[runbike]

Yup, it was you (plaid helmet is a dead giveaway). And yes, you win the award for “best pass call” this AM – it was clear and came a good 3 seconds before you actually passed, which is always appreciated. Not so for the dude (on an e-bike I think) right behind you who executed a no call pass with a good 2.5 inches of clearance.

[runbike]

Was that Dasgeh that passed me on the Custis this AM (just prior to the roller section)? I was doing a “run commute” wearing a bright orange backpack.

[runbike]

@dasgeh 90844 wrote:

Here’s the thing: every time I bring it up, I get “oh, that sounds interesting, show us an example and we’ll try to work it in”. So here’s an example – who do we talk to about working it in. I really don’t care if we’re 99% of the way there, if we’re not getting mode separation (which, as I understand it, was NEVER CONSIDERED), it’s a waste of money.

I would encourage an e-mail campaign to Project Manager. I e-mailed him back in March and while he was very nice and informative, I got the general feeling that the county is wary of pushing VDOT any further since they consider VDOT’s ceding of that lane a minor miracle. But who knows what effect a few more e-mails might have.

[runbike]

@dasgeh 90826 wrote:

it looks like we’re getting true mode separation – road for cars, sidewalk for pedestrians, and a true, two-way cycletrack for bikes. When I talk about wanting mode separation along the Custis in Rosslyn, this is what I mean.

I hate to be a voice of doom and gloom but it looks like mode separation is just not in the cards for the Custis. The county is committed to the “Esplanade Project” http://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/lynn-street-esplanade-custis-trail-improvements/ which takes away a full lane of WB Lee Highway (YAY!) and replaces it with a wider trail (BOO!), doing nothing to address the very real need for pedestrian/cyclist separation. Doesn’t seem like there’s much to be done at this point to change the project seeing as it’s at the 90% design phase.

[runbike]

8:40AM on the Custis Trail outside of the Marriott
You: very important dude in a Specialized jersey on a nice looking Trek bike.

You sir, are a $&#%&#. You did a no-call pass on me as I had slowed behind two walkers to let a west-bound cyclist come through. Did you not see this was the reason I slowed, because there was no room to safely split the middle? I guess you disagreed since you blew through and then DID call a pass on the walkers, but only as you were already abreast of them.

The icing on the cake though was you yelling, “Bike path! Bike path!” over and over again as a school group began filing onto the trail from the Marriott Parking lot. No, it’s not just a bike path. We’re just one of many users of that particularly crowded section and yelling that at them was just plain rude. When we complain about a-hole cyclists making the rest of us look bad we’re talking about you. Seriously, reign it in on that section of the trail. It’ll cost you precious seconds on your commute, but will save you all of the bad will that you left in your wake.

[runbike]

@americancyclo 89103 wrote:

Is anyone else seeing a Planet of the Apes a picture on this thread on Tapatalk?

I’m seeing it too. I believe it’s Dr. Zaius!

[runbike]

…was soupy.

[runbike]

If you want a more detailed elevation profile I recommend using this resource from runningahead.com – https://www.runningahead.com/maps

[runbike]

I have a Supernova E3 ebike light on my stromer. Connects directly to the aux power port and super bright!

[runbike]

I love that the article highlights “Conduit Road” (aka MacArthur Blvd.) as one of the best and rides of its day. Funny how some things never change.

[runbike]

@ShawnoftheDread 81965 wrote:

Step 1: elect Vihstadt

Step 2: ?

Step 3: Tea Party runs Arlington and we all have to drive SUVs.

(Oh, and Profit!)

So you’re saying the underpants gnomes are behind this election result?

[runbike]

For me it saves time, plain and simple. When I first started I was spending about 50-55 minutes each way to go from Westover to Foggy Bottom and back on Metrobus. Biking cut that time down to 25 mins each way, or about one whole hour of personal time rescued from commuting hell.

I recently moved offices to Rosslyn and have the option to drive and park (for free!) but rarely opt to do so. Driving is always 30+ mins thanks to all of the traffic congestion/road construction, while biking is an easy 17-18 minutes each way. It’s no contest.

[runbike]

I find it funny that folks on ArlNow are complaining about the cost for this sign when in the past year two large overhead signs appeared on Lee Highway (one in Rosslyn, the other near EFC) to tell drivers the estimated travel time to the county line. I know nothing about the costs for either those signs, but I would imagine given their size that just one of those is more expensive than the bike counter.

[runbike]

Can’t agree enough with the two previous posts. Protected cycle track removes potential bike-ped conflicts completely. With the added benefit of far less constuction required to implement! If the county is willing to go with killing a lane for the “esplanade” project, I can see absolutely no reason why they wouldn’t get behind the cycle track…cheaper and more effective!

[runbike]

I was pretty excited to see all of the new cycletracks proposed for Rosslyn as part of this plan. As a daily commuter into the heart of Rosslyn I can say that while getting to Rosslyn is easy, getting through Rosslyn on a bike can be downright terrifying. In addition to fixing the intersection of doom (which I agree should be #1 on the list of requests) I’d like to make one other suggestion that I think most Custis/Rosslyn cyclists could get behind.

Specifically, can we also push for a two-way cycle track on WB Lee Highway (ideally running from N. Ft. Meyer Dr. to just short of Uhle St. where the Custis Trail turns off to follow I-66)?

The Realize Rosslyn campaign glosses over this area since the Custis already runs that same distance, but as all the daily riders know that section is little more than a glorified sidewalk. During peak times it can dangerous for both cyclists and pedestrians alike due to its narrow width and poor sightlines. Having driven/ridden/bused along that Westbound stretch of Lee Highway for many years, I can tell you that it is almost never backed up and that turning the far right lane into a separated cycletrack would not cause any major loss of service for cars. This is also supported by the 2012 Rosslyn Multi-modal transportation study (a pretty good read overall BTW – http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/EnvironmentalServices/ProjectsAndPlanning/file83483.pdf) which gives A and B grades for service level along that entire stretch of road, both AM and PM. I couldn’t make it to the open house and will be out of town for the 19th meeting, but I did write to the Principal Planner about this (as well as the intersection of doom!). I encourage others to do the same and hope we can add this to our list of future improvements. The way I look at it, this is a pretty easy fix since all it needs is some striping and a barrier installation.

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