New Flashy Light Crossing on GW

"The National Park Service, George Washington Memorial Parkway in consultation with the Federal Highway Administration, will be temporarily installing a flashing beacon warning system at the trail crosswalk of the northbound lanes of the Parkway, just prior to Arlington Memorial Bridge, one mile north of I-395. Temporary installation is planned for the week of November 18^th and be in place for approximately thirty days as a trial to help inform the upcoming Environmental Assessment (EA) process that will evaluate long-term safety and traffic improvements in the area. "


Public comment will be open starting Monday at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/warningsystem.

NPS EA for Memorial Bridge Rehabilitation

NPS has an Environmental Assessment open for comment until December 2 regarding the rehabilitation of the memorial bridge.  There are two concerns here.  First, when the rehabilitation takes place, a major cycling artery into DC will be closed for months.  Second, what form the rehabilitation takes - ensuring that the bridge remains a cycling artery - and perhaps improving access to the bridge on the DC and VA sides.

The National Park Service (NPS), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is proposing to rehabilitate the Arlington Memorial Bridge. The historic bridge is an important element of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and of the transportation network of the Washington, D.C. area.

Arlington Memorial Bridge is more than 80 years old and has not undergone a major rehabilitation project in many years. Several temporary repairs have kept it operational to meet the needs of the traveling public. However, like many other older highway bridges across the nation, this bridge needs comprehensive repair to ensure service for decades to come.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Historic Preservation Act, and other laws, regulations and policies, the National Park Service is developing alternatives to be studied in the Environmental Assessment. The Environmental Assessment will evaluate potential impacts of these alternatives to the natural, cultural, and human environment. Information on the NEPA and NHPA processes can be found at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/links.cfm.

The preliminary alternatives developed by the NPS and FHWA for the rehabilitation of the Arlington Memorial Bridge represent different approaches to address issues identified by project staff, visitors, and other interested parties. Together, these preliminary alternatives represent a range of possible actions that are reasonable and consistent with other special mandates and laws such as the National Historic Preservation Act. The preliminary alternatives that follow are specific to the treatment of the bascule span:

Alternative 1A - Replace the Bascule Span with Precast Concrete Box Girders (Beams)
Alternative 1B - Replace the Bascule Span with Steel Plate Girders
Alternative 2 – Replace the Bascule Span with a Concrete Arch Span to Match the Approach Spans
Alternative 3 – Replace the Bascule Span with a Fixed Span of Welded Steel Truss Construction
Alternative 4 – Rehabilitate the Bascule Span

Each preliminary alternative involves many common elements that would occur regardless of which alternative is selected for implementation. Elements common to all the preliminary alternatives include:

- repair of the concrete arch approach spans and bridge piers;
- replacement of the existing bridge deck;
- replacement of the existing sidewalks;
- resetting of light poles and improving its wiring system;
- improvements to the existing drainage system;
- resetting or replacement of the granite curbs; and
- repairs to the existing bridge railings and stone work as needed.

Spoke'n Word :: BMW Scofflaws :: MVT Closures Upcoming :: Stop at Signs :: ALEXBPAC Meets Monday :: Lombard Street East ::

• Data proves it: rich people are aggressive jerks behind the wheel.
• Periodic closures scheduled for the MVT in Alexandria for segment behind power plant, Aug. 19 to Sept. 6. 
• Yes, as Dorothy Rabinowitz said, cyclists do have a powerful bicycle lobby, and yes it is on twitter. 
• I know where you rode on Saturday July 20th (really cool STRAVA heatmap)  
• In Falls Church, "Cyclists Must Stop at Signs."  All of them.  See a sign - you better stop.  (just dont stop at any businesses - save your money for more friendly jurisdictions along the WOD)
• Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meets Monday 
• Lombard Street East under construction

My Own Walden from Jeremy Cannon on Vimeo.

So I'm Confused @ArlingtonVA, is Cycling "Transportation" or Not #bikedc

Photo by alykat (cc)

Now I love Arlington.  And Arlington DES is one of my favorites (not joking... DES has been highly responsive to inquiries and concerns).  But DES did something recently that caused a kerfuffle.  DES thought that it would be a good idea to talk to Arlington Citizens about snow removal.  Why would that cause a kerfuffle?  Well it resulted in this exchange:

Q by CS: Arlington often talks about how bicycling is an important part of our transportation network, and yet our bicycling infrastructure rarely if ever gets plowed, even major cycling thoroughfares like the Custis trail that continue to see hundreds of riders a day despite the weather. Minneapolis manages to keep their bike infrastructure plowed. When will Arlington?

A: Currently there are no immediate plans to plow or treat primary commuting bike trails, but our planners, Department of Parks and Recreation and DES operations staff continue to strategize how to improve the bike commute. The County will be looking to coordinate with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority for priority to treat the WO&D Trail, which is not maintained by Arlington.

Q by MB: I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed by DES' inaction on plowing our primary trails. As people within DES can tell you, thousands of Arlingtonians use those trails every day to get to work. By failing to plow the trails, DES puts more people onto the streets in cars. Is that really what you want, during a snow event?

A: As previously asked by Chris, our planners, Department of Parks and Recreation and DES operations staff continue to strategize how to improve the bike commute. There are many significant safety and environmental concerns for bikers and our trails that we have and are attempting to find the best solution.

Okay, once again: consternation.  Arlington talks a good talk.  Arlington talks about how cycling is a great way to commute. Arlington talks about the Car Free diet. Arlington talks about Smart Growth through Smart Transportation. 

The problem is Arlington actually convinces a few of us.  And a few (thousand) of us have come to rely on cycling as our mode of transportation.  It's how we get to work, or to school, or to the store, or to lunch.  We drank the kool-aid, we have become car-free, and we bike the solution.

But having converted us, Arlington goes sideways on us and doesnt follow through.  There are major cycling arteries in Arlington that see 1000s of cyclist get to work every day.  These are the Custis Trail, the W&OD trail, and the Mount Vernon Trail (NPS).  These trails are cyclists freeways that see levels of traffic during rush hour that rival the roads.  During rush hour on the Custis Trail in Rosslyn, the cue at a red light is as deep on the Custis trail as it is on Lee Hwy.  The flow of traffic on the Custis is constant and we saw essentially cyclist traffic jams this year.

Those cycling arteries are not treated as "transportation" arteries by Arlington:

• There are no plans to clear snow from the trails, in the same way other transportation arteries are cleared.
• Arlington police park their cruisers on the Custis Trail in Rosslyn, blocking the trail.
• Arlington Parks and Rec trucks regularly drive on the W&OD during rush hour, creating dangerous situations.
• Arlington Parks and Rec shut down the Custis Trail during rush hour so that they could prune trees - something VDOT would never do to Route 66.
• After decades of complaints from cyclists, the Custis Trail / Lynn St intersection remains as dangerous as ever with almost no action taken.

Let's make this simple:

Arlington: Is cycling actually "transportation," or is that just some cute words you put on paper so that you have dazzling looking transportation strategic plans?  

If you are going to talk the talk, walk the walk.  1000s of cyclists rely on the trails as transportation arteries.  Arlington, please behave like they are transportation arteries.