trail etiquette

[elbows]

On Saturday, I led a group on an historical walk. For the last stretch, I took a group of 11 people on the W&OD Trail. I frequently bicycle on that trail and warned them many times to pay attention, stay to the right, be careful about walking 2 abreast, etc and I would say that they were pretty considerate. Also, we didn’t stay together as one blob but spread out. However, one male cyclist took it upon himself to scream at a group of 6 people (who were not violating any of the tenets I had laid out) that there was a trail for walkers (Four Mile Run) and that that’s where they should be. (Ironically, we were near the portion of Four Mile Run where the walker was hit by a bicycle earlier this year and later died.)

I was amazed that some bicyclists have the same mentality as certain drivers do wrt roads. I’m sure that people like him do a lot to degenerate attitudes toward cyclists.

That said, I was riding on MVT on Sunday and was thinking that it could really use a sign suggesting that everyone should stay on the right. I saw a lot of people walking on the left.

Topic

[Tim Kelley]

When it comes down to it some people are just jerks.

Here are our tips for Trail Usage: http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/biking-in-arlington/multiuse-trails/

Be sure to check out the Sharing The Way flyer: http://www.bikearlington.com/tasks/sites/bike/assets/File/ShareTheWay2-10.pdf

[Terpfan]

@Tim Kelley 32153 wrote:

When it comes down to it some people are just jerks.[/url]

I think that about it somes it up. Every mode of transportation comes with the good and bad apples. The best we can do is educate each other.

[rcannon100]

I would also say that there is a difference between the weekend and the week on the trails. I tend to stay off the MUPs on the weekends – between the ELITE cyclists and the noobs – it can be meshugeh.

[acc]

And seasons matter too. Wait until it’s winter. The trails will be quiet.

[txgoonie]

@acc 32190 wrote:

And seasons matter too. Wait until it’s winter. The trails will be quiet.

I might be totally making this up, but I kinda remember seeing a graph of trail use and there was spike in September. Anybody remember where that was? Anyway, shorter days should make things quieter.

[Tim Kelley]

@txgoonie 32223 wrote:

I might be totally making this up, but I kinda remember seeing a graph of trail use and there was spike in September. Anybody remember where that was? Anyway, shorter days should make things quieter.

Custis Ridership: 2011 vs 2012 (so far) at the top of the Rosslyn hill and at the Custis/W&OD Intersection:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1741[/ATTACH]

[eminva]

@Tim Kelley 32225 wrote:

Custis Ridership: 2011 vs 2012 (so far) at the top of the Rosslyn hill and at the Custis/W&OD Intersection:

Wow, we were way ahead of last year’s pace until the summer, when we dropped off . . . was it the oppresively hot weather? Any other explanation?

Liz

[Amalitza]

@eminva 32232 wrote:

Wow, we were way ahead of last year’s pace until the summer, when we dropped off . . . was it the oppresively hot weather? Any other explanation?

Liz

I would think the other way around– no real winter this year, artificially inflating the winter numbers. Was the previous winter the snowmaggeden winter, or was that the one before? If so, that winter might have also been artificially lowered, making this year look even better by comparison.

[dasgeh]

The snowmaggedens were late 2009 and early 2010. There was snow in winter 2010-2011, just no “maggedons”. Last winter (2011-2012) was blistfully (almost) snow-free.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@dasgeh 32236 wrote:

The snowmaggedens were late 2009 and early 2010. There was snow in winter 2010-2011, just no “maggedons”. Last winter (2011-2012) was blistfully (almost) snow-free.

The 12-hour traffic jam snow was in early 2011, so we actually had two winters in a row with Snowmaggedons.

[Author]

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