Maine Avenue is Combat

[ursus]

@lordofthemark 166593 wrote:

I rode the PBL west bound on the way home. Figured a Friday evening would be a particular challenge. Lots of pedestrians, if still not enough to render it unrideable for me. There was one cyclist going the other way on the PBL. But there was also a cyclist riding on the actual sidewalk (IE NOT the PBL) Which I think indicates a problem as big as that inherent in the infrastructure – there is nothing present indicating to anyone that there is supposed to be mode seperation between bikes and peds. Unless you are aficionado of Dutch style bike infra, or you have been combing this forum for references to the PBL, you would have no idea that there was a PBL there. Also does not help that one of the apt buildings has its leasing sign in the PBL. My suggested solution is that we maybe ask DDOT to put in a cycle track on Maine Avenue. That might get their attention, maybe?

Also of course one other reason there is little bike traffic is that there is really nowhere to go at the west end of the PBL – the connection to fish market sidewalk is worse than ever.

On a side note, if I cross Maine in the crosswalk on the west side of 7th, and then turn west on the PBL, the bike counter will not capture me, right? For now at least the entry to the woonerf is closed, so its either that, or use the crosswalk on the east side of 7th, which is hard to get to because of the construction east of 7th.

I suspect there will be more foot traffic when the offices, hotels, and apartments are all populated. They certainly have to identify the PBL for what it is.

[chris_s]

@ursus 166597 wrote:

I suspect there will be more foot traffic when the offices, hotels, and apartments are all populated. They certainly have to identify the PBL for what it is.

My understanding from some @bikepedantic tweets is that “full markings” are coming for the PBL. No kermit, but I’d guess that includes a centerline & cyclist icons.

[TwoWheelsDC]

#justcallitasidewalk

[Starduster]

@chris_s 166603 wrote:

My understanding from some @bikepedantic tweets is that “full markings” are coming for the PBL. No kermit, but I’d guess that includes a centerline & cyclist icons.

Dirt’s Bikenetic Coffee Ride is charging through as you see it this morning… The place just opened up, so it is reasonable to expect striping to be done this coming week. If it is not done by the time RAID Papillon-District Wharf rolls through next weekend, how loudly should I complain?

[lordofthemark]

QOTM and I spent the late afternoon at the Wharf yesterday. There were lots of bikes all around. Plenty on the woonerf, plenty of bikes parked, loads of dockless bikeshare bikes around, and plenty of folks biking to and from the Wharf, and folks walking around with bike helmets.

As for the PBL, I felt better about it. There were more folks riding on it, if not yet as many as the folks walking on it. You do not need to walk on it – the sidewalk in front of the stores is wide enough (QOTM and I managed to confine our walking on the Maine Avenue side to the sidewalk) Indeed the sidewalk is so wide, at least a few people keep being tempted to ride on it in preference to the PBL.

Clearly the sooner DDOT paints the bike striping/symbols the better, as the current situation of people walking on the PBL and (most) people on bikes avoiding it, creates habits and expectations. Also of course connections west of the PBL are also currently lacking.

[Tania]

@ursus 166597 wrote:

I suspect there will be more foot traffic when the offices, hotels, and apartments are all populated.

Rumor around the office is that’s where we’re moving.

[ursus]

@lordofthemark 166593 wrote:

I rode the PBL west bound on the way home. Figured a Friday evening would be a particular challenge. Lots of pedestrians, if still not enough to render it unrideable for me. There was one cyclist going the other way on the PBL. But there was also a cyclist riding on the actual sidewalk (IE NOT the PBL) Which I think indicates a problem as big as that inherent in the infrastructure – there is nothing present indicating to anyone that there is supposed to be mode seperation between bikes and peds. Unless you are aficionado of Dutch style bike infra, or you have been combing this forum for references to the PBL, you would have no idea that there was a PBL there. Also does not help that one of the apt buildings has its leasing sign in the PBL. My suggested solution is that we maybe ask DDOT to put in a cycle track on Maine Avenue. That might get their attention, maybe?

Also of course one other reason there is little bike traffic is that there is really nowhere to go at the west end of the PBL – the connection to fish market sidewalk is worse than ever.

On a side note, if I cross Maine in the crosswalk on the west side of 7th, and then turn west on the PBL, the bike counter will not capture me, right? For now at least the entry to the woonerf is closed, so its either that, or use the crosswalk on the east side of 7th, which is hard to get to because of the construction east of 7th.

I think that you are correct in saying that you won’t be counted.

I have yet to see the bikeometer read over 100 in about 5 trips past it in each direction. Because of its orientation I cannot see if it is working, and I have twice gone past it and then turned around, and it indeed is.

I hope that chris_s is correct about his interpretation of bikepedantic’s tweet. The only one which I saw just read that it was not painted to indicate it is a PBL, not that it was going to be painted. We will see.

I also walked from home, walked by the entire Wharf on the river side and then returned on the Maine Ave side (on the sidewalk, not the PBL ). There is really not much open there yet. It looks like stores, restaurants, etc., will be opening about weekly through the next few months. That actually is good as there will be a gradual increase in usage.

[Starduster]

@ursus 166643 wrote:

I think that you are correct in saying that you won’t be counted.

I have yet to see the bikeometer read over 100 in about 5 trips past it in each direction. Because of its orientation I cannot see if it is working, and I have twice gone past it and then turned around, and it indeed is.

I hope that chris_s is correct about his interpretation of bikepedantic’s tweet. The only one which I saw just read that it was not painted to indicate it is a PBL, not that it was going to be painted. We will see.

I also walked from home, walked by the entire Wharf on the river side and then returned on the Maine Ave side (on the sidewalk, not the PBL ). There is really not much open there yet. It looks like stores, restaurants, etc., will be opening about weekly through the next few months. That actually is good as there will be a gradual increase in usage.

All very encouraging. Since I ferry my wife to work on Maine Ave daily, I can monitor who’s opening up, as well as progress in striping/marking the PBL. My hope is that the coffee shop part of District Hardware & Bike will be open when I run RAID Papillon-District Wharf through there this Saturday.

[Judd]

@Starduster 166659 wrote:

All very encouraging. Since I ferry my wife to work on Maine Ave daily, I can monitor who’s opening up, as well as progress in striping/marking the PBL. My hope is that the coffee shop part of District Hardware & Bike will be open when I run RAID Papillon-District Wharf through there this Saturday.

Last report from the Velocafe on Twitter was that they’re opening up tomorrow (10/17).

[ursus]

There are now at least one small sign per block indicating with symbols which is the sidewalk and which is the PBL. They look temporary.

[Judd]

@ursus 166666 wrote:

There are now at least one small sign per block indicating with symbols which is the sidewalk and which is the PBL. They look temporary.

They also look like they were placed there by a tactical urbanist.

[ursus]

@Judd 166674 wrote:

They also look like they were placed there by a tactical urbanist.

That’s a better explanation than mine.

[KWL]

@Judd 166674 wrote:

They also look like they were placed there by a tactical urbanist.

Is this an admission?

[lordofthemark]

@KWL 166687 wrote:

Is this an admission?

Like Judd wants to drive his bike on this sidewalk

So, when I went through this AM, in addition to noting the very obviously temporary signs, I found that there were more other cyclists in the PBL than I had seen previously, almost as many as the number of pedestrians. And most of the pedestrians were construction workers. I suspect that in the morning, when the temp is below 50 and/or there is precipitation, the PBL WILL function as a PBL. Evenings and in more walk friendly weather, it probably won’t, until we turn into Copenhagen.

One other thing – going eastbound, the optimal route for using the PBL is from Ohio Drive is on the sidewalk for a stretch, than onto the road (with varying conditions and options) until past both the fish market and the northernmost Wharf building, which is still under construction, than a sharp right onto the PBL. Though parking of trucks and construction vehicles can hamper that right turn and visibility to it.

[Judd]

@lordofthemark 166688 wrote:

Like Judd wants to drive his bike on this sidewalk

This. Vrrrooooom vroooom. VC 4 Lyfe!

[Author]

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