Presumed Columbia Pike Crash

[Judd]

Hope John is not permanently damaged and that he recovers quickly.

[Starduster]

@Judd 164282 wrote:

Hope John is not permanently damaged and that he recovers quickly.

Bailey Garfield indicates no, but I’m waiting to hear from John.

[bobco85]

That’s awful! I hope he’s okay and heals quickly.

Are the majority of the crashes on Columbia Pike itself, or are they related to the intersection with Walter Reed Dr? I’m trying to get an idea of the area of danger around the store.

[scoot]

Sorry to hear this. I hope John is relatively unscathed and is able to heal quickly.

@Starduster 164279 wrote:

Thus far this year, FOUR of our customers have had wrecks with cars in and around our section of Columbia Pike.

Yikes. Obviously that is four too many.

@bobco85 164292 wrote:

I’m trying to get an idea of the area of danger around the store.

Me too. I wonder what is the total number of Pike crashes and whether that rate is increasing. To improve this situation, it could be helpful to collect as many details from the victims of these crashes as possible. (e.g. sidewalk vs. in-street riding, lane position, whether or not intersections or driveways were involved). In my travels up and down this part of the Pike (split fairly evenly amongst walking, biking, and driving), I’d guess that about 3/4 of the cyclists use the sidewalk. This percentage of course varies with time of day (higher during rush hour, lower off-peak). On many occasions I have noticed an in-street cyclist clinging dangerously close to the gutters, enough that bad drivers might be tempted to pass in lane. There are very few spots on the Pike in Arlington where the lane is wide enough to safely share with a motor vehicle.

Also, drivers can be quite aggressive about lane changing on the Pike, since either lane can be delayed suddenly at any time by a turning vehicle or a stopping bus. Many of these drivers don’t have the requisite situational awareness to make those quick maneuvers safely, because… cell phones. A dangerous combination.

[EasyRider]

I’m sorry to hear about John and hope he recovers soon!

I do wish that transportation on that stretch of Columbia Pike was a little more geared to those living and working in the area, rather than as a thoroughfare for car commuters who live in Fairfax County.

[bobco85]

@EasyRider 164332 wrote:

I do wish that transportation on that stretch of Columbia Pike/Arlington Blvd/Lee Hwy/Walter Reed Dr was a little more geared to those living and working in the area, rather than as a thoroughfare for car commuters who live in Fairfax County.

Stays true regardless of road listed

[EasyRider]

@bobco85 164333 wrote:

Stays true regardless of road listed

I agree, but at least Arlington Blvd and Lee Highway have nearby alternatives.

Columbia Pike is becoming increasingly dense with residential housing for people who want to be close to work in DC. The intersection of Walter Reed and the Pike is about a mile from the MVT and the bridges leading into DC, and it’s downhill the whole way. Would be cyclists can go an additional 3 or 4 miles out of their way in order take the 4MR, ABT or Custis trails into D.C., but …

[lordofthemark]

@EasyRider 164334 wrote:

I agree, but at least Arlington Blvd and Lee Highway have nearby alternatives.

Columbia Pike is becoming increasingly dense with residential housing for people who want to be close to work in DC. The intersection of Walter Reed and the Pike is about a mile from the MVT and the bridges leading into DC, and it’s downhill the whole way. Would be cyclists can go an additional 3 or 4 miles out of their way in order take the 4MR, ABT or Custis trails into D.C., but …

I assume when this is done, 12th Street gets extended.

https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/08/17/washington-reit-adding-401-units-to-an-already.html

Then when this is done http://www.thewashcycle.com/2010/04/the-hoffmanboston-connector.html

You have a comfortable route from Penrose to Pentagon City

It will take a while, but probably happen sooner than VDOT deciding its okay to inconvenience auto drivers on Columbia Pike.

[mstone]

@EasyRider 164332 wrote:

I’m sorry to hear about John and hope he recovers soon!

I do wish that transportation on that stretch of Columbia Pike was a little more geared to those living and working in the area, rather than as a thoroughfare for car commuters who live in Fairfax County.

To be fair, the commuters increasingly live in Loudoun & PWC.

[Starduster]

Just talked to John. He was just back from the Doctor- follow up visit. Scraped elbow, and very bruised ribs. Hurts like hell to take a deep breath. He says hi… Yuki says hi, too.

His mishap was on Monday night, on the Pike, near Bob & Edith’s. John wasn’t sure if he was hit directly or brushed- he remembers a car way-too-close, going down, then standing up, going, “WTF?” The vehicle didn’t stop. He then checked into an Emergency Room the next morning.

Of the other mishaps, 2 were on Columbia Pike, I think in the Bob & Edith’s area again, and the other on South Courthouse Road, a block north, which is still the Columbia Pike corridor. Customers hurt in all of those. Both of us have *major* concerns about riding safety on this road, and there aren’t safe options that don’t take you well out of your way. I have been using the Pike past the new Freedman’s Bridge for my Monuments At Night Rides because I still don’t have another option that allows me to use Lady Bird Johnson Park as an enroute meetup point. The bike boulevards are good only as far as Arlington’s famed “in many disconnected segments” streets allow. And there is the speed and density of this major car & bus corridor to consider. Even if you or I are *fit, fast, and fearless/foolish*, there is still considerable risk. Yet look at how many ride there, because they must.

I’m pissed. I live on the Pike. My fave bike shop is on the Pike. And now a friend has been hurt riding it. My wife worries about me on that road, and WILL NOT ride it. That should not be. It is time to make some change happen.

[Judd]

Saw the aftermath of a crash on my way home tonight near the ramp to 395 at the Freedman’s Bridge. Cyclist lying in the crosswalk. Appeared conscious. Looked like the paramedics were just preparing him for transport. I asked the three people that were standing on my side of the road if they had seen the crash, but they hadn’t. I wasn’t able to make sense of what had happened from looking at the scene. This part of the Pike particularly sucks for pedestrians and cyclists despite being redone when the bridge was rebuilt. Cars routinely make right turns on to the 395 ramp during times that the lane is straight only. Coming home at night, my rough estimate is that 2/3rds of cars exiting 27 don’t stop at the red light or stop in the crosswalk.

[Judd]

@Starduster 164338 wrote:

Just talked to John. He was just back from the Doctor- follow up visit. Scraped elbow, and very bruised ribs. Hurts like hell to take a deep breath. He says hi… Yuki says hi, too.

His mishap was on Monday night, on the Pike, near Bob & Edith’s. John wasn’t sure if he was hit directly or brushed- he remembers a car way-too-close, going down, then standing up, going, “WTF?” The vehicle didn’t stop. He then checked into an Emergency Room the next morning.

Rib injuries suck. They hurt like hell and they take forever to heal. I’m glad to hear that John’s probably not going to be permanently damaged.

Add me to the list of people that have been buzzed at Bob and Edith’s. I got buzzed by a Domino’s driver once which at allowed me to call the store and voice a complaint with the manager.

[dasgeh]

@lordofthemark 164336 wrote:

I assume when this is done, 12th Street gets extended.

https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/08/17/washington-reit-adding-401-units-to-an-already.html

Then when this is done http://www.thewashcycle.com/2010/04/the-hoffmanboston-connector.html

You have a comfortable route from Penrose to Pentagon City

It will take a while, but probably happen sooner than VDOT deciding its okay to inconvenience auto drivers on Columbia Pike.

Not only will it take years, it’s also a pretty big detour.

[EasyRider]

@Judd 164342 wrote:

This part of the Pike particularly sucks for pedestrians and cyclists despite being redone when the bridge was rebuilt.

And also despite the fact that there are FOUR Capital Bikeshare stations on the 1 mile stretch of Columbia Pike between Walter Reed and the Air Force Memorial, including two stations that are less than a block away from the Washington Blvd intersection.

I’ve been taking the lane on that stretch of the Pike for the last 3 years, but I’m reconsidering after these incidents. I have no doubt someone is going to be seriously injured or killed as efforts to encourage cycling in the corridor, like Bikeshare, colllide (literally) with the lack of infrastructure improvements and traffic enforcement.

[elbows]

Not to make this about me instead of John but as someone with two accidents on the Pike in the past 14 years (and no accidents elsewhere in the DMV FWTW despite somewhere close to 75K miles locally), I can’t help but be somewhat frustrated by the lack of improvement even around Freedman’s Bridge.

I now avoid the Pike as much as possible, but the alternatives add a lot of distance.

[Author]

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