National Parkland Open House

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is organizing another open house - on Thursday 6:30-8:30pm - dealing with NPS policies about parkland in DC and how those policies impact local citizens. 

As GGW points out

The Park Service had recently gotten a new head of the National Capital region and new superintendents for several of the local park "units." These managers started working better with residents than their predecessors. Theymade considerable progress on Bikeshare, concession rules, and the Circulator.

And the National Mall recently added CaBi stations. There are numerous cases where NPS decisions and policies have effected (or could effect) cycling. Here's a partial off-the-top of my head list.

• No bike parking or CaBi stations along Pennsylvania Avenue
• Allowing the PG County Connector Trail to use parkland between Gallotin and Galloway Streets
• Allowing the Met Branch Trail to cross park land on both sides of Riggs Road
• Bike parking at NPS facilities
• Building a Rock Creek Park Trail that meets national standards 
• Improving trail connections in the area of Memorial Circle
• NPS denying Bike DC's permit requests for use of the GW Parkway and cancelling the DC Triathlon
• The recent law requiring cyclists to use a trail next to a road on parkland
• Improvements to the Mount Vernon Trail
• Allowing the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail to use NPS land on the river side of the Arboretum
• Pedicab harassment
• Snow removal on NPS trails
• Mountain biking in Rock Creek Park
• The policy of closing the Rock Creek Park Trail near the Zoo at night
• NPS's refusal to close Beach Drive outside of rush hour
• Banning bicycling on the GW and Clara Barton Parkways

Comments

[SJE]

Putting STOP signs and "trail users must yield" signs on the road.

Maintenance of the CCT

Continued leaking from the canal that is apparently the source of the gully at the end of K St, and ice in the winter.

[Greenbelt]

Move the vendors on 15th street so the cycletrack can be extended down to Constitution. Ultimately, mark a lane through the mall to the bridge to Virginia.

Bike lanes on the mall.

Mountain biking in Greenbelt National Park!

[Purple Eagle]

A couple of thoughts:

1) the law you cite was passed by Congress (obviously). Don't know if NPS wanted/requested it.

2) Closing the trail by the zoo is due to Smithsonian policy rather than NPS, I believe?

[Michael H.]

They definitely need to widen the Mt. Vernon Trail, especially between the 14th St. Bridge (George Mason Bridge) and Old Town.

Another top item on my wish list is the proposed bike connector between Long Bridge Park and the Mt. Vernon Trail.

[GMB]

Memorial Circle.

Issues with the MVT around the TR Island parking lot.

Traffic enforcement on Constitution Ave.

Memorial Circle.

Connection between the end of the CCT and the Key Bridge (no idea if this is an NPS issue).

Memorial Circle.

[Jonathan Krall]

It would be nice to see the NPS better focus on bicycles. I would hope that they recognize their own need to build their constituency and further recognize that people who ride bicycles are a growing population of people who appreciate being outdoors.

Long term, this would mean a refocusing of the parkway system to return to its original mission, which is to get people outdoors and help them experience and appreciate our natural resources. Now that cars have morphed into rolling living rooms (presumably designed to make people feel better about being stuck in traffic), it makes sense to refocus the parkway system to work well for people riding bicycles and for people on foot.

[Kolohe]

Suitland trail maintenance (or complete lack thereof) for EOTR folks.

[Will]

The vendors on 15th in the way of the Cycletrack fall under DC's jurisdiction, so write the Mayor, Terry Bellamy, Jack Evans, and whoever runs DCRA these days to demand it. NPS would have the portion between Constitution and Jefferson Memorial that should be built as a separated bikeway that would allow a high-quality facility to run from Virginia all the way through the heart of DC and into the NW neighborhoods. Write the parks service about planning for this eventuality.

[IMGoph]

problem with the arboretum wish is that the land on that side is controlled by USDA, not NPS, correct?

[washcycle]

The arboretum is USDA. But NPS controls a narrow strip of land along the river.

[Kolohe]

"a high-quality facility to run from Virginia all the way through the heart of DC and into the NW neighborhoods"

Well, there is still the potential for a connection from the Long Bridge park (the new one @Roaches run on formerly Old Jeff Davis Hwy) over a newly built Long (railroad) Bridge, then over West Potmac Park & the Washington Channel and up through Maryland Avenue.

Though this does tend to go more east than desired if a direct route to NW neighborhoods is being sought. But what that really need imo is better connections through Foggy Bottom. You're already pretty far east at 15th street, I think it would more direct to pass the Wash Monument on the west side.