Friday Morning Commute - Helicopter Landing Area

Good morning

• The Arlington Urban Forestry Commission, at their May 24th meeting, decided to send a letter to the County Board asking that the Washington Boulevard Trail in the Penrose neighborhood be built on Courthouse Road instead of along Washington Blvd. If not possible, they suggest that the trail be narrowed, built on a raised platform and built with more curves to avoid large trees. Building the trail as planned  will require the loss of 174, mostly native trees, and impacts to another 125. In addition some people in the Penrose neighborhood don't want the trail. The commission will also recommend that the County approach the DOD about putting more of the trail near Towers Park. The project is 80% designed and now needs the Board to approve the contract for construction.
• Bicycle theft is way up at Metro stations. Up from 18 to 47 in the January to March period of the last two years.
• Unhappy with a trail that connects his neighborhood to the Indian Creek Trail (part of the ATTS), a local man built his own trail. "Li said his goal was to get the county to build a paved pathway, and he won’t have long to wait. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is slated to begin construction this summer on a bike trail — part paved path and part boardwalk — to connect Nevada Street to the Indian Creek Trail. The new trail will not go over Li’s trail, but will reroute bikers and pedestrians to another section of the Indian Creek Trail."
• A new AASHTO Bike Guide is out. "this 200-page publication has undergone extensive revision and expansion since it was last released in 1999. It includes guidelines to design, build, modernize, and preserve bicycle facilities, signage, and bicycle parking facilities that can accommodate daily commuters and recreational users."
• The improvements to the Columbia Island area Mount Vernon trail crossings start today (See Video below). 15mph speed limit on the roads in the area? Who knew?

Comments

[Michael H.]

Must be a lot of dyslexic drivers in the area. Many of them are driving closer to 51 mph than 15 mph.

[contrarian]

The "Dismount Before Crossing" sign is illegal. There the NPS goes again, putting up signs that reflect the way they wish the law was rather than the way it actually is.

[onjulic]

I don't think the "Dismount Before Crossing" sign is actually illegal, is it?. It's not a law and can't be enforced. On the other hand, I've seen a number of riders who should probably at least stop, if not dismount before crossing, so it cna be a good suggestion.

[JHR]

The speed limit is actually 15mph there? If they could get people to obey it they might not need a pedestrian overpass after all. Maybe they should install a speed camera?

[Dave]

Regardless of if there's an ordinance behind it (there isn't), that yellow dismount sign is technically a warning. It carries the same weight as a curve advisory speed. It is not enforceable.

[oboe]

When viewing this video, all I can think is what an excellent job the NPS has done stewarding our local parks. Heckuva Job, NPS! Good to see you've got your priorities straight.

[oboe]

Sorry, I posted before seeing the whole video. I missed the part where the rep for the NPS said they were going to fix the whole problem by putting up "more concise" signs.

Can't wait to see what those might be! (Thinking something along the lines of "Pedestrians Must Not Enter Crosswalk When Cars Are Present.")

[T]

As skeptical as I am toward progress there, at least it's finally getting some attention. I'm not Jim Moran's biggest fan by any stretch, but I am glad he understands that fixing the various crossings of MVT is important to the community. I often avoid going through here simply for this reason and it's a shame.

And when I think about it, I have never seen NPS officers enforcing this 15mph zone. They seem more preoccupited with writing citations for Metro-riding softballers or mixing it up with Pedicabbers. I need to go to one of these press conferences sometime to tell them how taxpayer's would prefer we don't waste time on those not endangering anyone.

[Alice]

Pathetic.

Why is the Memorial Bridge SIX lanes across?

I know the answer...

The NPS and your average moron driver does not.

ONE of those damn lanes should be bikes only. THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.

[Alice]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QDid1Z_6iI&feature=related

[mole]

15 MPH sign is misleading. It is not for the road; it is for the trail

[Nancy]

That's a very odd sign placement for the trail, if that is so. The 15 MPH sign can be seen in this streetview:

http://goo.gl/maps/eB3C

The speed limit for the road approaching the circle from the south is 25 MPH:

http://goo.gl/maps/Q83v

I'm sure most drivers go about 40, though.