&O canal easily though it would have to be clear how one can access it from the AC side. It is one helluva long blue route!

[Steve O]

@chris_s 122898 wrote:

It’s the “official” name (it is called that in County Board meeting minutes from 1985 for example), but without a sign, how would anyone know the name? Clarendon wasn’t commonly called Clarendon until somebody named the Metro Station and so it became common usage. A couple signs along the trail calling it the Zachary Taylor Trail and within a couple years that is what it would be called. Doing so along ALL of our trails would help everyone with wayfinding – it’s ridiculous that we currently have to try to differentiate between the North Side Arlington Boulevard Trail and the South Side Arlington Boulevard Trail.

Actually now that I think about it, the County has an official process for naming this stuff, we should use it. The BAC should go through our trails, get a list of what (if any) official name they currently have from the Parks & Rec Department and propose whatever new names are required to be able to have a useful set of names that we can all settle on and use going forward and get Parks & Rec to sign them all so that people start using the names.

Just a couple of months ago the Bluemont Civic Association renamed a portion of a park for a similar reason – so it could be easily distinguished from the rest of the park for wayfinding purposes (specifically for emergency response purposes).

I wrote a blog post long ago that touched on this topic. It’s still salient, IMO.

Similar to Bluemont, my local civic association also renamed our local community park from Mace Park to Dominion Hills Park, which is a more sensible and useful name.

If I had my druthers, I would rename most sections of the discontinuous Four-Mile Run Trail and give them distinct names, so that it’s obvious which part is being referenced. E.g. Madison Manor Trail, Barcroft Trail, Dominion Hills Trail, W&OD Connector Trail (for the part from Shirlington to MVT). In fact, if I used the term, Madison Manor Trail, most people familiar with that part of Arlington would know what I am talking about. But if I say “Four Mile Run Trail,” then I still have to say, “the part that runs through Madison Manor.” Might as well just rename it and make life easier for everyone.
Similarly, if I say, “Donaldson Run Trail,” anyone who has used it will know what I mean. Might as well just rename it and make life easier for everyone. I honestly don’t think Zach will care.

[Steve O]

@Tim Kelley 122908 wrote:

(And will be on the regular bike map in the next revision!)

No. Say it ain’t so. How about listening to the cycling community and bringing it to the BAC before just going forward?
Seems it would have been pretty useful to allow this community and the BAC to proof the map before telling your contractor to go to print. Lots of good improvement ideas here that would have made it better right from the start. Now they’ll have to wait a year or two for the next version.

[Kitty]

Mine came in the mail last night! I can’t wait to go through it carefully as well, but I had to laugh. On my quick glance through I’ve ridden most of the “difficult roads”, largely from moving in from far away and then trying to use Google’s “recommendations” to get places.

@ginacico 122842 wrote:

I think there could be a Use Caution mark near the Chain Bridge exchange. Between the freaky little trail detour coming down from N Randolph, the wicked steep hill on 41st, and the traffic light at N Glebe I think it warrants a heads up.

That. Hill. I would like to find the sadist who labeled that steep-grade driveway as a “bike trail” and give them a piece of my mind. Lord knows the VDOT cycling map feedback program got an “earful” on that one. I love the Chain Bridge view but that “bike route” is about a bike friendly as Courtland Milloy…

[scoot]

@dasgeh 122874 wrote:

As was suggested on the Google group, if the key for blue-yellow-orange were “less stressful – medium – more stressful” (instead of “easy – medium – difficult”) and you had a more clear indication of hills (maybe 2 arrows for notable hill, like Custis out of Rosslyn, 3 for difficult hill, say significant length above 5% grade) then you’d have a better way to deal with streets like 41st St or Culpepper, which are low-stress streets (low speed, not a lot of cars) but steep hills. Both of the examples would be blue, but with 3 arrows.

It would be nice if there were a way to flag trail segments that are less than ideal. Most of the trails in Arlington are great, but, e.g., the trail along the southside of 50 beside the Foreign Affairs Training Center is not, and I wouldn’t want to send people there expecting it to be low stress. Maybe all trails get dots, and low-stress trails are blue with dots (as in the current version), then medium stress trails are yellow with dots.

Yes!!!

In general, the color-coding criteria are weighting the amount of car traffic much too strongly relative to other considerations (such as dangerous crossings, too-narrow trails, poor pavement, etc.). I’ll follow up with a list of specific nit-picky comments.

[scoot]

I hate the phrase “ROUTE STRONGLY DISCOURAGED” in the legend; it sends the wrong message. It’s tantamount to telling people that they should give up and get back in their cars (some of these routes have no practical alternative, e.g. Columbia Pike between Courthouse and Orme). Difficult/stressful/challenging riding conditions yes, but should absolutely not be discouraged by BikeArlington. Keep the fourth color in the comfort level scheme; just remove the negative language.

[Tim Kelley]

@scoot 122941 wrote:

I’ll follow up with a list of specific nit-picky comments.

Thank you! An email to info@bikearlington.com would be helpful.

[Tim Kelley]

@scoot 122943 wrote:

I hate the phrase “ROUTE STRONGLY DISCOURAGED” in the legend; it sends the wrong message. It’s tantamount to telling people that they should give up and get back in their cars (some of these routes have no practical alternative, e.g. Columbia Pike between Courthouse and Orme). Difficult/stressful/challenging riding conditions yes, but should absolutely not be discouraged by BikeArlington. Keep the fourth color in the comfort level scheme; just remove the negative language.

I can understand your point about not using negative language. Since orange is already “difficult” how would you title the black section? How would you change the descriptor language in the text block?

Keeping in mind that this map isn’t for the regular all-conditions bike commuter who visits this Forum, but rather is for the age 8-88 interested but concerned group.

[Steve O]

@Tim Kelley 122946 wrote:

I can understand your point about not using negative language. Since orange is already “difficult” how would you title the black section?

How about “alternate route encouraged”
Or “more difficult”
Or, since it’s a comfort map, “least comfortable”

In fact, the whole nomenclature could use the idea of comfort rather than difficulty, since that’s what the map is about:

• Very Comfortable
• Comfortable
• Less Comfortable
• Least Comfortable
• Badasses only

[Tim Kelley]

@Steve O 122947 wrote:

How about “alternate route encouraged”
Or “more difficult”
Or, since it’s a comfort map, “least comfortable”

In fact, the whole nomenclature could use the idea of comfort rather than difficulty, since that’s what the map is about:

• Very Comfortable
• Comfortable
• Less Comfortable
• Least Comfortable
• Badasses only

Thanks for the constructive suggestions.

[scoot]

@Tim Kelley 122946 wrote:

How would you change the descriptor language in the text block?

Something like Steve O’s idea (Very Comfortable/Comfortable/Less Comfortable/Least Comfortable) was what I had in mind.

[Mikey]

how about most pleasant, comfortable, difficult, and enhanced interrogation technique

[Author]

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