[PotomacCyclist]

I wouldn’t recommend it for the most part. Especially when the wind starts whipping up. There are 7-ft snow banks along some streets. With the poor visibility, odds are pretty good that a plow driver wouldn’t see a cyclist.

[PotomacCyclist]

More snow on the way this afternoon, along with strong winds. Maybe another 3 to 6 inches of snow this afternoon. Don’t get caught out in the next wave of the storm.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/01/23/blizzard-warning-updates-heavy-snow-and-wind-for-storms-closing-phase/

Possibly another 11 inches out in Loudoun County.

[PotomacCyclist]

Another DC resident’s reaction to the snow

[video]https://www.facebook.com/nationalzoo/videos/10153837445042902/[/video]

[PotomacCyclist]

This is how one local DC resident is coping with the snow storm:

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[PotomacCyclist]

@Powerful Pete 133000 wrote:

Slightly related – I just received an email from the CaBi folks that the system is shutting down at 19:00 today. If you have a bike out after that you can still return it, but cannot check out a CaBi until they reopen the system.

Due to inclement weather, we will be temporarily closing Capital Bikeshare at 7pm on Friday 1/22 to protect the safety of our members, bikes and staff. No bikes can be rented after the temporary closure has begun. Any bikes in use at the time of the closure can be returned to any Capital Bikeshare station with an available dock.

Closure and re-opening information will be posted to CapitalBikeshare.com,
Facebook.com/CapitalBikeshare, and Twitter (@bikeshare). Annual, 30-day, and Day Key members will also be informed of closure and re-opening via email.

The Capital Bikeshare Severe Weather Closure Policy can be found at CapitalBikeshare.com/safety/.

Thank you for your cooperation.

UPDATE

http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/news/2016/01/22/service-alert-january-2016-snow-event

“UPDATE Friday 1/22, 3:30pm: Capital Bikeshare will close stations and shut down service at 7pm on Friday, January 22. We will remain closed through Saturday, January 23. We will continually evaluate conditions and announce a time and date to reopen the system when it is safe to do so.”

[PotomacCyclist]

UPDATE

http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/news/2016/01/22/service-alert-january-2016-snow-event

“UPDATE Friday 1/22, 3:30pm: Capital Bikeshare will close stations and shut down service at 7pm on Friday, January 22. We will remain closed through Saturday, January 23. We will continually evaluate conditions and announce a time and date to reopen the system when it is safe to do so.”

[PotomacCyclist]

The calm before the storm

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[PotomacCyclist]

One last ride on CaBi before conditions become impossible and unsafe. The flurries started around 1 or 1:30. Not too bad at first, but it picked up a bit by 2:30. The roads and trails were starting to get slippery, but this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. That could be my last ride for 48-72 hours.

[PotomacCyclist]

http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/news/2016/01/22/service-alert-january-2016-snow-event

SERVICE ALERT: Capital Bikeshare halts rebalancing and staff operations as of 2pm Friday, January 22. The system remains open for users at this time.

Due to the impending winter weather event: Capital Bikeshare is halting rebalancing and bike checking operations by 2pm today, Friday January 22, 2016. All staff operations are cancelled for tomorrow, Saturday January 23. We will determine if we can begin rebalancing and staff operations on Sunday January 24 and make an announcement once a decision is made this weekend.

Additionally, bikes have been removed from the following in-street stations to protect our equipment and allow for snow crews to better do their work.

DC:

10th & Monroe St. NE
Metro Center / 12th & G St NW
18th & R St. NW
18th & Rhode Island Ave NE
C&O Canal / Wisconsin Ave NW
34th & Water St. NW

Arlington:

23rd St & S. Eads St

Please help us keep these stations clear of bikes to protect our equipment and allow crews to clear snow more easily.

Capital Bikeshare remains open, and our staff will continuously check the weather forecast and current conditions to monitor the system. Should conditions deteriorate to the point that riding may put users at risk, we will close the system until weather conditions improve. Once the system is closed, no bikes will be available to be taken out, but any bikes in use can be returned to the nearest station. Usage fees will still apply to trips that continue after the system is closed.

[PotomacCyclist]

I was going to make a joke about the rats at Veterans Affairs, Dept of the Interior and DC police HQ buildings. (I have actually seen very large rats at all of those places.) But I decided not to.

[PotomacCyclist]

@KWL 132933 wrote:

Mother Nature’s snowplow is much more effective than that of the NPS. There were the usual short sections of crusty footprints and ridges on the MVT, but mostly clear as seen here. It should be a fine commute in to work tomorrow morning. That leaves unsaid what tomorrow evening’s commute will be like.

It’s probably best to leave work/school/other much earlier than usual.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/01/21/model-live-blog-zeroing-in-as-storm-that-will-become-blizzard-develops-over-the-south/

“While snow may initially start rather friendly, it will pick up in intensity fast. About 3-4 hours after onset, the NAM already has about 3 inches of snow on the ground in D.C. That total would be by 6 p.m. Friday, with even more intense activity coming in from the south at the same time. Snow gets very heavy heading into the night.”

I wouldn’t want to be out there past early afternoon.

[PotomacCyclist]

@Tim Kelley 132909 wrote:

Twitter’s response: https://twitter.com/kelseylh/status/690279883998633984

Yeah, I know about all the complaints but I actually use Metro somewhat frequently on weekends. Sometimes there are delays, but you just plan for that. It’s far from unusable.

[PotomacCyclist]

In case anyone questioned whether it would happen, MetroRail will officially be closed all day Saturday and Sunday. This includes the entire system, not just the above-ground lines.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Metro-Close-Weather-Snow-Blizzard-Plans-Bus-Train-366104811.html

[PotomacCyclist]

Snowstorms are an environmental mess, no matter what. Even without the industrial snowmelter, all the salt on the roads gets washed off into streams and rivers. Oil leaks from cars gets washed into the rivers too. (Every parking lot is covered with those tiny oil spills. All those oil slicks combine into an enormous amount of pollution, region-wide.) The snowmelter just speeds up that process a bit, but all of those pollutants enter the waterways sooner or later, until we stop using so much petroleum and salt.

By “we” I mean U.S. society as a whole. Cyclists don’t burn up petroleum products, although we also use some of those products on bike chains.

[PotomacCyclist]

The busiest days are during the peak bloom. That doesn’t necessarily coincide with the dates of the Festival though. It’s impossible to say when peak bloom will occur at this point. It depends largely on the weather a couple weeks before the bloom. No one can say until early to mid March. The National Park Service posts updates on their Peak Bloom Watch on the Cherry Blossom Festival website. If you have flexibility in scheduling, you could keep an eye on that starting in March.

All the hotels get booked up during the Festival, so people have to make travel plans in advance. This means that the area will be somewhat busy throughout the Festival. Once the Festival ends, there’s a little less pedestrian traffic, but in general springtime is the start of the main tourist season in DC. I would just plan for the tourist areas to be moderately to very busy at any time in April. Even after the Festival ends, school groups from across the country arrive on their annual DC trips. I see large groups of out-of-town students and chaperones in DC and Arlington throughout the spring and summer. The Cherry Blossom Festival and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in June/July are two of the very busiest periods, but there are always a lot of visitors in the area from mid-March to early August. I’m not complaining about it. Just pointing it out.

[Author]

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