[Rootchopper]

I’m all for a Royal Street bike boulevard. I doubt I’d use it for commuting though. Union Street is fine and already has fewer stop signs. Except when the weather is nice, the tourists descend, and the locals drive like annoyed. entitled idiots.

I also see no problem with speed tables on Union Street. These work fine on Commonwealth Ave in the Del Ray/Rosemont sections of Old Town.

Even without the boulevard, signage to the MVT at the north end and at the tunnel should be improved.

What bothers me most about Royal St boulevard idea is the south end. The St. Mary’s School of the Holy SUVs is a nightmare to bike through during morning drop off (7:30 to 8:00). It’s made doubly bad by the fact that the MVT is diverted to the sidewalk via a curb cut in the middle of the drop off line! They could have put the MVT on the opposite side of the drop off line instead. Or, better yet, eliminate the gated entry to the underside of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the south end of Royal Street. The gate rarely works properly and is often left open. Moreover, the very few vehicles that need access to the underside of the bridge can do so from the south side of the bridge.

An additional problem with using Royal Street is (heading south) the blind sharp right turn to get back onto the trail at the south side of the bridge underpass. You have to negotiate an overly tall curb, some flexposts and some bollards in quick succession and hope nobody coming down the hill passes through your side of the trail at the bollards. After the Wilson Bridge project was finished the Alexandria Bike Ped folks and WABA walked VDOT and city officials through this mess and pointed out the hazards. This resulted in some changes but it remains a poorly designed mess. To avoid this mess, I simply follow the trail down to the river and around Ford’s Landing to Union Street. It’s only a couple of hundred yards longer and much safer. (Except in winter when the unplowed trail accumulates ice near the river, but that’s a gripe for another day.)

[Rootchopper]

I prefer option no. 1. I like the idea that trail traffic stays on the trail. It will make for a more predictable flow of bikes. I also like the addition of the speed table. I hate speed bumps. I also agree that the flex post at the bottom of the bridge should be removed.

So kudos the the NPS. Now if they’d only treat the MVT after snow/ice events I could actually ride the darn thing during the winter.

[Rootchopper]

I am not (thank god) a Tysons commuter. And hope I never am. If the Tysons Partnership wants to show bike commuters some love, they can throw their support (and $$$) behind making sure that all bike lanes and trails get plowed, sanded and salted after snow/ice storms. Fairfax County continues to treat winter as a car-only phenomenon.

[Rootchopper]

I live in MV and my kids used to go to Maret. The route you have is pretty much as good as any. probably the fewest traffic lights and least traffic. Riding across Key Bridge abd up Wisconsin is no easier, has beaucoup traffic and a lot of lights. You could exit the RCP trail at P street and wind your way to Wisconsin at S Street to avoid Georgetown traffic. Or take P east to a left on 22nd then do the long slog up Mass Ave.

[Rootchopper]

Thanks, Rachel

[Rootchopper]

Generally good info. Not enough stress on making eye contact with drivers. Absolutely essential to surviving messed up intersections like the Rosslyn Circle of Doom/Death

[Rootchopper]

Are these permanent? Why are they needed?

[Rootchopper]

I’ve done the GAP, the Erie Canal, and the North Central. The GAP can be done in 3 days pretty easily. The Erie Canal is an entirely different experience and worth the trip. I diverted from the canal and managed to actually ride a couple of hills. That’s 2 hills in 300 miles! The North Central is worth doing once. I’ve done it up and back in a day several times. Not in the same league as the GAP or Erie but easier to plan and get to. Long story short, do them all!!!

[Rootchopper]

I’m not riding tomorrow either. 15 miles into a stiff headwind at 8 degrees is a recipe for a trip to the ER.

[Rootchopper]

Try this one. A Novel about a a Grieving Loser on a Raleigh. The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty.

[Rootchopper]

Who was it?

[Rootchopper]

Be one with your frailty! I hate when I am dropped on hills by everyone. I ride at least 3 miles per hour slower than I did ten years ago. But I still enjoy it.

As for recovery, I try to make it a point to take one day completely off the bike now and then. Sometimes two. If my schedule doesn’t tell me when to take a break, my body usually does.

[Rootchopper]

I don’t ride miles. Miles ride me.

[Rootchopper]

A colleague used to have a DC map showing I66 cutting through Adams Morgan, essentially obliterating the center of the District.

[Rootchopper]

Alll I want is for the National Park Service to pave and treat the Mount Vernon Trail after snow and ice storms. (I went 0-5 for bike commutes this week for the first time in month and months.)

[Author]

Posts