Tim Bevins, who's working under a National Park Service (NPS) Fellowship, attended a recent Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting where he discussed his plans for the 1-year fellowship. He will spend 7 months working with the FHWA on the Mount Vernon Trail looking for safety improvements, and 5 months looking at the rest of the National Capital Area. So far, he's been doing some counts along the trail to gather data, but he would like to update the 1990 Capital Area Bike Plan.
While at the meeting, he updated the status of several projects with some good news and some bad. The good news includes NPS plans to separate pedestrians and cyclists at Gravelly Point along the MVT and their consieration of CaBi stations near NPS trails. In additon, NPS is talking to WABA about bikes on the GW Parkway south of the Beltway.
As for bad news, the Environmental Assesment for the Long Bridge Connector to the MVT is inadequate and this is stalling the project and the MVT extension north has been stalled due to the alignment of the trail near the CIA Building.
In other news:
VDOT has stated that the State Bicycle Plan will be issued and that a state BAC will be reinstated.
Wayfinding signs for the Custis Trail and Rosslyn/Ballston corridor may already have been delivered and installed. More will follow for the W&OD Trail and Four Mile Run Trail.
Funding is available for the Army-Navy Road cycletrack; bike lanes will be installed on Lorcam Lane and Carlin Springs Road, and sharrows will go on George Mason Drive.
Arlington got a silver ranking from LAB on this year's Bicycle Friendly Community application.
At a more recent meeting, the BAC voted to write a letter suggesting that trail management be moved from the Parks Department to the Department of Environmental Services as cited in the County's Bicycle Master Plan.
A note in the title or at the top that this this was notes from the Arlington BAC meeting would be nice.
Posted by: Froggie | January 11, 2012 at 11:41 AM
Why would it be nice?
Posted by: washcycle | January 11, 2012 at 11:59 AM
CaBi station on the MVT next to National Airport would be nice.
Posted by: aaa | January 11, 2012 at 02:41 PM
Yeah, that's probably my #1 want. I think one at the entrance to TR Island would do well on weekends, but it probably isn't worth it for that.
Posted by: washcycle | January 11, 2012 at 02:50 PM
Extend the MVT and kill the Potomac Heritage trail -- no thanks.
CABI at the airport? Go to CC and walk. Might have some use for airport employees. I'd rather see money invested in making bicycles feel more welcome to the airport - I know when I was there I had to go through two garages to get to the elevator.
TR Island would get some commuters to/from DC. I'd rather dock on flat part than ride up the bridge in a CABI.
Posted by: charlie | January 11, 2012 at 03:28 PM
@Charlie - I would agree with you regarding the trail extension if that were the plan. Look at the proposed routing on the NPS page linked to the post - the study looked at a route further upslope, not down by the river. The trail extension would not affect the Potomac Heritage Trail.
Posted by: Purple Eagle | January 11, 2012 at 04:58 PM
The Army-Navy Drive cycletrack would be nice, especially if it continues north on Joyce St. under the 395 overpasses.
Did he specify the problem with the EA for the Long Bridge connector to the MVT? Or is it the aesthetics issue again? NPS seems overly concerned about the aesthetics of that section of the GW Parkway. A bike connector will lie in between a rusty train bridge (which might be upgraded for high-speed rail in the long-term future) and a MetroRail bridge.
If they are concerned about the amount of bike traffic on the MVT, then they could widen the section in the area south of the Humpback Bridge. There is more than enough space to widen the MVT from the Humpback Bridge to Gravelly Point.
I'd really like to see that connector built at the same time as the 2nd phase of Long Bridge Park. Then maybe we could have that convenient connection in about two years.
Posted by: Michael H. | January 11, 2012 at 07:57 PM
The trouble with walking to Crystal City is that the only safe walking/cycling route is a long ways along the MVT. The best location for a CaBi station at DCA would, I think, be along the trail connector (basically the sidewalk along Smith Rd.) just outside the parking garage. There are unused patches of grass thereabouts that could accommodate a station easily, without displacing any parking.
Any ideas for making the MVT/GW Parkway grade crossings safer?
Posted by: Westnorth | January 13, 2012 at 11:53 AM