M Street NW Cycletrack (Partially Complete) – Impressions

[CaseyKane50]

Enjoyed the video and the addition of your commentary and labels. I now need to get up there and try it out myself.

[sethpo]

I take Lst in and Mst out each day and there’s no question that the new M St is a huge improvement over the previous thunderdome. They are making some changes to narrow L St track and install some curbs which will hopefully reduce delivery trucks parking in the track which is the biggest issue.

I have noticed already on M St a lot of new and unpleasant interactions with pedestrians. I’ve had to ring my bell several times daily to warm inattentive peds stepping off the sidewalk curb w/o looking and from people getting in/out of their parked cars. This is obviously preferable to unpleasant interactions with cars but it is something to note and be aware of during busy times. Maybe the walkers will get used it and it will get better but for now…eyes up.

[Guus]

Bob, excellent videos — this one and the one about First Street NE. Great way of “exploring” the new bike tracks from my sofa — now on to try them in real-life.

Seth, I agree that there’s a potential for collisions with pedestrians; there are a few examples in Bob’s video of that too. Coming from the “bicycle mecca” of Amsterdam I can only say that this won’t go away. Tourists especially have a hard time seeing the distinction between bike lanes and pedestrian paths, or are not aware of the speed of a bicycle.

[jrenaut]

The condition of the road surface is truly awful. I rode it on Boat to Work Day, too, and the puddles are enormous. I agree that it’s much nicer than L.

[jnva]

I am disappointed that the street wasn’t resurfaced first, like the way L street was done. Otherwise it’s a big improvement and a big win for cycling in DC.

[SerialCarpins]

Thanks for the video, bobco….the labels really helped paint a clear picture of the bike lane.

Like jnva, I was also disapointed that there wsn’t resurfacing done prior to the lane, but really, I feel like there is so much construction on the route, it wouldn’t have made sense to do it just yet…

My only quibble (outside of the fact that it’s not finished….the spot at CT ave is a bit hairy) is that the sidewalk feels like it juts out a bit too far at M & New Hampshire…the bike lane hugs this curb that sticks out a bit pretty tightly, (BobCo travels past this spot at 2:40) and it felt like the turn might be a bit tight if you were planning on staying right in the lane. I’m sure that once one gets used to that spot, it’d be fine, but I found it to be a bit tough to get around my first time. Just a heads-up.

[bobco85]

@SerialCarpins 86615 wrote:

My only quibble (outside of the fact that it’s not finished….the spot at CT ave is a bit hairy) is that the sidewalk feels like it juts out a bit too far at M & New Hampshire…the bike lane hugs this curb that sticks out a bit pretty tightly, (BobCo travels past this spot at 2:40) and it felt like the turn might be a bit tight if you were planning on staying right in the lane. I’m sure that once one gets used to that spot, it’d be fine, but I found it to be a bit tough to get around my first time. Just a heads-up.

I noticed that, too. I think they were going for aesthetics by having the bike lane in the intersection run parallel to the pedestrian crosswalk, but at least everything is lined so that cars will hopefully not cut that corner.

[DismalScientist]

I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl, but I think the design sucks. Having parked cars acting as protection rather than flexible bollards obscures the views. The L street design is bad enough where cars can make lefts into parking garages across a bike lane (with potentially quick cyclists) whose traffic has the right of way. With M street, cars making rights across the bike into garages must yield to traffic in the bike lane where the vision of both the driver and cyclist is obscured by parked cars. It also makes mixing areas where right turning cars cross the bike lane more problematic.

Furthermore, the bike lane is narrow and because of parked cars, there are fewer escape options when there might be a sudden obstruction in the bike lane.

The intersection at 22nd street is laid out in a different manner that others. Here the bike lane is to the right of two right turn lanes. The bike lane is controlled by a bike signal that is red with traffic in the regular lanes (including the two right turn lanes) is green. This mean that bikes in the bike lane should stop and yield to right turning traffic. I have yet to see cyclists obey this signal properly.

Having the bike lane between the parked cars and curb seems to not keep pedestrians out of the bike lane as effectively as making the bike lane more obviously part of the “street,” as with L street.

I find that I bike twice as fast in the regular traffic lanes as I would in the new bike lane because of the need for added caution. I am glad I am moving offices so this won’t be part of my regular commute. Insisting on greater segregation of bike facilities seems to be making these facilities more like dedicated-use sidewalks with all the risks inherent with riding on sidewalks.

[jnva]

I like it except for the condition of the street. Why wouldn’t this be fixed first?
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[ShawnoftheDread]

@DismalScientist 86686 wrote:

I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl…

No you don’t.

[dasgeh]

A report from my DH, who took the cycletrack today after lunch…

P.s. the M st cycle track is pretty bad. It doesn’t start until Thomas Circle (~14th st), bad pavement, construction forces you into traffic for several sections (including one around 17th st where the re-route the sidewalk INTO the cycletrack, with no signage), food trucks parked in the parking lane=line into the cycle track). All of that inconsistency also meant that it wasn’t respected by other traffic – one car was just standing in the lane when it could have easily moved up 10 ft, I talked to the driver he didn’t seem to care. In rush hour traffic it seems like it’d be a nightmare.

So now we have a new problem to deal with: FOOD TRUCKS!!!! Is it in the regulation that they can’t park beside a cycletrack? Because it totally should be.

[SerialCarpins]

Just a heads up to those that haven’t seen it yet, but we have a new (to me at least) bike -centric traffic light at M and 22nd. Keep an eye out for it, because it turns red so the right lane can turn right through the bike lane onto 22 street. I almost missed it, since the other signals at that intersection stay green. It’s at the opposite side of the street, just under the automotive stoplight.

EDIT: Actually, after rewatching BobCo’s original video, I see that it’s been there for awhile, but I had never noticed it in my few journeys along the bike lane. Still, a heads-up is nice to have, since I didn’t notice it and maybe others didn’t either.

[Greenbelt]

I rode the M street track from 15th to 19th this morning. It’s still in a pretty post-apocalyptic, proving ground, bone shaker condition. Tomorrow I’ll go back around the PA ave track — much smoother sailing.

[jnva]

I would be interested to see the accident statistics from before the L and M street cycle tracks were built and after. It seems I have had more near collisions after. Mostly with pedestrians who aren’t looking out for bikes.

[bobco85]

Since the cycletrack is now complete, I went back on Sunday and filmed the whole cycletrack again. It looks a lot better than when I had first seen it. Of course, the pavement conditions are the worst aspect of it, but as a whole I find it to be a major improvement.

[Author]

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