So who passed me this morning on the MVT?

[DaveK]

Congrats on the new place!

@GuyContinental 20942 wrote:

On the top end, you could always join the Custis at the top of the S-turn (Irving off 22nd) but that only makes sense if you are on the N side of Lee. On the S. side of Lee you can get on at 18th and Johnson and avoid Lee entirely.

This is exactly what I was going to post. On the north side you can pick your way through to the S-curve entrance and on the south side there’s 18th & Johnson and 20th Rd & 20th St (yes it’s an intersection) entrances. No need to ride on Lee if you don’t want to.

[dasgeh]

Thanks everyone. For now, I’m the pregnant chick on the ebike, so I’m not trying to rack up miles. (I didn’t sign up for NBC, because I wasn’t confident whether I’d be biking to work or throwing up — morning sickness SUCKS). Anyhow…

@DaveK 20966 wrote:

This is exactly what I was going to post. On the north side you can pick your way through to the S-curve entrance and on the south side there’s 18th & Johnson and 20th Rd & 20th St (yes it’s an intersection) entrances. No need to ride on Lee if you don’t want to.

I’m right behind the new Subway, on 20th (a block South of Lee) so heading down to Johnson and 18th or up to the top of the S-curve doesn’t seem to make sense. It’s definitely the most straight line to take Lee. I do think I’m going to start taking the lane instead of staying the bike lane. This morning a driver who was beside (and a little behind) me at the red light, then passed me, cut just a ahead of me to park. I had to stop to avoid hitting him (wasn’t going very fast because of the light), so I talked to him. He said he didn’t see me, and I believe him, but that’s purely bad driving not to see people right beside you as you’re driving. At least being in the lane I’d be visible. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll head down to the trail at Nelson or Johnson.

BTW, why aren’t there sharrows on Lee after the bike lane ends? And why don’t they extend the (horrible) ramp up to the Custis at Spout Run along the parking lot to decrease the grade. A bike needs to stop there to safely get on the trail, and with that grade, starting from a stop is not easy.

[eminva]

@dasgeh 20987 wrote:

And why don’t they extend the (horrible) ramp up to the Custis at Spout Run along the parking lot to decrease the grade. A bike needs to stop there to safely get on the trail, and with that grade, starting from a stop is not easy.

Yes, I saw a woman almost get clobbered there trying to enter the trail this morning. It is also difficult to see what is coming your way when the sun is low on the horizon. I almost stopped and told her to ride through the parking lot and enter the trial at the little curb cut behind the CVS — that is the lesser of all evils when I am entering the trail there.

Liz

[vvill]

Yeah not to mention the gravel/runoff that’s often there. Someone on the forum here I think broke a bone falling there.

I think I’m going to look into the Lee Highway alternatives mentioned in this thread soon – I have had the same issues with the suddenly appearing, then disappearing bike lane on Lee and drivers not noticing me.

[KLizotte]

@vvill 21016 wrote:

I think I’m going to look into the Lee Highway alternatives mentioned in this thread soon – I have had the same issues with the suddenly appearing, then disappearing bike lane on Lee and drivers not noticing me.

When I did the Baltimore ride a couple of weeks ago we passed through some partially constructed bike lanes in the city where they are putting in low level stone walls (approx 8 inches high) between the car lanes and the bike lanes on the busiest streets. Lee Highway could definitely use something like that.

[GuyContinental]

@vvill 21016 wrote:

Yeah not to mention the gravel/runoff that’s often there. Someone on the forum here I think broke a bone falling there.

Yup- I think this is one for the “My ride would be better if…” thread. I usually terminate my trail pm ride at that Lee exit and navigating the crazy roots at the top, braking hard through the gravel and then navigating around the bollard, onto Lee and across the I-66 entrance is one of the more interesting sections… Or are you talking about the steep ramp on the CVS side of Lee? If so, the curb cut at the garbage cans (75′ up) is fine and not on a blind corner.

[pfunkallstar]

@GuyContinental 21028 wrote:

Yup- I think this is one for the “My ride would be better if…” thread. I usually terminate my trail pm ride at that Lee exit and navigating the crazy roots at the top, braking hard through the gravel and then navigating around the bollard, onto Lee and across the I-66 entrance is one of the more interesting sections… Or are you talking about the steep ramp on the CVS side of Lee? If so, the curb cut at the garbage cans (75′ up) is fine and not on a blind corner.

I think they are talking about that ridiculous ramp on the CVS side next to Giant that requires the Swooping U-Turn to head towards Rosslyn.

[dasgeh]

I was talking about the CVS side, and that’s a great point about the ramp in the parking lot — I forgot about that one. It looks like it also could be more user friendly, but I haven’t taken it yet (I was going to take it on the way down the hill, but I didn’t see it in time).

Does anyone take Key Blvd or 18th St N in Lyon Village as a Custis/Lee alternative? That seems like it will get me from Danville to Rhodes, and I think the neighborhood is pleasant around there, but I haven’t been there during rush hour….

[eminva]

@dasgeh 21035 wrote:

Does anyone take Key Blvd or 18th St N in Lyon Village as a Custis/Lee alternative? That seems like it will get me from Danville to Rhodes, and I think the neighborhood is pleasant around there, but I haven’t been there during rush hour….

Key is an excellent Custis alternative, and I take it in the afternoon often (especially when I have errands along the Wilson/Fairfax corridor). In the afternoon rush, it is theoretically limited to local traffic only so it is very quiet. Highly recommended.

Liz

[jrenaut]

@vvill 20946 wrote:

I take Key and go through M St, which is probably not a great alternative to anything but driving.

There, I fixed that for you. M St is an abomination.

[rcannon100]

If so, the curb cut at the garbage cans (75′ up) is fine and not on a blind corner.

I use this. But it has a danger eastbound and westbound

Eastbound: When you come off Lee Hwy into the parking lot, take a QUICK look at the trail over your left shoulder – but then you *must* look forward for cars in the parking lot. It is a blink corner from the CVS around the bank (well it use to be a bank. Now its a Verizon store. Surprised a starbucks didnt go in there). Once you know you are not going to get hit by a car in the parking lot, you can look at the trail again.

Westbound: Coming down the hill from the spout run overpass, from the giant, you are going to go slightly blind to the bikes behind you, as the trail curves. I look first at about the giant to see if there are bikes behind me, and then get to about the curb cut, and hope no one surprises me. You have to slow WAY DOWN to take the curb cut (otherwise you will plant into a parked car) – and will be much slowing than traffic on the trail.

Then I swing wide east, to take a sloping right curve to the curb cut to the Lee Hwy sidewalk, knowing that there is always sand there – knowing that I am going to freak some cars in the road who arent sure what I am doing.

[DismalScientist]

@dasgeh 21035 wrote:

I was talking about the CVS side, and that’s a great point about the ramp in the parking lot — I forgot about that one. It looks like it also could be more user friendly, but I haven’t taken it yet (I was going to take it on the way down the hill, but I didn’t see it in time).

Does anyone take Key Blvd or 18th St N in Lyon Village as a Custis/Lee alternative? That seems like it will get me from Danville to Rhodes, and I think the neighborhood is pleasant around there, but I haven’t been there during rush hour….

Key on the top of the hill should be designated a bike boulevard. Traffic is not really an issue at any time, except for the potential of drivers not seeing you at the stop signs at the roundabouts at all cross streets on Key.

I take Vietch and Key westbound to Clarendon to avoid the Custis. (Eastbound I am on Clarendon all the way). An advantage of Key/Vietch over the Custis going eastbound is that you can continue on Vietch past Lee Hwy and this swings around and becomes Scott, which you can use to cross Lee again, where it becomes Key again. Turn left at Lynn, and you have have gotten on the east side of the Lee/Lynn situation going in the direction of traffic. Drivers will more readily see you in the traffic lane because that is where they are looking when making that right turn on red.

[DismalScientist]

@jrenaut 21037 wrote:

There, I fixed that for you. M St is an abomination.

It’s much better for people watching than the Roosevelt bridge. :rolleyes:

[dasgeh]

@DismalScientist 21043 wrote:

It’s much better for people watching than the Roosevelt bridge. :rolleyes:

Especially because people watching on the Roosevelt bridge consists of “Please, don’t let there be any other people. Please, don’t let there be any other people. Please, don’t let there be any other people.” Passing/being passed on that bridge sucks!

[consularrider]

@eminva 21036 wrote:

Key is an excellent Custis alternative, and I take it in the afternoon often (especially when I have errands along the Wilson/Fairfax corridor). In the afternoon rush, it is theoretically limited to local traffic only so it is very quiet. Highly recommended.

Liz

I agree with this with one caveat, west of Highland to Jackson in the evenings there is limited space due to parking on both sides of the street narrowing the travel lanes. Two cars can’t pass going in opposite directions and it is even difficult for a car and bike to pass each other. Since dasgeh is east of that from Danville to Rhodes, she avoids all that. Just be careful on the traffic circles.

[Author]

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