June 2017 Road & Trail Conditions

[vern]

@Boomer2U 161921 wrote:

ALERT: Arlington County seems to be running a campaign to catch cyclists running through the 4 way stop intersection of North Van Buren St and 19th St N, between the WOD and Benjamin Banneker Park, near the East Falls Church Metro station. @SaraBee got ticketed there last week. I saw the patrol there this morning around 0900 am.

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

It’s the annual 10 day effort. No signs this time, and no presence early this morning, or this afternoon in the rain.

[bentbike33]

On behalf of @wheels&wings

At about 1:00 today work trucks were parked on the downstream/east sidewalk along Lynn between Key Bridge and IOD forcing cyclists into the opposite-direction travel lane. From her Strava post:

“I asked one of the workers if there were a better route for bicycle riders. He confirmed that I had done the right thing, using the lane against traffic on Lynn. Kudos to Arlington for not inconveniencing car traffic in the slightest. WTF?”

You might want to try crossing to the upstream/west side of Key Bridge in Georgetown if headed for the Custis today.

[lordofthemark]

@peterw_diy 161931 wrote:

Do you know how much increase in demand they’re designing for? Council keeps approving big residential and hotel development in the combined sewer area and I imagine climate change will likely increase the volume of storm water peaks…

I am not sure, but note, the demand for storage space in the tanks will be driven by the stormwater, not the sewage flows – the former are much larger, which is what creates the mismatch between between demand and treatment capacity in the first place (we build treatment capacity for the sewage flows) So the increase in population matters less (if it matters at all) than changes to pervious surface area (and much or most of the new development is occuring on existing impervious surface). Note well, many of the new developments will feature things like rain gardens, green roofs, etc, that help mitigate the stormwater problem. That is another part of the proposed solution in addition to the storage tanks/tunnels. However given the massive amount of existing impervious surface and resultant stormwater runoff in Old Town, that can only be a small part of the solution.

See the following:
Based on an evaluation of implementing GI in
the CSS, it would not possible to achieve the goals of the LTCPU through implementation of GI alone;
therefore, it was not selected as a primary strategy. However, GI can help to further reduce the CSO
volume as a complementary strategy in conjunction with conventional gray infrastructure, along with
providing other ancillary benefits. While GI was eliminated as a primary strategy of the LTCPU, it was
recommended as a complementary strategy to be implemented throughout the City to help achieve the
goals of the Hunting Creek TMDL. More detailed information about green infrastructure as a primary
strategy can be found in the Alternatives Evaluation: Green Infrastructure Technical Memorandum

TLDR version – Nah, its not the urbanist new development that’s the problem, its the Old Town that the NIMBYs love that’s the problem.

[anomad]

I just took a tour of the Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant and heard all about that. Let’s just say lordofthemark knows his shit. So to speak.

Another thing that helps a lot is urban tree canopy. If it were up to me there would be a lot more trees and a lot less cars.

@lordofthemark 162209 wrote:

I am not sure, but note, the demand for storage space in the tanks will be driven by the stormwater, not the sewage flows – the former are much larger, which is what creates the mismatch between between demand and treatment capacity in the first place (we build treatment capacity for the sewage flows) So the increase in population matters less (if it matters at all) than changes to pervious surface area (and much or most of the new development is occuring on existing impervious surface). Note well, many of the new developments will feature things like rain gardens, green roofs, etc, that help mitigate the stormwater problem. That is another part of the proposed solution in addition to the storage tanks/tunnels. However given the massive amount of existing impervious surface and resultant stormwater runoff in Old Town, that can only be a small part of the solution.

See the following:
Based on an evaluation of implementing GI in
the CSS, it would not possible to achieve the goals of the LTCPU through implementation of GI alone;
therefore, it was not selected as a primary strategy. However, GI can help to further reduce the CSO
volume as a complementary strategy in conjunction with conventional gray infrastructure, along with
providing other ancillary benefits. While GI was eliminated as a primary strategy of the LTCPU, it was
recommended as a complementary strategy to be implemented throughout the City to help achieve the
goals of the Hunting Creek TMDL. More detailed information about green infrastructure as a primary
strategy can be found in the Alternatives Evaluation: Green Infrastructure Technical Memorandum

TLDR version – Nah, its not the urbanist new development that’s the problem, its the Old Town that the NIMBYs love that’s the problem.

[Steve O]

@bentbike33 162208 wrote:

On behalf of @wheels&wings

At about 1:00 today work trucks were parked on the downstream/east sidewalk along Lynn between Key Bridge and IOD forcing cyclists into the opposite-direction travel lane. From her Strava post:

“I asked one of the workers if there were a better route for bicycle riders. He confirmed that I had done the right thing, using the lane against traffic on Lynn. Kudos to Arlington for not inconveniencing car traffic in the slightest. WTF?”

You might want to try crossing to the upstream/west side of Key Bridge in Georgetown if headed for the Custis today.

Sent to the Bike/Ped team at Arlington County as well as DES. Copied the Bicycle Advisory Committee.

[ian74]

As of this early this morning, a fence was erected across the segment of the rock creek trail that passes through the volleyball courts by the Lincoln Memorial. I assume it is for the 4th of July nonsense, but it was quite a surprise for me and Trey as there was no sign saying anything about the trail being closed. We had to ride up the hill through the grass and get on the sidewalk to pass by the fence. I’m not sure if it is still up or not. In past years I happen to recall there being an opening for people using the trail.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@ian74 162233 wrote:

As of this early this morning, a fence was erected across the segment of the rock creek trail that passes through the volleyball courts by the Lincoln Memorial. I assume it is for the 4th of July nonsense, but it was quite a surprise for me and Trey as there was no sign saying anything about the trail being closed. We had to ride up the hill through the grass and get on the sidewalk to pass by the fence. I’m not sure if it is still up or not. In past years I happen to recall there being an opening for people using the trail.

Ugh. This is my commute route, so we’ll see tomorrow morning what the deal is (I rode my moto today).

[ursus]

@ian74 162233 wrote:

As of this early this morning, a fence was erected across the segment of the rock creek trail that passes through the volleyball courts by the Lincoln Memorial. I assume it is for the 4th of July nonsense, but it was quite a surprise for me and Trey as there was no sign saying anything about the trail being closed. We had to ride up the hill through the grass and get on the sidewalk to pass by the fence. I’m not sure if it is still up or not. In past years I happen to recall there being an opening for people using the trail.

Yes, indeed they always left a hole until the 4th.

[dasgeh]

@ian74 162233 wrote:

As of this early this morning, a fence was erected across the segment of the rock creek trail that passes through the volleyball courts by the Lincoln Memorial. I assume it is for the 4th of July nonsense, but it was quite a surprise for me and Trey as there was no sign saying anything about the trail being closed. We had to ride up the hill through the grass and get on the sidewalk to pass by the fence. I’m not sure if it is still up or not. In past years I happen to recall there being an opening for people using the trail.

I tweeted, but I also noted you can skirt it pretty easily — just ride toward the road, and there’s room (it doesn’t look like there will be, but there is).

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dasgeh 162238 wrote:

I tweeted, but I also noted you can skirt it pretty easily — just ride toward the road, and there’s room (it doesn’t look like there will be, but there is).

Yeah, it was pretty easy to go around in the grass on the east (road) side. I think it’s less confusing coming from the south, given the trail configuration…The rider behind me and I both rode around without stopping, but several riders coming at it from the north seemed pretty confused and were off their bikes trying to navigate.

[cuva]

@Emm 161247 wrote:

Glass is back on the MVT. This time it’s covering the section of the trail right past the parking lot cross-over at Gravely Point on the port-o-potty side. I avoided it by taking the grass, but the person behind me decided that right then was a great time to pass me so he went right through the worst of it even though I’d alerted him to the glass ahead before he made his pass. Apparently, he also works with me because when I said hi to him at the work bike rack and commented on how the glass was back on the trail he was super awkward and wouldn’t say more than a word before running away (and I checked in a mirror, I’m not THAT scary looking this morning…)

I bike commute daily. I have been calling the NPS non-emergency number the last 3 days to report glass, as well as the last 2 months, I encourage everyone to do it (202-610-7505). This morning the officer said that glass has been reported in the mornings this week, but when they go out they can’t find any. If you are cleaning it up, THANK YOU, but if the NPS is not cleaning it up the issue is not a priority for them and they will start ignoring the safe hazard.

The nice officer I spoke with said that there is nothing they can do, stake out the area and I let them know what I observe every morning at 6am and they might just want to go to the local 7-11. Starting at the water fountain someone rips up paper from the a 7-11 container along with leaving multiple round plastic ketchup containers, further down the trail there has been other trash such as chip bags and other ripped up paper, at one or more overpasses there are broken Miller High Life bottles in the same place. All of this most likely happens overnight/early morning since the trail use is minimal. If all of this is from the same person the park police should visit the Crystal City 7-11 at night and ask if anyone has been purchasing these items on a nightly basis. The person who is doing this may have mental issues, because I have seen the paper trail (ripped up paper) for years and this year it has escalated to other trash and broken bottles, possibly due to the individual being off of their medication.

As you can tell I think while biking…

BTW – thanks to the person who cleans up the no glass trash every morning that is on the MTV near the airport.

[AFHokie]

A few of these on the MVT should go a long way to identifying the glass culprit

https://www.amazon.com/Optics-Game-Cameras-Trail-Cameras/b?ie=UTF8&node=3413551

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930AZ using Tapatalk

[EasyRider]

Re: the Champagne of Beers and broken glass under the overpasses, I think it’s likely left by fishermen. Hike up the Potomac Heritage Trail from TR Island to Chain Bridge and you’ll find more of the same.

[mstone]

really, the only thing we know for sure is that it’s not a beer snob

[TwoWheelsDC]

In case anyone wants a preview of the volleyball “detour.”

[video=youtube_share;14CKgqtJzJU]https://youtu.be/14CKgqtJzJU[/video]

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