Maine Avenue is Combat

[rcannon100]

@ursus 177788 wrote:

Also there should be designated areas for people waiting for buses, shuttles, and whatever.

There is an odd building on the north end, which has a large U driveway around it. I suspect that is exactly what that is. Remember, this project is far from done.

[scoot]

@Emm 177785 wrote:

Friday evenings and weekends it’s a MESS … WAY too many pedestrians who have no idea bikes are around and therefor are walking all over the bike lane without looking, and the street/parking garage crossings are crazy with cars flying across the sidewalk and bike lanes without looking … Sure, if you’re meandering very slowly and are ok with constantly starting, stopping, and almost getting hit by cars you’ll be fine. Otherwise, it’s safer to be on the street during peak hours.

It’s worth noting that we face all of these same problems riding any other DC-area PBL. Pedestrians stepping off the adjacent sidewalk without looking and loitering in the lanes. Drivers darting out from parking garages looking only at the sidewalk. Heightened risks of right hooks and left cross collisions, especially when the PBL is hidden behind parked cars. Turning vehicles blocking the PBL while waiting for a gap in either sidewalk or street traffic. Idling or parked vehicles blocking the lanes.

The only real difference on Maine Ave is that the sheer volume of pedestrians and tourist atmosphere magnify the above issues. (Also perhaps the fraction of drivers who are not regulars to the area may be higher, especially on weekends; that could be a factor too.)

PBLs are useful for slow riding and for filtering through car jams, but how many are safe above 12MPH? Or for any non-hyper-vigilant rider, for that matter?

[dasgeh]

@streetsmarts 177733 wrote:

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

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Glad you’re ok. Hopefully you’ve sent this to the police.

[lordofthemark]

@scoot 177790 wrote:

It’s worth noting that we face all of these same problems riding any other DC-area PBL. Pedestrians stepping off the adjacent sidewalk without looking and loitering in the lanes. Drivers darting out from parking garages looking only at the sidewalk. Heightened risks of right hooks and left cross collisions, especially when the PBL is hidden behind parked cars. Turning vehicles blocking the PBL while waiting for a gap in either sidewalk or street traffic. Idling or parked vehicles blocking the lanes.

The only real difference on Maine Ave is that the sheer volume of pedestrians and tourist atmosphere magnify the above issues. (Also perhaps the fraction of drivers who are not regulars to the area may be higher, especially on weekends; that could be a factor too.)

PBLs are useful for slow riding and for filtering through car jams, but how many are safe above 12MPH? Or for any non-hyper-vigilant rider, for that matter?

I am always hypervigilant when I take the general travel lane on Maine. Also hammering as fast as I can. ☺

Regarding parked cars and visibility. The 7th street intersection is pretty well daylighted by the CaBi station.

Daylighting is a policy that benefits all intersections, irrespective of the presence of bikes and bike lanes. We should strive for daylighting PBL intersections.

[Steve O]

@lordofthemark 177792 wrote:

…. Also hammering as fast as I can.

I’m pretty sure this may be one of the only times the word “hammering” appears in the same sentence as the pronoun “I” (referring to lotm).

[ursus]

@rcannon100 177789 wrote:

There is an odd building on the north end, which has a large U driveway around it. I suspect that is exactly what that is. Remember, this project is far from done.

And they have started boring holes for Phase II. 😮

[Starduster]

@ursus 177798 wrote:

And they have started boring holes for Phase II. 😮

rcannon100: Were you talking about the Fish Market end near 12th St SW, or the plaza at 7th, in front of the former (& soon to be gone) Channel Inn? I believe they’ve
started work on the sea wall- 1st step in Phase II.

[SarahBee]

It’s unfortunate that such with such a great bike lane design EVERYONE feels safe and comfortable away enough from cars to use it. I think the big missed opportunity is that you the pedestrian sidewalk is not nearly as nice of inviting as the bike lane. This should be a lesson to pedestrian and bike trail planning advocate alike- equal consideration of pedestrian and cyclist must be accommodated if we are to make trails that allow for different modes and speed of travel.

[ursus]

@Starduster 177800 wrote:

rcannon100: Were you talking about the Fish Market end near 12th St SW, or the plaza at 7th, in front of the former (& soon to be gone) Channel Inn? I believe they’ve
started work on the sea wall- 1st step in Phase II.

I meant by the Channel Inn.

[Starduster]

@SarahBee 177808 wrote:

It’s unfortunate that such with such a great bike lane design EVERYONE feels safe and comfortable away enough from cars to use it. I think the big missed opportunity is that you the pedestrian sidewalk is not nearly as nice of inviting as the bike lane. This should be a lesson to pedestrian and bike trail planning advocate alike- equal consideration of pedestrian and cyclist must be accommodated if we are to make trails that allow for different modes and speed of travel.

Phase II, down to the St. Augustine’s/condo combo & M St, is just now starting. Hope it is not too late for DDOT and the developers to process feedback and improve the next section.

[creadinger]

In the late afternoon when I’m heading NW on Maine Ave I usually always take the left lane up to the fish market before cutting over. Yesterday the traffic was backed up on Maine, so I gave the PBL a try… yeah, it was just a sidewalk. Yesterday’s non-bike traffic included 2 separate families with strollers moseying at <1mph clip, a gaggle of people mingling at a bus stop, and other minglers while one of them was paying for parallel parking.

Yesterday, dealing with the PBL obstacles was indeed faster than Maine Ave, but it will never be the protected thoroughfare we want it to be. It’s just an extension of the sidewalk farther up. Taking a lane on Maine will usually be the best option for through-riders.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

That video is my regular commute. The drivers northbound in the p.m. rush have gotten more aggressive about the rightmost lane now that traffic backs up in the left lanes to turn left into the Waterfront. Also too, after Maine passes under the highway, two left lanes turn left to get to Virginia and right lane goes through to the Mall. While the Virginia traffic almost always backs up to a standstill, cars going through to the Mall have gotten used to flying up the right lane. This, and New Jersey Avenue northbound to LeDroit give me the most aggressive drivers.

And the PBL is useless, too. Everyone should just admit it’s a loading zone for truck deliveries.

[ursus]

Bike repair stand next to the Wharf (west end).
https://twitter.com/TheSouthwester/status/1000042068721446917

[lordofthemark]

@Brendan von Buckingham 177887 wrote:

That video is my regular commute. The drivers northbound in the p.m. rush have gotten more aggressive about the rightmost lane now that traffic backs up in the left lanes to turn left into the Waterfront. Also too, after Maine passes under the highway, two left lanes turn left to get to Virginia and right lane goes through to the Mall. While the Virginia traffic almost always backs up to a standstill, cars going through to the Mall have gotten used to flying up the right lane. This, and New Jersey Avenue northbound to LeDroit give me the most aggressive drivers.

And the PBL is useless, too. Everyone should just admit it’s a loading zone for truck deliveries.

I pretty much only see trucks in the road crossings blocking the PBL in the AM, usually only one or two, even including the construction vehicles. Peds are more the problem in the evening, though I would say its getting slightly better as the bike volume on the PBL has picked up. Its less routinely used as a second sidewalk, and you mostly get people crossing the PBL to get to a parked car, or the overflow at the busstop, plus the occasional completely oblivious pedestrian. For some reason its better at the south end of the PBL.

Personally in the AM going eastbound I still use the PBL more often than not, although taking the lane on Maine is viable, especially for faster folks (and as noted above, the pavement is good). Westbound I go G Street to Case bridge almost as often as not, though it depends on the weather and other things that impact my expectation of ped activity on the PBL and on my speed.

The principle way the PBL is useful however, is that AFAICT it has completely kept bike riding out of the non-PBL sidewalk, this despite not only a CaBi station, but multitudes of dockless bikeshare bikes. That is no small accomplishment for pedestrian comfort – it means those peds who do NOT want to share with bikes, have a place to go.

[bentbike33]

With the new curb cuts at the end of the L’Enfant Promenade, and after much practice has improved my ability to gracefully navigate the switchbacks, I will be leaving DC via the Case Bridge from now on unless I want to go someplace at the Wharf first.

[Author]

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