TheWashCycle

NPS Trails Study - top programmatic priorities

In addition to identifying several high priority capital project priorities, the NPS Paved Trails Study also identifies some programmatic priorities. 27 total programmatic recommendations are outlined in the study, but 7 of them scored well enough to be considered among the highest priority.

Establish an NPS Regional Trails Coordinator

This regional position would be responsible for furthering the implementation the recommendations in this plan and the enhancement of the NPS paved trail network. The position would coordinate with all NPS park units, other federal, state and local land managers, and trail advocacy groups, regarding the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and promotion of NPS trails and those trail segments impacting the NPS network. The trail coordinator would be a liaison between the NPS units and trail partners to provide guidance on process requirements and would assist in the cultivation of trail partnerships, marketing, and communications. 

It's kind of surprising that they don't already have one, and thus seems like a great idea.

Adopt a standard trail counting methodology and formalize agreement(s) with local government and expand the number of trail counters (2 separate recommendations)

NPS has noticed that trail counting has improved and the report notes that the installation by Arlington and Alexandria of counters along the MVT have benefited them. Improved trail use counts would provide a more accurate picture of trail usage for the overall network and the study dedicates numerous pages to the subject. 

In addition to the number of trail users, trail data can be used to identify seasonality impacts, special event impacts, and can help substantiate the need for investment in high-volume corridors. 

But they don't want to abandon manual counts, because "manual counts remain the best means to collect quantitative information regarding user characteristics such as trail user type (e.g. walker, jogger, or biker), helmet use, etc..."

The count data they have is limited both in locations and in the length of time it's been available, and the bridge counts that DDOT does have not been done on all bridges in all years due to budget issues. And then sometimes errors in data counters aren't fixed for several months. Nonetheless, they note that all the counters show bike traffic and trail usage to be up. For example, bridge traffic for cyclists is up 78% between 2008 and 2014. Also of interest:

• "The Key Bridge, Arlington Memorial Bridge and 14th Street Bridge accounted for 76% of all bicycle usage on area bridges, down from a high of 83% in 2011." [Which is another reason why improving the TR bridge could be so important].
• "The fastest growing usage is primarily on bridges with on-road facilities, representing a combined 130% growth since 2008."
• And somewhat humorously, "Despite the pronounced seasonality, there has been a steady increase in winter usage, from near zero in 2010 to approximately 20,000 in 2012." But the reason it was near zero in 2010 is that the trail counters in place then all registered zero cyclists in February due to Snowmaggedon. 
• "Three NPS-owned and maintained trails have trail count data available for analysis: the Mount Vernon Trail, the Towpath, and the Capital Crescent Trail. The Towpath has one of the longest time periods of data from automated counters available for analysis, spanning from 2009 to 2014"
• "Data provided by NPS-maintained counters had errors or gaps in data approximately 30% of the months that counts were collected, whereas, the Eco-Counters maintained by Arlington County on the Mount Vernon Trail had errors or gaps approximately 8% of months. Errors associated with NPS counters lasted longer (approximately 4.8 months per occurrence) than errors associated with Arlington County counters (2.3 months)"

So, NPS would like to see more counters installed, and that they report data in a standard format. They recommend that jurisdictions co-ordinate their purchasing and maintenance for efficiency and that they work to close counting gaps. Some of the more notable gaps are along the Potomac Heritage trail, National Mall trails and Rock Creek Park Trails (no mention of whether or not the current projects will install any). "Emphasis should be placed on the junction and terminus points along the Capital Crescent Trail, Rock Creek Park Multi-use Trail, Anacostia Riverwalk Trail as well as the POHE."

Complete At-Grade Crossing Study and Develop Standards for At-Grade Crossings as part of the Study

Because at-grade crossings represent the most dangerous parts of the trails, NPS would like to improve them by studying, determining and utilizing best practices. " A primary focus of this effort may be directed initially toward existing crossings along the Mount Vernon Trail; however, development of design standards should have a regional application"

The Mount Vernon Trail has 18 at-grade trail crossings with vehicular traffic and another nine at-grade trail crossings associated with Arlington Memorial Bridge (NPS Transportation Scholar Report, 2012). Thirteen of the at-grade crossings exist south of the City of Alexandria. Many trail crossings occur at high vehicle volume intersections with minimum-to-no safety or signage features for pedestrian or cyclist crossings. The George Washington Memorial Parkway was designed as a scenic roadway along the natural terrain of the Potomac River. Points of interest and overlooks were designed to be reached by motorized vehicle. To improve overall safety, at-grade crossings should be targeted for roadway and trail safety enhancements; improvements could include improved sightlines, speed limit reductions in key areas, creating shorter trail crossing distances by narrowing or reducing lanes, introducing pavement markings, and improved crossing signage

Establish Comprehensive Trail Standards and Manual of Standards

NPS has no trail design standards. 

The NCR should establish a set of trail design standards and guidelines unique to the NCR that define trail user types and at a minimum address trail width; clear zones; sight distances; crossings; markings; amenities; access; vegetation; safety features; lighting; snow removal; maintenance; signage; wayfinding; bridges; tunnels; and boardwalks. The standards and guidelines should take into consideration the regional hierarchy of trail and trailhead types (high volume corridors) and industry standards being implemented locally.

Establish Protocols for Incident Reporting and Data Collection and Increase Trail Security Infrastructure

Obtaining comprehensive pedestrian or bicyclist accident or incident data related to NPS paved trails is difficult due to the number of agencies, organizations, and local police departments involved in tracking fatality and injury data. Methods and standards by which data is collected, reported, and made publicly available vary widely and the NPS incident reporting system does not currently require or capture incident geospatial information that could be used to analyze trends and target investment to specific locations. Protocols for incident reporting and data collection to increase trail safety should be developed and mile markers should be installed along all trails to aid emergency responders and trail users.

Unfortunately it appears that the worst tracker of data is the United States Park Police (USPP)

The Incident Management Analysis and Reporting System (IMARS) is a relatively new Service-wide system that is used by USPP to document incidents that occur in a park. Currently the system does not require or capture geospatial information for incidents that would allow mapping of incidents along trails for analysis. When an incident occurs, the location of the incident is typically referenced as the nearest roadway intersection when entered into the system, which may be a considerable distance from the actual location of the incident.

Develop National Capital Trail marketing and promotion program

Promotion of the National Capital Trail concept across the region should include the development of standards for signage and wayfinding system-wide and a trail map and booklet, as well as, interactive features such as virtual experience opportunities, i.e. mobile device apps, interactive mapping tools, educational websites. Efforts should include the establishment of a clear agreement with Arlington County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, City of Alexandria and the District of Columbia to advance the National Capital Trail concept and branding.

Tech solution for "dead red" lights

From a list of technology shown off at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress held in Detroit

HEY TRAFFIC LIGHT! I’M HERE!: Bicycle riders are often ignored by systems designed to change a traffic light when a car arrives. A Raleigh, North Carolina, company called Kimley-Horn has come up with a smartphone app that gets cyclists noticed. It uses the phone’s GPS and signals a central computer via the Internet to turn the light green. The system will be tested this fall with 100 cyclists in Austin, Texas. It could go citywide by 2016, said Kimley-Horn’s Doug Gettman. Similar transmitters could be installed on all vehicles, so the computer can detect them and manage traffic lights, keeping them green for large blocks of vehicles, Gettman said.

Ridescout provides tools to CaBi users

I don't think Ridescout is "solving" the Dock Block problem, but they are making it easier to adjust to.

With Ridescout integration, users can now allow the app to alert them in real-time when docks are full and when they've reached 25 minutes of their 30 free minutes of use. "No more overtime on the bike. No more dock block," Kopser said. "We'll reroute you to the next closest station to your destination."

Tuesday Morning Commute - Pink Bike

Good morning

• 750 Bicycle Rides visualized around DC. 
• Ralph Buehler to speak tonight in MoCo. 
• One Metro commuter gave up, started biking the 30 miles to work and he's now an Ironman competitor and filmmaker. So, Metro delays aren't all bad.
• More on Colbert's bike ride in the halls of Congress. 

Wednesday Morning Commute - Strut

Good morning

• WABA now has crash apps for iphone and android.
• A look at CaBi's 4th quarter 2012 data. Ridership is up 54% over 2011. The Lincoln Memorial station, which only opened in October, is already the 17th busiest.
• The Obamas make the Pennsylvania Avenue Cycle-track Strut. OMG, I have biked in that exact spot!!!
• "The Mount Vernon Trail just south of Ford's Landing is closed due to damage to a small wooden bridge. Both sides of the bridge were damaged and is unsafe. Trail users are advised to use Royal Street is the alternate route for the Mount Vernon Trail."
• Montgomery County votes to spend planning money on BRT, instead of planning for "creating pedestrian and bike improvements and Park and Ride studies connected to the rapid transit"
• Frederick, MD may be going from an ad hoc bicycle advisory committee to a formal Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee after a vote on Feb 7. "Projects slated for 2013 include designing a path under U.S. 15, connecting existing bike paths and supporting the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's efforts in the Complete Streets project, which encourages shared-access roads for pedestrians, bicycles and cars. The mayor and Board of Aldermen appeared pleased to hear that the committee would sponsor another penny-farthing race."
• So far, LaHood is planning to stay on as SecTrans. He's enthusiastically supported bicycling, and outside of Oberstar or Blumenauer, it's hard to imagine an alternative that would be more supportive.
• A study done in Portland using GPS-equipped cyclists found that
  • Separated bike paths are equivalent to reducing trip distance by 26 percent, bike boulevards by 17.9 percent.
  • Cyclists are willing to detour 16.2 percent of their trip distance to avoid a left turn at a busy intersection without a traffic light.
  • Each additional turn is equal to adding 7.4 percent of the trip distance.

Thursday Morning Commute - Unearthed

Good morning

• DDOT will be holding its third and final meeting on the M Street Southeast/Southwest Transportation Study TONIGHT. The study is evaluating proposed alternatives for multi-modal transportation improvements to the M St SW/SE corridor. WABA is pushing for a cycle track, but cycle tracks on both M St SE/SW and on M ST NW are going to confuse me like crazy. Still, I'm all for it.  
• Biking in DC? There's an app for that. 
• In WABA's full letter on automated enforcement, they actually support LOWER fines. "If lowering of fines so that they not seem punitive is necessary to the expansion of the program, we support such lowering up to the point the deterrent effects begin to erode." So another deception by Milloy. 
• Police promise to step up enforcement on U-turning cars on the Pennsylvania Ave cycle track. 
• “A lot of our team members take public transportation, and from the Bethesda Metro it makes much more sense to come down the bike path — it’s only a mile and a half down to the building — than having to take a 45-minute route on the bus,” Joanna Bragg, a marketing team leader for the store, told Patch last year. “We also have a lot of customers who are health-conscious and eco-conscious, and the trail runs directly behind our building — it just seems like such a no-brainer.” A public hearing on bike sharing in Montgomery County has been scheduled for Oct 23 - "As the county nears the launch of the program, he said it will look at safety and education initiatives for cyclists as well as motorists and pedestrians and at where the county can engineer roads with features such as bike lanes to aid in safety."
• With construction underway next to the Capital Cresecent Trail, workers have started discovery remnants of Bethesda's industrial past, including old rail spurs. Of course, the region has made good use of the old Gerogetown Branch rail line that those spurs used to connect to. 
• A $32,000 bike might seem expensive, but, to put that in perspective, Victoria's Secret has a $2,500,000 bra. I suppose the two can only properly be used together. 

Thursday Morning Commute - There's an app for that

I apologize for the weirdly timed and light blogging. I've been working the 1am to 1pm shift this week, so my day is all out of whack. 

• Bike thieves in Damascas caught on video. [Also, theft is not vandalism]
• A phone app will help guide you through all the steps you should follow after a bike crash. It's New York specific, so the race is on for a law firm to modify it for DC, VA and MD. 
• Tyler Hamilton's tell-all book about Lance Armstrong and doping in pro cycling hits the shelves
• This gruesome story isn't really a bike story. I guess you could stretch it by saying that cyclists provide greater "eyes on the street" because they're moving slower, but I'm not sure that's what this is. 

Wednesday Evening Commute - Beijing Bicycle Crowdsourcing

I finally got a locker at the New Carrollton Metro station. But when I went to open the door, the whole thing fell off. To their credit, WMATA is sending me a key for a new locker today. In the absence of perfection, good customer service is the best you can hope for. 

• One would hope that the proposed overhaul of Union Station would lead to an improved Met Branch Trail south of L Street. I'd love to see it stay up above L and K with connections to both the H Street Bridge and 1st Street. The new building at K is something of an obstacle though. 
• The war on cars could also be cast as a war on moving things by car, with the war being launched by those who like to drive around in their cars by themselves. 
• One of the victims of the Aurora Shooting was a cross-country cyclist taking a break to catch a movie. 
• A new crowdsourcing website seeks to tap into the wisdom of Chinese pedestrians and cyclists to identify areas in need of repair or improvement in Beijing.

Friday Morning Commute - DOMA

Glad to see so many people out bike commuting this morning. It's a nice counterpoint to the people who say "no one's going to bike when it's hot." Looking at CaBi tracker, and usage is down some today compared to last week, but not by more than 10-15% I'd guess.  

• Jill DeMauro, owner of Proteus Bikes in College Park for the last decade, sold the store and is moving so that she can stay with her partner. Her partner is not American and her visa is expiring. Even though they're married, DeMauro can't sponser her partner because of DOMA, so thanks to all the intolerant, homophobic members of Congress for driving away a great bike shop operator, small business owner and job creator - you're truly making our country stronger. “I’ve never made a loss. I’ve never had to fire someone. I’ve never cut hours. I’ve never cut pay,”...“She’s a very community-oriented business owner. It’s a real loss.” Sounds exactly like the kind of person who we need to defend marriage from.
• Photo of the new northbound bike lane on George Mason Dr. between the Custis Trail & Washington Blvd.
• Roads to be resurfaced in MoCo, which means an opportunity to add bike lanes. 
• If you want a flying bicycle, all you have to do is befriend an adorable alien. 
• Yelling the word "left" when you want someone to stay right can be confusing to some.

 

Wednesday Morning Commute - point-to-point

Good morning

• From ARLnow "A developer, Open Plans, is working with Arlington and Washington, D.C. to devise the free bike map web and smartphone app. When finished, it will provide point-to-point directions like other trip planning apps do, but will be specifically catered to bike routes instead of motor vehicle routes."
• A section of the Custis Trail will be closed for three days for repaving.
• John Kelly has a twofer. A cyclist spotted texting while biking leads to a reader suggesting it be made illegal. Kelly thinks it's a stupid idea to take your eyes and mind off the road while biking, and I agree. It probably should be made illegal - though it is something very unusual he notes. Also he has a story about some people setting up lawnchairs on a path. 
• At an "Envision Cheverly" forum on Saturday, one of the suggestions was "creating bike paths to the Anacostia Tributary Trails System."
• FOX has coverage of the CaBi survey results (below)