Maine Avenue is Combat

[lordofthemark]

@Starduster 167522 wrote:

Until the entire project is complete, connections will remain a problem. The construction at the Fish Market runs into spring of next year. Until then, a problem. (And even then, there is that section from under the 14th St Bridge to 12th, which is always a delicate sharing act with pedestrians) At the other end, from 7th to St Augustine’s, Phase 2’s three new buildings will not be ready until 2020. Access through the Old Channel Inn site will disappear in the next few months.

I have managed the balancing act between 14th and 12th for years, as have many other riders willing to ride at a moderate pace. Once the fish market is done in the Spring, the entire route becomes more viable to less confident riders eastbound, and to anyone riding westbound.

[ursus]

@lordofthemark 167524 wrote:

Clearly there will be some times when the PBL is unusable to even bike share riders. OTOH in conditions like that, it may be that any cycling accommodation not on the street side of parked cars would be taken over by pedestrians.

Just curious as to where most of the pedestrians head when the performance at The Anthem ends. Are they going to bars, to the Waterfront Metro or …? If it is to bars then it will cause more pedestrian traffic later.

For several years there was frequently a lot of car and pedestrian traffic on Water Street early on weekend mornings due to the former Hogate restaurant being used for performances of some kind.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@lordofthemark 167524 wrote:

Clearly there will be some times when the PBL is unusable to even bike share riders. OTOH in conditions like that, it may be that any cycling accommodation not on the street side of parked cars would be taken over by pedestrians.

My issue is that, given the venue and the configuration of the area, the Maine Ave frontage space is basically designed (either intentionally or unintentionally) to bring lots of people in from the street, across the cycletrack/sidewalk, and into the various businesses within the complex. On a lazy Saturday afternoon or early weekday, the volume of people coming in is going to be relatively low, but there are two live music venues, several bars that also offer live music, and outdoor events spaces that are a regular draw for the Uber/Lyft crowd, and there is something going on down there almost every night. Obviously visitors eventually settle into venues within the complex, but to get there, they’re almost all arriving along Maine Ave, either from L’Enfant or getting dropped off by Uber/Lyft (and a few will park onsite). Thus, the cycletrack will be relegated to the status of sidewalk during all but the quietest times, so why even bother other than PR value? Cycling infrastructure ideally will provide transportation corridors between different parts of the city, rather than be a vanity project to provide the veneer of “bike friendliness.”

My preferred solution: ditch the “cycletrack”, make the sidewalk nice and wide with plenty of bike racks, then put in either a real cycletrack or at least some bike lanes along Maine Ave. to connect the Wharf to the Tidal Basin (in addition to the subpar sidewalk path), L’Enfant, Waterfont Metro, and on to Navy Yard (and eventually Buzzard Point).

[lordofthemark]

Thus, the cycletrack will be relegated to the status of sidewalk during all but the quietest times, so why even bother other than PR value?

Because A. It will be quite useful about 70% to 90% of the time. And B . will still function as the wider sidewalk during the times when it is unuseable to riders.

Cycling infrastructure ideally will provide transportation corridors between different parts of the city, rather than be a vanity project to provide the veneer of “bike friendliness.”

It can also be useful to people riding locally in the neighborhood. I think its more than a veneer already – as noted, at least on weekday mornings it seems to have pulled CaBi and other less confident riders off the actual sidewalk, and created a reserved space for pedestrians. Even if its not terribly useful to many folks here.

My preferred solution: ditch the “cycletrack”, make the sidewalk nice and wide with plenty of bike racks, then put in either a real cycletrack or at least some bike lanes along Maine Ave. to connect the Wharf to the Tidal Basin (in addition to the subpar sidewalk path), L’Enfant, Waterfont Metro, and on to Navy Yard (and eventually Buzzard Point).

Assuming you make the extra sidewalk as wide as the PBL (to accommodate those anthem crowds) you will need to take more space out of Maine Avenue to fit any cycle infra. I am not sure DDOT could see their way to removing a general travel lane. And taking out the lane for parking/buses/dropoffs could certainly have an impact on the functioning of the Wharf. I am also not sure that a “real cycle track” as long its sidewalk adjacent, would not get pedestrians as well at times like those in your picture. A bike lane to the left of parking wouldn’t, but then we would have to deal with dooring issues, or else get even more road space.

It was my impression that some kind of bike lane was planned for the section from 14th to 12th, but I am not certain.

[Brett L.]

@TwoWheelsDC 167451 wrote:

This is the cycletrack after a show at the Anthem.

Just do this!

[lordofthemark]

Oh my.

This AM the PBL looked about as successful at being a PBL as ever. We actually had a regular little “paceline” going, with four bikes headed eastbound – including one guy on a drop bar road bike who passed me as I entered the PBL (!) . Another rider was heading WB on the PBL. The construction workers were actually scooting across the PBL, as if it were a PBL, rather than walking in it.

Until.

As we got to the east end, near Velocafe, there was some swerving and shouting. From as much as I can recollect, it was an oblivious pedestrian strolling across the PBL. The roadie was following the “paceline” leader (who was slow – or at any rate rode like me – I had seen him at LBJ grove (before I lost sight of Bob James and Wheels&Wings), and again on Maine, so we were doing about the same speed) perhaps too closely? I think the leader stopped appropriately, and Mr Roadie swerved into the left lane of the PBL to avoid hitting him, and had to stop pretty sharply to not hit the pedestrian.

Thankfully no collision took place. First near miss I have seen on the PBL though. The kicker, aside from the involvement of a roadie in the PBL – the oblivious pedestrian was a cyclist, walking over to his parked bike. Good thing there was no collision, as the embarrassment on the part of a couple of people would have been very great, I would think.

Maine Avenue – good for entertainment, and not just at the Anthem and Arena Stage.

[napes]

lordofthemark, you mean something like this?

[ursus]

@napes 167883 wrote:

lordofthemark, you mean something like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz7WsvDpRw8

The video doesn’t work.

[lordofthemark]

@napes 167883 wrote:

lordofthemark, you mean something like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz7WsvDpRw8

Should have looked at this a while ago, when the memory was fresher. Were you there? Looks like we were in the same “paceline”.

Edit: Oh wait. The rider in the red jacket 1:21 on, who turned to talk to you, that was me. Yup. Hope I didn’t do anything wrong there

Update on Maine: The other day I decided to forego the PBL and take the lane again. On the one hand the pavement is smoother, so its a much more pleasant ride physically. And there are now two full lanes, no construction equipment in them, so taking the lane (esp if you are proceeding further down Maine) is easier in that sense too. On the other hand, the bumpy pavement and the construction had served as traffic calming, so motor vehicles are now going faster. For me – not that fast, and heading to the vehicular left at 7th – it was mostly a wash, versus earlier conditions. For someone riding just a tad faster than I do, and at least as confident, taking the lane is probably much better than it was before the road was repaved.

Took the PBL again another day. Still quite a few peds, but the good news is they are showing a lot more lane discipline than they did when it first opened. Not as much aimless wandering around, more walking on one side of the line. IE more like behavior on a MUT than on an urban sidewalk in a dense place. Still not like an inroad PBL, or an Amsterdam PBL (from what I know of the latter).

[KLizotte]

And what pray tell is going thru the peds’ minds when they are walking along the side of the PBL when there is a perfectly good sidewalk right there?! “Gee, I should be careful and walk along the side so I don’t get hit by a bike.” Face palm.

[lordofthemark]

@KLizotte 169660 wrote:

And what pray tell is going thru the peds’ minds when they are walking along the side of the PBL when there is a perfectly good sidewalk right there?! “Gee, I should be careful and walk along the side so I don’t get hit by a bike.” Face palm.

Well its not quite perfectly good yet – there is still some work on the storefronts going on, which can get in the way of a ped. Also if you are walking up the sidewalk from southeast of 7th Street, and you walk straight, it puts you in the PBL. You would have to swerve left to walk on the sidewalk. Why do that when there are not that many bikes, and when the only thing telling you to do so is this cute little paper sign with bike and ped icons on it? (and then there are runners, who may prefer the surface on the PBL to that on the sidewalk) And I doubt that folks are consciously thinking “I don’t want to get hit by a bike” its just that the flow and habits are starting to work that way. Which again, is a good thing, as right after it opened people were just wandering all over.

[ursus]

This may have been posted somewhere but if so I missed it due to all the freezing Saddles posts. I noticed today that the paper signs on the Maine Ave. side of the Wharf showing which is the bike lane and which is the sidewalk have been replaced by metal signs on metals poles which are much higher than the old ones..

[napes]

Had a close call on Maine Friday. Really silly driver.
[video=youtube_share;upyaaZF1r0M]https://youtu.be/upyaaZF1r0M[/video]

[streetsmarts]

@napes 177731 wrote:

Had a close call on Maine Friday. Really silly driver.
[video=youtube_share;upyaaZF1r0M]https://youtu.be/upyaaZF1r0M[/video]

Yikes that was a close call! Glad you are ok and had the presence to stay upright.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[dkel]

The fact that you only called the driver a “bozo” is amazing.

[Author]

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