My Morning Commute

[GovernorSilver]

Northbound Crystal Drive – in the morning! – between 26th and 27th is ok. 27th and Crystal occasionally has a shuttle bus of some sort blocking the bike lane, forcing cyclists into a bit of lane splitting – I may just stop there sometime and take a photo, then report the company if it’s the same company that keeps doing that – I doubt it’s ok to just park your shuttle bus right at the corner of 27th and Crystal like that. The only other issue I notice is the metal grating beneath parts of the bike lane.

I thought the bus lanes on Crystal Drive there were forbidden to cyclists, but I’ve seen people riding there without penalty. If cycling there was legal, it’d be a lot easier to get to that Behind The Building service road.

Southbound Crystal Drive after 6:30 PM seems a bit messy as there are enough errantly driven taxis to add stress, plus drivers jockeying for parking because of the restaurants and such along Crystal Drive. This is where having Behind The Building and S. Clark as alternatives is much appreciated.

[notinthe18]

@vern 143106 wrote:

I work on Crystal Drive and have been bike commuting to work the last 3 years. I didn’t realize that riding my bike through Crystal City was so hazardous! I usually come in via Eads and leave via the connector to the MVT (variety and all that). I’m not saying that what others have encountered and described here isn’t real, but I’ve never really felt that riding in Crystal City was very problematic.

Crystal City’s revitalization is a double-edged sword. A couple of years ago, I rarely saw people doing what has become a common trick: stopping cars with flashers on in the bike lane to run in to get food (at Taylor, Sweetgreen, wherever). There is plenty of underground parking, but very little for temporary/short-term.

And it’s also been worse the past couple of weeks with Safetrack, dramatically so. That should abate soon. (Famous last words.)

[LeprosyStudyGroup]

@Judd 143102 wrote:

Paging LeprosyStudyGroup for what was said to him during his ride east of the river.

I got “That’ll make a nice birthday present” near Barry Farm rec center

A park full of cool teens heckling me at the red light at MLK and Malcom X

“Somebody gonna shoot that bike” waiting to cross an intersection at the strip mall in Glass Manor

I guess I started out dumb, but it made me dumb and sad by the end

[JanaeBixby]

@GovernorSilver 143088 wrote:

I hear ya, but if you take the Behind The Buildings route, you avoid a lot of that – on most days it’s just you and your bike, blissfully cruising behind buildings with virtually no cars, no people for that matter other than perhaps a worker or two taking a smoke break. After you emerge from Behind The Buildings (if you’re northbound), you’ll find the connector to Mt. Vernon Trail to your right, unless of course you choose the Boundary Channel route.

.

Yeah, but the areas circled in the photo below are difficult. Having to wait in a line of 10 cars behind a stop sign to turn left onto S Clark is frustrating (inch forward 2 feet, stop, inch forward, stop, inch forward……), and cars go fast on that route at S Clark, then the intersection near the Hyatt to get back onto S Potomac is even more difficult, I feel like I almost get hit there every time. How do you deal with that part of it? I am going all the way south to Del Ray. Riding the sidewalk along Potomac can get dangerous will all of the cars going in and out of the shopping center and not necessarily looking out. One time I was up on the sidewalk going south, had a guy on the road coming south who wanted to turn into the Target lot from behind on Potomac Ave, he was coming from behind me (I was ahead of him on the sidewalk, had no idea he was there behind me) and instead of him waiting for me to go through the intersection crossing the entrance to the parking lot, he laid on the horn, sped up to turn immediately in front of me and cut me off. People gotta get their Target man!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12132[/ATTACH]

[LeprosyStudyGroup]

The redesign that happened there in the south side of crystal city is the most baffling infrastructure change I’ve come across. There are ways to get through there relatively safely as an alert cyclist, while avoiding constant road raging commuters, but they now require breaking laws. South of that unnecessary nonsense, after a winter and spring of feeling my life put at risk on a daily basis: I prefer to cross rt 1 at glebe and get on Commonwealth than to spend any time at all on Potomac avenue.

[GovernorSilver]

@JanaeBixby 143132 wrote:

Yeah, but the areas circled in the photo below are difficult. Having to wait in a line of 10 cars behind a stop sign to turn left onto S Clark is frustrating (inch forward 2 feet, stop, inch forward, stop, inch forward……), and cars go fast on that route at S Clark, then the intersection near the Hyatt to get back onto S Potomac is even more difficult, I feel like I almost get hit there every time. How do you deal with that part of it?
[ATTACH=CONFIG]12132[/ATTACH]

By the time I roll through the area (after 6:30 PM – maybe 6:45) the car traffic has died down a bit so I just wait behind – at worst – a handful of cars at the stop sign.

I usually skip the 27th-S. Clark intersection and just cut through the parking lot, south of the Hyatt, then cross Crystal Dr (usually next to dead by then) to get on 29th, which in turn takes me to Potomac Ave.

@JanaeBixby 143132 wrote:

I am going all the way south to Del Ray.

Ohhh….

In that case you could take 4 Mile Run Trail like you did before, except skip the switchback – ride it all the way to the Rt. 1 connector. From there, ride on the sidewalk to cross the bridge, then use 4 Mile Run Park Trail to get to Commonwealth.

https://goo.gl/maps/7MvJagFbNAz

[mello yello]

@GovernorSilver 143136 wrote:

take 4 Mile Run Trail like you did before, except skip the switchback – ride it all the way to the Rt. 1 connector. From there, ride on the sidewalk to cross the bridge, then use 4 Mile Run Park Trail to get to Commonwealth.

https://goo.gl/maps/7MvJagFbNAz

Yep. I used this route exclusively when I commuted to the PTO from DC. I was of course going in the opposite direction of almost everyone else, plus I feel much safer on Commonwealth than on the trail, especially at night.

[GovernorSilver]

Nice morning ride by this area summer standards but not as entertaining as hearing that the shuttles between DCA and Pentagon City were delayed by a water main break on Rt. 1 – took my colleague 1 hr to get from Braddock to Pentagon City.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Delays-on-4-Lines-as-Metro-Wraps-Up-4th-Safety-Surge-387252142.html

I mean, I felt bad for him but this is why I’m bike commuting during this Safetrack Surge.

[lordofthemark]

Well this time the car (with Md plates) going straight from the right turn lane at S Cap and Eye was at least signalling left, and was well into the bike lane – they may have been rude, but at least it was okay from the POV of my safety.

Also good to see folks at Imperial HDCC. Generally a nice day for a ride.

[gibby]

The ever so slightly cooler temps were made even better as I joined arlingtonrider for most of the ride up MVT to the Capitol.
What a great way to start the day!

[Arlingtonrider]

What Gibby didn’t mention was that he gave me a nice pull into work today. Many thanks and nice to meet you!

[Tania]

Pretty sure that was bentbike who blew by me like I was standing still just east of Two Sisters this am. Hard to tell, he was a blur (although he DID call his pass!).

[bentbike33]

@Tania 143729 wrote:

Pretty sure that was bentbike who blew by me like I was standing still just east of Two Sisters this am. Hard to tell, he was a blur (although he DID call his pass!).

Flyby confirmed.

Good Morning!

[TwoWheelsDC]

I passed the Tuesday Hills Crew on Glebe this morning on my moto (heading in the opposite direction). Made me very jealous, but I’ve been restricted from riding due to having my wisdom teeth cut out of my face last week…but I should be fine to start riding again tomorrow.

[jrenaut]

Best part of my morning commute – soccer camp counselors trash talking the kids as I spun my way up the hill. “We’re going to work you extra hard today if you’re getting a ride now!”

[Author]

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