No snow clearing this winter

[Rootchopper]

I love the language in the last paragraph. Maybe Arlington County cyclists should send in a statement like this in lieu of their property taxes:

My financial status at this time does not allow me to accommodate your request for funds. I spent it all on bicycles, sewing machines, and espresso. During next year's household budget discussions, I will raise your proposal again with my she who will not be named, a.k.a the quilter. Thank you for your concern.

[chris_s]

I put up a post on my blog about it encouraging folks to write the county if anyone wants to reference it in a Blog Post, Facebook Share, Tweet, etc.

http://www.alongthepike.com/archive/...ns-trails.aspx

[KWL]

I've always seen the "cross country ski" thing as a barely concealed excuse to avoid the cost of plowing. I rode the W&OD all winter long for several years and never saw someone on skis, even when there was lots of snow on the ground. I did see lots of people walking/running/cycling on it though, even when it was a snowy, icy, rutted, dangerous mess.

They really need to just treat it like the transportation corridor that it plainly is.

Yes. A number of years ago I got a response from the GW Parkway folks that the MVT should not be cleared because it is a multi-modal trail that skiers should be allowed to use. The thing is, within 24 hours the footprints and bicycle tire tracks freeze and no skier in their right mind would be caught dead using the trail. Ski tracks I've seen during the winter have always been off the trail.

[DCAKen]

A few years back, I wrote to the Rock Creek Park staff about their failure to clear the snow from the trail. Their response also justified their lack of plowing with the specter of cross country skiers.

Due to the fact that it is a multi use trail there can be conflicts in
philosophy between those who believe we should leave the snow for
recreational purposes such as cross country skiing and those who use it to
bike on and feel it should be cleared down to asphalt. Finding the happy
medium is not always possible but we make an effort to do so. This was
less of an issue in past years because we did not have this continuum of
cold weather. To answer your question- why the trail doesn't get the same
attention a week after the snow ? - if its icy and unsafe, a week after a
snow, it should be getting that attention. Our overall goal and guiding
principal is to keep the trail safe. If in the future you notice areas
that need attention please let me know and we'll take care of it.

[mstone]

A few years back, I wrote to the Rock Creek Park staff about their failure to clear the snow from the trail. Their response also justified their lack of plowing with the specter of cross country skiers. <"if its icy and unsafe, a week after a snow, it should be getting that attention">

lol, if a major snow is not plowed before getting trampled, it's guaranteed to be icy and unsafe a week after a snow--and nearly impossible to fix.

[DismalScientist]

lol, if a major snow is not plowed before getting trampled, it's guaranteed to be icy and unsafe a week after a snow--and nearly impossible to fix.

Of course, that would probably smooth out the Rock Creek trail.

[baiskeli]

I've always seen the "cross country ski" thing as a barely concealed excuse to avoid the cost of plowing. I rode the W&OD all winter long for several years and never saw someone on skis, even when there was lots of snow on the ground.

Without taking a side on the plowing thing, I have to say that I ski on the trails and in the parks, and I see others do it every time there's enough snow.

[Steve O]

The answer to the Ski v bike problem is to plow half the trail (one side that is--not halfway to DC). That way the peds and bikes will walk and use the plowed side and the snowy side will stay that way for the skiers. Now it just becomes essentially impassable for everyone within hours. Walkers will continue to walk on the fresh snow sections to avoid the ice until the entire trail is ice from edge to edge. We've all seen that happen.

But if half the trail is plowed, then all the walkers will walk on the plowed surface, leaving the unplowed snow fresh for the skiers. Win win.

[Greenbelt]

The answer to the Ski v bike problem is to plow half the trail (one side that is--not halfway to DC). That way the peds and bikes will walk and use the plowed side and the snowy side will stay that way for the skiers. Now it just becomes essentially impassable for everyone within hours. Walkers will continue to walk on the fresh snow sections to avoid the ice until the entire trail is ice from edge to edge. We've all seen that happen.

But if half the trail is plowed, then all the walkers will walk on the plowed surface, leaving the unplowed snow fresh for the skiers. Win win.

Agree, I think just a 3 or 4 foot plow strip with a little ATV plow like they have for sidewalks would suffice. There aren't many people on the trails when it snows anyway, so bikes and peds can share the narrow. And spots exposed to sun usually melt pretty quick -- it's the shady spots that otherwise get glaciated that are the problem.

[NickBull]

Chris Slatt posted this message from David Goodman of the Arlington County Staff on the Arlington County Bicycle Advisory Committee list serve this morning:



As I have told the committee before, if Arlington continues to insist that it somehow deserves to be considered for a Gold Bicycle-Friendly Community certification from the League of American Bicyclists, I will personally go down to their offices and lobby to have it rolled back to Silver. No community that treats its bicycle and ped transportation corridors as second-class to its roads deserves to consider itself somehow among the elite communities in the United States.

I just sent the following to Andy Clarke and the League of American Bicyclists:

Dear Andy Clarke and League of American Bicyclists,

Yet again, Arlington VA plans to fail to plow routes that are critical to bicycle-commuters and pedestrians alike. See email copied below. In particular, the only route from the top of Rosslyn Hill down to Key Bridge and also to the Rosslyn Metro is the shared sidewalk / Custis-trail-bikepath. Arlington's neglect of plowing this critical route goes beyond cost savings to negligently endangering its citizens because this path is shaded and turns into sheer ice nearly every winter. Thousands are forced to walk down an ice-laden path if they want to get to the metro. Few cyclists ride through the winter because the route becomes impassable except to cyclists with studded tires.

For this reason, I request that you at least downgrade Arlington, VA's status as a "bicycle friendly city", if not eliminate its status entirely. To openly and repeatedly crow about being "pedestrian and bicycle friendly" while year-after-year neglecting such a rudimentary task as plowing critical bicycle and pedestrian routes is the height of hypocrisy. By its actions, Arlington reveals that the only vehicle that it is truly friendly to is the automobile. However, Arlington does seem to be proud of being able to put up signs saying that it is bicycle friendly. Perhaps if LAB were to remove Arlington's status, Arlington will wake up to its responsibilities.

Ironically, the rise of big city government's role in providing public goods in the U.S. was in part prompted by a major snowstorm in New York city in the 1800's. Until that time, there was no organized system for handling snow removal. The public outcry was so great that New York city created the first organized system for snow removal. Apparently, Arlington doesn't seem to have yet become aware that it is failing in this fundamental duty to its citizens.
Sincerely,

Nicholas Bull