[dasgeh]

I’ll put in my normal plug for the through-Fort Myer option (and through the cemetery in the mornings). That will get you to Pershing and 50 (4pm-6pm) from which you could take Pershing WSW, get to Washington Blvd to head WNW, take the neighborhood stuff more directly W… whatever your fancy. Security at the base can be annoying, but I still think it’s faster point to point from the Memorial Bridge to Pershing/50, and the roads are calm and smooth with few drivers.

[dasgeh]

I’m a regular bike commuter (all but ~5 days in 2012!) and I take CaBi around DC in the middle of the day. I ride in on my bike, then ride CaBi around to meetings and lunches, allowing me the flexibility of one-way trips (e.g. taxi to a meeting, CaBi back to the office) and the added security of not having my bike locked up in places I’m not that familiar with (my husband’s bike was stolen from the Mall 3 years ago ). When I know I’m taking CaBi, I’ll bring my commuting helmet with me into my office and wear it on CaBi. When I don’t know ahead of time / forget and don’t have time to run back for it before heading out, I ride helmetless. I’m not riding that fast on CaBi anyway, and I’m an even more conservative rider when I’m sans-helmet.

Though I do feel a bit naked when I feel my hair blowing in the breeze…

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 15327 wrote:

Here’s an easy one in terms of location, but can anyone tell me what it means or why it is there??

[ATTACH=CONFIG]783[/ATTACH]

I’m hoping it’s pointing to where the CaBi station is, and that you’re going to tell us you’re going to install a bunch of those, in a larger format, around town.

[dasgeh]

I wish there were more signage on all of the trails/bike routes, especially close to the river/Monuments. I honestly think some of the walkers, runners and even cyclists just don’t realize what a MUT is. A simple “stay right, expect other people, especially bikes” would be really helpful, and I think would cut down on a number of random tourist movements (like the bench-sitters).

And while we’re putting up signs, some where there are blind curves, sudden trail/path entrances, and other unexpected things (e.g. “kid-zone” at Gravely Point) would be great.

[dasgeh]

@DaveK 15034 wrote:

I think the construction is this – http://dom.com/about/electric-transmission/radnor/index.jsp

Thanks, but I don’t mean the fun along 10th Street. I mean the orange fencing and construction equipment along Route 110, at the bottom of the hill coming from the trail that goes to the Memorial Bridge. I’m worried they’re going to close the trail at some point, and for me it would be great to know in advance — I think I’ll take the TR bridge instead, so it’s a big detour.

[dasgeh]

Coming across the Memorial Bridge this morning, there were a few people looking around at the bridge. It looked like they were examining the rough spots. I stopped and asked, and they said they were planning to repair the surface of the bridge, and it should be done “in a couple months”. Hooray!

Any chance anyone has more info on what’s going on by 110 on that trail? thanks!

[dasgeh]

Welcome!

I’m a wife and mom of 1 (hopefully #2 in the future) with a similar profile to you. I work at 20th and Constitution and live in Lyon Park in Arlington (look for Washington Blvd and Pershing on google maps). I also like having a bad-weather alternative to biking (though thankfully I’ve barely used it this year!). Just know that if the weather sucks enough to make you not want to bike, any other option is also going to be slower than normal.

We only looked in Arlington, for lots of the reasons already mentioned — great schools, great community, lots of smart growth. We love it, and couldn’t imagine anywhere else around here.

Within Arlington, price is going to be your biggest obstacle. I’ve been told that rule of thumb for our current neighborhood (south of the Clarendon metro stop about .5 mile) is $1000/bedroom for rental houses (maybe not the newest stuff, but fine to live in, and ok space). Generally, the other rule of thumb is Arlington is the further South and West you go, the cheaper things get. I also think areas near Lee Hwy are cheaper.

The first question you need to ask is how close to Metro is close enough, and whether buses would be ok to get you to Metro or as your back up. For example, the 16Y will let you live near Columbia Pike and will take you to 14th and K. The 3Y will let you live along Lee Hwy and will also take you to 14th and K NW (I’m assuming your new workplace is 11th & K NW). If you’re willing to walk a mile to Metro, you have options near Lee Hwy to the North, like Cherrydale and Waverly Heights. Those will put you on the Custis trail. Or West of Ballston in the Bluemont neighborhood, which has the Bluemont trail. You could also look South of the Metro, near Arlington Blvd/50, e.g. in Ashton Heights. There’s a little trail that goes along 50, and you can take that or neighborhood roads to Fort Myer and down through the cemetery — it’s an odd but stunningly beautiful commute (on the way home you have to go around the cemetery). To get onto Fort Myer, you need a photo ID, and it can be a little bit of a hassle (less so if you’re a Fed govt employee).

There are other options closer to the Blue/Yellow lines that I’m less familiar with. If I were in your shoes, I’d narrow down what jurisdiction you want to live in, then start a targeted search from there.

Hope that’s helpful.

[dasgeh]

I often wonder about the same thing in my Federal agency’s garage, especially now that the bike racks are ALREADY filling up. I imagine Spring will be packed!

A couple things I think about: Officially, we’re not supposed to leave bikes even overnight. Sometimes, I do. In fact, I have two bikes in there at the moment, because I biked in one day, got home another way, biked in the next day on a different bike. I also know a few people who leave a bike in the garage that they use for fitness (we’re convenient to Hanes Point), but never take home. There are some bikes that look clearly abandoned, so it’d be nice to have a clean out, but I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the ability to leave bikes that actually get used there for whatever reason.

I’ve thought about proposing that our agency pick a date a few weeks/months in the future, and decide that all bikes that are “abandoned” then are really abandoned. To figure out what’s abandoned, I’d put a hanger or sticky on all the bikes indicating that bikes with the note still on them will be removed on X date. Then I’d start the communication campaign — post something on our internal communication website, possibly as part of the drum up to bike to work week and put up signs in the garage and in our gym. Most importantly, I wouldn’t do the removal until a few weeks into Spring (some people don’t even think about bikes in the winter, even mild winters), and I’d start the communications way early. And I’d make it really easy to show a bike isn’t abandoned — just take off the hanger/sticky.

Anyway, that plan is totally from my head, because that’s what I think about when it’s hard to find a good spot.

[dasgeh]

We got a new Biria Citibike (http://www.biria.com/series/citibike — we got the step through model) from Bicycle Pro Shop (http://bicycleproshop.com/ — there’s one in Gtown and one in ALX) last summer to use with our super-awesome front baby seat. We love it. We fight over who gets to ride it, and who gets stuck on our other hybrid.

I think the retail is right at $500 and it comes with everything you need — fenders, front and rear racks, good wheels, chain guard, kick stand.

And even though you didn’t ask, we love our Lonely Peak Grocery Bag Panniers.

[dasgeh]

@Arlingtonrider 14831 wrote:

I sent one also.

Me three

[dasgeh]

@KLizotte 14818 wrote:

I sent an email to the Super NoVa staff expressing my disappointment that they held the meeting during the middle of a workday and asked that they hold another one in the evening so more people can attend.

I’d like to do that as well. What’s the email address? Thanks!

[dasgeh]

I used Deltas for a while. I used SPDs for a few months. Now I have Eggbeaters, which are very similar to, but somehow different than, SPDs.

Deltas were great for racing — better stability, easier to position in EXACTLY the right way, harder to clip out of.

SPDs and eggbeaters are better for commuting — set it up once and they don’t move, the clips fit into the sole of the shoe, so you can walk on normal ground without issues, easy to clip out.

I believe SPDs/eggbeaters are cheaper.

[dasgeh]

I’m a firm believer that the way to make cycling safer is to get drivers to expect bikes to be there. The way to get drivers to expect bikes is to (1) make cycling a visable part of the infrastructure; (2) educate drivers (signs, campaigns); and most importantly, (3) get more people out on bikes. It seems like green lanes would do that…

@chris_s 14750 wrote:

I would love to see Arlington apply for this project – I’m willing to commit to being out there advocating with the rest of the community for why better bike infrastructure is good for everyone, whether you bike or not.

So many people would like to bike but don’t feel safe starting off with nothing (or nothing but paint) separating them from car traffic. I think some protected, separated infrastructure would allow a lot more people to get other there cycling and as they do so, they will become more comfortable biking in traffic and the net change will be more people biking on the roads, not less. I agree with the point Allen has been making a lot lately too, which is that more Bike Boulevards can help immensely in this pursuit as well (at significantly lower cost). Bike boulevards increase cycling visibility in the community and also create facilities that feel safe for new folks to ease-in with.

What Chris wrote is pretty much the rest of what I would have written. Thanks, Chris!

[dasgeh]

I love getting to say “good morning” to people as I bike by, especially the regular security guards I bike by every day.

[dasgeh]

This probably isn’t NPS, but does anyone know what’s going on at the bottom of the squeezed-between-110-and-the-cemetery trail? Will it affect the trail? Will it lead to better pavement on the trail? More lights? At least reflective paints? Please, pretty please?

[Author]

Posts