[S. Arlington Observer]

Thanks to all for the updates on the FMR trail from Shirlington to Eads (and US 1). Does anybody have a report on Eads Street itself, specifically its bike lanes between S. Glebe and 18th Street S. (the Crystal City Metro station)?

Also, I’d really appreciate it if anyone has insight into Key Boulevard, 13th St N and 11th St. N. in Arlington. (This route roughly parallels Wilson/Fairfax from Courthouse to Ballston but without having to deal with the same level of traffic.)

Thanks so much!

[S. Arlington Observer]

As the teams get fully signed on to team Strava sites I suspect members will post team specific stuff under the “Discussion” part of the Strava team site instead of on the Freezing Saddles page. The issue really should resolve on its own very soon. The forum postings were necessary before everyone was signed up with a team as a tool to find and organize the team members.

[S. Arlington Observer]

I will commit to ride it some as part of my evening commute (and morning one if I am ever in the position of not running late.) I’ll be out of town next week but will try to pick up thereafter while it is still dark after work. I’ll report any issues. I hope others will as well.

I actually like it. The view is much better than the sewage treatment fence and the parking lot on the backside of The Berkeley one has on the Arlington side.

I do agree that the concerns have to be addressed.Getting a critical mass of use should make everyone feel better and if there are any logistical or safety issues better to know them before it becomes necessary to find out.

[S. Arlington Observer]

I am 99% sure I know the answer to this but want to ask to be sure.

This morning riding north on S. Eads Street I encountered a man on a CaBi bike riding south in the bike lane on the north flowing side of the street. (And this is a divided street with a median!). I know that cyclists can ride on sidewalks without regard to street direction, but I am pretty sure that bike lanes in the road are directional like the auto lanes. I almost said something to him (he was slow enough that he was no actual danger to me) but I wasn’t entirely sure if he was doing something illegal instead of merely unwise. Illegal?

[S. Arlington Observer]

@lordofthemark 132124 wrote:

http://www.thewashcycle.com/2016/01/as-part-of-stream-restoration-county-plans-temporary-closuredetour-of-four-mile-run-trail.html

Thanks to Lordofthemark for the link to the Washcycle discussion. It is very interesting and helpful.

As for safety, the incident of concern to some is apparently a murder that took place in December. The body was found near the baseball field (not on the trail) in the park. According to the Washington Post the crime is believed to be gang related and the victim was “targeted”. In other words, it was not a random crime. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/teen-charged-two-others-in-custody-in-death-of-man-found-in-alexandria-park/2016/01/13/76be6f40-ba10-11e5-829c-26ffb874a18d_story.html

In evaluating crime risk it is important to keep perspective. The public at large was not targeted. This puts the crime in a category similar to domestic disputes – disturbing and tragic, but not necessary a threat to public safety generally. The alleged perpetrator has been arrested. The perpetrator is listed as being from Arlington, not Alexandria, calling into question whether or not the Arlington side of the creek would be any safer. The incident happened when the trail was closed for construction, meaning that there would not be any foot or cycle traffic in the area.

Last night I rode the Alexandria FMR trail home. I was not actually aware of the murder investigation, but I doubt it would have changed my intention. There were only four murders in all of Alexandria last year. Cyclists routinely ride through jurisdictions and where four in a week (or even a day) is not unheard of. I am not aware of any ongoing crime activity in the area.

The only part of the trail I found to be mildly disturbing is the approach to a bridge over a tributary of Four Mile Run. That approach is sort of dark and the narrow bridge could easily be blocked. (More lighting to the approach would be helpful.) Otherwise the trail is lit like an urban street. It certainly felt safer than the dark Arlington FMR trail between Eads Street and the MVT.

Rumors and fear can build on themselves. If people are fearful they won’t use a route. The lack of traffic then makes the route seem more dangerous, perpetuating the cycle. If even a reasonable number of people use the trail I think it will be as safe as an off road trail can be. It is certainly better lit and the sight lines are actually good.

I also found the ride to be only about four minutes longer than using the Arlington side of the creek – and that was with having to go from S. Eads Street east to US 1 and then back west. (Though, in fairness, I used the existing Arlington FMR trail instead of the Glebe sidewalk.) So, basically, to me, the issue remains access to the Alexandria FMR trail via the Mount Vernon bridge. At this point I am not overly worried about crime safety (especially when others use the trail) and the time difference is not great enough to justify using the dangerous Glebe Road sidewalks (or Glebe Road itself) even if trying to access S. Eads Street.

[S. Arlington Observer]

@lordofthemark 132117 wrote:

WRT crime, people will need to be specific about their concerns. See the discussion in WashCycle.

Can you offer a link or some search directions on finding the discussion you reference? Was it specifically about the Alexandria trail? Washcycle is a big site and I am not familiar with it. I do want to read whatever may be relevant.

[S. Arlington Observer]

As for alternatives to the Alexandria Four Mile Run Trail, I am afraid there aren’t any good ones.

Taking the lane on S. Glebe is only for the stout of heart and fleet of pedal. Traffic is not slow there. Again, if the County was serious about bike commuting it would consider taking out the median and converting S. Glebe to three auto lanes (with a turn lane in the middle) and one bike lane. Problem solved. This could be done for a year (assuming the project is on time) and then changed back if they like. It might inconvenience some drivers, but so does closing a major cycling artery.

The sidewalks along S. Glebe are dangerous and not very tenable as alternatives. On the south (creek) side it is narrow with tricky cuts for sewage plant entrances. On the north side it even worse. Very narrow with lots of driveway cuts. Some of the ramps (apparently retrofitted for handicapped persons) point into Glebe Road, not across the side street. (How a person in a wheelchair is supposed to dip in and out of Glebe Road is a mystery.)

The County might be able to construct a roadside temporary or permanent path along S. Glebe to replace the closed creekside trail. It owns the park land from the Mt. Vernon bridge to the sewage plant and the plant itself. There are a couple of places where plant infrastructure might make it very tricky. But for much of the route the fence could be moved back enough to create a path or at least enlarge the sidewalk. Again, I doubt this will be funded. But I suspect if it was necessary for automobiles it would be.

Some mentioned 31st Street South (at least for those wishing to access S. Eads Street.) That is not really any help because it only covers part of the lost segment. Going east one has to ride along the sidewalk then cross busy Glebe to get to (the well named) S. Hill St. to get to 31st. The beginning would then be a very steep hill on Hill. 31st S itself. is a reasonable street without much grade once one finally gets on it. It ends going east at S. Eads.

Going west on 31st one is dumped back onto S. Glebe with the options of either a) entering Glebe traffic, b) proceeding along the very narrow and highly cut up sidewalk, or c) crossing S. Glebe to use the slightly less treacherous sidewalk on the other side of the road. I sampled it both ways. Not worth the risk and effort to only replace part of the lost FMR trail.

All in all, I think taking the Alexandria detour is the best option. That trail itself is in very good shape now. But crossing the creek at Mt. Vernon Avenue is going to be a major problem.

[S. Arlington Observer]

Well said MStone and Lordofthemark.

The issue is not “being treated like automobiles.” The issue is being treated as a serious and useful means of transportation instead of a mere hobby.

[S. Arlington Observer]

@Amalitza 131235 wrote:

Here https://www.strava.com/clubs/175403

Team 11:
Amalitza
Ardent1
BeeTinDC
bmiles
D_a_n_e
komorebi
LuisFilipe
pschultz
rcannon100
S. Arlington Observer
Shawnofthedread
twowheelsdc

In case there are any other newbies like me, you need to click on the link and join the Team 11 club. This was not intuitive from the single word “assemble”. It is easy to do.

[S. Arlington Observer]

Planning to attend.

[S. Arlington Observer]

@scoot 130616 wrote:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a government held financially liable for a bicyclist’s death due to unsafe roadway design. Is the Indian Wells case a first in this regard? Especially noteworthy is that this partial liability was assessed by a jury even in a case where a drunk driver was also responsible. Interesting.

I would not read too much into the municipal liability part of the article. California does not adhere to the contributory negligence doctrine and apparently does not have the sovereign immunity protections for state and local governments like our jurisdictions do.

The more relevant parts of the article are the findings about design – and what makes roads and highways particularly dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.

[S. Arlington Observer]

Now, if I can just remember to turn on the damn Strava. I usually get about half way through the ride before I remember it. Luckily my usual routes don’t vary a lot so I can add an accurate manual entry. But I prefer to get all the feedback from the App. Not sure what I’m going to have to do make it second nature to turn it on when I head out.

[S. Arlington Observer]

@CaseyKane50 130180 wrote:

The repaved section of the Four Mile Run Trail is now open.

https://www.facebook.com/RPCAAlexandriaVA

Not being familiar with that side of the creek, what does “the wetlands trail will remain closed until spring” mean? Is that a separate spur of the FMR trail or part of it.? Or, to ask in another way, can I now cycle from US 1 to Mt. Vernon Avenue or is there still a gap?

[S. Arlington Observer]

@chris_s 130158 wrote:

I finally got sick of their not being a regional bike map, so I hacked together my own. Behold, Frankenmap – a combination of the Arlington, Alexandria, DC & Takoma Park bike maps, all laid over top of an OpenStreetMaps base. Let me know: 1) what you think 2) if it is useful to you 3) any suggestions for improvement.

Wow. Thanks.

[S. Arlington Observer]

@kwarkentien 130076 wrote:

On behalf of the BAFS 2016 Happy Hour Planning Committee (yes, we need a whole committee of six people to do the job that Arlingtonrider has done single-handedly for the past two years!), I’m happy to announce the details for the opening happy hour for BAFS 2016:

Date: Thursday, 7 January 2016
Time: 5-8pm
Place: Mr. Smith’s of Georgetown, 3205 K Street NW, Washington DC 20007

Mr Smith’s has a large room that can accommodate our raucous band of biking merrymakers. It’s a bit more centrally-located for you non-VA riders, located just under the Whitehurst Freeway at Wisconsin Avenue and K/Water Streets. We are still working on the bike parking arrangements but will most probably set up a bike valet bike corral that your committee members will manage and assure the safety of our precious carbon, titanium, aluminum, and steel steeds.

I hope this is not a silly question, but is it OK to arrive by means other than bicycle? I do bike to work but am not too keen on crossing the river twice around or after dark. I may take a bus to the event (and back to Courthouse to ride home on familiar turf) but don’t want to commit some sort of unspoken “no/no” by doing so.

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