Please Support Capital Bikeshare at the Arlington Cemetery Metro

[jhersey]

Would you like to see Capital Bikeshare at a safe and convenient location at the Arlington Cemetery Metro? Then WABF needs your support!

In an effort to expand Capital Bikeshare in high-demand areas, Arlington County has requested that the National Park Service (NPS) permit the installation of a 19-bike station at Arlington Cemetery on the southern sidewalk of Memorial Drive, immediately adjacent to the Arlington Cemetery Metrorail station. This location would be visible to Washingtonians and visitors alike, provide a new transit option, and encourage folks to leave their car at home, mitigating the region’s traffic congestion and air pollution.

The NPS has another location in mind -- along an access ramp to southbound Rt. 110/Jefferson Davis Highway that would lack visibility to Capital Bikeshare riders and would force the service’s operator to park on the Rt. 110 ramp, which suffers from poor sight lines, and then to drive southbound on Rt. 110 away from the core of the system, delaying their ability to respond to other service requests in a timely manner.

As locating a Capital Bikeshare station near this solemn monument carries unique considerations, Arlington County has offered not to include the station’s map frame or commercial advertisement typically found at stations, so that the station would be less obtrusive.

The NPS has been a valuable partner to bicycling in the Nation’s Capital, recently collaborating with Arlington County to agree to a Capital Bikeshare station at Iwo Jima as well as multiple Capital Bikeshare stations on the National Mall.

Please read, sign, and email the attached letter to the NPS in support of locating a Capital Bikeshare station at the safe and visible Arlington County-proposed location at the Arlington Cemetery Metro.

Thank you for your support. Happy bicycling!
 

[Tim Kelley]

Just giving this a bump to anyone who missed it over the weekend...

[TwoWheelsDC]

As locating a Capital Bikeshare station near this solemn monument carries unique considerations, Arlington County has offered not to include the station’s map frame or commercial advertisement typically found at stations, so that the station would be less obtrusive.

This is kinda funny. While I agree that it is an important consideration, no one seemed to mind the TourMobile trundling through the cemetary grounds and all the tourist riff-raff associated with that. However, when an "unconvential" (read: not motorized) means of transport comes along and asks for equal consideration, the "solemnity" card suddenly gets played.

[mstone]

This is kinda funny. While I agree that it is an important consideration, no one seemed to mind the TourMobile trundling through the cemetary grounds and all the tourist riff-raff associated with that. However, when an "unconvential" (read: not motorized) means of transport comes along and asks for equal consideration, the "solemnity" card suddenly gets played.

It's kinda like how they don't want tacky commercial stuff on the mall, except for their own vendors.

[dasgeh]

Thanks, jhersey & Tim

As someone who used to bike through there ALL THE TIME, the NPS-proposed location is HORRIBLE. That trail is already overrun in the summer, and that narrow area between the hedge and the road is dangerous because it has horrible sight lines (not to mention the hoards of clueless tourists who wander through there looking at maps, taking up the entire path). Add in there new CaBi riders trying to figure out how to ride those things into the District... Ugh!

I added this to the middle paragraph:
The Route 110 location is much more dangerous than the location beside the MetroRail station. The hedge along Memorial Drive creates a narrow path onto the continuing bike path with poor sightlines. That narrow path is already the source of much dangerous conflict, as tourists unfamiliar with area interact with locals using the path to access Rosslyn and both groups navigate a crosswalk across an intersection where cars often travel at high speeds to access Route 110. Adding a Capital Bikeshare station behind that hedge will lead to more potential conflict as riders looking for a hard to find station and tourists walking from the station mix with that already conflict-prone mix.

[bobco85]

I agree that the NPS's choice of location is not feasible as crowding and safety around an off-ramp would be issues, but I wonder why the location of being just west of the southern metro entrance was chosen. If they were looking for a less-intrusive spot, could they put it between the north metro entrance and the metro elevator? Would there be enough room for a 19-bike station at that spot? It at least would not stand out as much since it would be at the T intersection of cars accessing Memorial Drive from JD Hwy and GW Pkwy which do not add to the "solemnity" of the area.

[Steve]

It made me happy that they emailed back to say thanks. At least you know someone is at least looking at the email.

[Mark Blacknell]

Exists today, and lots of people use it.

The NPS-proposed location would be fine IF the hedge was trimmed back, the trail connection improved, and the station was located sufficiently west of that intersection.

[Mark Blacknell]

The existing Capital Bikeshare station at ANC:

[DaveK]

The NPS-proposed location would be fine IF the hedge was trimmed back, the trail connection improved, and the station was located sufficiently west of that intersection.

IIRC the NPS location was actually part-way around the cloverleaf ramp to the point where CaBi's operations staff said they couldn't safely serve the station because there would be nowhere for the truck to pull up and park. Even if there was, it would lock their truck into going to Crystal City afterwards which would limit their mobility. They didn't like the location at all.