New "speed control" bariers at Roosevelt Island

[Mark Blacknell]

@Bilsko 56842 wrote:

When I rode by the TR barrier clusterf%&*ck yesterday (Westbound towards Rosslyn), there was a (temporary?) posted sign with a 15mph speed limit. There was also a tent with NPS officers there. I would have stopped but was late to get home. Anyone else stop?

I didn’t see the sign when I rode by eastbound this morning but I could have just not been paying enough attention.

Is there any legal justification for the sign? Could someone point me to the VA / NPS code that sets the trail speed limit at 15mph?

I know that on the CCT, in MD, the speed is officially codified at 15mph (although not in DC, IIRC). I didn’t realize that VA had implemented the same for the MVT.

…Now that I’m a VA bike commuter and all…

Next time stop and ask them how many crashes with injuries due to speeding they have right there. Then, when they can’t answer that, tell him to go down to Memorial Circle where there’s plenty of good they could do.

[Drewdane]

@Bilsko 56842 wrote:

When I rode by the TR barrier clusterf%&*ck yesterday (Westbound towards Rosslyn), there was a (temporary?) posted sign with a 15mph speed limit. There was also a tent with NPS officers there. I would have stopped but was late to get home. Anyone else stop?

I saw that as well. I’m concerned that, along with the increasingly permanent-looking barriers forcing cyclists to stick to the not-as-appropriate-or-safe path route, this is part of an ill-advised “let’s crack down on those hooligan bikers while ignoring the poor behavior of drivers and pedestrians” initiative…

[Drewdane]

@OneEighth 2761 wrote:

I believe that Ms. Dottie P. Marshall is the National Park Service Park Superintendant for the MVT. Her email address is GWMP_Superintendent@nps.gov
If you ride this route and think that it is going to result in accidents, please consider sending her some constructive comments.

Email sent, not that I expect anything to come of it, other than a kiss-off reply (that’s me – bringing Sunshine and Joy everywhere I go!).

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[dbb]

The Acting Superintendent of the GWMP is Jon James. I have worked with him on bike issue on the trail and found him to be fairly accommodating. He is mentioned in a thread earlier in the week about the removal of the stop signs at the intersection of the trail and the abandoned GWMP offramp to DCA.

[KLizotte]

@dbb 60852 wrote:

The Acting Superintendent of the GWMP is Jon James. I have worked with him on bike issue on the trail and found him to be fairly accommodating. He is mentioned in a thread earlier in the week about the removal of the stop signs at the intersection of the trail and the abandoned GWMP offramp to DCA.

Similarly my impression from talking with each is that the police and capital improvement folks are two separate camps that really don’t talk to one another.

[Drewdane]

@dbb 60852 wrote:

The Acting Superintendent of the GWMP is Jon James. I have worked with him on bike issue on the trail and found him to be fairly accommodating. He is mentioned in a thread earlier in the week about the removal of the stop signs at the intersection of the trail and the abandoned GWMP offramp to DCA.

I got a reply from Mr. James today. My interpretation is that they’re sticking to their guns on making cyclists take the path, but plan on making the path less annoying.

Thank you very much for your inquiry regarding the temporary barriers in place on the south end of Theodore Roosevelt Island (TRI). The barriers have been put into place to avoid conflicts at peak times for visitation to the island when there have been past incidents between pedestrians and cyclists in that end of the parking lot, largely related to the high speed of cyclists. We agree the existing situation is not ideal in many ways, but fortunately, the barriers are only a temporary measure to be replaced by a long-term fix planned for implementation in the near future.

The great news is design for improvements to the TRI parking lot are underway with funding recently secured for construction. These designs include widening and re-aligning sections of the trail, improving the angle and safety of the parking lot crossing and better separation of visitors to TRI and Mount Vernon Trail users. There is also the addition of improved trail signage, better bike racks and a water fountain. These designs are being prepared for public review sometime this fall, when you will have a chance to comment on the solutions being proposed.

I have shared your concerns with park staff working on the new designs as well as your contact information, so you can be notified when the designs are posted our our Parkway website for review. We encourage you to comment and share with other users, who can do the same, to ensure we implement the best design possible.

[dasgeh]

@Drewdane 61686 wrote:

I got a reply from Mr. James today. My interpretation is that they’re sticking to their guns on making cyclists take the path, but plan on making the path less annoying.

Thanks for writing and letting us know.

Are they planning on coming to the ABAC with the design? Because they should. How do we make that happen?

[Drewdane]

@dasgeh 61703 wrote:

Thanks for writing and letting us know.

Are they planning on coming to the ABAC with the design? Because they should. How do we make that happen?

I’m happy pass along the request, or someone from ABAC (Arlington Bike Advisory Council, I’m guessing?) can write to him at gwmp_superintendent@nps.gov.

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