Cars going off GW Parkway between North Boundary Channel and Trollheim

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Well of course speed is a factor for crashes/incidents all along the GWMP, but this spot and the incidents that happen there are pretty unique and speed on its own can't explain it. The physics of it just don't add up...going off the right side of the road in a sweeping right turn is exactly the opposite of what should happen when taking a corner too fast. So what about the road design in this particular area contributes to these incidents?

Night time combination of poor lighting and optical illusion. The trail and road are barely separated: no shoulder, faded white line, low curb, no overhead lights. Driver trying to stay to the right on the turn mistakes the bike lane for the right lane of the GWMP. If a car is not following the brakes lights of a car ahead of them, their headlights don't give them much reaction time to even a small mistake.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Night time combination of poor lighting and optical illusion. The trail and road are barely separated: no shoulder, faded white line, low curb, no overhead lights. Driver trying to stay to the right on the turn mistakes the bike lane for the right lane of the GWMP. If a car is not following the brakes lights of a car ahead of them, their headlights don't give them much reaction time to even a small mistake.

Are we talking about the same spot? Also, the times I know where cars have gone off the road here have all been during morning rush hour in essentially normal weather conditions. ::shrug::

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Are we talking about the same spot? Also, the times I know where cars have gone off the road here have all been during morning rush hour in essentially normal weather conditions. ::shrug::

Pretty much yeh, but from this spot . I thought you were talking about finding the remnants of overnight crashes. If it's daytime though I have to up the Stupid Meter and guess that people are driving while looking at a map on their phone. And they think the trail is an entrance ramp to the Roosevelt Bridge? But that would be off the chart stupid.

[DrP]

Are we talking about the same spot? Also, the times I know where cars have gone off the road here have all been during morning rush hour in essentially normal weather conditions. ::shrug::

I was first commenting on that whole stretch, but most seem to end up where you reference. They may start having issues where Brendan references and I am certain over the years I have seen some there. I think that is about where I saw a dead deer once too. Perhaps that is a cause? Although I have rarely seen deer on this stretch while the same state of twilight I have seen deer on the W&OD and Custis.

[DrP]

Okay, I know I started this thread and with a very specific region of the trail, but not too far from there about two weeks ago a car clearly went off the trail, as per the mud tracks. Still near Boundary Channel, but on Columbia Island, so recording that here just to keep track, although this is not the same area. So, count of 1 for the small region between Boundary Channel and Trollheim and a count of 1 for just south of Boundary Channel.

[DrP]

Yesterday a car was in this region, just off the parkway, but still at the top of the hill. No one around. It looked like the remains of an accident to be cleared out later.
Today there were clear mud tracks of a car sliding down the hill from there and then going up. So, two for the year in this area so far.

[BTC_DC]

There seems to have been another one, and apparently did not end too well for the driver:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...=.efb5a3398710

[DrP]

It has been a while since I was sure I saw the remains of one of these (there have been several cases of muddy tracks this summer and last, but since the appeared when the grass was freshly mowed, I was thinking it was the Park Service mowing the steep hill and slipping in the mud). That streak seems to have ended.
Some time before Wednesday (12/2) morning, a vehicle drove off the GW Parkway, taking the "End Roadwork" sign down and travelled on or across the trail leaving bits of glass and other car parts on the trail.

[Judd]

Stopped for pics of the latest incident.



Here’s the approach to where drivers are going off the road.


A bit closer.


What’s left of the sign.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bentbike33]

Yes, GWMP is far too dangerous for cars. They clearly need to be banned. Let cyclists have the Parkway, and pedestrians the MVT.