[Brendan von Buckingham]

@TwoWheelsDC 185192 wrote:

Well of course speed is a factor for crashes/incidents all along the GWMP, but this spot and the incidents that happen there are pretty unique and speed on its own can’t explain it. The physics of it just don’t add up…going off the right side of the road in a sweeping right turn is exactly the opposite of what should happen when taking a corner too fast. So what about the road design in this particular area contributes to these incidents?

Night time combination of poor lighting and optical illusion. The trail and road are barely separated: no shoulder, faded white line, low curb, no overhead lights. Driver trying to stay to the right on the turn mistakes the bike lane for the right lane of the GWMP. If a car is not following the brakes lights of a car ahead of them, their headlights don’t give them much reaction time to even a small mistake.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I care about getting home alive to my kids. I don’t care about your skinned knee. I don’t know what “The Cause” is. I’d ask you to explain if I thought I’d get a clear or coherent answer.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

That article was a masterpiece of obfuscation. If the accident happened in Long Bridge Park, say that it happened in Long Bridge Park. If it happened in a park, why are you afraid of Mount Vernon Trail? Why not all sidewalks? If it didn’t happen on a right-of-way or highway, why bring up Virginia traffic law. Clarifying that it happened in Long Bridge Park doesn’t help enough since the park is almost a mile long. It’s still not clear where or how the accident happened, but it sounds like an event more like an unleashed dog jumping on a stranger in a park than the life-and-death situations we deal with every time we bike to work.

Your incident is a trifle to the things we have all gone through a hundred times. Your article is confusing fuel on a fire of tribal slurs and rage that we need to survive on a daily basis. I don’t care about what happened to you as much as I care about the incendiary effect of your article and what it does to motivate aggressive drivers.

I’m sorry you got knocked over. HTFU. Welcome to the skinned knee club. Let me know when you join my ran-over-by-a-car-club (with oak leaf clusters).

And to my fellow cyclists, get the h— off the sidewalk.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

If you were in Long Bridge Park you should have said you were in Long Bridge Park.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

While the bridge overhaul is putting a hitch in regular commutes, we can entertain ourselves with a virtual tour of the inside of the bridge

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@zsionakides 182360 wrote:

I agree with this. I almost ran off the pavement as I was coming through there the first time, as the straw makes it hard to tell where the pavement ends. I can’t imagine adding a little more pavement would have added but a trivial amount of money to the project.

I had the same thought. Enough so that I wonder if they’re planning on relocating the whole huge sign superstructure that spans the highway. That would get the post out of the middle of the trail. Dare to dream. I still can’t believe that cyclists careening down those steps isn’t a daily occurrence.

At least the new curb cuts that discharge onto East Basin Drive south of the Jefferson are wider. You can actually almost execute the turn.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@scoot 182248 wrote:

I think he may be taking RCP southbound toward Ohio Drive and the Tidal Basin, and doesn’t want to go all the way up to Peters Point to access it.

Correct. I need to go southbound. I’m a big John Ericsson fan.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

You know how the parking lane and right hand lane is treated like an all-day loading zone for the new buildings at the Wharf? It’s because they fill the off-street loading docks with employee parking. Based on observation today. Ass-hats.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@VA2DC 181928 wrote:

I dunno. Bridge traffic was bumper-to-bumper this morning, and there is no bailout eastbound. Just temporary jersey barriers in the right lane and oncoming traffic in the reversible middle lane. Plus the rear-ender that I saw in the outbound lane this morning confirmed that I’ll stick to the sidewalk despite the foot traffic, construction barriers, etc. I’d rather put up with that inconvenience than end up sandwiched between two cars. The sidewalk was faster than the vehicle lanes anyhow.

Good point about no bailout. Last couple times I tried the upriver sidewalk. I then figure-8 my way to the RCP trail which requires a dismount and quick cyclocross by the vollyball courts and abandoned (?) tunnel. I’ve always wanted to do cyclocross, but this is going to get old fast.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Those are bike ramps so you can walk a bike up the steps. Similar design incorporated in the new steps up to Benjamin Banneker Park from Maine Avenue.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I was going to add trashcans to the obstacle course too, but Dewey beat me to it. The lane markings where Pershing terminates at Arlington reversed what had been a good design. Now the lane markings want me on the curb when I’m trying to make a left to get to the bike trail across the highway. The old lane markings that put cars in the curb lane was better. Or at least put in a bike box across the front of all those lanes. Or better yet give peds/cyclists a 3 second advanced green to get ahead of things and visible.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

They’re in public space, so DDOT regs, but a private group like the BID might augment signage in coordination with DDOT.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

It was mentioned quickly. I’ve never rounded that bend until this week, but I only had to do it once to see that it’s a bad spot. Have to open the angle of approach to increase sight lines and stopping time.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@BTC_DC 181986 wrote:

I am not sure, however, that one of the lanes would be as convenient in the evenings out to Virginia.

Outbound this time of year is tough because of the low sun. Memorial Bridge drivers are driving directly into it.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Inbound commute this morning, I took one of the vehicle lanes across. Speed limit is 20 MPH and traffic was heavy so I moved right along on pace with the cars who weren’t coming close to the speed limit anyway. No problems.

[Author]

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