[brookeewhite]

@consularrider 127855 wrote:

How’s their bike parking?

I was over at the new MOMs grocery tonight and saw people coming up the Custis stopping to go in. There was a bike rack on the sidewalk right outside the door. It was not covered but looked sturdy and it wasn’t overly full. We got lots of free samples… Popcorn, vegan food, and several items they put in the bottom of my shopping bag that I haven’t even gone through yet. I’m pretty sure getting my groceries delivered will still be cheaper than shopping there, but I did see a few items worth stopping in for. The quinoa tabouleh I picked up tonight was good! And I want to go back to try some of the naked lunch food downstairs when my non-adventurous husband and kids aren’t with me!

[brookeewhite]

Yeah, the ones near Custis and Key bridge only showed 2 for yesterday… Which is hard to fathom… It was raining and not a lot of bikes, but I was out there and it’s hard to believe there was only one other cyclist all day long.

[brookeewhite]

You guys are sweet, thanks for helping me smile!

[brookeewhite]

Thanks for the camaraderie and support, guys. Yes, I spent at least a half hour looking at the map when I got home last night. I was directionally challenged for sure, but my biggest takeaway is this… Don’t proceed if you don’t know where you are going, better to stop and go back even if it wastes time. Of course at the time, I was worried about getting to my daughter’s day care before it closed (the whole reason I’m biking instead of relying on metro), but had I really known the risk I was taking, would have known it wasn’t worth it… And in the end my husband had to go get her anyway and then come get me. But I digress.

My ill-fated route: I haven’t completely figured out what happened (no strava), but the best I can figure out… From Penn, I made a right on 22nd in order to avoid Washington circle. Then I was going to make a left on M and ride to Key Bridge, but got distracted by some construction, and in hindsight, I think I must have taken New Hampshire by accident instead of M. At the time I thought I was on L, but the map says that is one-way – the other way – and I know I wasn’t riding against traffic – so best guess is that I was on New Hampshire. I couldn’t figure out how I ended up in the circle but wanted to get past it so went straight through. I think by the time I saw a street sign it said H and 25th. I remembered riding on Virginia Ave that morning and thought I was close to where I could pick up Capital Crescent trail to return the way I had come that morning (giving up on M street by this point), but couldn’t find the crossing in the dark. I thought I was almost to it but must have been past it. Then I was on Rock Creek parkway, which was one way without much shoulder, no sidewalks or crosswalks or stop lights, no way out but to continue forward. After I took the exit to Massachusetts Ave (along Waterside Dr I think) I found a spot with more shoulder and pulled over to call for a ride. Then a cop came by to re-open the reverse lane to allow 2-way traffic and said I should continue riding out to Massachusetts, which I did, cutting through the residential driveway alley at the end of the block, and got a ride from there (Kalorama).

Thanks for the map of how to go over the Key bridge, I had been thinking that part over as well. I haven’t given up yet… I was happy with the routes I was previously taking (”Memorial bridge to Arlington cemetery to Iwo Jima” or “I-66 to Mount Vernon northbound”) until daylight savings ended and then Mount Vernon and the cemetery seemed too dark. Even though I have lights to see my path, I felt less safe and was looking for a more well lit route. The section of Custis from Rosslyn to Courthouse seems okay to me and I was thinking Georgetown/Key bridge might be a better lit way to get there. I’ll take a look at the N street to Georgetown route mentioned, eventually I’ll do some daytime exploring to figure this out more safely. Thanks again for all the tips and suggestions, I’m not giving up yet!

[brookeewhite]

Sometimes I wonder what effect rain has on people’s commuting choices, and ultimately road traffic and subway congestion. There’s probably someone who has studied this and charged WMATA for the information. For every person who normally bikes but takes a bus in the rain, there might be another person who normally takes the bus and instead takes subway or drives. (If so, this would make the bus ridership impact nil.) Then there are people with ultra flexible workplaces that can take the day off or telework when they don’t want to go out in the weather. Again, I don’t know the actual figures for any of these, just something that makes me curious, and something I think about when leaving for work in the morning… Which way is going to be the least crowded and fastest on a rainy day like today?

[brookeewhite]

Tonight I was planning to leave downtown DC via Penn and ride the M street cycle track to Georgetown and back over the Key Bridge to Arlington. Total disaster instead. I got disoriented at Wash Circle and it was dark and my map wasn’t handy. A few blocks later I saw Virginia Ave and remembered riding it in the morning so followed that. Next thing I knew I was on the Rock Creek Parkway with cars whizzing by on both sides honking and drivers rolling down their windows to yell at me. I had thought if I moved to the left I could turn and get to the trail but didn’t realize those lanes were reversed until it was too late… Took forever to even make a lane change to the right with everyone flying by honking and all I could see was flying headlights and angry people. Eventually made it to Massachusetts Avenue and ended the ordeal. Please someone else say this has happened to them, too?

[brookeewhite]

@dasgeh 126755 wrote:

Here’s how I look at the TR-Bridge v. Key-to-Georgetown choice:

TR-Bridge route: beautiful, calm trail -> super narrow bridge path where you have to pay attention and slow way down when passing (for the love of God, don’t get off your bike- that makes you wider!) -> calm city streets.

So I got adventurous enough to try the TR bridge (I-66) again, this time around lunchtime on Thursday. Two men were biking from the other direction and they both dismounted to let me pass. I actually thought what they did worked quite well, and might do it myself next time. They moved their bikes close to the outside railing (the higher railing close to the river, not the low rail on the highway side) and then both leaned towards the railing themselves. It was actually quite easy to pass, especially with them creating more space near the top. Anyway, it seems that keeping a good attitude and showing patience can solve any passing issues on this narrow path.

[brookeewhite]

Thanks everyone for all the additional route suggestions! I’ll definitely keep experimenting!

[brookeewhite]

@Tania 126759 wrote:

Signal with your hand (in case there’s someone behind you, they’ll never hear you over the traffic) that you’re slowing down and then I usually unclip one foot and get down off the saddle and coast along slowly (with that unclipped foot ready!) until the other bike/pedestrian has passed me. It’s rare that I’ll keep riding normally to pass an oncoming cyclist although I have and it’s been fine (but…why risk it? Slowing down means maybe an additional five seconds – NBD). The oncoming person almost always thanks me for slowing down and giving way.

Thanks so much for the run through of what to do on this bridge. I really had no idea what to do otherwise but this seems doable.

[brookeewhite]

@DismalScientist 126723 wrote:

I also endorse the TR bridge.
An alternative after the Virginia Avenue circle is to continue on New Hampshire to the L street cycletrack. If the Washington Circle is too daunting, try a left at 24th (from New Hampshire) and right at L street. This might work better if you work on the northern side of McPherson Square.

The L street cycletrack looks great! It’s marked for one-way. Is there a similar path nearby for the return commute? Thanks again!

[brookeewhite]

@DismalScientist 126723 wrote:

I also endorse the TR bridge.
An alternative after the Virginia Avenue circle is to continue on New Hampshire to the L street cycletrack. If the Washington Circle is too daunting, try a left at 24th (from New Hampshire) and right at L street. This might work better if you work on the northern side of McPherson Square.

Thanks for the Washington Circle alternative, I will try it! This morning I didn’t know what to do when I hit it and took to the sidewalks and got stuck in pedestrian crowd.

[brookeewhite]

@Tania 126721 wrote:

I’m at metro center and I take the Roosevelt bridge – it’s not nearly as bad as people make it sound. If you’re worried about oncoming bikers (infrequent), just move over as best you can and put a foot down until they pass. I’ve only had one jerk in the year I’ve been taking it, most bikers and runners are polite.

Roosevelt bridge past the Kennedy Center and then straight through the Virginia Avenue circle. Make a right on H and then when H tee’s at 20th(construction), you can either turn left and then make a right on Pennsylvania or continue straight along the sidewalk there to get on Pennsylvania (you’ll see other bikers doing this, which is how I figured it out). Cross 17th Street to the White House and then up the 15th Street Cycletrack.

It’s a pretty stress-free route. I’m not a fan of the bustle in Georgetown.

Thanks for the quick reply! I took the TR bridge once by accident and will admit I was pretty scared by how narrow it was. No one passed me but I was worried someone would try. I guess I could try again and just plan to dismount if needed. I’ll definitely look for the streets you mentioned afterwards (Pennsylvania and H) regardless of whether I go through Georgetown or not.

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