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7:21am Shirlington Library:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14801[/ATTACH]
7:42am Penrose Square:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14802[/ATTACH]
7:57am Crystal City Water Park:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14803[/ATTACH]
8:20am Gateway Park, Rosslyn:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14804[/ATTACH]

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6:04am Del Ray:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14797[/ATTACH]
6:20am Alexandria City Hall:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14798[/ATTACH]
6:31am John Carlyle Square Park:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14799[/ATTACH]
7:06am Mark Center:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14800[/ATTACH]

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dkel brings up a good point: it totally depends on context. If there are no pedestrians around, I don’t think anyone should be asked to dismount. But if you’re crossing with a crowd, especially children, it’s much safer and more courteous to just walk your bike.

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One nice thing about using actual weather rather than forecast is that there are a lot fewer variables to consider. For instance: Whose forecast? How far in advance?

I’d be surprised if any forecast source turned out to be a conclusively better predictor of ridership than actual weather measurements.

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@lordofthemark 160329 wrote:

1. My understanding is that it is completely legal in all local jurisdictions for cyclists to ride through crosswalks (though in that case in addition to checking for cross traffic, they should also give right of way to the pedestrians crossing with them in the crosswalk, as they would on a sidewalk)

+1. It is also my understanding that even where there are signs instructing cyclists to dismount and walk at crosswalks (such as those at ramp crossings along MVT), they are not legally enforceable.

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Meantime, the county could at least sign an official detour using 10th, George Mason, and the 4800 block of Fairfax. I find this easier anyway when eastbound, because it puts you on the correct side of the street.

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I used to commute to Fort Belvoir through there, before the new bike lane was painted on Franconia. I found the Clermont Connector route far more pleasant than the route along Van Dorn and the west end of Eisenhower.

I did cut out a bit of Franconia by extending the residential part around past Bush Hill Elementary, making a few more turns before reaching Franconia at Brookland Rd. Early morning traffic was light enough that I felt comfortable taking a lane on Franconia from Brookland all the way to Beulah, albeit with some care to watch for potential right-hooks when approaching Van Dorn from the east. Afternoon traffic eastbound on Franconia was a parking lot before Van Dorn and a race track after Van Dorn, so I would bail to the sidewalk from Em to Edison High, cut through the school bus parking area, then I would usually wait for that signal to stop Franconia traffic so I could get over to Brookland safely.

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@elbows 160071 wrote:

“I only know of one non-work destination in the metro area that can be driven to but cannot be reached by bicycle.”

GWMP scenic overlook above Donaldson Run?

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@GovernorSilver 159945 wrote:

Yeah, that was a serious question – asked out of simple curiosity, not intended to troll.

FWIW, I never suspected you of trolling. I just thought you might have been making a joke so that you could post that pic.

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@GovernorSilver 159914 wrote:

I was wondering if anybody ever rides the wrong way on a bike lane. It would be a test of my patience for sure if encountered another cyclist barreling head on towards me in a bike lane.

Not sure if you’re being serious here, but I see bike-lane salmons all the time. The worst location for this has got to be the westernmost part of the M Street PBL, from about 22nd to Rock Creek. When I go through there (usually late evening), I see a bicycle heading east in the cycletrack at least 1 out of every 10 rides. Between that, peds randomly stepping off sidewalks, the construction forcing peds into the PBL, and the sparse late traffic on a multi-lane street, I’ve stopped using that bike lane entirely. (Unless I happen to go through in rush hour congestion; in that case I will certainly use it. Otherwise it’s so much easier to just ride down the middle of the street.)

Other spots I recall having at least one such encounter: L St near Vermont/14th, R St near Dupont, Walter Reed between 5th and 9th, S Joyce near Pentagon City, N Lynn in Rosslyn, Beulah between Franconia and Telegraph.

Interesting: one thing those locations all seem to have in common is that they’re fairly flat. On the other hand, I ride Wilson/Clarendon very often between Rosslyn and Clarendon, and I have never seen a salmon bicycle on either of them. Several cars though…

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@GovernorSilver 159851 wrote:

I couldn’t resist the temptation to just ride back home and catch the Metro.

Not the word I would have chosen

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@bobco85 159695 wrote:

It’s this kind of thinking that led to the NPS Park Police ticketing drivers at Memorial Circle for stopping for pedestrians and cyclists.

What? When was this?

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Actually, now that I think about it, the impact on drivers would not be insignificant. Having just one lane right there would greatly reduce throughput of the Glebe/Fairfax intersection. Half as many drivers could turn from northbound Glebe onto westbound Fairfax during the limited arrow time, for instance. A lot of drivers might try cutting through N Wakefield to avoid the longer lines in the turn lane at Fairfax.

Still though, safety should not be compromised on account of traffic congestion.

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Frankly, instead of signage, they should convert the right lane of westbound Fairfax into a temporary two-way trail separated by barriers. The two on-ramp lanes condense into one before merging onto I-66 anyway.

This is a dangerous situation for trail users. There is an obvious solution with very little impact on driver convenience. What would a “bicycle-friendly community” do?

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And the most important point: if we want to “Ride The Drive” again without motorized traffic, we need to provide a lot of positive feedback to NPS.

Did you have a great time riding yesterday without car traffic? Do you have any suggestions for how NPS could improve this event? Did you not make it but want to try this another day? (Attendance was much lower than signups, possibly because of the rainy forecast that didn’t pan out.)

Let them know how awesome this idea is by using the email link at https://www.nps.gov/shen/contacts.htm

I heard that they did receive some negative feedback from motorists who were turned away. Some with lifetime National Park passes were especially upset.

I also heard that the mayor of Front Royal was not especially enthusiastic about supporting the event, and he could use some gratitude regarding provision of their facilities for parking as well as encouragement from any cyclists who spent money in town.

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