"Stop" Signs on Trails

[S. Arlington Observer]

I had a chance to attend the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting in February and I was totally blown away by the skill, persistence and knowledge of the volunteer members of the committee. To anyone who lives in or cycles through Arlington, these guys are doing a great job of advocating for us to county government.

The February meeting dealt largely with two topics: a) the coming closure of the Four Mile Run trail east of Mount Vernon Avenue and b) the placing of faux “stop signs” on the Bluemont and Lucky Run trails. Both issues affect me personally and I want to add my voice to the discussion about the stop sign matter.

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The signs (see picture of one on Lucky Run Trail) were apparently erected by the county parks department. The representative from the county parks department readily admitted that the stop signs have no legal justification. Arlington COULD adopt an ordinance requiring cyclists to stop at the marked intersections, but it has not done so…. meaning the signs do not have the force of law. That does not mean, however, that they are harmless.

I was particularly disturbed to hear how the signs on the Lucky Run Trail (along Walter Reed Drive between Arlington Mill Drive and Dinwiddie Street) came to be placed there. This is MY neighborhood and I use the trail both as a pedestrian and as a cyclist.
According to the parks representative, “the community” had requested the sign. In fact, however, I don’t think anybody attempted to offer the community around Lucky Run Park the chance to comment on the signs. They are placed where the trail crosses an entrance to a condo project. I am not sure if the road is private or publicly maintained, but it serves only that project and the only beneficiaries of the sign are drivers using that entrance. Apparently some of the motorists wanted a declaration of priority over cyclists.

It is a very limited view of “the community” to count only motorists wanting a statement of priority over people who live adjacent to and use the actual trail in question. So, from a process point of view, the erection of the signs was clearly flawed and related to placating a single special interest instead of seeking community input. The community includes park users, not just people motoring through an intersection.

The real problem with the signs (including those on the Bluemont Trail) is that they are misleading. A legal stop sign is not merely a pious suggestion. It is a declaration of rights and priorities. It defines legal responsibilities and liability in the event of an accident. By erecting an advisory sign that deliberately looks like a legal sign, the parks department is giving motorists the false sense that they bear no duty to be observant or to even yield to persons entering an intersection before them. In other words, motorists see the sign for what it appears to be – a declaration of legal responsibility (on cyclists), when in fact it has no such legal significance.

Shortly after the sign was placed at the intersection of the Bluemont Junction Trail and N. Emerson Street I slowed as usual to observe that the way was clear. It was. As I entered the intersection a vehicle came speeding down the road. I was able to stop in time, but the vehicle driver angrily pointed to the newly erected stop sign and shook her fist. The sign had “empowered” her.

If the parks department thinks the signs increase safety it is very wrong. They aren’t legally enforceable and yet appear to declare legal rights. They encourage motorists to be aggressive. They should be removed.

Topic

[dasgeh]

@DismalScientist 136151 wrote:

As someone who bikes and drives through the intersection of the Bluemont Trail and Kensington St, I must say it sucks for everybody. Bicycle traffic probably should slow down almost to a complete stop given the atrocious sightlines regardless of whether there is a stop sign.

Sounds like a caution sign, similar to what we got on the Custis at Quinn, would be a good candidate for the bike trail. Also sounds like a prime candidate for a raised crosswalk.

[Steve O]

@DismalScientist 136151 wrote:

As someone who bikes and drives through the intersection of the Bluemont Trail and Kensington St, I must say it sucks for everybody. Bicycle traffic probably should slow down almost to a complete stop given the atrocious sightlines regardless of whether there is a stop sign.

Once upon a time at a BAC meeting the AC staff suggested they might look at the three street crossings on the Bluemont Junction trail between the W&OD and Wilson and consider adjusting strategies based on the significant differences in traffic and design. I haven’t heard anything lately, so I’m not sure if this idea has died out.

[bobco85]

@dasgeh 136155 wrote:

Sounds like a caution sign, similar to what we got on the Custis at Quinn, would be a good candidate for the bike trail. Also sounds like a prime candidate for a raised crosswalk.

I think a caution sign would be a good idea or even writing “SLOW” on the asphalt approaching the intersection.

Also, Bluemont Junction Trail/Kensington St already has a raised crosswalk. The crosswalk is not flat, however, and entering the crossing involves going down a bit to the gutter then up and over the high point in the middle and going down to the gutter on the other side before going up to the elevation of the trail. The edges of the crossing used to be worse, leaving cyclists to “bounce” on both entry and exit, but it is a little smoother now. You can see it on Google Maps street view: https://goo.gl/maps/3qfyVYQKc5x

[baiskeli]

The signs are still up at Bluemont Junction and Emerson.

[consularrider]

@Steve O 136156 wrote:

Once upon a time at a BAC meeting the AC staff suggested they might look at the three street crossings on the Bluemont Junction trail between the W&OD and Wilson and consider adjusting strategies based on the significant differences in traffic and design. I haven’t heard anything lately, so I’m not sure if this idea has died out.

I’m still trying to figure where the third street crossing is on the Bluemont Trail between the W&OD and Wilson (Kensington and Emerson are the two I can picture). And then there is Buchanan between Wilson and Fairfax.

[dasgeh]

@consularrider 136260 wrote:

I’m still trying to figure where the third street crossing is on the Bluemont Trail between the W&OD and Wilson (Kensington and Emerson are the two I can picture). And then there is Buchanan between Wilson and Fairfax.

I think he meant W&OD and FFX. Being a east-Arlander, I usually think of Wilson as north of Fairfax too.

To the original point, I remember the conversation at the BAC meeting well – it started the conversation that led to the Commonwealth’s Attorney coming to the BAC, and then the ACPD Training doc.

So now that we’ve established that pedestrians don’t have a general responsibility to stop at crosswalks, we should certainly revisit the Bluemont stop signs.

[AlexandriaBiker]

This is from a year ago …

Is there any change to the stop signs on trails issue? I was at the meeting where this was initially discussed but never saw the definitive conclusion from ACPD or Commonwealth Attorney. Do the signs have any legal standing in Arlington? Can anyone address if stop signs on trails have legal standing statewide? Nationwide?

This has come up in discussions over the last year and I’m just interested in having correct information. Thanks.

[Brett L.]

@Judd 135949 wrote:

New law: everybody stop at intersections and awkwardly stare at each other until someone goes.

Are we in Canada now?

[Zack]

@AlexandriaBiker 156115 wrote:

This is from a year ago …

Is there any change to the stop signs on trails issue? I was at the meeting where this was initially discussed but never saw the definitive conclusion from ACPD or Commonwealth Attorney. Do the signs have any legal standing in Arlington? Can anyone address if stop signs on trails have legal standing statewide? Nationwide?

This has come up in discussions over the last year and I’m just interested in having correct information. Thanks.

The answer is no unless Arlington or another local governing body passed an ordinance expressly requiring a complete stop on trails.

http://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-924

D. Where a shared-use path crosses a highway at a clearly marked crosswalk and there are no traffic control signals at such crossing, the local governing body may by ordinance require pedestrians, cyclists, and any other users of such shared-used path to come to a complete stop prior to entering such crosswalk. Such local ordinance may provide for a fine not to exceed $100 for violations. Any locality adopting such an ordinance shall install and maintain stop signs, consistent with standards adopted by the Commonwealth Transportation Board and to the extent necessary in coordination with the Department of Transportation. At such crosswalks, no user of such shared-use path shall enter the crosswalk in disregard of approaching traffic.

[Steve O]

Yesterday, Loose Bones was detained by a police officer at the intersection of the W&OD and Little Falls for crossing Little Falls without coming to a complete stop. She was traveling eastbound.
He detained her for about 15 minutes but did not give her a citation. Instead, he provided her with this flier.
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Not being familiar with the information in this thread, she was intimidated into admitting that she had not come to a complete stop. She had, however, slowed, and a driver had stopped and waved her through – out of the sight line of the officer. She told him this to no effect.

I believe this intersection is in the City of Falls Church, not Arlington County. She said the police car was black and did not recall any geographic identification.
Does anyone know if Falls Church has passed an ordinance as described in the first post of this thread?

[arlcxrider]

https://library.municode.com/va/falls_church/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH26MOVETR_ARTIVBI_S26-108BIPA

City of Falls Church — Code of Ordinances — Chap. 26, Article IV:

Sec. 26-109. – Riding and parking regulations.

Every person riding a bicycle upon a bikeway, sidewalk, street, highway or roadway has all the rights and is subject to all the duties applicable to the driver of a motor vehicle, except those provisions which by their very nature can have no application. Additionally, every such person shall comply with the following:

(1)Speed. No bicycle shall be operated faster than is reasonable and proper, but every bicycle shall be operated with reasonable regard for the safety of the operator and every other person upon the streets, sidewalks, highways, roadways, and bikeways of the city.

(2)Observation of traffic regulations. Every person riding a bicycle in the city shall observe all authorized traffic signs, signals and traffic control devices. Whenever signs are erected indicating that no right turn or left turn or U-turn is permitted, no person operating a bicycle shall disobey the direction of any such signs, except where such persons dismount from the bicycle to make any such movements or turns; in which event such a person shall then obey the regulation applicable to pedestrians.

(3)Stop signs. All persons operating a bicycle shall stop at all stop signs.

[Andrew Olesen]

This was Falls Church a year ago. You cite the city code right but also note that it says bicyclists are motor vehicles everywhere which predates the change in VA law to say they are peds on SUPs and in crosswalks. The code has not charged since VA passed the SUP stop sign law so my amateur view is that the stop signs, like in Arlington, aren’t enforceable though you probably need to go to court to win that one. The Commonwealth Attorney noted that NOVA Parks rules have the force of law (class 2 misdemeanor). So the rules could be different on the W&OD than other Arlington or Falls Church paths. But I looked hard and can’t find any NOVA Parks rules on this. Can anyone else?

We’re working on these stop signs in Falls Church. Haven’t gotten any removed like Alexandria did but we did get ones added for cars at 3 crossings – a first step that NOVA Parks was OK with because of precedents in Reston and Herndon.

 

Bikefallschurch.org blog has more, though we’ve got an even sharper line of thinking now that needs to get published here.

[Author]

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