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The closure of paths without warning or signage is a lot more frequent than the 4th of July or Inauguration, but if there is optimism that that will not be the case with Memorial Bridge, that is great.

I recognize that GWMP and the Mall are different entities. I’ve had conversations with the head of GWMP (holy buried name) myself about cycling issues and share guarded optimism. This website suggests that they are at least cognizant.

Hope this gives me the kick in the pants I need to get out of Virginia. #buthighertaxes

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I haven’t tried it since 2017, but, as mentioned in this thread, could not access at Wright Gate – only Hatfield. The page I linked to then is still incomprehensible to me. I think some of the words are wrong.

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Thanks. Yes, it was late and it didn’t come with the green. Had to do a late night run of stuff for someone admitted to VHC from ER, which took about 6 hours. I think I was also violating a rule by being on Custis at that time since shockingly I use my bike for transportation and not just pleasure.

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@Judd 177014 wrote:

The one other thing that I used my car for regularly was grocery shopping since I buy a lot of canned food. I’m probably gonna have to get all Bobco and get a trailer. The grocery store situation at the new place is a bit less convenient for walking and biking since it’s further away, involves crossing the Pike and has a lot more traffic.

I know that others have already addressed this, but as someone who does not own a car, lives near the Pike, and eats too often, I have to say that buses home from grocery stores are a nice crutch. I throw my bike or just myself onto them a lot when I’m feeling lazy. Don’t know where you are on the Pike, but for me – easily done from Harris Teeter in Shirlington and Ballston and Pentagon City, and Trader Joe’s in C’don. Slightly less easily done from MOM’s Alexandria but I do it anyway because I love MOM’s and recycled paper products.

Anyway, congrats on going carfree.

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I agree about the bad sight lines!

Also, if you want to make your way over to the tunnel under 395 to catch a bus it is a tad more inconvenient.

Wish they would see fit to reconsider the “Cyclists must dismount” sign under 27. There is about a 1 in 600 chance you will encounter someone in the stretch.

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I’m non-DOD federal. I attempted to enter last night at Wright and was told that I could go through as a courtesy but that I should not be allowed to enter with my non-DOD federal ID. I have not had a problem entering at 2nd Street in the morning. I had read this webpage before trying Wright last night and thought I might still be able to enter with my federally-affiliated ID card but I guess that is not the case??

Being able to get in on 2nd Street matters significantly more to me, but I guess I don’t understand why I can get in one way in the morning but not the other way in the evening.

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Even if you know a free way in or have an annual pass, if you want to speak up on this (nutty) policy, you have 6 days remaining. (Closes Nov 6.)

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I haven’t read through the dockpocalypse discussion and I haven’t used them yet, but I’m not sure I would agree that we have a “really good” bikeshare system. I’ve been a member for 5 years or so and while I think the bikes are decent (though seat issues vex me), the customer service is good, and the technology is helpful, I find that close to 40% of my desired rides are thwarted by stations being full or empty. Three years ago, it was 20%. Below is a picture of what the stations look like right now in the middle of the day. If you are in Tysons, Reston or a number of other places, you are ok for getting or dropping a bike. However, in almost all of DC (except for east of the river) and most of the orange line in Arlington, stations are either full or empty. I have tried to share this with them and ask them to consider better rebalancing methods or incentives, but it just gets worse. I agree that dockless could threaten cabi but I think cabi needs to be better.

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I think a fellow cyclist said it best last night, “They find a new way to screw up Maine every day.”

From my perspective, it would have been best to put the curb ramps in at the circle before they started all of this. Can’t see when the ramps are coming but at least they are coming sometime.

I would like to see a connection between Case and G St. I guess it isn’t in the cards, but I do see a lot of cyclists going from Case to G St NW. Maybe Maine will be so awesome I’ll change my route.

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If I may, I will offer the comment that while I appreciate the survey and think it is pretty good, it does not offer a chance to speak to an important element of what Arlington County could do to help people feel safer on bikes – enforcement.

ACPD is not on bikes (except for rare exceptions like events), and rarely cites drivers for the type of infractions like close passing that make cyclists unsafe. Bike lanes without a plastic bollards are vehicle pullover lanes. You can barely ride for 1 minute without encountering a vehicle and I have never seen enforcement of that in Arlington. Then there are things like this.

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Not to make this about me instead of John but as someone with two accidents on the Pike in the past 14 years (and no accidents elsewhere in the DMV FWTW despite somewhere close to 75K miles locally), I can’t help but be somewhat frustrated by the lack of improvement even around Freedman’s Bridge.

I now avoid the Pike as much as possible, but the alternatives add a lot of distance.

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Used to love this store. The curmudgeon in me is not a huge fan of the remodel. I liked that I could get everything I needed quickly in the old store.

Love that they have tools. Wish that they had consistently had bike parking during the remodel. Every so often, I had to ask them when the bike rack was returning.

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Maybe I just need to get over it and take the lane but on some roads, I just can’t. I’m thinking of Columbia Pike in Arlington and Independence Ave in DC. I don’t generally exceed 20 except for in bursts (I don’t ride my road bike for commuting).

This morning, my commute was ruined by close passers on Independence Ave. I certainly didn’t set off to take that route but a motorcade and trail closures near the Reflecting Pool steered me to Independence Ave. I was nervous about taking the sidewalk because a lot of people where using it and with the fences up, I wasn’t sure where it would take me. How bad can 1/2 a mile of Independence Ave be, I thought? It was awful. Tons of speeding and passing within inches of me. I was hit from behind by a close passing driver on Columbia Pike this spring and I’m still not over it.

Would appreciate advice on where to report this. NPS? I don’t expect action but if NPS has enough resources to go after kids selling bottled water, they can at least read my complaint.

Apologies for subverting the thread.

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Thanks for sharing and glad it was not worse.

I have to say that the last time I rode through that very section, a cyclist decided to plow through a tight area to pass a long line of cyclists and other cyclists very vocally let him know that his decision was a poor one. I could have done with a bit less profanity, but I agree that something needed to be said.

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Thanks, all! See you tomorrow.

The site I had in mind for “cannot be reached by bicycle” was Turkey Run Park but GWMP scenic overlook above Donaldson Run is probably in a similar boat.

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