TheWashCycle

Saturday Morning Ride - Responsibility

Good morning

• Check out the sweet, new 39-dock CaBi station at Maryland and Independence Ave SW
• According to the Alexandria Transportation Commission (meeting Feb 1) material, one of the three old rail bridges over the Four Mile Run Trail is to be demolished and a new connection made to the trail.  There will also be a multi-use trail as part of Potomac Yard Park which runs along the railroad tracks. 
• Work on the Capital Crescent Trail adjacent property Lot 31 has been delayed into February.
• The Burke-Springfield-Kingstowne-Lorton Open House for the Farifax County Bicycle Transportation Plan was a success.

Thursday Morning Commute - Holiday

21-10

• The Alexandria City Council approved the Mt. Vernon Village Center development which is between the Four Mile Run Trail and Mt. Vernon Ave. The site will include two "green fingers" that will connect the avenue to the trail. 
• Look, Montgomery County citizens are getting in on the "Capital Bikeshare bikes are $6,000 each" histrionics. Even if you accept the reasoning (and it's somewhat flawed), its irrelevant without considering benefits. According to numbers I crunched in September, CaBi had benefits of about $1800 per bike in it's first year. Criticizing CaBi now is like saying the Normandy invasion was a mistake. Look at the results.
• MSM on Metro's bike and pedestrian access plans "Bike and pedestrian access is a very cost-effective and convenient way for customers to connect to Metro stations," Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said in an email. "Particularly as parking is limited at certain locations, it's a viable alternative for some riders."

Saturday Night Ride - 250 new signs

Once again, I finished a post and did not submit it.

• The coal plant along the Mt Vernon Trail in Alexandria will close in less than a year. But don't start redesigning the trail through there yet. “The fate of the property forward is not only going to be decided by Pepco, the owner, but it’s going to be sometime before [any change] happens,” said Mary Beth Hutchinson, a Pepco media representative. “There is no suggestion of moving that transmission substation. It is an essential component of our system and supplies a significant service to the District of Columbia.”
• In an effort to help make sure bicyclists are safely visible to motorist and others as we get closer to daylight savings time, the City of Alexandria, in partnership with the Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, will be providing and installing bike lights at its annual Lights for Bikes event. The event will be held at the Mount Vernon Trail near Old Town and at Four Mile Run Park near Arlandria from 5:30 to 6:30pm on Thursday, October 20th. If you have any questions, please feel to email localmotion@alexandriava.gov.
• Arlington has erected it's official "Bicycle Friendly Community" sign in Shirlington at the end of the I-395 underpass. Not everyone is pleased. Though it looks like the photo also includes some of Arlington's 250 new bicycle wayfinding signs, which should make everyone pleased. 
• Arlington's BAC meeting is October 3rd and you're invited.
• City of Alexandria staff is bringing a proposal to the Mayor and City Council to expand Capital Bikeshare to Alexandria at their legislative session on Tuesday, October 11 at 7:00 pm. Meeting materials will be posted on the website in advance of the meeting HERE. "We have seen huge success in Alexandria with people biking," says councilman Rob Krupicka. If approved at a meeting on Oct. 11, Capital Bikeshare could be ready in the city by next July.
• Richmond's Mayor writes about why the 2015 World Cycling Championships matter.

Improved Four Mile Run to W&OD connection

It's been awhile since I made it out this far, but I recently noticed that work is ongoing at the S. Shirlington Rd/Four Mile Run Drive intersection. This is the connection from the trailhead of the W&OD trail to the Four Mile Run trail underpass beneath I-395. They've installed a hawk light (visible in the background) and are improving the sidewalk from it to the W&OD. It looks like wider curb ramps and moving poles out of the way. It's far better than it was before.

 

Looking toward Shirlington from the W&OD trailhead.

The Potomac Avenue Bike Trail in Alexandria

Without much fanfare, Alexandria and the Potomac Yard development has been building a new 1.8 mile bike trail along the extended Potomac Avenue.[Thanks to Glen for alerting me to it]

The road and trail were to have been completed this past spring, but clearly it is opening late. Still, it appears to be very close to opening.

The road is an extension of Potomac Avenue from South Glebe in Arlington to Monroe Avenue in Alexandria. It crosses over Four Mile Run on one of the four extant railroad bridges and then runs through Potomac Yard Center and the as-of-yet undeveloped portion on the southern end of the old rail yard.

The trail starts at the bridge (in Arlington, Potomac Avenue has bike lanes) on the west side of the road. It passes through Potomac Center on a median (see below) and then crosses to the east side at the extended East Glebe Road. At the end it connects to the paths along the Monroe Avenue Bridge and Main Line Boulevard/Monroe Avenue.

The FMR bridge, being re-purposed, is wider than what is needed. Instead of filling it with more road, the area is nicely landscaped.

This is parallel to a similar path along the east side of Jeff Davis Highway that crosses Four Mile Run on one of the other old railroad bridges, but the new trail has fewer grade crossings, and safer ones where they do exist. Also, the old trail now detours around the fire house.

I'm often worried about sidepaths, but the southern part of this one has only one grade crossing - at a driveway for the building along the railroad tracks (anyone know what that is) across from Scarburgh Way.

There is no direct connection to the Four Mile Run Trail (yet?) but there is a desire line from one to the other. I would not recommend biking down it though - you should probably walk your bike down. It also doesn't connect to the Potomac Center parking lot until you've gone most of the way to Reed Avenue, but it should really connect along the north side as well.

Alexandria should have a ciclovia on the road before they open it.

Saturday Morning Ride - Taser Tag

Good Morning

• The Frederick Sheriff's office is looking for a driver involved in a hit and run with a bicyclist. The investigation determined that a Chevrolet vehicle (model unknown) was traveling north on Yellow Springs Road. The vehicle hit a bicyclist, who was also traveling north on Yellow Spring Road, knocking him off the roadway. The bicyclist was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released.
• There was another attack on the MCT Thursday night, but the police arrested the suspect. The suspect had a taser on them. 
• The speedbump in the TR Island parking lot was moved past the MVT trail crossing. It should make the crossing safer.
• The Adams Morgan Streetscape project - which is ongoing right now, will include sharrows on 18th. Here is an unrelated, but cool photo of them cutting an old streetcar track so they can remove it as part of the work.
• Interesting bikes for sale by LAB's Jeff Peel.
• A plea for no littering on the Indian Head Rail Trail
• Repairs coming to the Custis Trail and sections of the Four Mile Run Trail will be closed the week of June 13 through the week of July 11 for sewer pipe rehabilitation.

Columbia Pike Bike Boulevard report almost complete

Here is some fo the new information to be reported at the April Arlington BAC meeting

• The county hopes to use $100,000 to do some repaving of the Custis trail
• The contractor has completed the report and drawings for the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevard and the county plans to take them to the public.  The boulevard will end at George Mason Drive instead of Jefferson Street. The project is funded by the Columbia Pike Implementation Plan funding.
• A bridge is being replaced on a connector trail near North Sycamore Street this spring. [I assume this is related to the W&OD Trail]·
• A wayfinding project is underway for Rosslyn /Ballston
• The County is considering a bridge over Four Mile Run near S. Ninth Street which could complement the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevard. [There are already two low water crossings here, so I'm not sure if it is an enhancement to the existing infrastructure or a replacement or what]
• Sections of George Mason Drive and Wilson Blvd will be repaved soon and the new pavement will be marked with sharrows.

Bikesharing only down 10-20% in winter in Arlington

January 2011 Arlington BAC Notes

As usual these are from the draft notes of a meeting I did not attend

Capital Bikeshare: Chris Eatough reported the latest information on the Capital Bikeshare system.  Ridership has dropped 10-20% since the advent of winter weather.  Expansion of stations is planned for 16 stations in Arlington and 20 stations in DC.  Two more stations may be privately funded along with some benefits (safety courses, etc.).  The cost for each station is $50,000.  General siting is done by Paul DeMaio.  The Arlington Transportation Department then makes the final determination on the exact station location.

Photo by Gersemalina

Snow removal: The new snow removal policy has been approved by the County. The County has established a snow implementation planning group that has members from various County departments. Some salt was put down on the Custis Trail as a result of the last snowfall (which was relatively light).  County staff noted that other jurisdictions do nothing for trails as a result of any snowfall.  The issue of snow removal along the Route 110 trail was brought up since it was noted that there was no snow removal on this trail last year and, in fact, VDOT actually dumped snow on the trail.  Arlington has repaved this trail although it may be VDOT's jurisdiction.  County staff will look at this stretch of trail with respect to snow removal.

Repaving: The life-cycle report for paving has been drafted.  Only $50,000/yr is currently available for trail repaving.  County staff are tracking details on the trail conditions and maintenance costs for various sections of the Custis Trail west of Lee Highway.  Correcting problems on sections of this trail is still a matter of concern for the BAC.  The BAC is hopeful that the approval of the bond issues will improve the situation.   

Shirlington Connector Signage – The County should begin installation of the new signs this week. The flashing lights for crossing Shirlington Road have been installed. The day laborers use the signal extensively. This spring the County plans to make pedestrian improvements on Shirlington Road near the Weenie Beanie.  The County is also making plans to replace the bridge on Shirlington Road in order to provide a wider sidewalk/trail.  This is a major project and will likely take a number of years before it can be implemented. 

Dominion Hills Connection – This involves a trail by Powhatan Springs Park.  The swim club which is adjacent to the proposed trail has not responded positively to attempts to secure cooperation to complete the trail.

New Route 110 Trail – There are still NPS issues to resolve.  VDOT and NPS standards for trails are a problem.  Also NPS wants an environmental assessment for an asphalt trail. 

Bike/pedestrian Counting Program – New units have been placed on the W&OD Trial at Bon Air Park and near the border with Falls Church.  The County has received three new units and two are working.  County staff is working with the manufacturer in order to get the third unit working.

Bicycle Friendly Businesses: Work is underway to revise the applications for bicycle friendly businesses.  This will make it easier for applicants.  There are 7-8 new applications that the County knows of.

Tuesday Morning Commute - Icy

The weather forecast calls for weather pellets, which doesn't sound good

• A November presentation by the Columbia Pike Implementation Team doesn't have much in it about bikes, but it does recognize trail connection needs at Four Mile Run and just past the Air Force Memorial
• SilverSpringTrails has a post about the ten year process of choosing the future CCT route into Silver Spring. "Hardly anyone would choose a trail alignment alongside an active rail corridor if a good route could be found in a park or along a quiet road...[but] In the end we concluded the alignment along the CSX corridor was the only route that could provide a good off-road trail into downtown Silver Spring."
• A post on GGW explores the reasons why it seems that so far bike sharing has not caught on east of the river. Possible reasons include the annual fee, poor marketing, topography, site selection, inadequate density, incomplete data and the season. Commenters add the lack of credit cards, age and health limitations, social perceptions, population density, crime, lack of cycling infrastructure and more.
• Cold weather biking:

 

Cold-Weather Warriors from Jay Mallin on Vimeo.

Alexandria Transportation Committee to discuss bike/ped grants

One agenda item for this week's Alexandria Transportation Committee is it's pedestrian and bicycle grant projects.

The City currently has 17 bicycle and pedestrian projects that are partially or fully grant funded. The cost estimate for all of these projects is approximately $16 million. The City currently has $7.7 million for these projects with $8.3 million unfunded.

Which includes

• Holmes Run Bike Trail Study – The study and design resulting in a preferred alignment for significant upgrades to the trails and tunnels along the Holmes Run Greenway from North Ripley Street running north beneath I-395.
• Holmes Run Bike Trail Construction – Construction of the preferred alignment from the Holmes Run Bike Trail Study.
• Holmes Run Shared Use Path Crossing – Construct a low profile crossing over Holmes Run at North Chambliss Street.
• Bicycle Parking and Pedestrian Signals at Schools – Installation of bicycle parking and pedestrian signals at schools.
• Mount Vernon Trail Safety at East Abingdon – Widening the Mount Vernon Trail at East Abingdon
• Wilkes Street Bikeway – Bicycle intersection improvements to Wilkes Street to provide an on-road, east-west bikeway connection between major shared-used paths
• Eisenhower Multi-use Trail – Construction of a [trail] underpass at Eisenhower Avenue.
• Old Cameron Run Study – Feasibility study and conceptual design for a bicycle/pedestrian trail between Eisenhower Avenue near Telegraph Road to the Mount Vernon Trail.
• Four Mile Run Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge – Design of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that would connect Commonwealth Avenue in Alexandria with South Eads Street in Arlington

The grant projects that need additional funding include the Holmes Run Bike Trail Study, the Holmes Run Bike Trail Construction, and the Four Mile Run Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge.

The meeting is planned for Wednesday, February 2 at 7:30 pm and will take place at Alexandria City Hall (301 King Street) on the first floor in the Sister Cities Conference Room 1101. All meetings are open to the public.