[PotomacCyclist]

Hi Meredith. Crystal City will be hosting a full Bike to Work Week starting tomorrow. Every day from Monday to the official Bike to Work Day on Friday.

[PotomacCyclist]

Sorry to hear about the accident and death.

I don’t think it’s safe for cyclists to make that right turn at speed, no matter what line they take. That hill is too steep and cyclists pick up too much speed to make that turn safely. Even if you stay in the correct lane, there can be pedestrians crossing Four Mile Run. I think it’s best for cyclists to slow down to a very slow speed before trying to make that turn. It wouldn’t be smart for a car to make that turn at 25 mph. It’s even less smart for a cyclist to do that.

As for the slip lane, I believe that it will be removed as part of the upgrades and design changes at that intersection. WashCycle had a recent post about it.

[PotomacCyclist]

Sorry, I forgot that you would be starting from Alexandria. In that case, head north along the MVT to Four Mile Run Trail, then over to the W&OD.

[PotomacCyclist]

Another vote for taking the Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD) from Arlington to Leesburg. You can get to the W&OD from DC via the Custis Trail (some short steep sections) or head south on the Mt. Vernon Trail (MVT), turn onto the Four Mile Trail south of National Airport and ride up to the trail head of W&OD. The connection between Four Mile Run Trail and W&OD is somewhat confusing. You have to turn right onto the sidewalk along S. Shirlington Rd. Then another street crossing over to the W&OD.

Some good online sources for further info:

Google Maps (turn on the Bicycling feature)
Arlington County bike map – http://www.bikearlington.com/
DC interactive map – http://godcgo.com/home/get-me-there/tools-to-get-around/interactive-map.aspx
DC downloadable bike map
Fairfax County bike map

The W&OD has a few intersections with major roads in the eastern part, but once you get past Falls Church and Vienna, there are fewer intersections to deal with. The trail is relatively flat with just a few minor hills. Other than a short detour onto quiet local roads, almost all of the trail is separated from car traffic. Much safer than trying to ride on any major auto routes.

The trail might get crowded in the eastern section on weekends.

***
I’ve never ridden to Aquia Harbor. (Never even heard of it until this thread.) The Mt. Vernon Trail is a good option for riding from Arlington to the Mt. Vernon Estate. It’s particularly nice for visitors as it offers great views of the monuments in DC from across the river. The section north of National Airport can be crowded with families (lots of young children). The trail goes onto calm local roads in Old Town Alexandria but that’s a good thing as long as you’re not worried about going too fast. A lot of nice history and architecture in that area. (A lot of tourists too!) You may have to ride briefly through a construction zone south of Old Town, around the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. After you turn left from the bridge, the trail goes through less hectic areas. Some hilly sections in the woods until you reach the parking lots at Mt. Vernon.

Unfortunately I don’t know about any good cycling routes from Mt. Vernon to Aquia Harbor. Google Maps doesn’t list any good bike routes in that area. I don’t think either the Richmond Highway or the Jefferson Davis Highway are ideal for cycling.

So my recommendation would be to ride south on the Mt. Vernon Trail to Four Mile Run Trail, turn onto that trail and connect to the W&OD out to Leesburg or beyond. That will be quite a long trip by bike, plenty to keep you occupied on a nice Sunday. There are a few convenience stores along the trail (7-Eleven stores) if you need to restock up on water/sports drink/energy bars.

[PotomacCyclist]

The DC expansion is in addition to the new stations that are being installed in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor this year.

[PotomacCyclist]

They just installed a 27-dock station at Metro Center yesterday. That’s just 2 blocks from the 14th & G station.

The Metro Center station is one of the “SmartBike” replacement stations: a CaBi station at the site of an old SmartBike station. There are still a few more of these replacement stations that will be installed. In addition, there are 25 more stations going online this year. No official announcement about the exact locations. I think it might be a mix of pushing out the system to some new neighborhoods and of creating more density in high-demand areas like Metro Center, Foggy Bottom and Columbia Heights.

The DC councilman who oversees transportation issues also recommended additional funding to add another 40 stations in the near future. That hasn’t been approved yet, but it’s a sign that people understand the popularity of the system as well as the need to work on the bike/dock balancing issue by adding more stations in key areas.

This may not solve all of the problems of empty/full stations but it will help.

[PotomacCyclist]

Here’s the link to the account of the BAC meeting:

http://www.thewashcycle.com/2011/05/capital-bikeshare-update.html

[PotomacCyclist]

I haven’t noticed a difference in helmet wearing and earphones between CaBi cyclists and other cyclists. I don’t keep track of the statistics but it seems like most cyclists wear helmets, CaBi or not. I’ve probably seen more non-CaBi riders with earphones, and even some holding up a cellphone to their ear while riding. (Some of those in the latter group also ride in the wrong direction on the trails.)

As for the speed of the bikes, no, they aren’t fast. You can still pick up some speed on downhills but you won’t be anywhere close to the speed that you can maintain on a road bike. Or even a mountain bike. The CaBi bikes are heavy. It’s probably better that way. It keeps inexperienced cyclists from going too fast. The accident rate has been extremely low among CaBi users, from what I’ve read. According to a report of a recent Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, there have only been 8 crashes out of 370,000 trips on CaBi. I’ve only heard about one of those crashes involving somewhat serious injuries.

If anything, CaBi is lowering the bike accident rate in DC and Arlington.

[PotomacCyclist]

Unfortunately there are some aggressive drivers in the area. But not all of them are. The aggressive ones tend to stand out and make it seem like all the drivers are loose cannons.

The DC bike map is a good idea. You can also try out new routes on the weekends so you learn which streets are better to ride on than others. The DC bike map indicates that you can ride on the Constitution Ave. sidewalk from 23rd St. to 15th St. NW. If you’re going further east, you can ride on the paths next to Madison and Jefferson Drive.

If it’s not too far a detour, the 15th St. cycletrack is a good alternative for north-south travel. There are also east-west cycletracks or there will be soon. I don’t remember which streets.

It is confounding when a driver gets impatient like that and passes you, only to beat you to the next red light by just 30 seconds. And then you catch up to the stopped car.

That driver was clearly in the wrong by trying to force you aside and screaming like that. Bikes are allowed on almost all roads in D.C., other than the high-speed limited access roads and highways, and some other exceptions. You have to take care with confrontations because the other person is armed with 2 tons of steel and aluminum, and you aren’t.

There have been a lot of new bike infrastructure additions over the past few years, but they aren’t located in every neighborhood. The cycletracks and bike lanes can help you avoid some of the areas of potential conflict. Scouting out good side roads can help too. I tend to avoid the traffic circles because there are too many drivers who weave and move multiple lanes at a time.

I’ve encountered a couple obnoxious drivers but I’ve managed to limit the frequency of those situations by avoiding certain streets, circles and intersections. Riding a little before or after the peak of rush hour can help a little. There will also be fewer tourists in the area as the cherry blossoms disappear. (Well, at least until Independence Day.)

[PotomacCyclist]

They ended up installing some of the stations that week after all. Three stations went up on a rainy Saturday: Lynn & 19th, Clarendon & Pierce, Rhodes & 16th (previously unannounced). Rosslyn Metro station is scheduled for Monday, but the Court House Metro station (Uhle St.) won’t be installed until summer.

The CaBi map has been updated and bike/dock status is now available.

[PotomacCyclist]

@5555624 3167 wrote:

I get my “morning and afternoon cycling conditions” from weather.com. If it’s 75 degrees and sunny, people will be out and the trails will be crowded. If it’s pouring rain, the joggers and walkers will mostly be gone. If it’s in the 20s, I’ll have the trails mostly to myself.

The problem — to me — with “traffic reports” on the radio/TV is that I’d have to get them before I leave home/work. By the time I get to a problem spot, there is a good chance the “traffic” issue will be resolved. (If it’s snow/ice, I’ll have a good idea from weather .com) A bad traffic problem — from a motor vehicle perspective — can last quite a while, but most form a cycling perspective don’t seem to last very long. Right off hand, I can’t think of a traffic issue in the last 5-10 years, that has really been a problem. While radio traffic reports can be pretty much real time, I’m not listening to the radio (or anything else) when I am riding, so they would not help.

A blog, especially during the winter, with the status of the various trails, would be helpful.

The Road and Trail Conditions section on this forum is helpful. I think a forum is a better method than a blog. There are only a few people with access to any particular blog. With a forum, any registered member can post road or trail updates. I agree that it’s more useful in the winter. Snow and ice cause problems throughout the day whereas bike traffic congestion on the trails will increase and decrease quickly in the summer months.

TheWashCycle also posts occasional updates on trail conditions. He focuses primarily on D.C. but he also covers Arlington bike issues on a regular basis.

http://www.thewashcycle.com/

[PotomacCyclist]

The Rosslyn and Court House stations have been delayed. They won’t be installed this week, as previously announced. No word on the new date.

[PotomacCyclist]

ARLnow is reporting that the 1st four stations (Rosslyn and Court House areas) will open on Wed., April 13.

http://www.arlnow.com/2011/04/11/rosslyn-courthouse-cabi-stations-to-open-this-week/

[PotomacCyclist]

From Layhill Rd., why not turn onto the Matthew Henson Trail? That leads to the Rock Creek Trail. That takes you to Beach Drive in the District. Or you can take the spur off of RCT to Susanna Lane near Chevy Chase, ride 100 ft. on Jones Mill Rd. and get onto the CCT from there.

This would let you avoid Georgia Ave.

Note: I haven’t ridden on either the MHT or the RCT in Montgomery Co., so I don’t know what the trail conditions are like.

[PotomacCyclist]

According to an article from ARLnow.com, the bike lanes are in the preliminary planning stage. If and when the bike lanes are approved, they won’t be ready for a few years. At the earliest, it sounds like we’re looking at 2 or 3 years. The article includes a couple maps of the proposed additions.

http://www.arlnow.com/2010/11/10/big-bike-changes-planned-for-pentagon-city

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