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It looks like, from this photo, that bike lanes have been added to 14th St NW in front of DC USA. Anyone know how far these go? They don't appear to connect with the lanes to the north. What about to the south?
Notice someone is driving (or stopping/parking) in them already.
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Not sure about the north but they go as far south as Thomas Circle.
Posted by: Another David | July 30, 2010 at 10:07 AM
Now that construction near the Columbia Heights Metro is complete, the 14th Street lanes run from Walter Reed south to Columbia Road. The lanes disappear between Columbia Road and U Street, then resume from U Street to Thomas Circle.
14th between Columbia and U should be restriped to allow for bike lanes, though I'm not aware of any plans to do this. Lanes on this section would be especially useful for cyclists going up 14th on the hill.
Posted by: dcer | July 30, 2010 at 11:18 AM
@dcer one nice thing about going up that hill is that cars tend to drive a bit slower :) At least that's my experience.
Unfortunately, the bike lane right in this area is very much an accessory lane for cars/buses. The blocks around the Metro station (shown in the photo) have been blocked in multiple places every time I've been through there (going North), which is every day, evening rush hour.
Out of all the bike lanes on 14th, this section is the worst in terms of being blocked. The good news is that so many cars don't seem to follow any rules here, so it's quite easy to bike through because everyone is going so slow.
Posted by: Steve M | July 30, 2010 at 01:18 PM
Agreed with Steve - this section is the worse in terms of being blocked, but everyone's going so slow, it doesn't matter a whole lot - you just ride around the cars. I'll add that these bike lanes appear to me to be entirely within the door zone (at least that's what they looked like last night when I saw them).
Posted by: Chris | July 30, 2010 at 02:33 PM
I used to ride that section very regularly: that entire area is a complete mess for everything and you have to go into the main travel lanes to get around the parked cars.
I do wonder, however, if the existence of bike lanes creates an unreasonable expectation of safety, especially from inexperienced riders. They will have to go into the main travel lane and watch for turning cars.
Posted by: SJE | July 30, 2010 at 03:01 PM
Uh, SJE...? You're sounding like me there...? Are you trying to be ironic? :-)
Posted by: Chris | July 30, 2010 at 03:42 PM
"Notice someone is driving (or stopping/parking) in them already."
Is loading/unloading illegal in a bike lane in DC? If not, then whats the problem?
Posted by: J | July 30, 2010 at 05:16 PM
My WABA pocket guide to DC laws says that section 2405.1 (g) states that it's illegal to stop, stand or park in a bike lane. Besides which, it's just rude. And stupid.
Posted by: Chris | July 30, 2010 at 06:59 PM
Chris, how is a passenger supposed to get out of the car? Lets assume for a second theres no bike lane, just a general traffic lane. Unless theres a sign that says no standing, which is rare, you can pull over, delay traffic for all of 5 seconds, and be on your way. Why should a bike lane be different? It's not rude. It's not stupid. It's not unsafe. I'm not talking about sitting in the bike lane for 10 minutes, Im talking about a kiss and ride type of scenario.
Posted by: J | July 31, 2010 at 05:35 PM