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@worktheweb 111378 wrote:

I could honestly go anywhere (and since we’ll be on bikes, we can).

Reading these thirteen words brought a smile to my face. Yay bikes!

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Even if the steady red arrow is enforceable, I’m concerned that drivers simply won’t notice when the flashing red changes to steady red each cycle. Maybe the people further back in line will notice it, but the ones in front will be looking to their left for a gap in northbound Lynn St traffic. When the signal cycles to the Custis trail-only phase, most of those drivers will merely notice that Lynn St has stopped, so they’ll think they’re good to go (without checking the crosswalk, because who does that? No cars to worry about there…)

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While this offers a slight improvement over the present situation, that really just speaks to how messed up the present situation is.

Why do we structure commuter benefits so that they increase the further one lives from work (thereby incentivizing sprawl)? And why are bicycle commuters capped at a lower amount than everyone else? What public interest is served by rewarding people for getting off their bikes and into perpetually delayed underground tubes?

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@brendan 110396 wrote:

I had more trouble today riding the cargo bike, particularly on slushy/icy uphills, because I had little to no cargo

Ice chunks = hitchhikers?

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Washcycle blogged today on this topic: http://www.thewashcycle.com/2015/03/arlington-2016-budget-includes-proposed-cuts-to-bicycle-and-pedestrian-programs.html

What strikes me is the disconnect between the proposed cuts (pedestrian and bicycle programs) and Ms. Donellan’s justification for the choice of these items: “My approach was to propose no “Washington Monuments;” to not fully eliminate any program or service; and to largely focus on programs that are not core to public safety or health.”

How exactly is enabling and protecting active transportation users not core to public safety and health???

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@rcannon100 110181 wrote:

Here are the options

(a) Park. (b) Double park. (c) Drive round and round.

I suspect I would choose option (d): park a few blocks away in the RPP zone and either wait for a phone call or else text my exact location to the arriving passenger. Granted that’s not legal either without a zone sticker, but I would expect no problems if I remained in the car and ready to move it. The only reason I would choose this over (b) is my own perception that I would be a little more out of other people’s way, and less likely to be the victim of a parking enforcement officer having a bad day. But if you don’t carry a cell phone, then option (d) is impractical anyway. So I completely agree with your logic here, since it sounds like the double-parking isn’t as disruptive at Ballston as it is elsewhere. As long as you remain in the vehicle and can move it at a moment’s notice if it does cause a problem.

This discussion touches on a few themes common to many topics on this forum. On one hand, why have laws if you refuse to enforce them? Exhibit A: Don’t park in bike lanes. Exhibit B: Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks with walk signal. Exhibit C: Speed limits. Conversely, if the most prudent behavior for a given situation is technically illegal, shouldn’t that be fixed? Failing this, we put otherwise law-abiding citizens at risk of facing legal repercussions for doing the right thing. Exhibit Idaho stop. Exhibit E: Cross a double-yellow line in order to pass a bicycle with safe clearance. Exhibit F: Jaywalking.

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When: a bit after noon yesterday, just as a light sleet-rain mix was starting to fall
Me: guy who had just checked out a CaBi from Fairfax and N Randolph, walked across to the stop line on Randolph just as the light as changing, intending to turn left onto eastbound Fairfax
You: driver waiting for the signal on the opposite (northbound) side of N Randolph, intending to turn left onto westbound Fairfax

In my absent-mindedness, I botched my routine and totally forgot to adjust the seat height. Until I mounted and tried to pedal out into the intersection, realized I was way too high, so came down and hunched in front of the saddle. Then realized I couldn’t signal my turn with weight on my arms.

All the while, you stood by, probably curious to see if I would fall over. Thanks for your patience

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The metered parking collects a few bucks, but it is almost certainly vastly underpriced. We could raise the rates enough so that there are a handful of open spots at any given time. (Variable or hour-dependent pricing would probably be necessary to accomplish this.) Any vehicle waiting more than a minute should have to find a curb and feed a meter.

Then you could eliminate the double-parking by widening the sidewalks and shrinking the unnecessary waste of real estate in the middle of the road.

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Just to clarify, you are talking about the block of N Stuart Street between Fairfax and 9th, is that correct?

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@mstone 110082 wrote:

They’re going to try to cram a couple of kiss & ride slots into ballston, but there’s no way there will be enough to meet any possible demand

Seems like a reasonable way to optimize usage of the limited supply might be to not allow any vehicles to wait, but allow these few slots to be used only for active pickups and dropoffs. Maybe a 20-second limit, and then you have to move?

In other words, make sure that the person you’re picking up is already there when you arrive. If not, get out of the way.

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@americancyclo 109988 wrote:

I like the design proposed by 0783

Yes, that one looks like it eliminates the worst bicycling hazards (since this picture uses a universal bridge symbol, I’m assuming that GWMP crossing is grade separated!). They should put a crosswalk at the west end of the circle as well. It’s important to allow safe access to both sides of Memorial Bridge. On the DC side, it’s difficult to safely get from the downstream crossing over to Rock Creek Parkway in order to head up along the river toward Kennedy Center. I usually go all the way around the far side of Lincoln Memorial rather than attempt to cross the road to reach the sidewalk above the staircase that leads down to Ohio Dr.

For automobile traffic though, I’d prefer to see both directions of GWMP routed under the eastern half of Route 27. That way at the northbound merge, 27 would come in from the right, and GWMP would come in from the left. Proportionally, 27 traffic is more likely to be heading over Memorial Bridge than to Rosslyn, while traffic approaching on GWMP is more likely heading to Rosslyn than over the bridge. I think too many drivers would be trying to change lanes there with this design.

Some of these spaghetti ramps could be removed overnight without significantly affecting driver mobility. For instance, how many people go northeast up 27 (past the west side of the Pentagon) and then turn to head south down GWMP? Couldn’t the few people who do that use 395 or Boundary Channel instead? Or if their destination is LBJ Park, they could either park in the Virginia lot, or take 110 up then around Memorial Circle.

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Yes, at this point it’s obfuscated enough that the only useful feedback I can give is “What???”

It looks like each drawing was done with a different format for colors and symbols, and most of the images contain no legend to explain. So I can’t even tell which crossings are at grade and which are separated… and that’s really important.

Plus there are so many options that it’s impossible to keep them all straight. I guess that’s ostensibly the point though: to allow the public to weigh in on the concepts before they are developed into a handful of alternatives.

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@Raymo853 109627 wrote:

Holy mackerel! While riding along Suitland road just South of Southern, I saw a whole bunch of cars ignore the flashing lights on a yellow school bus.

This school bus stop is horrid as kids come from both sides of Suitland and the bus only picks up from one side. The first car to go around the bus from behind hit a car coming the other way. (Who was also ignoring the lights.)

Wow. This is awful on many levels.

Except the karma part I guess.

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@brendan 109661 wrote:

So you’re saying, circumspectly…Two Pi are?

I think it all depends on the shape of the route.

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@dbb 109605 wrote:

I would suspect that many of those that are recreating in the GWMP choose to do so twice a day in their steel boxes.

Most of them without stopping at any scenic areas or even opening a window for fresh air. Recreation indeed.

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