[Tania]

I took bentbike’s 11th/14th street detour (from when the W&OD was closed in Feb for erosion issues) and avoided all of it. That section of the trail is one big mental suck for me.

[Tania]

They did a crappy, crappy job of signing the detour. I knew the way I SHOULD go but I followed the official signs and it took me out to Wilson.

[Tania]

Mine works ok…but the sound is soft and delicate that I’m not sure anyone can hear it. It does sound lovely though.

[Tania]

@sjclaeys 192914 wrote:

Having now gone through the intersection both directions several times, I really do not think that pole is much of a problem given its position. Just pay attention and slow down.

I had to go back and look at the pics posted here because I couldn’t believe that the pole at the IOD was actually the pole everyone is kvetching about.

[Tania]

@huskerdont 192689 wrote:

PA Ave. at the WH to be closed for seven months, starting Wednesday. They say you can still cycle through on the sidewalk, but it’s not really worth it with the pedestrian traffic. I’ve never found a westbound alternative I especially like, although the Ellipse is passable when it’s open. Eye Street is a cluster, and Constitution is okay-ish on a once-and-a-while basis. H Street is good eastbound.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pennsylvania-avenue-in-front-of-the-white-house-to-close-for-fence-construction/2019/08/20/77105e82-c357-11e9-b72f-b31dfaa77212_story.html

Uggggggh. I don’t mind riding through the park but the bottlenecks to get up onto the sidewalk to then get on the grass and around everyone will suck. Guess I’ll take my longboard fenders off so I can jump up outside of a curb cut. Let’s hope for a really cold winter to cut down on tourists.

[Tania]

@notinthe18 192653 wrote:

It’s really only a matter of time before someone gets seriously-but-not-deathly injured at that little 34th/M/Key corner, and there’s about 120120120121 ways it could happen (to a ped, a cyclist, a scooter user, a motorist, a wheelchair user, someone pushing a stroller, etc.). That placement makes no sense.

I start looking over my left shoulder as I’m rounding the corner coming off the bridge and then hop off the curb onto the street before the monster electric sign at the end (provided there’s a safe break in traffic).

[Tania]

When did they put in the flashing pedestrian light at the turn for Whitehurst on Key Bridge?

[Tania]

Meanwhile, I’m over here like “aw yeah, the root/frost heaves are coming back on the custis where they just repaired it!” (the westbound downhill section near Uhle St)

[Tania]

I made the mistake of reading the comments online (Fred News Post, Frederick Police etc) and they’re just awful. Buried in the “no bikes on roads, they deserve what they get!” vitriol, someone did write that the woman came flying down the hill and wasn’t able to stop for the intersection which made it sound like either she wasn’t aware there was a stop sign at the bottom or her brakes failed (yes, I am passing along speculation).

[Tania]

https://dcist.com/story/19/07/19/questions-linger-as-community-holds-vigil-for-two-people-killed-by-driver-in-downtown-park/

[Tania]

@EasyRider 192169 wrote:

Having commuted through the intersection of doom for the last 17 years, I know it’s much improved, but has anyone else noticed the that the timing of the lights going eastbound is like, perfectly wrong for a bicycle?

Coming down the Custis Trail from Courthouse, I usually have to stop at North Fort Myer Drive. When that light turns green, you have to get moving at a pretty good clip to make it to the IOD before the walk signal starts blinking red. Most cyclists don’t make it, and enter the intersection well after the crossing signal starts blinking red and they no longer have teh right of way. This happens to me every day and I’m always the only one to stop. Initially because I got scolded by the cop who is sometimes there for blowing through, though he’s not been there much lately. And one time I stopped and he told me to go. Uh, OK, dude, make up your mind. We’re supposed to stop when the walk signal blinks red, right?

It’d be nice if it were possible to get across Lynn St. without being a scofflaw.

I won’t cross the IOD without a white walk signal. If I get creamed, I at least want to die feeling smug.

…so therefore I usually stop completely at Ft Myer but then continue on red when there is a solid break in cars (it has to be pretty open) rather than wait for the green at Ft Myer.

[Tania]

@dasgeh 191922 wrote:

On Military:

• Nacto calls for PBLs
• The situation is complicated by residential driveways.
• Also complicating the situation is Arlington County is still working out the kinks of having PBLs beside SFHs — how to do trash, etc. I think they’ll get there, but this maybe isn’t the project to go to the mat for when there’s this issue [see Quincy].
• There’s a plan to do a green striped bike lane through the Five Points intersection — can’t hurt to have comments saying we need that.
• It would also help slow traffic & protect kids if there were real traffic control at Vacation & Military. We won’t get that in this project, but good to get that note in.
• However, there’s a stretch between two churches — no reason not to do PBLs there.

On Lorcom:

• Nacto calls for PBLs
• See above re: residential.
• The real question here is: currently, we have a bike lane northbound/downhill and sharrows southbound/uphill. But generally you choose a bike lane up hill if you have to choose one. However, there is a stretch of the sidewalk on the northbound side that would be immediately beside traffic if you switch the bike lane & sharrows.
• As an alternative, you could have an uphill bike lane for the entire stretch, and a downhill bike lane to protect the sidewalk if you allocated space away from parking for about a block and a half.

The SO lives on Lorcom so I bike on it a lot. Actually, now, I’ve amended my ride to avoid it as much as possible. The bike lanes are a joke and no one does the posted speed limit of 30, especially during rush hour. The pedestrian crossings are also routinely ignored. (It’s almost just like Gallows Road, where I live)

The biggest improvement that could come to Lorcom is better speed control. I’m not sure how to effect that given it’s already pretty narrow and twisty-ish. The people who live on Lorcom are fine with bikes and are used to them. It’s the drivers who use Lorcom as a way to get to Spout Run/GW (avoiding the tolls on 66) that cause the issues.

[Tania]

I’ve changed my mind on the “official” detour – I was sitting at the light yesterday around 5:10pm (in my car) heading towards DC and it seemed that most cyclists heading west would hit lee and then turn left onto the east sidewalk and then try to cross at Westmoreland. As I drove (crept) past Westmoreland I was a little nervous for everyone, there was a lot of confusion and the construction workers there were making things worse. It’s pretty awful.

[Tania]

@bentbike33 189920 wrote:

Maybe to avoid conflict with pedestrians trying to drag reluctant dogs into the veterinarian’s office across from Westmoreland?

Then it’s easy enough to ride in the street there (also easy enough to just slow down since you’re on a sidewalk). During rush hour, those lanes are always backed up (I admit I drive this way too often during rush hour) and cars can only creep along. If it’s not rush hour, take the lane and people can pass since it’s two lanes in each direction. It’s not even a 1/4 mile. It would be great if there could be a temp protected bike lane put in but given how congested this strip of 29 is (mostly because people heading West and then turning left at Westmoreland and the timing of the lights through Broad St), it’s not feasible.

I’m happy to ride on the sidewalk there for a few months if it means getting a bridge over 29. Or taking Columbia, I do that occasionally anyway.

People complain about the intersection but now people are complaining about the fix? Pick one. I can only imagine the handwringing when the bridge over Wiehle starts.

[Tania]

The official detour still has you crossing at the normal light at 29 and then riding along the north side sidewalk to get to Jefferson. Why would anyone cross at Jefferson where’s there no light?

[Author]

Posts