Shovel This Saturday!

[bobco85]

I saw this on The Wash Cycle and want to pass this idea onto everyone.

An excerpt from http://www.thewashcycle.com/2016/01/saturday-self-serving-shoveling.html

Here’s how it will work. At 10:30am on Saturday morning I’m going to take my shovel to a bad spot on my bike commute (specifically the western approach to the north bike/ped lane on the Sousa Bridge. The path along the bridge is clear, but this approach, oddly, is not) and I’m going to spend 30 minutes digging it out. I’m inviting anyone who wants to put a dent in their bike commute to go out to their “bad spot” at the same time. Maybe you’ll find someone else there with a shovel too. Maybe you can work together. Maybe you’ll become friends and compete together on The Amazing Race (if that show is still on TV). Maybe you want to organize a more formal dig out of a facility – like the unplowed Mount Vernon Trail above. If so, let me know and I’ll advertise it here. Or just leave in the comments the place you plan to go to and when and maybe things will organize more organically.

Maybe your bike commute has zero ice and lots of unicorns riding rainbows, but you’re a swell person and you like shoveling snow so you would go to a more formally organized dig if you just knew where to go. Look to the comments I say.

Yesterday, I spent a few hours shoveling paths through the snow banks for pedestrians to use when crossing Beauregard St/Roanoke St intersection, crossing Beauregard St/Reading Ave intersection, and boarding/disembarking at the bus stops. Before, the pedestrians were having to walk out in the street or climb over the 4 foot tall snowbanks. I was happy to see people immediately using the new pathways, plus I got the opportunity to play traffic planner by essentially creating pedestrian refuges where there were none.

I really want to get that Beauregard/Seminary intersection cleaned up, so I will likely head there on Friday, but on Saturday I will head to the MVT and see what improvements I can make.

I recommend this and think that if we each spent a little time each day to help clear trails, bridges, curb cuts, and sidewalks, things will get better and safer for everyone a lot faster.

Topic

[komorebi]

@bobco85 133810 wrote:

I should get to the MVT by 6 (the rain should have subsided by then). I’ll have a snow shovel, ice chopper, and 2 deck brushes (good for clearing bits of snow/ice). If you see me out there, feel free to stop by and help.

Awesome! I’ll come help. Expect me around 7:15.

[bobco85]

@komorebi 133839 wrote:

Awesome! I’ll come help. Expect me around 7:15.

Great! It looks like the rain is supposed to subside by 6. I imagine clearing the ice will be much easier (the snow will be heavier, but it will melt faster).

At 6, I’m going to start at the intersection of MVT/CC Connector and work my way north towards the 14th Street bridge, trying to create a 2-3 foot wide path along the way for 2 hours. Around 8, I’ll do an hour on the CC Connector and break whatever ice I can. Around 9, I’m getting food (Chipotle in CC probably), going home, getting a nice hot shower, stretching, and then eating ice cream

I’ll have my snow tools (shovel, ice chopper, 2 deck brushes) and my bike trailer with me. See you (and any other volunteers) there!

[bobco85]

WE DID IT!!!

Together with komorebi and a fellow cyclist named Sean who stopped to help, we completely cleared the MVT under the 14th St Bridge and cleared 1 side of the Crystal City Connector. This means that cyclists can get to DC using the MVT via the Crystal City Connector without having to dismount or deal with ice/slush/snow.

Before/After – MVT under 14th St Bridge
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The Shoveling Trio
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[bobco85]

More pics from tonight:

Crystal City Connector Before/After looking towards Crystal City from the bridge
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Me in the dark
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Looking towards the Crystal City Connector tunnel
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[PotomacCyclist]

Awesome job, Team! Triple ELITE

[KWL]

Bobco85 is a bad influence. I decided to do some trail clearing on the MVT on the way home tonight. L to R: Before; After; The other nearby ice field after being cleared; The piéce de résistance – Humpback Glacier after my shoveling. There is now pavement all the way from Rosslyn to 4MRT. Yeah it was getting dark for that last photo.

[bobco85]

@KWL 134094 wrote:

Bobco85 is a bad influence. I decided to do some trail clearing on the MVT on the way home tonight. L to R: Before; After; The other nearby ice field after being cleared; The piéce de résistance – Humpback Glacier after my shoveling. There is now pavement all the way from Rosslyn to 4MRT. Yeah it was getting dark for that last photo.

Great job! I’m glad you took it upon yourself to tackle the dreaded Humpback Glacier (this should probably be added to the forum dictionary). With today’s weather, whatever is left will likely be gone thanks to your effort.

[bobco85]

First off, I want to thank everyone who volunteered to help shovel and clear parts of the MVT. It really made a difference. How much of a difference? Here’s some stats:

Keep in mind the following dates:
1/16 (Sat) – week before the storm (to help with comparison)
1/20 (Wed) – Carmageddon 2.0
1/22-1/23 (Fri/Sat) – Winter Storm Jonas reared its ugly head
1/26 (Tue) – 14th Street Bridge was cleared
1/30-2/1 (Sat-Mon) – volunteers cleared a path underneath 14th Street Bridge and on the Crystal City Connector

14th Street Bridge Counter Data
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Crystal City Connector Counter Data
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We’ll be able to see the impact of KWL’s final clearing of the Humpback Glacier over the next few days, but looking at the current data it seems while the effect was not a lot on pedestrians, everyone’s efforts had a huge impact on biking.

[Author]

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