[bobco85]

@kwarkentien 189897 wrote:

I’m a definite maybe. I’m flying back home from a business trip in Seattle* on the red eye Friday night/Saturday morning so we’ll see if I’m feeling the vibe by Saturday night.

* @Bobco, I’ll reach out after I get there on Tuesday to see if we can catch up while I’m there. I’ll be downtown on Madison Street at the Renaissance Tuesday evening until I fly out Friday night.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

What Karen means to say is that she’s definitely going to be there. We are, by sheer coincidence, flying on the exact same red-eye flight from Seattle to Dulles Friday night/Saturday morning!

[bobco85]

This was my first venture into tactical urbanism, so I kept it limited to non-destructive (no damage to pavement, no graffiti needing clean-up, etc.). But I do like the ideas on how to take it a bit farther, and this action has somewhat radicalized me to do more to make things safer in the future.

Other examples of a lesser version of tactical urbanism that I think we all could do:

• Road work sign blocking sidewalk – rotate it slightly diagonally (still legible to drivers) to make space (the corners of the diamond shape won’t stick out as much), moving it from sidewalk onto road in cases where there’s no room on the sidewalk – similar solution if the road work sign is blocking a bike lane, though maybe there’s a median between the sidewalk and curb to use
• Plastic jersey barriers (orange, not-heavy ones) or fences at construction sites not giving enough space for pedestrians/cyclists – push them to make room
• Sandwich board blocking sidewalk – move them out of the way, the restaurants/cafes/bars have no right to be blocking the sidewalk with those
• Construction barrels, cones, etc. knocked over – set them upright, maybe place them a bit farther out to get drivers to slow down
• NOTE: I know there are apps and other means of reporting that we are recommended to use so that the local government agencies will eventually come out and fix these, but these other actions make an immediate impact in these situations

[bobco85]

I will be there! I’m flying in on a red-eye from Seattle Friday night (I arrive in town around sunrise on Saturday), but I will make sure my bike is up to snuff to do some riding.

I miss riding around DC at night, and I look forward to seeing y’all on the ride!

(Special note: if the route goes past Audi Field, I will wear my Sounders shirt)

[bobco85]

In what is now the farthest trip I’ve made on my bike from my apartment in the Seattle area, I rode to the foothills of Mount Rainier a couple of weeks ago on the first imperial century I’ve done since moving here. I rode the Foothills Trail on the way, and I made a video of biking the trail.

The Foothills Trail is a rail-trail that gives me vibes of the Indian Head Trail in MD, and it’s the trail that everyone here seemed to have told me that I needed to ride. So, I finally rode it, and it’s a pretty awesome trail!

Here’s my video of the trail. Enjoy!

[video=youtube_share;FuZ7Aw48QH4]https://youtu.be/FuZ7Aw48QH4[/video]

[bobco85]

@Steve O 189753 wrote:

Would you be up for Midnight Saddles on that Saturday night you arrive?
I need to schedule one, and that would be a fine date.

Yes, you need to schedule one, and yes, I would love to join that Saturday night 😎

[bobco85]

Part 3: Deployment and Destruction

After wrapping them up to make sure the mulch/soil didn’t spill out en route, I put them on my bike trailer and under cover of darkness headed to the intersection.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19940[/ATTACH]

Once there, I placed the planters in the exact spots where the flexposts used to stand.

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It was awesome once I had finished putting them there, as drivers immediately responded to the new obstructions by slowing down and avoiding the buffered area. Success! I headed home, happy to have made an impact.

Then, on Monday after work, I decided to head back to the spot to check in on the condition of the planters.

Sadly, the damage had already been done. The planters were empty (no trees to be found) and were sitting on the side of the road. Some driver was so incensed that they would have to slow down that they removed the planters and then stole the trees! The whole thing lasted less than a full day.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19944[/ATTACH]

I was mad, then I rode home (it was a beautiful passing rain/sunshine with rainbows day) and felt a little better. I found out that SDOT (Seattle Department of Transportation) has plans for making that buffered area protected with concrete, so I do not feel the war has been lost, but should they take too long, I have friends in the Seattle area that are willing to chip in for round 2 of tactical urbanism to take place.

[bobco85]

Part 2: Acquisition and Assembly

The flexposts kept getting hit, broken, stolen, repeat ad nauseum. The city wasn’t replacing them often enough, and drivers were just cutting the corner to drive right through the buffered area.

I got tired of it and decided to do something.

I got my bike trailer and headed to Home Depot to get some large planters, small trees, reflective tape, and dirt. It was an awkward fit, but I got all the supplies to fit on my bike and trailer.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19936[/ATTACH]

At my apartment, I assembled everything, putting the reflective tape on the planters and filling them with soil, the trees, and topping them with some mulch to ensure they would last a long time.

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They were ready to deploy!

[bobco85]

@lordofthemark 189037 wrote:

Amazing. Two bikes on I66 within a year, but one of my fellow Alexandrians says she has not seen a cyclist on Seminary Road in 30 years.

I dispute that claim as someone who used to ride on parts of Seminary Road between George Mason Dr and Beauregard and between Kenmore Ave and Janneys Ln. It’s not the best road to ride on (especially during rush hour), but I did it when I was living in Alexandria.

[bobco85]

You’ve got a couple of options for good routes in that area. I haven’t ridden in that area since 2017, but here are a few options of increasing lengths starting from GW’s Grist Mill off Mount Vernon Hwy that you could take parts from to build a route:

1. Stay straight and cross US-1 onto Jeff Todd Way -> side path on west side of Jeff Todd Way -> right onto Telegraph Rd -> left onto Old Telegraph Rd -> left onto Hayfield Rd -> right onto Kingstowne Village Pkwy -> Kingstowne (4.8 miles – Route: https://goo.gl/maps/vkx2F7z4DYE2)
2. Stay straight and cross US-1 onto Jeff Todd Way -> side path on west side of Jeff Todd Way -> left onto Telegraph Rd bike lanes -> right onto Beulah Rd bike lanes -> right onto Kingstowne Village Pkwy bike lanes -> Kingstowne (6.7 miles – Route: https://goo.gl/maps/pRJMuahjKgG2)
3. Turn left onto US-1 -> bike lanes or paved side path on the north side of US-1 -> turn right onto Backlick Rd -> start Fairfax County Pkwy Trail -> turn right onto Telegraph Rd bike lanes/buffered bike lanes -> turn left onto Beulah Rd bike lanes -> turn right onto Kingstown Village Pkwy bike lanes -> Kingstowne (8.7 miles – Route: https://goo.gl/maps/kdfJTE9Pbi72)
4. Turn left onto US-1 -> bike lanes or paved side path on the north side of US-1 -> turn right onto Telegraph Rd -> turn left onto Fairfax County Pkwy Trail -> Backlick Rd -> Loisdale Rd -> Metropolitan Center Dr -> Franconia-Springfield Pkwy Trail around the Metro station -> Walker Ln -> Beulah St -> neighborhood streets -> Kingstowne (11.7 miles – Route: https://goo.gl/maps/zwZxgitrtm72)

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the bike lanes on US-1 because there’s no separation from the 45 mph speed limit traffic (i.e. probably traveling 55-60+ mph), but the side paths are pretty great.

[bobco85]

Well, it took all the way to February this winter for the Seattle area to finally get some snow, but it was glorious! I made sure to ride my bike through the snow to get to work on Monday, and it was probably the most fun morning bike commute I’ve had since moving here.

FYI for most of this winter, the Seattle area has had weather as follows: high 30’s through low 50’s (F), some rain, and a lot of gloomy grey skies. Fast forward to this week: low 20’s through high 30’s (F), snow, and partly cloudy skies. Needless to say, folks here are in shock. I even had to bring out my balaclava for the first time this winter last night!

Enjoy the video!

[video=youtube_share;5TNcplF69bE]https://youtu.be/5TNcplF69bE[/video]

[bobco85]

For the life of you, don’t check the rear-view mirror!

[bobco85]

I would go with this route: https://goo.gl/maps/De3BMXy1DKn – uses the south-side Arlington Blvd Trail, crosses the on/off-ramps around Route 50/Washington Blvd (only annoying part of route), takes Courthouse Rd and 8th St to get to Walter Reed Dr.

Btw, the “Secret Trail” is called the Fillmore Park Trail. Go slow if you ride it, as the crossings have poor sightlines and there isn’t much room if you need to pass other trail-users (usually dog-walkers).

[bobco85]

I just want to confirm: this year we are using #BAFS2019 for our general posts regarding Freezing Saddles on social media, right?

[bobco85]

dasgeh is right. Drivers treat the GWMP as a highway, so even though the speed limit is 40, drivers hit 50 and even 60 mph (if not more in some cases).

On the idea of a wall (not THAT one), the main issue NPS has always had with building stuff is the following word: viewshed. A wall would mess with the viewshed of the Potomac River and surrounding park areas, so that might be a no-go.

[bobco85]

@consularrider 185095 wrote:

There has been construction on the sidewalks and curbs at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N Arlington Mill Rd for the past two weeks. There is a county work crew there and the north side bike lane on the entire block from N Lexington to N Arlington Mill has been blocked off with orange cones and the county is parking two large dump trucks next to the Bon Air tennis courts. There is absolutely no reason to block off the bike lane between N Lexington and the W&OD Trail/4MRT access curb cut in that stretch. The dump trucks should fit in the stretch between the access curb cut and N Arlington Mill. It’s also unclear why there are three dump trucks there in the first place as nothing appears to being removed or added at this point.

I had a nice chat with the crew chief there last Thursday and he saw my point, but then they continued to block the lane this morning.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18807[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]18808[/ATTACH]

First off, blocking the bike lanes at the bottom of a big hill is very dangerous because people will be going faster and have less time to merge. They need to stop that!

Second off, are those bike lanes being extended up the hill going westbound on Wilson Blvd? Last time I was in town, they ended at Manchester St/W&OD Trail. If so, then yay!

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