Issue on 4 Mille Run trail just before Mount Vernon

[elvis313]

I’ve reported this to Arlington County with the links mentioned in this forum but for any frequent commuters or casual riders, it might be good to get another few comments or reports into them.

“I’m a daily bike commuter from my home in Alexandria to my office in Rosslyn, VA. I use a variety of road bike lanes, roads, and bike paths to get to work. There is a problem area on the Four Mile Run stretch that I wanted to bring to your attention and recommend an improvement for safety and water quality.

At this approximate location on Google Maps (38.841183, -77.050022),

https://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&q=38.841183,+-77.050022&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x89b7b0d3e2d648cb:0x3da999a147a0905a,38.841183,+-77.050022&gl=us&ei=HjDcUaPEMbe44APr0IDAAQ&ved=0CC8Q8gEwAA

you can find rocks, dirt, mud, and debris from where people tramp down to the trail from Potomac Ave. As this road and areas continues to develop, more people use this unapproved path to access Four Mile Run trail. As a result, bike tires are punctured by loose rocks and dirt (not to mention slipping on the loose dirt and stones) and debris wash into Four Mile Run contributing to poor water quality.

I don’t know if a path or stairs with a fence would be a good alternative but I imagine you’ve got some wonderful engineers and landscape architects in your employ who can help with a much-needed solution.

I appreciate your time and concern.

Regards,
Jasen”

Topic

[dasgeh]

@dbb 64610 wrote:

Late today I rode by the job site. There were some workers there and they told me that paving was scheduled for tomorrow.

While the lumber posts on the right side would seem to be supports for stairs, they seem to encroach on the hairpin turns. Puzzling. Guess I’ll have to stay tuned.

Thanks. Unfortunately, the hairpins don’t look big enough for long bikes (cargo, trailers, etc). Dumb.

[cyclingfool]

Others may have had a better view from trail level, but just wanted to add that as I passed over 4MR on Potomac Avenue this AM, I could see a dump truck unloading a pile of asphalt, so the promises of paving today seem to be accurate.

From the looks of it, that serpentine seems more like a test of bike handling skills than a reasonable accommodation for cyclists, but I’ll withhold judgement until I see it completed and/or try to ride it myself.

[chris_s]

@cyclingfool 64623 wrote:

From the looks of it, that serpentine seems more like a test of bike handling skills than a reasonable accommodation for cyclists, but I’ll withhold judgement until I see it completed and/or try to ride it myself.

It’s been a few pages, so just to reiterate – this is the cheap-o temporary connection that Alexandria is requiring the townhouse developer to build in addition to tearing down the bridge. Arlington is in the process of designing a better, permanent, bike-friendly connection.

[CaseyKane50]

@dbb 64610 wrote:

Late today I rode by the job site. There were some workers there and they told me that paving was scheduled for tomorrow.

Indeed they did begin the paving.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3702[/ATTACH]

@dbb 64610 wrote:

While the lumber posts on the right side would seem to be supports for stairs, they seem to encroach on the hairpin turns. Puzzling. Guess I’ll have to stay tuned.

I spoke to one of the workers this morning, he said there are actually multiple sets of steps. The posts are the top of the steps and the ramp will serve as the landing for each set of steps. They are hoping to be finished with the installation by the end of next week.

[mstone]

@dasgeh 64622 wrote:

Thanks. Unfortunately, the hairpins don’t look big enough for long bikes (cargo, trailers, etc). Dumb.

that’s why they added stairs!

[dbb]

@CaseyKane50 64631 wrote:

The posts are the top of the steps and the ramp will serve as the landing for each set of steps.

So the landings will be shared by ramp and stair users. Hairpin turns and peds. What could possibly go wrong!

[cyclingfool]

@chris_s 64625 wrote:

It’s been a few pages, so just to reiterate – this is the cheap-o temporary connection that Alexandria is requiring the townhouse developer to build in addition to tearing down the bridge. Arlington is in the process of designing a better, permanent, bike-friendly connection.

I was fully aware of the temporary nature of this connection when I made my comment. It is more than painfully obvious that this is cheap-o and temporary.

Like I said, I will reserve final judgement until I’ve actually ridden it, but at first glance it looks more like an obstacle course than a connection (even a cheap temporary one).

[ShawnoftheDread]

@cyclingfool 64623 wrote:

From the looks of it, that serpentine seems more like a test of bike handling skills…

A feature, not a bug!

[jopamora]

Can’t wait to make a new Strava segment

[dasgeh]

At least it’s not the County that’s going to be sued when a cyclists heads down stairs…

[KWL]

@dbb 64639 wrote:

So the landings will be shared by ramp and stair users. Hairpin turns and peds. What could possibly go wrong!

I for one, am looking forward to the challenge. Track stands and rear wheel hopping to make the turns, while trying to bluster anyone coming from the opposite direction. What could be more fun?

[dbb]

Here is what it looked like this evening.

Amazingly sharp turn and conflicts with peds. Pay close attention boys and girls, you may have an opportunity to articulate requirements for the permanent access ramp.

[KLizotte]

I suspect they were more concerned with meeting ADA requirements than making life easy/safe for cyclists.

[dbb]

I’m not sure they got that. The max slope (in the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards, or UFAS) is 1:12 with a max run of 30 feet. When the project gets opened, I will put my digital level on it but my finely calibrated eyeball says there is more slope than that.

I’d hazard a guess the slope is going to erode and dump mud on the paving as well.

[PotomacCyclist]

Plus the homeless guy sometimes likes to sleep where the foot of those stairs will be located. Just to throw more confusion into the mix. Someone is likely to run over him or trip onto him or stumble onto him after heading down the path or stairs, especially as the sun sets earlier. That could turn out badly for everyone involved.

[Author]

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