Saturday Morning Ride - Indian

I'm going to try to ride out MacArthur Avenue Boulevard today. We'll see.

• DDOT did plow the Penn Ave bike lanes, but had trouble finding a place to put the snow.
• GGW calls for DDOT to put clearing bridge sidepaths and ATLs on their to-do list. At least somewhere on the list.
• The Post does a Where We Live on Indian Head and visits the new rail trail there. I'd like to ride that and the Three Notch trail this year. Maybe I'll organize a field trip. Various entities are "working with the county to make the area more of a tourism destination," she said. The Indian Head Rail Trail, which opened in 2008, is part of that plan. It is a linear park with a paved 13-mile path running from Indian Head to White Plains, along a former railroad to the base.
• A new apartment building at Pershing Drive and Arlington Blvd will have 85 bicycle parking spaces. Which makes sense, since it's next to a bike path.
• Richard Layman with more on getting college students to bike. I agree with his point that bike-sharing is capital intensive and so not a good fit for all colleges, but in some place like DC, where the system is already in place, I think it's the best solution. So it's probably good for GWU, but not George Mason.
• Looking to make the leap to car-free? Take Arlington's car-free diet and get free stuff. (My wife did this a few years ago, now she drives less than me).
• Nick Keenan just had a post here about mid-block trail crossings, and now Rails to Trails has a report about making them safer. Kizmit.
• Dr Gridlock reminds drivers that, with snow piled in the bike lane, they may see cyclists farther in the roadway.

Comments

[Bilsko]

MacArthur BOULEVARD!

I've seen a couple riders out this morning so it looks like you should be able to ride without worrying too much about snow/ice in the street.

[Richard Layman]

It's only a good solution if the colleges commit to installing about 15-20 stations on their campuses (depending on need) and building membership into the student id card system, and paying for institutional membership for students and employees. That's likely how it would work for McGill students--not because the college did anything special but because of how the stations are deployed in Montreal, with high density--but not how it works for DC college students.

[washcycle]

Richard I agree, or at the very least give students/employees a CaBi key at a stiff discount ($5 per semester for example).

[Froggie]

One of our officers lives down near that Indian Head trail and has ran it. He enjoys the trail. I've seen it/driven across it but haven't biked on it yet.

[John]

There's not much in the way of amenities along the Indian Head Trail, but don't let that stop you. It's very nice with some beautiful water views. The wildlife is abundant and definitely worth bring a camera along.

[Greenbelt]

Sorry for the late comment, but does anyone know if the MBT is plowed for tomorrow's commute? Or if there's an easy way to find out? After my ride today, I can attest that many parts of the Anacostia Tributary Trail system in the College Park area are not plowed. Do they ever plow those trails, or is it just a "wait till it melts" sort of thing? Thanks in advance if anyone sees this comment -- I'll check back tonight. -Greenbelt

[washcycle]

The MBT is usually cleared of snow. I haven't seen it lately, but that's been my experience.

I can confirm that the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail has been cleared.

[Greenbelt]

Thanks! I'll be taking the fat tire bike tomorrow anyway, because there's a lot of snow on the trails I ride in Maryland. BTW I just discovered this blog, and appreciate it very much.

[SJE]

Anyone up for a group commute this week? If the snow makes the CCT too difficult, we may have to go via the roads, and a group might be safer.