Legal to ride through tunnels?

[dasgeh]

I don’t see why not. I ride under 23rd on Virginia twice daily and have never had a problem. I believe there’s been some discussion of riding on K under Washington Circle as well.

[Rootchopper]

I ride through tunnels whenever it feels safe. It’s probably safer than going around a traffic circle.

[Steve O]

One can certainly ride under underpasses. What distinguishes an underpass from a tunnel? How long does it have to be before it qualifies?

“Tunnels” I can think of that I have used include: K st. under Washington Circle, Virginia Ave under 23rd. Ft. Myer drive in Rosslyn, Ct. Ave under Dupont circle, Rock Creek tunnel near the zoo, and probably some others that don’t immediately come to mind. If the road is legal to ride on, then why would only that little section of it not be? Go for it.

[KLizotte]

I figure if it is legal to ride on the road then the tunnel should be fine. The only place I’ve seen a tunnel marked as a no go zone for peds and cyclists was in Williamsburg on the Colonial Parkway and I thought it was very odd they would prohibit cyclists.

The only thing that bothers me about tunnels is reduced visibility for drivers. Going from sun to dark is sometimes an issue and if you don’t have lights on you may be hard to see. I also don’t think drivers expect to encounter cyclists in tunnels. So I would judge each tunnel individually but it may be a safer alternative than dodging cars in a roundabout.

[baiskeli]

@elbows 162076 wrote:

Is it legal for a cyclist to travel through DC tunnels? Not 395, of course, but under Dupont Circle, Scott Circle, VA Ave, etc. Some of them have signs that say “Pedestrians Prohibited” but I don’t think that applies to cyclists. I sometimes ride them and sometimes get nervous and my WABA and forum searches came up empty.

If you’re in the roadway on a bike, you’re legally a vehicle, not a pedestrian.

It could be a safety hazard though since motorists going into tunnels have a moment where their eyes are adjusting to the dark and they may not see you, or they might try to pass you and you have little room to avoid them.

Addendum – I see KLizotte has already posted the exact same thoughts.

[Crickey7]

I regularly ride K Street through the tunnel. I know of no reason it would be illegal, therefore it is legal. I would recommend flashies and taking the lane like you mean it.

[Birru]

If it’s not legal then good thing I’ve never done it. [emoji41]

[Kitty]

@KLizotte 162087 wrote:

So I would judge each tunnel individually but it may be a safer alternative than dodging cars in a roundabout.

after settling legal/illegal, I think this is the key line of this whole convo.

I personally haven’t attempted it in DC, but I’ve started taking the Ft. Myer tunnel/underpass under Wilson in Rosslyn. I’d try the tunnel option sometime when traffic is low (or so gridlocked they’re paralyzed) so you know what the patterns are on the other side. That way you know which lane to take and where you may need to shift to

[Author]

Posts