[chris_s]

I think if you build more separated facilities you’ll end up with both more people biking the separated facilities and also more people biking in the street, ultimately making things safer for everyone. Some of the folks that start biking because they feel safe on the separated facilities will stay at that level and only bike on the separated facilities and on MUTs, others will graduate training-wheels-style to on-street cycling after some time on the separated facilities.

[chris_s]

@Mark Blacknell 21524 wrote:

(I tend to prefer the mini-ulock b/c I can shove it in my pocket, but the bigger one is def more flexible.)

Another advantage to mini u-locks: less space to get tools in to lever it open. I’m partial to my OnGuard Bulldog Mini – you’ll run into trouble with it trying to lock up to less conventional items like telephone poles and staircases though. I tend to avoid those anyway.

[chris_s]

Almost forgot – there is also some sort of water pipe leaking onto the trail under 395.

[chris_s]

@rcannon100 21447 wrote:

Every chance we get, every interaction we have, every time there is an incident, every one of us should contact Jim Moran, Elenor Holmes Norton, Arlington County Board, and the GW NPS and tell them: “this is not okay.” Every one of those has email, a twitter account, facebook, and telephone lines. Steve Offutt got some serious traction recently by showing up, I think it was, one of those monday evening talk to the ArlCo board things and talking to them about bollards. We need to be in their ears.

As someone who has been paying a lot of attention to this stuff for a while, here’s my recommendations:

GW Crossings
We need the attention of the National Park Service to actually do something and we need the attention of Congress to fund it and hold NPS’ feet to the fire. For NPS, I believe the current acting Superintendent for the GW Parkway is Jon James (Jon_James@nps.gov); for Congress you’ll want to contact your local representative and your senators. Despite her lack of voting powers, Eleanor Holmes Norton has had some success in rousing NPS to action in the past so don’t think you’re wasting your time contacting her.

Lynn St
Two prongs:
1) We gotta get VDOT to allow Arlington to hit some of the low-hanging fruit that they’re trying to implement there as part of the Esplanade project – improving visibility, etc. I’m not 100% sure the best person to contact at VDOT – I’m guessing Garrett Moore who is listed as the Norther Virginia District administrator, but I could be wrong. Open for feedback there.

2) If we think grade separation is the answer, now is the time to push Arlington to include funding for a tunnel in the Capital Improvement Plan. There’s a public hearing on Tuesday June 26th at 7pm in the County Board room. You can even sign up online to speak. It’ll take all those crazy approvals that we keep talking about to build it, but if the money isn’t budgeted nobody is going to take it seriously. It’s going to take a long time, so all the more reason to start now right?

[chris_s]

Four Mile Run Trail Status Update:

4 lights out in the Shirlington Connector
2 lights out (which is all of them) in the West Glebe Road Underpass
2 lights out (which is half of them) in the Mt Vernon Ave Underpass

The button-activated pedestrian signal in front of the Weenie Beenie has been out for several weeks. I reported it to the traffic signal hotline a while back to no avail.

[chris_s]

@eminva 20479 wrote:

Wow, I’m not sure those paving bricks or whatever they are called are going to hold up for another nine years. They are pretty choppy already. I saw a man in a motorized scooter trying to negotiate that mess and I can’t imagine how it meets ADA as it is now.

I did forget to mention that the curb cut there at least, will be upgraded to meet current ADA standards. Nothing beyond that on the plans though. The FY2021 stuff is the trail section of the Ballston Beaver Pond project – nothing to say we won’t get something in the meantime – it’s just not in any project big enough to be in the CIP.

Also for those who like to rock the Bluemont Junction Trail it looks like the south-side sidewalk on Fairfax Dr may be getting a bit wider as part of this project also. Hard to tell for sure though so no guarantees.

[chris_s]

@dasgeh 20481 wrote:

As another avenue of research, is there a standard for the size (along with shape and color) of stop signs?

The “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices” is the standard for all road signs. To be a stop sign on a shared use trail it must be at least 18″x18″ (and look like a traditional stop sign – red color, etc). On a road it’d have to be 30″x30″ or more.

Reference:
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part9/part9b.htm#table9B01

[chris_s]

@GuyContinental 20421 wrote:

I’m pretty lucky, 95% of my ride is on the WO&D and really great but the transition from WO&D to Fairfax and Fairfax to Clarendon Blvd are both pretty bad…

Expect some progress on the Fairfax Dr >> W&OD/Custis transition over the next 12 months. The westbound Fairfax Dr bike lane will no longer inopportunely disappear on you – it will continue across Glebe to Wakefield St. Also no more slip lane for the cars turning from Westbound Fairfax Dr to Northbound Glebe so they’ll have to slow down quite a bit more than they do now. These changes brought to you by the Glebe Road Safety Improvements Project. The trail portion west of Wakefield may eventually get some love but sadly the funding for it in the proposed CIP is for FY2021…

There are some improvements to the Fairfax Dr >> Clarendon Blvd transition in the works, but you’re looking at probably 2015 for implementation and in my opinion, the toughest part is making the left to stay on Fairfax Dr and I haven’t heard of anything so far to address that.

[chris_s]

My little guy’s 2nd birthday is Today and he’ll be unwrapping his push bike as soon as I get home from work

Different brand though.

[chris_s]

@brendan 20260 wrote:

More seriously: if the county is serious about keeping this part of the sidewalk a MUT, the hotel parking lot entrance/exit needs to be redesigned or closed. If redesigned, perhaps moved east away from the concrete structure (perhaps mid-block between the current location and the traffic signal).

Last time the County presented on this (October 2011) they were trying to convince VDOT to let them remove a lane of Westbound Lee Highway and use that space to shift and widen (to 16′!!) that part of the trail. The shifting would make the intersection between the parking exit and the trail happen farther south than it current does, greatly improving the sight lines (the issue there primarily being that you can’t see around that skywalk structure). Illustrated on pages 24 and 25 of this presentation.

That (plus some other improvements) are part of the “N. Lynn Street Esplanade and Lee Highway/Custis Trail Safety Improvements” project. If they stay on schedule, we should see another public meeting with a 90% complete design sometime this Summer.

My coverage of the October meeting is here: http://engagearlington.com/archive/2011/10/06/the-rosslyn-meeting.aspx

The County’s official project page is here:
http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/environmentalservices/cpe/capprojects/page63515.aspx

[chris_s]

Imagine what the A team could do if I wasn’t dragging them down!

[chris_s]

@kelinva 19927 wrote:

Do I get disqualified for wearing a marathon shirt with bike shorts?

Neah – I rocked my standard $12 Target tech tee.

[chris_s]

The Carlyle stop in Alexandria had water bottles and…grooming kits…

Also continental breakfast catered by Potbelly’s.

I’m not making this up I promise.

[chris_s]

@JorgeGortex 19866 wrote:

Good suggestion Chris. I’ve been this way before as well. I remember the first time I took it I got a little confused and ended up going through some other neighborhood instead of popping out onto Commonwealth where I wanted. Hence my suggestion of my route for someone new to the route. Its a few simple turns and easy to track where you are. Thanks for sharing! See ya out there.

Good point – coming across the Route 1 bridge is definitely more straightforward – it’s how I started out as well.

Guess we’ll find out tomorrow if the Carlyle Pit Stop is any good!

[chris_s]

@larryk 19843 wrote:

Thank you both. Do you think taking Commonwealth off of the 4 Mile Run Trail is quicker than taking trail to King St. to Dawes Ave. to the Holmes Run Trail to Eis. Ave?

Not sure which would be faster, but would definitely warn you that getting from the trail to Dawes Ave may be dicey – King Street is basically a highway in that area. I know parts of the Holmes Run Trail are prone to flooding and parts are unpaved – not sure which parts so you’ll want to double check that if you aren’t familiar with that stretch. Perhaps someone else can speak to that.

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