Roosevelt Bridge (not) Safety Rail

[whitewulff]

The other day a couple of runners refused to go single file for me until the last moment on the Rosy. I had a choice. I could steer into them, or steer into the rail and possibly fall into oncoming traffic. Since I assumed they would go single file, it was too late to stop. Everytime there is two way traffic on the narrow bike path on the bridge, it is a close encounter with a high cost of failure — ie falling into 66. The safety situation on the bridge could be much improved by a better safety rail. In fact, I see no reason why we shouldn’t have equal quality of safety on all bridges crossing into DC. We don’t. The Roosevelt fails by quite a bit. I wrote DDOT. Below is my correspondence. This is from a couple of months ago. I am not optimistic. Feel free to pester. I am going to write VDOT and some legislators. It doesn’t cost very much, and it puts me on the record with them.

Me: Dear DDOT: First thanks for keeping things in shape around the city. I was wondering if there is a plan or proposal to build a higher safety rail on the bike/running path on the Roosevelt Bridge. As it is, the rail is currently inadequate as a biker could easily spill into traffic. A higher rail similar to the 14th Street Bridge would be more appropriate. This would also be fitting with DDOT’s mission: “DDOT is committed to achieving an exceptional quality of life in the nation’s capital through more sustainable travel practices, safer streets and outstanding access to goods and services.” Many hundreds of bikers use the bridge every day. The path is great! Let’s make it safer.

DDOT: We haven’t thought about that. There was a study to rebuild the entire bridge, which would have a wider sidewalk and higher railing, but I think that was shelved.

We’ll take a look.

-jim

James R. Sebastian, AICP

Supervisory Transportation Planner

Active Transportation Branch

Policy, Planning and Sustainability Administration

District Department of Transportation

55 M Street, SE

Washington, DC 20003

(202) 671-2331 (desk)

(202) 409-9197 (mobile)

I ALSO GOT THIS ROBO RESPONSE AFTER I WROTE THEM BACK WITH A FEW MORE POINTS.

Thank you for contacting the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to request the installation of a higher railing on the Roosevelt Bridge between the bike path and the roadway.

We have forwarded your concerns to our traffic engineers, who will take your suggestions into consideration for future infrastructure projects at this location.

For further questions or concerns about this issue, please contact DDOT at 202-673-6813.

d. Clearinghouse

Topic

[theakston]

That bridge does need a wider path. Problem is that if they raise the height of the railing without widening the path it would be barely wide enough for 2 bikes going in opposite directions to pass each other – as you would give up over a foot to accomodate the additional handlebar. I guess it is prohibitively expensive to add width or another alternative, that would be to make it possible to access the path on the southside of the bridge and make that for east bound traffic, not sure how pratical that is either but as it currently stands the south bound path is uselesss as it ends on the ramp from R50 R110.

[Dirt]

Honestly I don’t mean this to sound snotty at all. Just thought I’d share how I deal with that bridge. I totally agree that it is dangerous. That’s why I have no problems doing this.

If I’m coming up behind people who don’t want to move or make room, I just follow them at a safe distance until there’s room to pass and I smile and wave and generally be fluffy.

If I am coming up from the front to anyone who doesn’t want to move or make room, I stop and lean against the rail or put my foot down for the few seconds it takes them to go by and then go along my merry way.

Nowhere that I’m going is that important that me getting there a few moments later is going to make any difference at all. If it were, then I’d leave a few minutes earlier.

Pete

[Dirt]

Thanks for doing the communication and for sharing it with us! Very cool that you got a bit of a response. Hopefully it does some good.

On a much less serious note, I do NOT recommend Roosevelt Bridge bike/pedestrian lane as a good place for a nap.

The little bench things on Memorial bridge are much more comfortable.

Pete

[americancyclo]

Pete-
Is ‘bike napping’ your version of planking?

[CCrew]

@americancyclo 9042 wrote:

Pete-
Is ‘bike napping’ your version of planking?

Makes you wonder what people think when they see him taking one of these pictures, doesn’t it?

[americancyclo]

@CCrew 9044 wrote:

Makes you wonder what people think when they see him taking one of these pictures, doesn’t it?

I would imagine it’s only he and you out on the trails at those times

[Dirt]

If the person commenting has any kind of badge on their uniform, the reaction is, “What the hell are you doing?” I’ve heard that 4 times so far.

No badge? “Are you okay?”

[Mark Blacknell]

My plan, if I see Dirt doing this, is just to call the men with badges. Mostly for my own amusement.

[Dirt]

Just make sure you get photos.

—
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.860193,-77.199965

[Author]

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