Is There Any Good Singletrack in the #BikeDC Area??

Why yes there is!  Wakefield is just outside the beltway off Braddock Road.  It consists of trails that wind through woods, streams, and open fields (under power lines). This park is along the Virginia CCT and for added points there is an excellent skate park there.


Another excellent local for mountain biking is Fountainhead Regional Park.

COVET: The Movie (The Story of the Bicycle) #bikedc

COVET: The Movie (The Story of the Bicycle)

Hains Point 100: The Movie

Status of Arlington Bike Projects - Spreadsheet and Google Map

In December, Arlington County provided an updated to the Arlington BAC on the status of bike projects.  I have turned the ArlCo update into a spreadsheet - and unpacked it a little (with a lot of guesses).  It is helpful to know, for instance, not just the status of a project, but what jurisdictions are involved.  If... oh just for example.... there is no movement on the Intersection of Doom (Custis Trail and Lynn St)... it is helpful to know that one of the reasons there is no movement is that improving the Intersection of Doom involves Arlco, NPS, VDOT, DC, and apparently a private property owner (geeze!).  In fact, if you sort the spreadsheet for the different authorities, you can see a trend of which authorities get things done and which seem to be dragging their feet.  Also, while Arlco lists multiple projects of "completed," that doesnt appear to be wholly accurate - and that information is revised. 

I also plotted the projects on a Google Map so that we can see the projects around the county - what has been done and what is coming.


Link to the Spreadsheet.


View Bicycle Arlington Virginia (Windy Run Blog) in a larger map

December Status Update to Bicycle Projects in the Arlington Master Transportation Plan

Arlington County has provided this Dec. 2012 update for Bicycle projects listed in the Arlington Master Transportation Plan.  This is not an exhaustive list of every Arlington project - just an update of those projects listed in the Master Transportation Plan.  If you are interested in these type of things, consider getting involved in the Arlington Bike Advisory Committee.

Photo by Kevin H. (cc)

For the record, improvements to Lynn Street and Custis Trail (AKA Intersection of Doom, AKA Circle of Doom) are listed as

Currently at 60% design. Undergoing VDOT review.

I moved to Arlington in 1989 and that intersection was a problem then.  Glad to see we have made such progress.

Improvements to the WOD

NVRPA just sent out a newsletter summarizing upcoming improvements to the WOD.  Hey, NVRPA... Santa Claus isnt suppose to come to next week!  (that's for a great trail and helping to improve its condition).

Changes Coming at Key W&OD Trail Intersections

With over two million uses a year, and more than 70 at-grade road crossings, the W&OD Trail is the backbone of cycling, pedestrian, and other non-motorized recreation and transportation modes in Northern Virginia. Considering the Trail's size (45 miles from Shirlington to Purcellville) and volume, safety and safety improvements are always of the utmost importance to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) which owns and operates the trail.

Over the years, NVRPA has had a number of engineering studies and analyses conducted, with the safety of its trail users specifically in mind. In March of 2011, NVRPA commissioned an evaluation of the existing physical and operational conditions at six of the busiest individual roadway crossings across the region. Now, the recommendations created by these evaluations are beginning to be implemented. NVRPA has worked extensively to engage its jurisdictional partners such as Fairfax, Loudoun, and Arlington Counties and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and appreciates their efforts to assist in making this truly regional asset safe. The crossings identified for evaluation are as follows: Belmont Ridge Road in Ashburn, Sterling Boulevard in Sterling, Wiehle Avenue in Reston, Hunter Mill Road in Vienna, Lee Highway in Arlingon, and Columbia Pike in Arlington. Some of the highlights of the recommendations include: Belmont Ridge Road

• Relocate/eliminate parking area on the northwest and northeast corners (completed late November).
• Add actuated rectangular rapid flash beacons to alert motorists to the presence of a trail user.
• Trim vegetation to improve sight lines (completed late October).

Sterling Boulevard

• NVRPA and VDOT working together to consider reducing the length of the northbound deceleration/left turn lane on Sterling Boulevard to expand median refuge.
• Expand the sidewalk network along Sterling Boulevard.
• Consider the addition of actuated rectangular rapid flash beacons based on results from Belmont Ridge Road.

Wiehle Avenue

• Consideration to widen the median refuge.
• NVRPA and Fairfax County to work together to identify short term improvements to include additional signage, improved roadway markings, and potential lane width improvements.
• Consideration of alternate signal timing to reduce conflict with trail crossing.

Hunter Mill Road

• Consider replacing advanced trail crossing flashing beacon with Actuated Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons.
• NVRPA and VDOT to address vegetation and terrain issues affecting sight lines.

Lee Highway (Route 29)

• NVRPA to realign trail approaches to orient better to the crossing for trail users and motorists.
• NVRPA to work with Arlington County to consider adjusting signal timing, turn lane options, and additional signage.

Columbia Pike

• The trail approaches will be realinged to intersect at a better angle to the roadway.

• NVRPA to work with Arlington County to consider adjusting signal timing and phasing.

The physical condition of the Trail and the intersections is vitally important, but far more important is the behavior of those on the Trail and those on the roads. NVRPA is proud to also be a partner with Street Smart, an annual public education, awareness and behavioral change campaign in the Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia area. Since its beginning in 2002, the campaign has used radio, newspaper, and transit advertising, public awareness efforts and added law enforcement to respond to the challenges of pedestrian and cyclist safety. Please feel free to contact the trail office at (703) 729-0596 or via email at wod@nvrpa.org if you have questions concerning these changes.

[Vid] Retrofitting Suburbia - TEDTalk

Not specifically about cycling, but as Ellen Dunham-Jones states, transportation is core to the new urban movement - and we know cycling is core to urban transportation. Starts with the proposition that the average urban dweller has 1/3 the carbon footprint as the average suburban dweller. 

Now.... if we could only figure out how to retrofit the Ballston Mall!