[Kolohe]

@lordofthemark 113664 wrote:

See that is the thing – the LPI is short, and by the time I get to the front of the line, the light may have changed to green, which allow not only the right lane car to turn right, but the left lane car to turn left, so movement on both sides of me – plus if there is more than one car in line on the right, the second car may be heading straight through, and not turning. This all assumes everyone is signalling, which, well…

I suppose I’ll just echo what Emm said about timing. LPI’s are always short, but do you pass through there regularly enough to get a feel for how long the red in your direction is? (that’s when I would filter, and cut back in line if you’re running out of time.) Can you see the cross street per countdown timer from enough distance to determine how long you have?

At the end of the day, I would just do whatever’s comfortable and be patient. I myself am fairly conservative in my city biking, if judging by the riders around me. (e.g. I’ll stop for all red ped signals going southbound on the 15th st cycle track, even at Rhode Island and at Mass, even if I don’t see left turning traffic coming at me).

[Kolohe]

I’m not going too much heartburn over police motorcycles, which on average are lighter than a horse, but yeah, cars and larger vehicles should be verboten unless responding to an emergency.

[Kolohe]

In my experience, almost everyone that intends to turn right creeps a bit to the right anyway, so filtering to the left is, for me at least, not that big of a deal. Plus, the no turn on red keeps traffic still which makes filtering much easier. (being close alongside a line of vehicles that’s moving up in the queue erratically as people make legitimate right turns on red is the scariest thing to me about city biking – because of the sudden unpredictable movement of a car within a few inches of your handlebars, and the haphazard use of turn signals).

Jumping off a bit before normally clears me out of the desire path for right-turning vehicles, so I don’t feel like I’m ‘cutting’ in line either, or otherwise holding up traffic.

[Kolohe]

On Sunday afternoon, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were dancing the mosh pit in front of the stage by the paddleboat marina, so there might have been a general Disney thing going on with the festival.

[Kolohe]

@dasgeh 113271 wrote:

Memorial is also a good option, especially if you’re in South Ballston. Though I don’t know why you’d ride on Wilson. Just get into the neighborhood, then take 5th St N to Pershing (or 5th to 7th to Pershing if you’d like to skip a small hill), then get on the new trail at 50, go through Iwo Jima, take the 110 trail, then use Memorial Drive and its sidepaths to get to the bridge (there’s only one grade crossing on that route, and it’s not of the GW Pkwy). If you do this, I’d stay south of the reflecting pool, then take the sidewalk along Independence — the sidewalk south of the Monument is narrow and gets crowded (ok, it all narrows and gets crowded this way, but closer to the Monument is worse).[/quote]

fair point on Pershing, I take it half the time myself. My mental model of “Ballston” defaults to north of Wilson, though that’s not what the maps say (anymore) because having grown up in the area, I consider everything south and/or west either “Buckingham”, “Bluemont”, “Alcova Heights”. The marginal advantage of Fairfax Dr/Wilson is, eastbound, it is all completely flat or downhill, while Pershing has that dip and light at the Lyon Park. also, and because of the relative newness of the improvements of section of Pershing between Wash Blvd and Ft Meyer, and the fact that Pershing from Glebe to Wash Blvd is still just an unmarked sharrow, my instincts are still with ‘the high road’.

Also, you’re technically correct (the best kind of correct ) on the at grade crossings between Memorial Drive and the bridge, but with both sides of Memorial circle have either cars whizzing onto the bridge or whizzing off the bridge (and three full lanes on the northside, I feel it’s a distinction without a difference. (and at least now the GW parkway crossing immediately off the MVT has the blinking yellow light thingy)

[Kolohe]

another possibility to to cross the river upstream at either Roosevelt (via Custis or Wilson Blvd through the intersection of Doom) or Memorial (via Wilson to Ft Cass trail* though Iwo Jima and at grade GW Parkway crossings) then through the Mall to L’enfant. It may be a little shorter, if I’m reading google maps right, but with the obvious disadvantages of worse intersections than the 14th bridge crossing. Plus in the morning, ped traffic anywhere near the mall or the Tidal Basin isn’t really a problem (even this time of year), but the afternoon commute is a whole different ballgame.

*my name for the new Rt 50 south side bike lane

[Kolohe]

my guess on the zig zags is that there’s not enough room for path + exercise pad + tree/grass strip on the grade so they eliminated the tree/grass where there’s an exercise pad, but wanted generally to keep the trees/grass between the road and the path. Which, I’m also guessing, makes stormwater management slightly better, plus eventually tall(-ish) trees on both side of the path. (the orientation of Main Line boulevard is pretty much perpendicular to the arc of the sun, so trees on either side would provide shade some of the time)

[Kolohe]

Adam “Sprawl and Crawl” Tuss was at the intersection yesterday

http://www.nbcwashington.com/video/#!/news/local/New-Safety-Measures-at-Rosslyns-Intersection-of-Doom/296800771

(autoplay video, as is NBC4Washington’s wont)

[Kolohe]

The “You Had One Job” people could make an entire new site out of the shenanigans that have transpired at this intersection over the past couple of years.

[Kolohe]

as of 730 this morning, W&OD at the southside ramp to the Carlin Springs Rd underpass still had a bit of snow on it, and the parallel 4mr trail had more than a bit. There was another slab of packed ice and snow across the stride just north of Rt 50 (Arlington Blvd) – as in, probably there because it stays in the shadow of the bridge. Everything else was completely free and clear down to West Glebe.

[Kolohe]

@rcannon100 109185 wrote:

No cross country skiers observed anywhere

I did see some x-country skiiers on the W&OD near Carlin Springs on Saturday afternoon.

[Kolohe]

W&OD on Rt 50 to Columbia Pike is a slushy mess that I walked through to get to a CaBi. The 4 mile run parallel trail didn’t looked treated in that area either and was underwater at the Glencarlyn park parking lot/restroom area as well as under Columbia pike. Took 4 mile run drive (road) from the Arlington Mill Community Center to Walter Reed because the W&OD seemed to be the same slushy mesh. From Walter Reed to Shirlington, there was enough clearing on a single rut for continuous rubber to pavement contact. Shirlington connector to Potomac Yard was free and clear (except for the sidewalks around the car dealerships and the switchback ramp from the Eclipse to the MVT connectors). The trails through Potomac Yard down to and including the Monroe Avenue bridge (or whatever it’s called now) are totally free and clear, except for a few wet spots.

[Kolohe]

First of all, “uppity’? Really?

Second of all, how many municipal services does a cemetery need? None of the residents are going to school or using Obamacare. They don’t get on the bus to go to work. The roads in the cemetery are privately maintained. So the ‘they’re not paying taxes’ is rather ridiculous argument. (and to pre-buttal the ‘what about police escort & traffic control for the funerals’ – funerals are for the living, not the dead, and the families sure as heck paid taxes throughout their lifetimes.)

How hard is it to leave private property, with signed access restrictions, alone?

[Kolohe]

“Riders on the Stormtroopers”

[Kolohe]

I thought it was Albert Einstein in the still frame.

[Author]

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