Suggested Improvements to NE Branch Trail to Downtown Commute

[jrenaut]

I think your route is private? That link just takes me to your profile.

Also, if Greenbelt doesn’t answer you shortly, PM him. He knows all the best bike routes in that area.

[83b]

Thanks! The privacy settings should be fixed.

[jrenaut]

I would probably jump off the MBT at R St and take that to 14th – it’s shorter and mostly bike lanes and avoids Union Station.

[Greenbelt]

Hi 83b, I like that route pretty well, although as jrenaut suggests, it can be a little hairy around Union Station and Louisiana Ave.

I prefer the “flat” route through NE, which is illustrated here http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4292255 It’s not really flat, but it’s a bit flatter than the route you show. I’ve taken both ways, though and both work fine.

That map also illustrates the inbound R street suggestion to 15th street, if the Union Station proves too annoying. To go back home that way, you take a right on Qst, which has an east bound bike lane. You have to take a slight jog in traffic at Rhode Island, but it isn’t too bad. Then take a left at First street, cross Florida at the light and make a right on R street to get back to the Met Branch. I usually take PA Ave inbound and Q street outbound, because that seems to work well at the times of day I commute, but my wife always takes the R/Q route.

I prefer the 15th street cycletrack to 14th, don’t mind backtracking a block…

Happy commuting. Probably the nastiest part of the commute will be 410 in Riverdale — by comparison the DC legs are a breeze!

[83b]

Thanks to you both! Those changes save a chunk of climbing, which I know will be appreciated.

In terms of R Street vs Union Station/Louisiana Ave–I was going to suggest using the wide Capitol Grounds sidewalks after the LA Ave. parking lot. It’s a shame there isn’t a good way to link to Penn Ave yet. For the R Street option, how do you find the section before it crosses Florida Ave to be in rush hour traffic? I recall that the bike lane doesn’t pick up until Florida or 2nd…

[Greenbelt]

@83(b) 94154 wrote:

Thanks to you both! Those changes save a chunk of climbing, which I know will be appreciated.

In terms of R Street vs Union Station/Louisiana Ave–I was going to suggest using the wide Capitol Grounds sidewalks after the LA Ave. parking lot. It’s a shame there isn’t a good way to link to Penn Ave yet. For the R Street option, how do you find the section before it crosses Florida Ave to be in rush hour traffic? I recall that the bike lane doesn’t pick up until Florida or 2nd…

The wide sidewalk on the east side of Louisiana is fine for slower and courteous riding. That’s marked on the GoDC masterplan as a future cycletrack, so I know they realize the need. Just go left with the peds at 1st street and cross Constitution to get up toward the PA ave track, either through the reflecting pool parking lot or on the sidewalks (usually empty).

R street from the Met branch to Florida is marked with sharrows and there are lots of speed humps, so pretty safe for cycling. Sometimes it backs up at peak rush at Florida, but you can filter up to the crosswalk OK usually. It’s sort of a FedEx truck route at 8:30-9:15am, which is annoying. That’s why I often take PA Ave instead in the mornings.

[83b]

Thanks again!

[Greenbelt]

One final tip. Newton street NE is a pretty steep hill inbound (it’s only two blocks, but they go up). Savvy commuters (or is that lazy like me?) often climb up Otis instead, and jog over to Newton on 15th to even out the climb gradient. It’s not on my ridewithGPS, but you can just make a right off 20th a block earlier on to Otis rather than Newton, and jog south the final block at 15th. Rod Smith named this the “15th Street Shuffle” on Strava.

[skins_brew]

Yea, “Otis Mountain” as I call it, sucks :p Seems like there are a million comcast trucks buzzing the hell out of me along Otis in the mornings.

Where in Riverdale? He is not going to save a ton of time with the Hyattsville Trolley Trail, but there is a chance he might be closer to that than the NE Branch. The HTT is on the map (I submitted it to Google Maps a few weeks ago ), it it looks like the southern terminus is not “connecting” correctly to US RT 1. I will see if I can submit a correction.

Here is the HTT. Runs from Queensbury Rd. to RT 1.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hyattsville+Trolley+Trail,+Maryland/@38.9564855,-76.9376376,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7c72089a2a827:0xf4eb2e0e3b6c547d

When is the WABA Happy hour at Franklin’s? I am dying to stop in there

[Greenbelt]

@skins_brew 94317 wrote:

When is the WABA Happy hour at Franklin’s? I am dying to stop in there

Second Tuesday of the month, after the 7-9pm meeting of WABA’s Prince George’s Advocacy Group (which is at Hyattsville Town Hall across the street).

Also, about every other Friday (although it’s random) Proteus have their “staff meeting” at about 8pm, with a big table.

[Author]

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