North-north Arlington

[oldbikechick]

I agree that while the area is bike-friendly, some smaller or larger changes could make things more accessible to more people. As a commuter, I think the infrastructure is pretty good now, but there are some things that could make it more accessible for riding with kids.
-The intersections to cross Lee Highway are not great in that respect (George Mason and Lee Hwy, Harrison and Lee Hwy or Glebe and Lee Hwy) all are busy with bike lanes that turn to sharrows, or don’t exist. Crossing on Lee on smaller streets without a light is difficult with the amount of traffic. It is uncomfortable to cross with a kid trailing behind or on their own bike. If the intersections could be improved, that would improve the linkage between North Arlington and Westover.

Likewise, the intersection of Yorktown Blvd and N. George Mason could be greatly improved by a four-way stop. Cars are coming downhill on Yorktown Blvd from both sides, which increases their speed and shortens sight lines. It’s hard enough to get through the stop sign in a car, much less on a bike with a kid on their own bike struggling to get across fast enough. That affects the ability to cut through Rock Spring park. Pedestrians trying to use the park could also benefit from this since you can’t count on drivers stopping for folks using the crosswalk.

-I may be mistaken, but I believe the bike lane on Williamsburg disappears momentarily at the top of a hill between George Mason and the new elementary school. This makes no sense to take away the bike lane when sight lines are at their worst. The parking lane is maintained, so maybe it could be removed and the bike lane kept in that spot. All of these take away from the bike-ability to the Elementary school.

-Lee Harrison shopping Center would be much more bike-friendly with more bike parking. Also, the parking lot is a zoo, so bike with caution among the distracted drivers exiting and entering and looking for parking.

Lastly, it is true that the hilliness is a barrier especially for kids on their own bikes. But, having better infrastructure would help so you don’t have to worry that the slightest wobble going up hill isn’t going to put them in front of a car.

[PotomacCyclist]

Photo of North-North Arlington, as seen from Tysons by a morning commuter

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[Vicegrip]

@PotomacCyclist 136197 wrote:

Photo of North-North Arlington, as seen from Tysons by a morning commuter

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Sha…finish my cuppa joe, instagram that bad boy onto the freezing saddles site and ride into work.

[dasgeh]

@scoot 136166 wrote:

It is a natural consequence of the evolution of our transportation system that the gentlest slopes have become the primary routes for cars. The terrain dictated those as the natural choices for routing before cars even existed. And once cars came along, these routes were widened and often landscaped to ease travel through them. In some cases, such as the W&OD, it was a railroad instead, which then fell into disuse once cars and trucks began to dominate transportation.

THIS!

And thanks to all of the comments. Super helpful.

[Author]

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