Missed connection

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Sorry for getting lazy with the terminology. Technically it’s an “accessible route” not a ramp (same source, 206.2) and the maximum slope for accessible routes is 1:20 (403.1, 403.3). When you get into ramps at entrances and within buildings you are allowed steeper slopes like 1:12, but those steeper steeper slopes have maximum heights and runs which limit their length and require extra landings and turns. If you have room for 1:20 there is no limit to rise or run so you don’t need a ton of switchbacks like you do for 1:12 and other steeper slopes.

[Steve O]

Here’s my math:

– The distance from A to C along the red line is pretty much identical to the distance from A to B along the blue line.
– B is lower than C (at least by eyeball, having ridden this many times; they may be exactly the same, but B is definitely not higher than C).

Therefore a ramp from A to C will drop less over the same distance as the current A to B, resulting in a less steep grade. A to B already has a flat spot at the switchback, so a flat spot could be incorporated into the A to C ramp if necessary. And the distance from A to C could be lengthened if desired by extending the ramp farther before it turns to the right, as shown by the yellow line.

I am not an expert, but I think this is a pretty strong argument that this switchback is entirely unnecessary.

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[Hancockbs]

@Emm 192146 wrote:

Either you were right behind me today, or this happened more than once this morning 😡 I have to bike to slow along this area to avoid clueless drivers every morning and evening.

Unfortunately, this happens a lot.

Yesterday I had a pedestrian leaving District doughnuts, looking at his phone and wearing headphones, step directly into my path. We missed colliding because I was hard on the breaks and he saw my front tire almost hit his leg and stepped back. His comment was that I needed to slow down (I was going about 10 MPH) on the sidewalk. He had no recognition that maybe he should look where he is going and or take off the headphones and be able to hear someone say “heads up!”

[Hancockbs]

@ursus 192152 wrote:

On the plus side, they finally decided about a week ago that the only way to fix the hole near the northern end of the northbound PBL was to repave a section. Just throwing stuff into the hole was not working at all.

I was delightfully surprised to see that cut and patch!

[Brendan von Buckingham]

There’s also a property line involved. The switchback is squeezed into the right of way of the highway so it stays off the property of the United States of America (Banneker Park). On your diagram B to C is on USA property. The ramp (B to A and beyond) is on the other side of the property line and in DC public space.

Why didn’t DC and the Feds coordinate for a better design? Don’t know. Maybe highway funds can only be spent on highway land and the Feds only wanted to pay for a cheap sidewalk and not an expensive elevated ramp.

propertyquest.dc.gov is a good website to see property lines and and property information. Can’t link to it, but it’s easy enough to navigate.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@Steve O 192201 wrote:

Here’s my math:

– The distance from A to C along the red line is pretty much identical to the distance from A to B along the blue line.
– B is lower than C (at least by eyeball, having ridden this many times; they may be exactly the same, but B is definitely not higher than C).

There’s also a property line involved. The switchback is squeezed into the right of way of the highway so it stays off the property of the United States of America (Banneker Park). On your diagram B to C is on USA property. The ramp (B to A and beyond) is on the other side of the property line and in DC public space.

Why didn’t DC and the Feds coordinate for a better design? Don’t know. Maybe highway funds can only be spent on highway land and the Feds only wanted to pay for a cheap sidewalk and not an expensive elevated ramp.

propertyquest.dc.gov is a good website to see property lines and and property information. Can’t link to it, but it’s easy enough to navigate.

[Steve O]

@Brendan von Buckingham 192231 wrote:

There’s also a property line involved. The switchback is squeezed into the right of way of the highway so it stays off the property of the United States of America (Banneker Park). On your diagram B to C is on USA property. The ramp (B to A and beyond) is on the other side of the property line and in DC public space.

Why didn’t DC and the Feds coordinate for a better design? Don’t know. Maybe highway funds can only be spent on highway land and the Feds only wanted to pay for a cheap sidewalk and not an expensive elevated ramp.

propertyquest.dc.gov is a good website to see property lines and and property information. Can’t link to it, but it’s easy enough to navigate.

I love America.

[creadinger]

Shout out to the big tough man in the pickup truck who on Maple Drive in Purcellville passed me with about a foot of room, then showed me what he thought of me by slowing down and driving with your wheels on the edge of the road in front of me. Congratulations! You were the biggest asshole I encountered on my 11 hours out riding yesterday and you weren’t even inconvenienced by my existence! The road was plenty wide for you to pass safely.

The dumbest part, I was in fact on my way to the trail but your cowardly behavior made me want to stay on the road.

Note to self: I need to get better about looking at license plates, even while giving the finger. Fuck you!

[ursus]

@bentbike33 192170 wrote:

I would put the Wharf area tourists in the same category as the MVT geese, although I suspect it may be easier to train the geese to the meaning of a bike bell.

When I was returning home yesterday, down the Custis, the MVT, 14th Street Bridge, and then the Wharf, I noted that all of the geese were on one side or another of the MVT. Not one was on the bike path. OTOH, the tourists were all over the Wharf path and oblivious to shouts or bell rings. That area is worse on the weekends than during the work week.

[Hancockbs]

Thursday Aug 29, shortly after 6 AM. Me riding toward Bethesda on the CCT, just before Fletcher’s boathouse.

You riding the other direction, yelled something about my “F—ing ight”. I can only assume it offended you.

You should know it is properly aimed to shine 25-30 feet in front of my wheel and was on its lowest setting. I has three higher settings if you should like to see them.

Despite your objection, I think I’ll continue to use it in the pre-dawn hours to see dimwits like you that have no lights or reflectors. Learn to look away from the light!

[Crickey7]

If it’s fall, it must be time for the light wars to resume.

Just, everyone try to be considerate of others.

[mstone]

@Hancockbs 192927 wrote:

Thursday Aug 29, shortly after 6 AM. Me riding toward Bethesda on the CCT, just before Fletcher’s boathouse.

You riding the other direction, yelled something about my “F—ing ight”. I can only assume it offended you.

You should know it is properly aimed to shine 25-30 feet in front of my wheel and was on its lowest setting. I has three higher settings if you should like to see them.

Despite your objection, I think I’ll continue to use it in the pre-dawn hours to see dimwits like you that have no lights or reflectors. Learn to look away from the light!

ninjas gonna ninja

[ursus]

This happened a couple of weeks ago. I was heading west on the W&OD approaching Reston. A group of 10 or 15 joggers were also going westward and covering the entire trail. They were talking to each other and didn’t do anything when I said “passing on left” repeatedly and rang my bell. Suddenly they all started to move to the right and I moved to the left thinking that they had finally heard me. Apparently that was not the case as what they were doing was turning around to head east. Thankfully I had not picked up much speed yet and was able to easily avoid them. My presence was not acknowledged.

[Drewdane]

@Hancockbs 192927 wrote:

Despite your objection, I think I’ll continue to use it in the pre-dawn hours to see dimwits like you that have no lights or reflectors. Learn to look away from the light!

Not to defend people who don’t use their own lights and reflectors, but would it kill you to briefly cover your light or swivel it to the side? A light angled to illuminate 25-30 feet ahead is also angled high enough to temporarily blind most oncoming trail users.

[consularrider]

@Drewdane 193673 wrote:

Not to defend people who don’t use their own lights and reflectors, but would it kill you to briefly cover your light or swivel it to the side? A light angled to illuminate 25-30 feet ahead is also angled high enough to temporarily blind most oncoming trail users.

Actually, yes it would. My light is dynamo power and sits just above the front wheel so I’d likely do an endo if I reached down to cover it.

[Author]

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