Trollheim strikes again (not me)

[Tania]

Came upon the aftermath of an almost-pile up on trollheim this am around 7am – rider heading West (north?) was picking himself up, rider heading east(south?) had stopped just beyond the split/left turn at TR bridge and there were several other cyclists around. Rider seemed to be ok but if I had to guess I’d say it was bike congestion coupled with wet leaves…and Trollheim.

[Rootchopper]

Saw an oncoming cyclist nearly lose it on the Dyke Marsh bridge on the MVT south of Old Town. Be careful out there.

[bentbike33]

@Tania 145595 wrote:

Came upon the aftermath of an almost-pile up on trollheim this am around 7am – rider heading West (north?) was picking himself up, rider heading east(south?) had stopped just beyond the split/left turn at TR bridge and there were several other cyclists around. Rider seemed to be ok but if I had to guess I’d say it was bike congestion coupled with wet leaves…and Trollheim.

Saw a couple conferring on the MVT side of the split when I went by, figured it was the aftermath of a crash but all seemed well enough. Trollheim seemed extra slimy this morning. I nearly lost it myself when I locked the rear wheel with minimal brake pressure upon reconsidering an attempt to pass joggers.

[KLizotte]

My annual public service announcement:

The last boardwalk heading south (just before the big hill up to Mt. Vernon) is especially dangerous because you enter it from a slight downhill curve and it doesn’t get any sun due to the tree cover. The result is a mold like slime that turns it into an ice skating rink. If you look closely, you will see many skid marks and gouges in the boards from people going down and slamming into the side boards.

In June 2012 while heading southbound, both wheels went right out from under me and I slammed into the wall and hit the boards so hard that the gouge was visible for years. I broke my thumb, got a black eye (from my sunglasses), lots of road rash and bruises, and even managed to pop out a contact. I now ride across any wood surface with extreme caution. Unfortunately the other cyclists around me often do not and I’m afraid of being hit by a careening cyclist or riding over someone who has fallen. No matter how dry or wet you think the surface is, please go very slow and avoid turning!!! Other people’s safety depends on it.

If I weren’t so bogged down with new job duties, I would set up a website that ask for info on all of the crashes that have occurred on the boardwalks on the MVT with hopes that seeing hundreds of names listed (with details) might compel them to change the surface to something safer. After my accident I spent hours surfing the web looking for something that might be applied to the wooden boards that would be environmentally friendly, low maintenance and safe but came up short. I think our proposal to NPS would have to include recommendations as well as evidence that lots of folks are getting hurt.

[KLizotte]

Coincidentally, this material has just been brought to my attention. It is material designed to cover flange grooves (along railways) so they pose less of a hazard to cyclists. If it is a better, long lasting surface than wood, then perhaps it could be designed for boardwalks???

http://www.strail.de/index.php?id=197&L=1

[DrP]

Every time I go over Trollheim and other bridges, like the one KLizotte mentions, I keep thinking that there must be a better alternative. And one that won’t require them to close the bridges down for months replacing it. Concrete keeps being mentioned as a good surface, but it doesn’t have the aesthetics of a wood bridge in the woods that NPS wants (and I agree, it does look good and feel right in the areas, aside from the slippery/falling factor). I think if cement “planks” were used, they could be drop-in replacements, assuming they were not significantly heavier than the wood. Meaning, the general infrastructure of the bridge could remain the same. They could replace the slippery sections immediately and then the other bits as the wood rots and new planks are needed – like they do now. Question is, do such things exist? They make cement planks for building siding. I do not know if those have the strength needed for a bridge, but likely something could be created. They can be made to look like wood and even be colored such too.

Does anyone know if such a commercial product exists today? I just did a quick search, but kept coming up with siding. I am probably not using the right terms, yet. If we had such a solution, perhaps they could do it now – they know these areas are enough of a problem to try treatments and if the solution drops right in to what they have, it might be something they would do now.

That all said, would the cement also get slippery? There is an area on 4MR under Columbia Pike that was wet a lot and seemed to get slick at times. Perhaps there are better treatment options for cement.

[Judd]

@KLizotte 145616 wrote:

My annual public service announcement:

The last boardwalk heading south (just before the big hill up to Mt. Vernon) is especially dangerous because you enter it from a slight downhill curve and it doesn’t get any sun from the cloud cover. The result is a mold like slime that turns it into an ice skating rink. If you look closely, you will see many skid marks and gouges in the boards from people going down and slamming into the side boards.

In June 2012 while heading southbound, both wheels went right out from under me and I slammed into the wall and hit the boards so hard that the gouge was visible for years. I broke my thumb, got a black eye (from my sunglasses), lots of road rash and bruises, and even managed to pop out a contact. I now ride across any wood surface with extreme caution. Unfortunately the other cyclists around me often do not and I’m afraid of being hit by a careening cyclist or riding over someone who has fallen. No matter how dry or wet you think the surface is, please go very slow and avoid turning!!! Other people’s safety depends on it.

If I weren’t so bogged down with new job duties, I would set up a website that ask for info on all of the crashes that have occurred on the boardwalks on the MVT with hopes that seeing hundreds of names listed (with details) might compel them to change the surface to something safer. After my accident I spent hours surfing the web looking for something that might be applied to the wooden boards that would be environmentally friendly, low maintenance and safe but came up short. I think our proposal to NPS would have to include recommendations as well as evidence that lots of folks are getting hurt.

Add me to the list. Cracked some ribs on that bridge headed to Mt. Vernon a few months ago. Same experience. I went from upright to on the ground very quickly. No chance to recover at all.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KLizotte]

@Judd 145620 wrote:

Add me to the list. Cracked some ribs on that bridge headed to Mt. Vernon a few months ago. Same experience. I went from upright to on the ground very quickly. No chance to recover at all.

Ouch! The folks at Spokes in Belle Haven say they hear of people splatting badly on that boardwalk all the time. In fact, they were my refuge when I splatted. They checked out my bike while I was waited to be picked up for a trip to urgent care.

[KLizotte]

@DrP 145619 wrote:

Every time I go over Trollheim and other bridges, like the one KLizotte mentions, I keep thinking that there must be a better alternative. And one that won’t require them to close the bridges down for months replacing it. Concrete keeps being mentioned as a good surface, but it doesn’t have the aesthetics of a wood bridge in the woods that NPS wants (and I agree, it does look good and feel right in the areas, aside from the slippery/falling factor). I think if cement “planks” were used, they could be drop-in replacements, assuming they were not significantly heavier than the wood. Meaning, the general infrastructure of the bridge could remain the same. They could replace the slippery sections immediately and then the other bits as the wood rots and new planks are needed – like they do now. Question is, do such things exist? They make cement planks for building siding. I do not know if those have the strength needed for a bridge, but likely something could be created. They can be made to look like wood and even be colored such too.

Does anyone know if such a commercial product exists today? I just did a quick search, but kept coming up with siding. I am probably not using the right terms, yet. If we had such a solution, perhaps they could do it now – they know these areas are enough of a problem to try treatments and if the solution drops right in to what they have, it might be something they would do now.

That all said, would the cement also get slippery? There is an area on 4MR under Columbia Pike that was wet a lot and seemed to get slick at times. Perhaps there are better treatment options for cement.

I can’t help but think this would be a great civil engineering research study for a large university like VA Tech. Lots of college cyclists to try out different test materials, engineers who can calculate things like deformation rates, friction, weight, costs, etc.

[MFC]

@Judd 145620 wrote:

Add me to the list. Cracked some ribs on that bridge headed to Mt. Vernon a few months ago. Same experience. I went from upright to on the ground very quickly. No chance to recover at all.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You also need to be careful coming down the hill from Mt. Vernon (headed northe) even before you get to the wooden bridge. It is heavily shaded and takes for ever to dry out, and I’ve known two people who have wrecked there.

[KLizotte]

@MFC 145632 wrote:

You also need to be careful coming down the hill from Mt. Vernon (headed northe) even before you get to the wooden bridge. It is heavily shaded and takes for ever to dry out, and I’ve known two people who have wrecked there.

A friend of mine on a mountain bike splatted on the downhill going around the curve just before the boardwalk about 2.5 weeks ago. Luckily just some road rash.

[Rootchopper]

It happened to me too. I was down before I could react. Cut my arm to the bone, dislocated my knee cap. Thank god I was offered a ride home (and to Mount Vernon Hospital ER after that). As I was going in to x-ray, another cyclist was coming out. He had hit his head but went to Spokes to get his bike fixed before going to ER. Spokes had seen him after many other wrecks.

[KLizotte]

This thread is becoming even more concerning. There are more serious accidents occurring than I thought on the MVT. I know there was the woman who went over sides of a boardwalk into the water a year or two ago and was knocked unconscious. Paramedics pulled her out.

I’m really beginning to think all of these accidents need to be documented. I’ve seen a few wrecks at Gravelly Point caused by the conflagration of users there too.

[EasyRider]

Replacing the surface with something better might prevent some solo falls, but as long as runners and cyclists are sharing a dicey intersection in the dark, I think there will be accidents no matter what the weather or decking material. I fell there 4 years ago, because of ninjas, wet boards, and a lack of caution on my part. Since then, if I have any doubts, I just get off and walk my bike through the zone around that stop sign. It just takes a few seconds of my time and in the dark it’s enjoyably spooky, too 😮

As for Gravelly Point, surely there must be a better place for the port-a-johns than at the trail’s edge, plop in what used to be the primo plane-watching spot? Not only does it lead to accidents when people step out onto the trail, in the summer months those things create an utter miasma. Is there a reason they can’t place them in the parking lot or near it?

[semperiden]

I fell at the turn going North this morning. I was in the floor in a matter of a second. I usually take it slow there, and break at the turn to not crash against incoming cyclists. Luckily no one was around and I got minor scratches. I didn’t know this was a common spot to wipeout when it rains.

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