October 2015 Road and Trail Conditions

[dasgeh]

Ok, so I never go this way, I don’t really know where the detours are, and I’m not entirely sure why I care. But the idea of biking through the airport and beating these silly detours fascinates me.

NB: Terpfan’s “let’s pick someone up at the airport” route seems to be this one, and I think you could also use the rental car return/parking garage road to do something similar, like in this route. If you wanted to avoid airport craziness, it seems like you could use the reverse of the second route I suggest below, like shown here.

SB: Terpfan’s route seems to be this one, but is there any reason not to use this one, which doesn’t put you on Aviation Circle ever?

[lordofthemark]

Going NB this AM I went Potomac Avenue to Crystal to Service Road to Crystal to water park.

The section of Crystal from Potomac to 26th was a bit hairy with the construction but doable. From the Service Rd to the Water Park should have been easy in the bike lane, but there was some kind of gardening truck in the bike lane, passing it in the general lane looked scary, so I bailed to the sidewalk.

I take it Service lane to 26th to Clark to Potomac works SB?

The other alt to try is Eads/15th Crystal/Long Bridge/Boundary Channel/LBJ/Humpback I suppose.

[dasgeh]

@lordofthemark 125844 wrote:

The other alt to try is Eads/15th Crystal/Long Bridge/Boundary Channel/LBJ/Humpback I suppose.

If I were on Eads, I would stay on Eads into the Pentagon parking lot and use the Connector Road to get to Boundary Channel.

[Terpfan]

@dasgeh 125839 wrote:

Ok, so I never go this way, I don’t really know where the detours are, and I’m not entirely sure why I care. But the idea of biking through the airport and beating these silly detours fascinates me.

NB: Terpfan’s “let’s pick someone up at the airport” route seems to be this one, and I think you could also use the rental car return/parking garage road to do something similar, like in this route. If you wanted to avoid airport craziness, it seems like you could use the reverse of the second route I suggest below, like shown here.

SB: Terpfan’s route seems to be this one, but is there any reason not to use this one, which doesn’t put you on Aviation Circle ever?

Yep, the reverse SB route would work for NB too. I think the only issue folks run into is crossing the street, but they have to do it anyway if they do the detour. (Edit here: for folks reversing this route, you want to take the second crosswalk/first crosswalk after the temporary one left to get to the northbound lanes because the two entrances to you are actually both one-way so this crosswalk is only option). Frankly, it’s probably much easier unless there is no traffic at the airport. I feel bad, but I was smiling as I rode up to everyone climbing the hill onto that makeshift crosswalk while i came riding down the road basically blocking traffic for them.

The airport routes time difference to normal MVT is the extra hill climb initially and then waiting at that one traffic light. I think it’s definitely faster than going through the mulch or Crystal City. But it’s all about comfort level for folks. We’ll also see how long it takes for the airport authority to start complaining, but maybe they won’t because they don’t want the bad PR. On the ‘arrivals route’, I did get some funny looks from people waiting to be picked up like “is this my uber? a bicycle?” type of looks.

[dasgeh]

@Terpfan 125856 wrote:

On the ‘arrivals route’, I did get some funny looks from people waiting to be picked up like “is this my uber? a bicycle?” type of looks.

It makes me really want to do this with the bakfiets…

[Emm]

@lordofthemark 125844 wrote:

I take it Service lane to 26th to Clark to Potomac works SB?

yes, you can actually get to the service drive without getting on to crystal drive going southbound . Just hook a left into the parking lot/road at the point where the MVT exit/water park hits crystal drive. That parking lot-ish section of the service drive leads right into the main section, and allows you to completely skip Crystal Drive.

[lordofthemark]

@dasgeh 125852 wrote:

If I were on Eads, I would stay on Eads into the Pentagon parking lot and use the Connector Road to get to Boundary Channel.

last time I tried that was leading a convoy to FS opening happy hour, and I got flummoxed coming off Connector looking for Eads, due to one ways, IIRC. Embarrassing moment on my first time leading a convoy/ride. Looks like it would be easier NB though.

[BTC_DC]

@Terpfan 125833 wrote:

For those heading northbound…Take it like you were picking someone up at the airport

For some reason I was originally picturing this route through the departures area overpass and thought it could make for a very interesting change of pace from the normal daily commute.

But yes, the arrivals road definitely makes much more sense. Just not as fun. I am also guessing that taking the departures overpass might draw more scrutiny from the police, as it would be quite unusual to see a cyclist riding through there.

I am going to try the southbound route home this afternoon. Have to enjoy it while we can as in a few months time that abandoned entry road from GWMP will be gone…

[Terpfan]

@BTC_DC 125870 wrote:

For some reason I was originally picturing this route through the departures area overpass and thought it could make for a very interesting change of pace from the normal daily commute.

But yes, the arrivals road definitely makes much more sense. Just not as fun. I am also guessing that taking the departures overpass might draw more scrutiny from the police, as it would be quite unusual to see a cyclist riding through there.

I am going to try the southbound route home this afternoon. Have to enjoy it while we can as in a few months time that abandoned entry road from GWMP will be gone…

I almost accidentally did the departures route. It may have been really fun.

The other way is what Dasgeh pointed out, just reversing the SB route. Tell us what you think of it. I liked not having to really dismount save at the light.

[KWL]

@Emm 125832 wrote:

I found if I enter the service drive right off of the MVT in Crystal City (google map link), you can take it all the way to the 26th and avoid pretty much all of crystal drive. It requires a little bit of biking in a parking lot, but only for a few yards and the parking lot has yet to have a moving vehicle in it. It’s been very safe since the whole service drive is slow and empty.

Oh right. Tim’s route. Perhaps I’ll try that tonight. Thanks for the reminder.

[KLizotte]

So long as you are obeying the law/signs cyclists shouldn’t have any problems riding through the airport. I asked one of the airport’s police officer if it was ok over the summer and he said, “sure, plenty of the employees ride bikes around here.” I can personally attest that one of the FAA facilities at DCA has quite a few people who keep bikes there just so they can go to the main terminal for lunch or meetings (they work in building a fair distance away on the property).

[KWL]

@KLizotte 125889 wrote:

So long as you are obeying the law/signs cyclists shouldn’t have any problems riding through the airport. I asked one of the airport’s police officer if it was ok over the summer and he said, “sure, plenty of the employees ride bikes around here.” I can personally attest that one of the FAA facilities at DCA has quite a few people who keep bikes there just so they can go to the main terminal for lunch or meetings (they work in building a fair distance away on the property).

Times have changed. About 20 years ago my daughter and I rode to National Airport to pick up her tickets. As we returned to the MVT an airport officer yelled from his car that bikes weren’t allow on airport property. I like today better.

[KWL]

@Emm 125861 wrote:

yes, you can actually get to the service drive without getting on to crystal drive going southbound . Just hook a left into the parking lot/road at the point where the MVT exit/water park hits crystal drive. That parking lot-ish section of the service drive leads right into the main section, and allows you to completely skip Crystal Drive.

OMG, I love this route. Such a nice smooth road with no traffic. I saw one cyclist and no cars on it this evening. BTW, Strava says we had a flyby near the loop from the MVT into Crystal City.

I need to work on my Behind the Buildings segment sprint and try to dethrone that person in 2nd place.

[BTC_DC]

@Terpfan 125875 wrote:

I almost accidentally did the departures route. It may have been really fun.

The other way is what Dasgeh pointed out, just reversing the SB route. Tell us what you think of it. I liked not having to really dismount save at the light.

Loved the southbound route, quick and convenient. Short wait at the light, but otherwise straight through.

And based on others’ comments about the airport now being an open playground for cyclists, I think northbound through “departures” will be my Monday morning commute.

[PotomacCyclist]

Although most people here aren’t going to use the bike racks, there are several locations with bike racks on the airport grounds. I mapped all of them on RackSpotter earlier this year. MWAA wouldn’t have installed them if they didn’t want cyclists there. I didn’t have any issues when I rode around there in the spring and summer.

[Author]

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