TheWashCycle

New York Avenue Bicycle Route Concepts show a lot of potential

At the second New York Avenue Streetscape and Trail project meeting this week, DDOT presented several concepts for the bicycle route and results of a survey from the first meeting.

From the survey results, participants were pretty evenly divided on whether to put the bike route on New York Avenue or off it, but it was clear that bike accommodations were there top desire.It was also clear that participants strongly preferred a protected bike lane on the south side of the Avenue to one on the north. And finally, of 8 potential destinations the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) was the 2nd most important, according to participants. 

Despite the preference for route on the south side, DDOT presented concepts with off-street and on-street routes on either side, and another option for a route off of New York Ave entirely. The 2006 New York Avenue Corridor study had an off street route on the north side, which would connect better with the tunnel under NYA. 

On Segment 1, from Florida Avenue to 4th, there would be no trail and only one concept is presented. Cyclists would be encouraged to use the north side, where they would find a series of sidewalks varying from 5' to 10' in width. Pedestrians would be encouraged to use the south side. In addition, they note the potential for more direct connections from the New York Avenue Bridge to the MBT.

The trail or cycletrack would start in Segment 2, from 4th to 16th Street. (Note: for brevity, I'm only showing one concept for each segment)

I kind of prefer the north side, raised cycletrack, which is the most separated from traffic and would be more interesting to ride on, but the problem with it is getting across NYA, which wouldn't be an issue for a south side route.

Segment 3 is the area around the Montana Avenue traffic "circle". One thing I liked about this is that they showed a potential trail on the old railroad spur and bridge from 16th Street and then a rail-with-trail to Bladensburg Road. The bike route ends at 16th and the bike facilities identified in the segment will mostly work to keep you away from the uncharacteristically unnamed circle.

DDOT also presented off-NYA routes that included sidepaths, sharrowed lanes and cycletracks. These would connect the trail, and the MBT, to Gallaudet, the Arboretum, Union Market and Ivy City. 

Yes. This looks like a good plan (but too bad the NYA Bridge rebuild didn't include a bike facility). 

There is a chance to give input via a survey.

Arlington seeks input on Banneker Park and the W&OD/Four Mile Run Trail alignment

Arlington County is planning updates to Benjamin Banneker Park through which a spur of the W&OD trail currently runs. The short-term project will update some of the facilities at the park and they'd like input on the size of the parking lot, the W&OD and Four Mile Run Trail alignment, and location of the picnic area. In the longer run they want to develop some concepts for Benjamin Banneker Park's trail and park access. 

I always think of the Four Mile Run Trail as ending just before Banneker Park (on the other side of Sycamore) but maybe I'm wrong, or maybe the plan is to extend it, but either way they have three plans to align the trails and they'd like public input on them.

Scheme A

In this scheme the W&OD and 4MR trails are combined and some smaller trails are added to the north and south of that trail. The trail would be next to an expanded youth field. 

Scheme B

In Scheme B, the W&OD trail (red) and the 4MR trail (black) are separated.

Scheme C is similar, but with a playground beside the trail's west end, and different paths. 

Scheme A "straightens the alignment" but it doesn't look that much straighter. If it is, I like that, but I also think the connection to Tuckahoe on the north side has value, even more so if a new trail bridge over Four Mile Run can be built to the east of the current bridge along the Tuckahoe alignment.

If you have opinions on this, please make them known on the survey. 

In the long term, there are several ideas to change the trail alignment. Scheme A makes no changes to the trail (but adds a pedestrian path south of the trail)

Scheme B1 builds a new trail bridge on the east side of the park with a diagonal connection to Tuckahoe. That's not where I would have built it, but maybe there are topographical limitations to the other location. Note that in this scheme, and others below, the trail will no longer go west of the current trail bridge to go to N. Van Buren Street.

Scheme B2 build the bridge in the same location, but takes the W&OD Trail north along Sycamore to 19th.

Scheme C reroutes the W&OD Trail outside of the park by, one would hope, improving the current connection to 19th and Sycamore in East Falls Church Park on the other side of Sycamore. 

So here's what I'd like to see:

• An improved trail (let's call it the Four Mile Run Trail) across the park along the south side of Four Mile Run, with an eye on continuing that all the way to the W&OD Trail west of Lee Highway. I'll note that the trail on the east side of the park is in Alexandria, not Arlington; as would most of a continued Four Mile Run Trail to the W&OD.
• A connection to Tuckhoe, across a new bridge on the Tucahoe alignment. 
• "Reroute" the W&OD Trail along the connection to 19th and Sycamore, which should be straightened and improved with a better crossing of Sycamore. 

But of the choices above, I guess I'd go with Scheme B1.

DDOT looking at ways to improve transportation safety at Grant Circle and Twining Square

DDOT has a pair of meetings coming up to discuss ways to improve transportation safety at a couple of tricky areas.

First of all, on Thursday, DDOT will hold a public meeting on the Pennsylvania Avenue and Minnesota Avenue, SE, Intersection Improvement Project. [Near and dear to my heart, this happens to be the place where I lost my front teeth earlier this year] 

The project is designed to enhance safety at the intersection for pedestrians and transit users. It also provides a consolidated green space at Twining Square by reconfiguring the existing split roadway system, which comprises two complex intersections into a conventional intersection.

To get off subject just a bit... that this is called Twining Square makes absolutely no sense. The road along the NE and NW sides of the square is called L'Enfant Square SE. Pick one. That's the first thing I'd fix. 

The Twining Square reconfiguration was something started back at least in 2012, and then kind of stalled, so maybe they're picking it back up again. They say they're doing the "conventional intersection" as opposed to the ellipse or one of the traffic squares proposed. That's probably the easiest.

It's mildly disconcerting that the project description doesn't mention trying to make this safer for cyclists. But the design above would likely do that anyway. The meeting will be at Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library, 3660 Alabama Avenue, SE at 6:30pm on Thursday.

The other meeting coming us is on Grant Circle. A meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 2 from 6:30-8:00 PM in the gymnasium at EL Haynes Public Charter School, Kansas Avenue Campus, 4501 Kansas Avenue NW.  The purpose of the meeting is to discuss ways to improve transportation safety at Grant Circle. 

This is also been bouncing around for awhile, here's the plans from 2009.

In 2015, they painted new lane markings to improve safety, but I'm not sure how much it matched the design above. But clearly it didn't solve all the problems since an ANC commissioner got DDOT Director Dormsjo to meet him at the Circle to discuss pedestrian safety last fall. For starters they should rename the street around Grant Circle to L'Enfant Circle. That name goes good everywhere.

Finally, tonight there's Public Meeting #2 of the New York Avenue Streetscape and Trail Project. They will discuss design improvement concepts.

Little Paint Branch Trail extension out for re-bid, work could begin before summer

Earlier this year, M-NCPPC put the Little Paint Branch Trail extension project out for re-bid earlier this year. This project, for which design began in 2012, has been repeatedly delayed, in fact on M-NCPPC's website they still announce that work will commence in 2016 (they also still report the results of the 2015 National Harbor 5K race at the top of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail page, so maybe they're a little behind), but it seems as though start on the work is coming soon. The bids were due at the end of February, with work expected to start in the Spring of this year. 

This project, part of the Intercounty Connector environmental Stewardship program, will extend the Little Paint Branch Trail - part of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System - by 2.2 miles from its current terminus at Cherry Hill Road just inside the Beltway, to the Little Paint Branch Trail north of BARC. 

Starting at the Paint Branch Trail at Cherry Hill Road, just inside the Beltway, the project will build a new trail bridge over Little Paint Branch and then a trail along the south and west sides of Cherry Hill Road.

To get over the Beltway, it will use the existing, narrow sidewalk along Cherry Hill Road. 

At Sellman Road, the trail will cross Cherry Hill Road at grade and then proceed along the north side of Sellman. 

Just past the driveway to the Beltsville Community Center, it will turn north, running between the driveway and Little Paint Branch all the way to the Little Paint Branch Trail, just before the parking lot. That trail extends along the east side of I-95 all the way to Ammendale Road. 

The trail will be 10' wide (except over the Beltway) and the bridge will be 12' wide. It will be primarily asphalt, but for a section near Buck Lodge Road and west of Woodbine Road.

Improvements coming to lower Four Mile Run Trail

If you've ridden the lower Four Mile Run Trail in the last 6 months, you've surely noticed the work going on there as part of the demonstration project for the Four Mile Run Restoration, primarily because of the detour. The restoration is meant to improve the stream’s water quality and recreation potential as defined in the 2006 Four Mile Run Master Plan. 

The existing stone rip rap that currently covers the stream banks will be removed and replaced with native vegetation that will improve the habitat quality and aesthetics of the stream channel.  Some of the stone will also be reused to create the living shoreline features. Living shorelines are a more environmentally sensitive way to protect stream banks and coastal areas, with wetland plantings behind small stone breakwaters.

But trail users will get more than an improved view. The trail will also remove the existing asphalt trail adjacent and rebuild it to current standards including a new sub-base and asphalt surface. Workers will install new trail railings and a new observation platform. It will also add a new trail along the wetland on the Alexandria side.

 

The Master Plan also calls for a new bridge (seen at top) just upstream of the Commonwealth Ave/S. Eads line.

But wait, there's more.

On the north side of Four Mile Run between Route 1 and Potomac Avenue is Land Bay K, a small rectangle of land that is part Alexandria and part Arlington (because the line didn't move when Four Mile Run was straightened out). That is being turned into a park, despite the objection of some neighbors, and the park will include an improved trail and connections. There was a public meeting on this last month, and 3 more planned. 

The current switchback between Potomac Avenue and the trail is in Alexandria and Alexandria is a little behind Arlington in this case so not much will be done there, but in the first phase - to start early in 2018 - Arlington will build a new trail connection that links Route 1 to the Four Mile Run trail, and it appears rebuild the existing trail to current standards.

In the second phase, scheduled for 2022, the park will be constructed. The major impacts on the trail will be lighting and improvement of the area under the old railyard bridge. 

Finally, on the Alexandria side of Four Mile Run, there are still two other parks planned, which will also have trails. Along the stream is "Crescent Park" and then along the west side of Potomac Avenue is Potomac Yard Park. This will include the top of the old railyard bridge (Urban Deck). These parks are being built with help of the developers nearby.

Crescent Park shall be 2.3 acres and include a stormwater pond, a promenade, a civic park pavilion, and both active and passive uses. The developer will design and construct, or the City will receive a $8.7m (in 2010 dollars) contribution, for Four Mile Run Park Improvements, including the Urban Deck, bank improvements, and trail connections

The draft plan for the North Potomac Yard area was completed this year and can be seen here. They're accepting comments for 9 more days. Hurry! 

The highlights are an expansion of the Potomac Yard Trail from Braddock Road and the planned Metro Station to Four Mile Run, and the Four Mile Run Trail will be extended along the south side from Route 1 to the Mt. Vernon Trail. Many of the new roads will be considered "bike routes", some of which may have sharrows. The plan also requires bike parking and bikeshare stations.

So yeah, the trails along the lower Four Mile Run are about to go through a few changes.

200th Anniversary of the Bicycle

The 200th Anniversary of the invention of the bicycle is coming up this June and against my better judgement, I'd like to plan SOMETHING for it. I have some very low-impact plans. If you are interested in being part off a planning committee for something like this, please email me at [email protected]. The rest of you put something on your calendar for June 10, 2017.

Cyclist charged with traffic violation in crash that killed pedestrian

From the Post

A 27-year-old bicyclist has been charged with disobeying a traffic device after police said he fatally struck a woman who was trying to cross a street at Franklin Square in Northwest Washington.

Zakkai Stanley Kauffman-Rogoff of Northwest Washington was issued a citation, said Aquita Brown, a spokeswoman for D.C. police.

Kauffman-Rogoff’s attorney, David Benowitz, said that his client “denies culpability in this unfortunate event, and that he has cooperated and will continue to cooperate with the investigation.”

This is a first as far as I can tell. If all he gets is a traffic ticket, he should consider himself lucky. 

DC's year of trails

Ever since the 2005 Bicycle Master plan, there have been about 7 bike trail projects out there either making no progress (Rock Creek) or very slow progress (Met Branch) - as well as a couple others, like Watts Branch and the Anacostia trails, that have progressed nicely. I kept saying that this was going to be the year (well the fiscal year at least) that the logjam breaks and so it seems to be.

A review:

In late September, work began on the federal government's portion of the Rock Creek Park Trail as part of the rehab of Beach Drive. And in a rare turn of events, part of that trail rehabilitation was moved up on the schedule, not back.

The first segment was originally supposed to re-open this spring, but Barnum said it will take two more months to finish the work. Once crews started ripping things up, project managers decided to fix the walking and biking trail now instead of later.

“But in the long run, we are preventing future inconveniences down the road, so to speak, by taking care of the trail work now, rather than delaying it into the future, having to come back and re-close the road that’s already been rehabilitated,” Barnum said.

Phase I will wrap up this summer, but the whole project will last into 2019.

A few weeks later, in early October, work began on the rehabilitation and expansion of the Oxon Run Trail. That project will modernize the section of trail from South Capitol Street, S.E. to 13^th Street, S.E. and add something around a half mile of new trail sections. 

The Oxon Run Trail runs through a Districtowned park in Southeast, Washington, DC. The project is designed to improve access within Oxon Run Park and the non-motorized network connections to surrounding destinations by rehabilitating the existing trail, as well as extending the trail network. The project will also be installing new trail lights, wheelchair and bicycle ramps, benches, tables and bicycle racks

The four phase project is now into phase 3 and it's expected to complete around mid-July. 

And that project now has its own website. Hooray!

By the end of October 2016, the Anacostia Trail's Kenilworth section was opened. 

In addition to Oxon Run and phase I of the Rock Creek Park Trail rehab, this summer will likely see the opening of the Klingle Valley Trail (a little behind schedule). 

And, if that isn't enough, it looks like work on the Metropolitan Branch Trail's next section could begin this year. 

That's five major projects that either started, ended or will run their course in a 12 month period. That's a pretty big year for trails in DC. 

Capital Bikeshare to Prince George's by next spring. Trolley trail gap soon?

Some big announcements coming out of PG County. First of all Capital Bikeshare is expected to come to the northern and southern parts of the county as early as next spring. And it will expand into College Park in 2019 as the MBike contract expires. 

Karyn McAlister, the bicycle and pedestrian program manager with the county, gave a presentation to the Hyattsville City Council on April 3 about the upcoming addition of bike sharing to the county. The county has selected Capital Bikeshare for the county program and stations are anticipated as early as spring of 2018.

Over the past two years, Prince George’s County initiated and held a feasibility study to launch a bike share program. Since the completion of the study, the county has been working on developing a phased plan for an area of 36 square miles that includes the county’s hubs, such as National Harbor, cities bordering the District of Columbia like Mount Rainier, and transit areas such as Hyattsville.

[Hyattsville] will likely engage in talks about specific locations this fall, according to council documents. City staff will brief the council in Fall 2017 on specific recommended locations prior to the locations being finalized for Spring 2018 installation

Overall, the county plans to install 67 stations and 670 bikes over the next several years in five phases. The first phase will include 25 stations with 250 bikes throughout parts of Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Brentwood, Riverdale Park, Cottage City, Colmar Manor, Bladensburg and National Harbor.

“The county’s plan is to roll out Phase 1 and 1a next spring, 2018. Phase 2 is anticipated in 2019 and would coincide with M Bike’s contract expiring,” McAlister said, explaining that the expansion into College Park would be at the same time the current bike share program in the city is set to expire.

Hyattsville is in Phase 1 of the rollout of the Capital Bikeshare program in Prince George’s County, and McAlister came before the council to discuss the partnership and what role the city will play in the process. 

Perhaps by then the gap in the Trolley Trail at Riverdale Station will be filled. In a hopeful sign, the Whole Foods at the development opens today.

The first Whole Foods Market in Prince George’s County will open April 12 on Baltimore Avenue in Riverdale Park. The 40,000-square-foot store will be the primary anchor for Riverdale Park Station, the mixed-use development by Calvin Cafritz Enterprises that includes 160,000 feet of retail space and 37,000 square feet of office space.

Transportation staff to present final striping plan for Washington Blvd bike lanes on April 19th

Arlington County's first open house on the Washington Boulevard Bike, Pedestrian and Roadway Enhancements project, held in early March, resulted in an extensive list of comments, including the following concerns:

Bicycle lane will be used as parking lane

Bicycle lane not as good a buffer for pedestrians as the parking lane is  

Bicycle lanes that are not protected or separated from traffic are not safe enough, especially if this increases cyclists

Bicycle lanes will encourage more bicycles to use a dangerous roadway meant for vehicles when a sufficient trail is nearby

As well as a few about lost parking (people care about that? Well now I've seen everything). 

The 2nd Open House, which will include the final re-striping plan for the boulevard, will be held on April 19th, from 5-7:30pm at Reed School Gymnasium.