Some one sent me these photos of the Sligo Creek Trail at-grade crossing of Riggs Road in Chillum, MD. The photos show that as one crosses from east-to-west, there is a steep drop on the west side The path is narrow, turns to the right and on the left hand side is a ravine where runoff is washing out the hill. Someone crossing at speed who was unaware of the configuration could get themselves in trouble.
Narrow Trail bends to the right, with the hole to the left
Trail is steep here, and should be rebuilt to a more gradual drop. This is not really wheelchair safe.
A view of the hole, which in addition to a safety hazard is a maintenance issue. It looks like area beneath the trail is eroding.
The streetlight poles on both sides of the road at the point where the trail intersects the sidewalk don't help. In the streetview images, the trail bridge over Sligo Creek on the east side is closed, but I don't know if that is still the case. The whole crossing is kind of a mess and needs to be improved.
That's ugly. I remember that ramp and telephone poll from when I used to ride out to Lanham. I just figured no one gave a rat's and that's why it was that way.
In the other direction, care-wise, Arlington really did plow the Custis Trail yesterday, and it was far safer than the regular frozen footprints you'd normally have. There were some ice patches this morning, of course. I'm going to ride either way, but I think I'm sold on this plowing of the trail thing. I'm going to write to thank them.
Posted by: DE | January 07, 2015 at 09:22 AM
Very glad you posted this -- I've seen that pit of potential doom several times, but never took the time to take a picture or send in a request.
Posted by: Greenbelt | January 07, 2015 at 10:03 AM
If I remember correctly (I moved a few years ago), it's not exactly fun trying to get cars to stop for you on that stretch, either.
Posted by: Pseudoprime | January 07, 2015 at 03:30 PM
I've long been bothered by this steep abutment in the pavement of the trail. I'm glad to see WashCycle giving it the attention it deserves!
Interestingly, the configuration isnt 100% problematic to the experienced user: there is a noticeable downhill gradient heading east/southbound which allows one to use this to help stop before the road, while those crossing Riggs Rd can use it to gain momentum for that uphill going the other way. Of course, a lot can go wrong here in the worst case scenario, and thus the best solution is to flatten/straighten this steep kink out.
Posted by: Evan G | January 07, 2015 at 03:36 PM
Who has jurisdiction over it? One of the issues we face out here in the VA burbs is that a trail might be owned by an HOA, a sidewalk connecting to it the County, and the road and curb cuts the State...might be why it never gets fixed.
Posted by: Curious? | January 07, 2015 at 10:18 PM
PGC Department of Parks and Rec
http://www.pgparks.com/parks_and_rec_home.htm
Posted by: washcycle | January 07, 2015 at 10:36 PM