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@RESTONTODC 22721 wrote:

One of tree root speed bumps knocked off my water bottle this morning.

One knocked off one of my wheel reflectors the other day. Some days, I really miss my commute through ANC…

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Welcome!

I’m also a closet e-biker, though you should know not everyone loves us. In Arlington, at least, ebikes aren’t supposed to be on trails. My commute’s a lot shorter – 5 miles each way – I’m on the ebike at the moment because I’m pregnant any real efforts make me sick How do you like the Bionix? I’m on a Kilowatt, which was bought through sale on the Clymb. Way underpowered, but perfect for what I use it for.

I’m an ARL-DC-er, so I can’t help with your routing, but most questions to the forum get good answers.

Good luck! Even riding in the rain gets easier.

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@Tim Kelley 22631 wrote:

be prepared to detour in the area of Lincoln street to Lee Highway (at the “S” Curve)”

Thanks, Tim. Do we know what the detour would be? Am I going to have company on Lee Hwy tomorrow?

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@KelOnWheels 22489 wrote:

I’m 5’7″ and change, PBH is 32.25″. felt pretty comfy on the WSD 56 and 57cm bikes and like Graeme Obree on the Vaya (or maybe Rocky the Flying Squirrel).

I’m 5’9″ and change and I’m happily on a 54. My husband is the same height as me, and is on a 56, but it’s a racer (i.e. very aggressive positioning, plus he’s a guy, and however the geometry works, they seem to usually go up a size). Everyone’s different, but I’d be surprised if you’ll be happy long term on a 56 or larger, especially if you’re doing a lot of in town riding (starting and stopping).

There are lots of great bike shops and lots of great bikes, I’ll just put in a plug for Cyclelife and Felt. I got my Felt ZW there 3 years ago, and they were great. They sponsor a women’s only road bike team (at least that used to be true), and they had a great selection of women’s specific bikes and knew a lot about fitting women. I was skeptical about the “women’s specific” thing at first, but I had spent a year on my husband’s old 57, and was SO HAPPY to have a bike that fit!

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My brother flew in for the weekend, so I drove back and forth to the airport a few times this weekend, which meant driving through this area. Traffic actually went around 40-45 MPH through the area (on GWP), which was a first for me. I think it was the snow fencing (the traffic slowed before we saw any signs).

And I agree, the signs are way too close to the actually cross walks. What would be helpful would be a a sign before all of the merging saying “slow – Pedestrians present” (since there are crosswalks across all of the different roads one may take).

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@TwoWheelsDC 22440 wrote:

Is that because it actually enhances safety somehow, or do they appreciate it because that’s become a normal rule-of-the-road type of thing? If people are acting predictably (i.e. “under normal circumstances”) then a courtesy ding seems redundant. I will admit, however, that I never use the trails for anything other than cycling, so my view is skewed. I’m sincerely curious (as in, I’m not snarking and am really interested to hear people’s thoughts) to know exactly why runners appreciate the signal since, as KLizzotte points out, users should anticipate being passed at any time.

As a sometimes runner, I’d say that it’s a few things: 1. a perceived vulnerability thing — cyclists pass very closely, and the perception (at least) is that as a ped, you’re more vulnerable than a cyclist. 2. A safety thing — I know I may run into a bad section of pavement, or some other reason to step left, that’s not visible to a cyclist coming up behind me. I generally look behind me, but if it’s only one step left, I don’t always do so. If I know someone’s coming, I stick to my line. 3. A good neighbor thing — enough cyclists don’t obey the rules (and yes, I think more drivers don’t obey the rules), a cyclist who dings or calls passes is following at least one rule, which says to me they know what they’re doing and they’re going to follow most of the rules.

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@KLizotte 22430 wrote:

I find it a bit odd that peds are so adamant that we call/ring our passes on the designated MUPs (I’m thinking of the ones with stop signs, yellow lane markings, etc – not the “trail” around the Jefferson Memorial) since cyclists don’t expect or demand that drivers toot their horns when they are going to pass us. When we are on the road we automatically assume that others will be passing us at any time, that it is incumbent upon us to behave predictably and not to move to the left without looking first. Shouldn’t we expect the same behavior from peds? They are walking in a roadway (call it a park or trail but it is essentially a road) and when I’m walking along one I don’t much care if anyone calls or rings since I presume a cyclist can come by at any time and I’m not planning on making any unexpected moves without looking first.

I disagree because (1) peds and most bikes don’t have rearview and side mirrors to help them see what’s coming behind them; (2) I don’t expect passes on a MUP to be at least 3 feet (which allows you a little wiggly room in case you have to dodge bad pavement); (3) the many more very reasonable situations in which pedestrians move in ways other than a straight line (oops, I dropped my pen and it’s rolling over there — let me pick it up); and (4) the difference in expectations on different MUP situations v. the relative homogenous expectations on roads. By (4), I mean that every user, on every road, is expected to look behind them enough to see other users coming at a reasonable speed (e.g. when changing lanes or turning). MUPs, especially in this area, come in many types, and I can see how users could be confused as to what counts as a “MUP” v. a sidewalk. (On a side note, this is why I’m pushing so hard to get better signage on the MUPs, though I admit that if it looks like a sidewalk, feels like a sidewalk and quacks like a sidewalk, it doesn’t matter that you call it the “Custis trail”, people will treat it like a sidewalk). Do you really expect a pedestrian on a sidewalk who, e.g. drop a pen, to turn around enough to see a bike coming at a reasonable speed before lunging over to pick it up? No, you expect the cyclist to make their presence known, so that the ped knows that they should wait a second before lunging. Cars don’t lunge over if they drop something.

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@TwoWheelsDC 22428 wrote:

Crossing Memorial Bridge will mean that you have to cross the GW Pkwy, which is uh, suboptimal…not sure where in DC you’re going, but maybe 14th St. would be a less stressful, though slightly more out of the way, option.

Actually, this isn’t true. If you go through the base and the cemetery (or around the cemetery and end up on the trail beside 27), you end up on Memorial Drive, which gets you to Memorial Bridge without crossing the GWP. You do have to cross the ramp from Washington Blvd to the Bridge, but on the South side, it’s not a problem.

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Oh, and welcome back.

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I would say the Roosevelt bridge is too narrow for a trailer.

For a much shorter commute, you could park in Lyon Park / Penrose (plenty safe and plenty of all day free parking, just read the signs) and bike through Fort Myer to the cemetery and on to the Memorial Bridge. It’s GORGEOUS. If you need more details, let me know. You could even park right beside one of the many parks in those neighborhoods – I bet the kid will thank you. It’s only a few miles from there to DC, so you’ll probably be way under your 8-9 miles OW goal. But maybe you could start small.

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My inlaws were in town, and have posted some of their pictures, including some of the Clarendon Cup (Mostly the 1,2,3 race, because that’s what my husband raced — starts on page 2). There’s also some great tourist shots. It’s amazing how nice the weather has been this month. Knock on wood.

http://www.drneilphotography.com/Travel/Washington-DC/23495638_7WJBbS#!i=1899161073&k=SBKMFzq

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@DaveK 22397 wrote:

First crosswalk warning signs went up this morning

I saw them going up! Hooray! (Oh, wait, I don’t commute through here any more…) I am a little disappointed that they seem to be focusing more on the “top of the hill” crossings (Washington Blvd and the ramp to Memorial drive) and less on the actually GWP crossing, which is really dangerous.

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@JeffC 22400 wrote:

Along the lines of making certain sections of trails bike only at certain heavy commute times, why not one Sunday a month devote a stretch of a trail to bike racing, maybe that would appease the racing crowd. Then the next Sunday make it walkers/joggers only. I think we need more restrictions like this even though overall it would still be a MUP.

Why not one Sunday a month make the streets bike-only? Ok, maybe not all streets, but lots of major cities do cycliovia. Arlington could certainly do it.

I would love to see the major MUPs be bike-only during commuting times, with enforcement similar to I66’s HOV (cops at the trail entrances, turning runners with dogs away)… but realistically, even if they post a rule on a sign, plenty of people will ignore it, and it would probably piss off a lot of people. On the other hand, some creative signage that makes it clear that there will be lots of bikes, especially during the rush hours, and that slower trail users are expected to stay right (and stay compact — short leashes for dogs, single file while being passed). You could do it in a friendly way and focus on safety. There will still be some jerks that ignore them, but I think overall it will win us some friends. (And explain things to tourists who don’t understand the concept of staying to the right).

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A squeaky saddle can be similar (though probably not as loud). +1 to ass shaking!

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Until 2 weeks ago, I lived at about the mid-point of the route, so I know this question pretty well (for us it was “how can we get from home to the central library” and “how can we get from home to Pentagon City”, but the total route is the same). To give you an idea of our riding comfort: I’m a daily commuter who is pretty comfortable on road, but doesn’t ride fast. My husband is a racer who can ride very fast. BUT we were often riding these routes with our toddler (in a bike seat), so safety was a top priority. This route mainly takes you on residential streets, then a little trail, then through the military base, then I’m able to help you much less.

North Monroe Street is awesome for getting across Wilson and Fairfax (lights at both). I would take that South to N 5th Street, and take N Jackson St, which has a light at Pershing. From there, follow the curve around and end up on N 4th St, which will take you by Lyon Park.

*the east side of the Park, turn right, but stay to the left at the fork — so you DON’T go up the hill onto Fillmore. That stub of a street ends into a trail (that I personally find gorgeous, and would be a little narrow, but there are rarely people on it). That trail crosses two residential streets (don’t take the fork in the trail that leads up to the elementary school), then ends at “Arlington Blvd”, which is really a glorified exit/on ramp for 50W (though traffic isn’t too bad there).

Cross that street onto another “trail” that’s really a sidewalk, which turns right along Washington Blvd and goes under 50. After that it really becomes a trail. It does cross the on ramp to 50E then the off ramp from 50E, but those really aren’t bad, even at rush hour. [They are poorly lit at night, so you’ll want to invest in good lights if that’s relevant]. That trail ends at Courthouse Road, which is fine to bike on (though starts with a short hill — not as bad as it looks).

Here’s where people will have different opinions, but I think the best call is to go through the military base, Fort Myer/Henderson Hall. Turn left at the light onto S 2nd St, which will take you onto the base. Stay to the right of the cars, and a guard will come meet you. If you’re a federal employee, show your badge and they waive you through. If you’re not, show your license and they write down some stuff, then waive you through. Yes, the writing down takes a little bit of time, but not much, and IMHO, it’s SO MUCH BETTER than biking on Columbia Pike. Once you’re on the base, go straight through the stop sign (you may see lots of people turning left — that’s how you get to the cemetery and down to DC — not what you want). Follow that road, which bends right and runs along the wall to the cemetery. When that ends, turn left, then right, and you’ll end up at the Gate 3 at Southgate road.

Southgate Road sweeps down a hill, and after a stoplight becomes S Joyce St. As a family, we bike on the sidewalk there (and apparently there’s construction there now, and they’re building a bigger better sidewalk), but when I’m alone, I bike directly on the Street.

Here’s the map version: http://goo.gl/maps/JHLc

That’s the limit of the part I know well. Please let me know if you have any questions.

* You could stay on the neighborhood streets and avoid the little trail — e.g. go up Fillmore and use the light there to cross 50, then turn left on S 2nd St from there. You may prefer that, but there’s a REALLY BIG HILL if you go that way.

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