[Rootchopper]

Although there are many trees down across the trail, they are all easily passable until you get to Tulane Drive south of Old Town (just beyond the Dyke Marsh boardwalk). At that point there’s a big tree across the trail. You’ll have to lift your bike over it if you want to go south. From there to Alexandria Ave is clear.

Two things to keep in mind. At the places where trees cross the trail and passage is rideable, please don’t go flying around the downed tree. head on collission will ruin your day and mine. Also, there is a formidable widowmaker near the power plant.

All in all, pretty impressive damage. Now can somebody turn the power on at my house . It’s over 90 degrees in the bedrooms.

[Rootchopper]

So my last entry on this thread talked about winds out of the south and east in the summer. So why was I pedalling into a mighty headwind all the way to Rosslyn from Mt Vernon today?

[Rootchopper]

In the winter months the winds tend to be out of the north and west. In the summer they tend to come from the south and east. Typically planes flying into DCA will fly into the wind (although for some weird reason they didn’t for the last couple of days). If you are feeling strong and see a plane coming toward you on its descent, you have a tailwind and should get over yourself. Don’t feel bad. Most of us fall prey to this delusion at least once a week.

You may also notice a change in wind direction in a few spots along the trail. The pinch point between DCA and the Parkway north of the terminals is odd because a tailwind can instantly become a headwind there. The other odd spot is the ramp at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. It faces due west and can really have a beastly headwind as you ride up. You get no warning; you just slow way down and find yourself grinding away.

[Rootchopper]

@txgoonie 23425 wrote:

I went by this for the first time in a few weeks. OMFG! The “detour” if you’re trying to go SB under the bridge doesn’t direct you as to which side of the chainlink fence you’re supposed to be on (it’s paved and accessible on both). I saw people get trapped on the wrong side and have to double back the entire way. It happens again if you take the trail ramp – the detour traps you there blocking access to the trail. If you want to go SB on the trail you either have to go all the way back down the ramp and up the apartment building’s driveway or you could jump off the curb and salmon up the GW Parkway – uh, no thank you. Wow, what a cluster-you-know-what!

I have been focused on the underpass at the bottom of the ramp. Just to console you, the detour changes every day. Someday’s the fence is there, some days not. Sometimes there are plates on the path, sometimes boards of plywood, sometimes dirt transitions over curbs, sometimes bollards, and on and on.

As for the top of the ramp where the picture in this thread was taken, all I can say is “I surrender.” The curb cut opposite this is taken up by a temporary warning sign that makes no sense. It says the sidewalk is closed with arrows into Washington Street and down the apartment access road. You have to ride around the dang thing to go in either direction! And you can’t cross Washington Street there anyway. It’s such a mess I can’t describe it.

[Rootchopper]

One of my favorite comedians, Ron White, has a line that is worth remembering. “It’s not that the wind is blowing, it’s what the wind is blowing.” Even if there isn’t any lightning, high winds have a way of dislodging dead tree limbs that are caught in the canopy. This is especially a problem on the MVT south of Old Town.

[Rootchopper]

The commenter on the Patch website thinks that bollards stop reckless, speeding cyclists. If this is true why don’t we put sharp points on the top of the bollards or give them razor sharp edges. That’ll fix ’em.

Yesterday’s cycling accident on the bridge connecting Rosslyn to the Mount Vernon Trail occured right next to a flexible bollard located at the base of a hill. If you don’t want heavy vehicles on the bridge why not put up a road sign instead?

[Rootchopper]

I am with Dismal Scientist on this one. Just buy regular shorts then wear underwear made out of a wicking fabric.

[Rootchopper]

I was one of the four or five folks attending to the injured cyclists. She crashed on the way down the hill. (I didn’t see it so I have no idea how it happened.) One of the other people helping her told me that she crashed where the bridge and trail meet on the Rosslyn side of the bridge. She stood up and fell over like a tree, apparently hitting her head. She was wearing her helmet. When I arrived she was sitting on the side of the trail with four cyclists attending to her. One of the attendants called the EMTS who parked up on Lynn.

At this point, she was talking, sipping water, but still stunned. As I went up the trail to slow the cyclists coming down the hill toward her, she stood up and looked fine. Then I heard one of the other cyclists say “grab her,” and I turned to see her fainting. They guided her gently down to the ground and we all told her to sit still.

After a few minutes the EMTs showed up and took her BP, pulse, talked to her and asked her if she wanted to go to the ER. She said no (at this point she was looking much better). The EMTs walked with her up to their vehicle to “fill out some paper work.” I think they were testing her condition. I watched her walk with them halfway up the hill and I left for work. She seemed okay at that point.

Thanks to the other cyclists who attended to her. You guys were superb. Thanks to the EMTs. And thanks to all the cyclists descending from Rosslyn who slowed their roll without complaint.

Be careful out there.

[Rootchopper]

The bollards along the MVT near the Transpotomac Canal Center (in your photos) are not there for security purposes as are the bollards near the Wilson Bridge. They are merely dumb substitutes for a flexible bollard that indicates that wide vehicles are not allowed. They should definitely be removed. Perhaps when the MVT is repaved in this area – which has been needed for a good 10 years. At least these bollards are painted yellow.

As for the Topedo Factory bollards, why not just have one? The idea is to get the message across that motor vehicles are not allowed not that there is some high level security threat. I suppose if a truck did drive through here they’d end up on a boardwalk for all of 2 second before crashing into the river. In any case, I’m pretty sure bikes are supposed to be walked in the area around the Torpedo Factory anyway.

[Rootchopper]

A sign on a chain link fence says that Jones Point Park will officially open July 5. So we can hope that at least the construction is over for now. There was new work at the top of the ramp leading down to the bollards on the south side of the bridge. This work involved the pavers and perhaps the curb cut where the MVT intersects the Washington Street Bridge deck. The construction crew had signs and cone up guiding trail users away from the work zone. There didn’t seem to be any on the ramp so southbound trail users were left in an awkward situation. Pretty much par for the course for this construction crew. I couldn’t tell what they were doing. Maybe they were installing some more bollards or some razor wire.

[Rootchopper]

I ride the MVT literally hundreds of times a year. They kicked me out of Mensa because of it. Now BU is going to pull my diploma.

Oh, you mean OTHER people get a lower IQ! Doh!

I agree that the summah people cause an awful lot of conflicts on the trail, especially at Gravelly Point. Belle Haven Park is pretty bad too.

The rest of the year, I can reserve my disgust for the idiots who confuse the MVT with a Tour de France time trial.

As for not calling your passes, this seems to be a year round problem. I’m out there in January. The same ass hats that pass me without warning do it every day of the year. They’ll never learn until they end up in an ambulance.

I do love the trend of announcing a pass just as I am pulling out to pass someone. You couldn’t see I was about to pass? So you had to run up my rear and yell? Check those handles on your bike. They are brakes. Use them. It’s good for the soul.

Maybe they could put up bollards randomly along the trail. I’m sure that will help.

[Rootchopper]

I just had a similar problem with a Kryptonite U-lock. On a whim, I tried the unused, spare key. The lock worked like a charm. The key I have been using has rounded edges in its nooks and crannies from years of daily use. The new key’s edges are sharper and engage the lock mechanism. I ordered a new spare key for the lock instead of getting a new lock.

BTW, I have been using standard black and gray Kryptonite U-locks for over 20 years. Pretty happy with them.

[Rootchopper]

@Mark Blacknell 21513 wrote:

So noted.

I’m not sure where you get that I’ve got a problem with that, but fwiw, I’ve already had conversations with staff about it (before this thread existed).

I’m not pushing back on *you*. I like you! I’ve read your blog for years! As far as I’m concerned, we’re on the same team. What I *am* pushing back on is your claim that WABA’s just been focusing on DC infrastructure and not prioritizing safety. As I’ve (hopefully) demonstrated, that simply isn’t true. (And further, it does a disservice to the hard work and hours our staff spends travelling all over the region to advocate for safer streets for cyclists.)

Yes, I get that. WABA gets that:

At the last board meeting, we discussed the importance of stepping up our efforts on the MVT, given its regional significance. Perhaps I should have written a post on it. One of the reasons I jumped in this thread, though, was to shed some light on the mechanics of advocacy. I hope it’s been useful, and not just an advertisement against renewing membership.

I suspect that’s mostly motivated by my winning personality here. If that’s the case, I’ll make you a deal – if you think I’m being an unreasonable dick about this, I’ll buy you $50 worth of beer at a bikeable bar of your choice, but WABA gets to keep you as a member. It’s me, not WABA.

Seriously, Rootchopper, we’re on the same team here.

Well, $50 of beer at a bikeable bar is pretty damn nice offer, but I think the ride home would be a little hairy.
Thanks for the offer, though.

I sent last night’s blog post and Flickr pix to WABA and Alexandria (who forwarded them to VDOT and NPS). Shane farthering and I are swapping emails and will talk by phone or over coffee at Swings tomorrow morning.

As I told Shane I have complained to the contractor, to the city, and now to VDOT and NPS. Others I know of have also complained. a dfribble of one by one complaints can’t possibly be as effective as WABA though. Also, I don’t do advocacy for a living. And between 2 1/2 hours of bike commuting per day (simply impossible without the MVT, BTW) , a job, and daddy duties I am pretty heavily booked. That is the essence of why people like me need WABA.

I fully appreciate what you and all the WABA folks (my membership goes back to the Ellen Jones era), have done over the years. If we acccomplish nothing else with regard to this particular issue, maybe we can get it through VDOT’s and NPS’s heads that bollards are a really bad idea on trails.

[Rootchopper]

Mark

You as president of WABA have been advised. Would it kill you to raise the WW bollard issue with staff instead of pushing back on me?

Second, WABA is the Washington Area Bicyclists Association. AREA! The Mount Vernon Trail is a huge part of the area infrastructure. WABA has a responsibility to its members to get actively involved in this.

Third, I just renewed my WABA membership for 2 years Monday night. Based on this exchange I think I may be asking for my $50 back.

[Rootchopper]

I didn’t say that expanded bike facilities is all that WABA’s about. They do dominate the list of WABA advocacy priorities, however. Thw words “increase”, “increase”, “construct”, “reconstruct” are used before “safety.” And it’s remarkable that safe infrastructure is not on that list at all.

Shane Farthing’s stated at the start of his tenure with WABA that he wanted to expand WABA’s concerns outside of DC. Here is a golden opportunity to do so. “It’s not my job” is not what I was expecting. If WABA’s expertise is focused elsewhere, why should those of us in Fairfax County even bother to support it?

BTW, the bollards are entirely in Alexandria City. It’s a bicycle friendly city or so they clam.

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