The New Vesper Trail at Tysons

[n18]

This new trail is partially open, and as far as I can tell; the only thing left is painting the bridge. They finished paving it two months ago, but some fence links delayed the project. From the W&OD, it took me 12 Minutes to get to it with my road bike(My average speed was 12 MPH). I probably used it 10+ times by now. Here is the route from W&OD to the new trail that I used, and the least stressful. The residential roads north of Maple AVE are wide(4 lanes wide without markings) with few parked cars. I used the road despite not being as confident as others here in this forum, but it was midday. The sidewalks don’t suffer from tree roots, so they are an option for less confident cyclists. Compared to using Maple AVE/Chain Bridge RD to get to Tysons, it’s almost totally flat, except Creeek Crossing RD, but it’s a Yo-Yo, and I reach 20 MPH near the top. The only hot spot to watch out for is the intersection of Church ST and East ST. Too many drivers treat Church ST as “one way”, like Wilson/Clarendon in Arlington, and during Spring/Summer vegetation makes it harder to see northbound traffic on East ST, turning left into Church ST.

The easiest thing to overlook when following the route I suggested is to overlook Overlook LN, if you keep going straight, you get an uphill after the curve, so try not overlook Overlook LN. If you missed it, you can turn at the next left, which is just before the hill.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I’ve used the Ashgrove Trail before, but it involves quite a few hills if you go via the Barns at Wolf Trap. It’s good to see another link into Tysons. I wonder if there’s a better way linking Tysons from the West (Reston via W&OD) using the Vesper Trail?

[Sunyata]

Ooh! This is good information to have. I am going to have to ride my bike out to Tyson’s at some point in the near future to test drive some cars (that is a really odd statement…). Thanks for posting!

[n18]

@Sunyata 186607 wrote:

Ooh! This is good information to have. I am going to have to ride my bike out to Tyson’s at some point in the near future to test drive some bicycle-carriers (that is a really odd statement…). Thanks for posting!

fify.

[Steve O]

I rode out to Tysons Friday morning for an appointment and decided to seek out this new trail. It’s great to have this connection between Tysons and the neighborhoods just south. Kudos for that.

But I just do not understand why, why, why Fairfax County put in these ridiculous bollards. I know I’ve beaten this horse before, but they are contrary to FHWA guidance, present several hazards 24/7/365 while maybe–just maybe–preventing 1 car a year from entering the trail. FHWA has determined that the hazard they present far outweighs any safety enhancement they provide. What does FFX County know that FHWA does not?

They are frickin steel and must have cost thousands to install. What a waste, for no discernable purpose.

Here’s the south end of the trail at Vesper street in the neighborhood
[ATTACH=CONFIG]19370[/ATTACH]

Here’s the north end at Route 7
[ATTACH=CONFIG]19371[/ATTACH]

Here’s the same location looking down the trail from Route 7 (note all the extra ones they put around the giant power pole: to protect the pole from being knocked over by bike riders, I guess)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]19372[/ATTACH]

Here’s the bridge in the middle, with bonus bollards in case the ones at the end don’t work, I guess.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]19373[/ATTACH]

And if you need to get on the trail with your vehicle, you can just drive around them.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]19374[/ATTACH]

[huskerdont]

I am generally anti-bollard, but I have to admit that the pics of the north end of 7 make that trail, without the bollard, look like it would be an enticing alternative for a Tyson’s driver with below-average driving skills or ethics. A nice, beautiful, traffic-free lane of their own…

[Steve O]

@huskerdont 187244 wrote:

I am generally anti-bollard, but I have to admit that the pics of the north end of 7 make that trail, without the bollard, look like it would be an enticing alternative for a Tyson’s driver with below-average driving skills or ethics. A nice, beautiful, traffic-free lane of their own…

Except that there is a curb there, not a curb cut.

FHWA Guidance states:
1 – Bollards should never be used as default treatment
2 – Should only be considered after other efforts have been tried and failed (signage, surface paint, etc.)
3 – There is a history of encroachment.

Fail. Fail. Fail.

[mstone]

And, there are treatments to block vehicle access that are safer than a bollard right in the middle of the path. But they’re more effort than defaulting to dropping a bollard in.

[huskerdont]

@Steve O 187245 wrote:

Except that there is a curb there, not a curb cut.

FHWA Guidance states:
1 – Bollards should never be used as default treatment
2 – Should only be considered after other efforts have been tried and failed (signage, surface paint, etc.)
3 – There is a history of encroachment.

Fail. Fail. Fail.

I never said you were wrong, mind.

No curb cut at a trail intersection = brilliant.

[huskerdont]

@mstone 187248 wrote:

And, there are treatments to block vehicle access that are safer than a bollard right in the middle of the path. But they’re more effort than defaulting to dropping a bollard in.

Something orange might be nice, perhaps a cone.

[Steve O]

@huskerdont 187250 wrote:

No curb cut at a trail intersection = brilliant.

Actually, the curb cut would be right onto Route 7 and not at a light, so truthfully, taking the sidewalk there is the best option, IMO. The curb cut and crosswalk are slightly to the left if you look closely at the photo.
In fact, a sign there at the end of the trail directing cyclists left or right (rather than straight onto 7) would serve both purposes: keeping riders from getting killed and deterring drivers from driving over the curb onto the trail.

[LhasaCM]

@huskerdont 187250 wrote:

I never said you were wrong, mind.

No curb cut at a trail intersection = brilliant.

Yep. Given where it looks like the trail intersects Rte. 7 – the lack of a curb cut makes total sense. I would expect most trail users would either stay on the sidewalk on Rte. 7 or mosey on over west the little bit to Spring Hill Rd. and ride there (or merge onto Rte. 7 there when the light favors them). I wonder if an obstruction (small fence/barrier) at the curb would’ve made more sense – to prevent cyclists/trail users from merging with Rte. 7 too quickly when exiting the trail?

(So basically – what Steve said while I was typing a response.)

[Steve O]

@mstone 187248 wrote:

And, there are treatments to block vehicle access that are safer than a bollard right in the middle of the path. But they’re more effort than defaulting to dropping a bollard in.

Agreed (e.g., new W&OD crossings near the Vienna Community Center). However, we don’t even know if we need to block vehicles. Signs may be sufficient. After all, that’s what is generally used to keep vehicles from going in places they don’t belong (1-way streets, exits instead of entrances, etc.). Not 100% effective, but almost always good enough. Let’s try signs first. And surface paint. If they work, then no need for any other treatment. Cheaper, safer.
We don’t put telephone poles (with painted yellow diamonds around them) in the middle of streets for good reason. Why is there this insistence on putting obstacles in the middle of trails?

[SolarBikeCar]

Here’s my vote for the next Tyson’s project: Fix it so the nice bridge over the toll road doesn’t end at a really poorly implemented trail around the hotel to Spring Hill road. This path is unusable as it is extremely narrow (5′ total) lined with closely arranged bollards, a ghetto of trash, tree sized weeds, and obstacles from construction workers. Could they at least leave space at either end to allow exit and entrance from the path so we can ride the street instead of the gutter on this short section?

[huskerdont]

@Steve O 187257 wrote:

Agreed (e.g., new W&OD crossings near the Vienna Community Center). However, we don’t even know if we need to block vehicles. Signs may be sufficient. After all, that’s what is generally used to keep vehicles from going in places they don’t belong (1-way streets, exits instead of entrances, etc.). Not 100% effective, but almost always good enough. Let’s try signs first. And surface paint. If they work, then no need for any other treatment. Cheaper, safer.
We don’t put telephone poles (with painted yellow diamonds around them) in the middle of streets for good reason. Why is there this insistence on putting obstacles in the middle of trails?

Just for the record, I completely agree with this. I’ve known folks who have run into bollards. A person can avoid a bollard, but thousands of people can’t.

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