Two items from Bicycling Magazine

There were two good items in the January/February issue of Bicycling Magazine. Unfortunately, neither is available online. The first was about local mechanic Santiago "Pinky" Gonzalez and the second about bike commuting.

Gonzalez is one of the founders of Revolution Cycles and runs the tech center at the 11,000 square foot Clarendon store. The article mentions how he's built bikes for the Secret Service, National Park Police, Lance Armstrong and Presidents Clinton and Bush. He points out that Secret Service agents ride their bikes hard (our tax dollars at work) and have ruined numerous rims and cracked a few frames.

The second article is about the value of bike commuting. A 29 mile bike commute (the amount the average American commutes each day) would save $12, reduce auto emissions by 24 pounds and burn 1315 calories. Then they have advice: get a comfortable bike, put slick tires and lights on it, use a backpack or seat post pack instead of a messenger bag (it can hurt your back), go slow if you have no shower, turn your commute into a workout (mine already is) by doing intervals at traffic lights, map several routes - some that are direct and some that are pleasant, and finally some stuff about rolling over storm grates. Of course I've had that "is biking cheaper?" argument and while I'm sure it is, people who I respect are adamant that it isn't.

4/18/06 Link Dump

p>I've been collecting post ideas faster than I can write posts, so to clear some out, I'm going to occasionally drop a quick group of less important issues in something I'm calling "10 for Tuesday."

1. Bike path paving along Route 27 in Arlington

2. CCCT will be giving away free bells and whistles to Capitol Crescent Trail users on Saturday, April 29. Volunteers will mount bells on bicycles free for those who request them, and will give out free whistles on Saturday May 29, 10-12 a.m., at the Bethesda Rest Stop.
This is one of several "Bells and Whistles" events the CCCT sponsors each year to increase safety awareness and to promote improved trail courtesy.

3.  2 years later, pedestrian tunnel under Route 28 still closed

The State Highway Administration had not originally planned to build the tunnel as part of the $41 million Route 28 road-widening project. It was added later with the understanding that future hiker⁄biker trails would be constructed by the Lakelands developer — Classic Community Corp.

The tunnel was built to be used as a future connection to the trail system. To date, no trails have been built, so the tunnel is currently fenced off for safety until that happens.

Classic Community Corp. did not return calls about when the trail system would be completed.

4. Letter asking for money to complete the CCT

5. 2006 Maryland General Assembly passes part of 1 bike bill –

Senate Bill 846 passed with amendments. The bill as passed with the amendments makes a bell optional equipment and not required equipment, quantifies the braking requirement for bicycles, and allows a rear red or flashing amber light that acts as a reflector to be used instead of the required rear reflector at night.          

The amendments removed the part of the bill which would have removed Maryland's restrictions on riding on the roadway where there is a bike lane or a shoulder paved to a smooth surface. Maryland is one of only eight states with either restriction. Although Maryland's mandatory bike lane and shoulder rules have several exceptions, there are other situations when a cyclist should have the discretion of riding on the roadway instead of in the bike lane or on the shoulder. 

Senate Bill 871 /House Bill 721 failed, having been given an unfavorable report by the House Environmental Matters Committee. The bill prohibits a driver of a motor vehicle from overtaking and passing a bicycle unless the driver can do so safely without endangering the rider of the bicycle; prohibits a driver of a vehicle from intentionally interfering with the movement of a person who is riding a bicycle; and, the driver of a motor vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a person riding a bicycle in a designated bicycle lane.[...text of the bill]

 

6. DC area cycling radio show, the spin zone.

7. Dead bikes on UMD campus. This is a problem at every school in the country as far as I can tell. Students graduate and leave their old beaters locked up on campus, never to be ridden again.

8. Funcycle at Bike the Sites.

9. George Bush has influenced at least one person to ride - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

10. VRE getting new trains  (see photo for inside shot with bikes). VRE Management says "The new cab cars that we have ordered are bike friendly. After they are all on-line, we will reevaluate our bicycle policy." 

DC Snakcs

Before bike messengers get to ply their skills as pedicab operators, there's another new revenue stream for them in the DC area. DC Snacks, which has actually been around since 2003, is - well it's Kozmo.com from the internet glory days,

It sells convenience store items such as ice cream, pizza, frozen dinners, drink mixes and health aids, and bikes them to customers' doors within 35 minutes.

but over a much smaller area.

Its boundaries are now loosely defined as Rock Creek Parkway to the west, Q Street to the north, 13th Street to the east and Constitution Avenue.

There's talk of expansion to other cities, but caution that DC may be unique

The whole bike thing is a part of DCSnacks' homey, friendly neighborhood appeal. "It's perfectly Washington," Mandell says -- if you define Washington as within a mile of the White House. Adams Morgan is still a little far for the riders, as is Howard University. Never mind the rest of the city -- at least for

Biking to school becoming rare

It's not really news, because I've been hearing about it for years now, but the Examiner reported that

Nationwide, the number of kids who ride their bike or  walk to school has fallen dramatically since the 1970s.

“Thirty years ago, 66 percent of children walked or biked to school,” said Sharon Roerty of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking. “Today, 13 percent walk or bike to school.”

The article talks about the rise in childhood obesity, and (for reasons I'm not sure about) the number of children taking medication for attention deficit disorder and depression rising and also about the Safe Routes program. From what I've seen, a lot needs to be done to improve school accessibility. Magnolia Elementary School in Lanham has a path that connects it to a nearby apartment complex, which is good; but poles were inserted into the trail at the fence line that make it impossible to bike through. I have no idea why this was done, but that's the kind of thing that needs to be corrected.

One issue they fail to address is the cost of busing and driving 83% of students to school. On RPUS this issue is addressed in reference to an article about the shortage of bus drivers in Northern Virginia.

Fairfax, which has more than 165,000 students, is short about 180 bus drivers, and in Prince William, with about 66,200 students, needs about 60 drivers, officials said.

Since 2004, Loudoun County has been short 30 to 40 bus drivers despite advertising the jobs as far away as Winchester, Va., and West Virginia, school officials said.

And RPUS

...school campuses on the edges of towns require a massive school bus infrastructure (comparable to the deleterious impact of the replacement of streetcar transit systems with buses) requiring drivers, fuel, maintenance, and frequent replacement of buses. Not to mention the number of accidents involving school buses.

If 60% of students again started biking and walking, what impact would that have on traffic, air quality, health, school budgets, community? I used to bike to school and after school I would often go with my friends to the park to play football or basketball - instead of going straight home to watch TV and play video games. That seems like a better way for kids to spend their free time to me.

Rails with Trails

There are still a lot of Rails to Trails opportunities in the DC area and I've mentioned some of them before, but the area shouldn't rule out Rails with Trails where needed. At least one is being built in the area, the Met Branch Trail. And others are being looked at. One of the biggest arguments the railroads give for not allowing trails along side their right-of-way is safety. But a recent analysis shows that not only are Rails with Trails safe, they're safer than rails without trails.

Common wisdom in the rail industry has been that anytime a person enters a rail corridor the risk of a fatality increases. It's obvious to experienced railroad employees that adding a trail and inviting public access should increase the fatalities.

[But] whenever people trespass in rail corridors, the walking is generally awful but usually easiest on the rails or rail ties. So kids walk on the rail ties or rails. College students leaving a pub may choose to walk an unlit rail corridor to return to their dorm. Hunters seeking game walk the rails. But, if a well-engineered trail existed beside the tracks, most would apparently choose the easier path.

...adding trails to rail corridors has, by experience, reduced rail trespass fatalities by more than 90%.

More study is needed, but this is good news and a good argument against the safety issue. I think there are several good opportunities for Rail with Trails in the area. Including

1. Pushing the Met Branch Trail up to Rockville
2. A trail along the North Side of New York Avenue from the Met Branch to the Anacostia Trail system (part of which is proposed).
3. From the abandoned rail bridge over New York Avenue to the Northwest Branch along the Camden line.
4. From 12th Street SW to the Virginia Avenue Tunnel in SE.
5. In spots along the Penn Line.

Fairfax County Bicycle Program

An article entitled "Fairfax County looks to Create Bicycling Program" ran in the Examiner a few weeks ago. It's gone now, but here's the text:

Fairfax County - Fairfax County is looking at the possibility of investing $840,000 to create a countywide bicycle program.

According to a Feb. 20 memorandum, the cost would include creating the position of Bicycle Program coordinator, establishing a bicycling network within the county and for contractors and consultants to provide an inventory of the county’s bicycle infrastructure to be used in creating a map of bicycle paths and trails.

The idea of creating a plan to improve bicycle transportation in the county was first floated in 2005, but in the 2007 budget formed by County Executive Anthony Griffin, there was no funding in place.

County Chairman Gerald Connolly, D, asked for and received unanimous approval from the Board of Supervisors to put the plan on the boards consideration list for fiscal year 2007.

Fairfax already has a similar program for pedestrians in the county.

“We want to have a coordinated, comprehensive bicycle policy so that we can make sure were doing everything we can at all levels of commuting,” Connolly said. “We have some trails and paths in the county, but we need to do more and we need someone in place who can coordinate these efforts.”

Included in Griffin’s proposal is $56.85 million for discretionary board use. This plan would fall into that category.

Kathy Ichter, head of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, said the hope is to model the initiative on the current position in county government of a pedestrian coordinator.

“Urban issues are becoming more and more in the forefront in our area and people are looking at ways to get from point A to point B without always having to get in their cars and drive,” she said.

“The fact of the matter is there are needs for bicyclists and they may be getting left in the dust, and the purpose is to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Why bike to work?

- Riding to work costs less than driving or taking transit, especially if you already own a bike.

- Cycling allows you to stay in shape while you commute. A five-mile, one-way commute burns 300 calories round trip for a 130-pound woman.

- Biking to work means less traffic congestion and pollution for the region.

(Photo Caption: A cyclist waits to cross over Wiehle Avenue along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and near Sunset Hills Boulevard in Reston)

I think a bicycle co-ordinator is key to any area transportation plan. DC has two bicycle coordinators (Jim Sebastian and Chris Holborn) and they get a lot done. I moved here shortly before they hired Mr. Seabastian, and it's clear to see the improvements in cycling that have occured since then. You need someone who can look at every project and add cycling input (thought it's probably too much work for one person). If Fairfax goes through with this, they'll only be about 5 years behind DC, Arlington and Alexandria. That will leave PG County as the big glaring hole in bicycle Program Management. And WABA is supporting the effort in their latest Quick Release

WABA urges you to contact County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly and your district supervisor and voice your support for these initiatives.

Please contact Chairman Connolly and your district supervisor to ensure your comments are recorded. Call or write to:
1) Chairman Gerry Connolly. The email address is chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov. The office phone number is 703-324-2321.
2) Your district supervisor. For contact information about your district supervisor, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/board.

Marvin Gaye Park

Well, mercy, mercy me. I mentioned the pending rehab of the Watts Branch Trail and I even mentioned that the park is near where Marvin Gaye grew up, but I didn't realize they were going to rename the Park after him - which I think is a great idea. The park and trail are really underutilized and I think it's great that's it's getting so much attention.

Anacostia, if you're unaware is rather hilly, and the only flat areas you can use to get across it are south, along Shepard Parkway (not too bike friendly), out along the Suitland Parkway, or out through Watt's Branch. The Suitland Parkway Trail is in bad shape and dead ends at the Maryland line.

Watt's Branch was once a major transportation corridor for the city, with two railroads passing through the relatively flat land, and so it stands to reason that it could make a great bike route. Unfortunately it depends a lot on Maryland. A bike trail that dead ends in Seat Pleasant is no better than the Suitland Parkway, but connected to an extended WB&A trail and a Chesapeake Beach Railway Trail and it could really bring the trail (and Park) alive.

My favorite quote from this article about it is this:

"I like to plant trees, and it's for a really good cause," said Miss Frontiera, who volunteered after a professor offered extra credit to those who helped.

Umm, that ain't volunteering. (pictured - a broken bike/ped bridge from Marvin Gaye Park)

The many dangers of cycling

Besides the usual dangers of wiping out, getting hit by a car or being laughed at because of your Lycra there are many other new and downright scary dangers of biking in the DC area.

Attacks at 11th Street NE, that I wrote about before, continue,

I wasn't paying too much attention to him when suddenly he turned around and struck me with his elbow. I tried to maintain a balance on my bike with grocery bags hanging, when next thing I know I was jumped by around five kids from all directions who started throwing punches and mercilessly kicking me in my head and ribs.

City paper picked up the story here.

The grassy knoll on the corner of 11th Street and Florida Avenue NW might be the best spot in the city to throw rocks at passing bicycles. The hilltop yields plenty of stones weighty enough to hold a trajectory. A wrought-iron gate separates the knoll from the bike lane in case an aggrieved cyclist gets it into her head to chase a pack of kids. Balconies on the back of the building make for perfect hunting stands—one slide of a glass door and you’re safely inside. Buildings, blind walls, and a stairwell provide cover for the stone-casters lying in wait. And the usual presence of a gaggle of children makes ID’ing a particular arm next to impossible.

There was some response from the police

Third District Lt. Bart Dykes "I will instruct PSA 304 officers to give this location special attention during these [after school] hours. Housing Police agreed to do the same."

And that's where we stand on that. Someone once said that vandalism was the dumbest crime, because you didn't benefit from it. This is human vandalism and so much dumber.

But that's not the only dangerous area, two men were robbed of their bikes at the Braddock Metro Station

Before giving his bike to the assailants, the 40-year-old man was punched in the face and knocked to the ground. The 18-year-old was not injured, police said.

And then there are the people who've decided they just don't like cyclists, (though admittedly, some of us bike in an unlawful manner)

On a more serious note, I have a question. What the hell is wrong with the bikers on the campus? Half of the biking population has no clue about the basic functions of a bicycle (i.e. pedaling, steering, braking), which is chaotic in itself and has caused massive denting and scratching to the side panel of my car. The other half is a bunch of schizoid crackpots who race uncontrollably through the campus with no consideration for anyone or anything around them. I have deftly avoided far too many accidents with these two-wheeled guerrilla terrorists. Bikers admit their biggest fear is slamming into a car door that opens right before them. I am not ashamed to admit I would pay money to see this happen.

And a response

Yes, pedestrians can be negligent and cyclists can be dangerous. But everyone has a right to cross the street safely. And perhaps the author mistook cyclists who realize it is infinitely safer to be assertive when interacting with motorists for “kamikaze bicyclists.”

So let's all be careful out there. Unfortunately, people are out to get you.

MoCo's Framework

Montgomery County is preparing to become Montgomery City. The county is working on a new general plan for the county to replace the one it original wrote in 1964 - and refined in 1993. The new plan, the "Framework for Planning in the Future," promotes urbanized centers as opposed to auto-friendly suburbs. Of course, urban usually means less cars, more pedestrians and more bicycles - which requires changing roads.

In addition to promoting development of urbanized "centers," the draft document envisions turning some of the county's big roads into "boulevards" that would be more appealing to pedestrians and less like highways.[Planning Board Chairman Derick] Berlage cited Rockville Pike, Georgia Avenue and University Boulevard as roads that could be redesigned to include bus lanes, bicycle paths, better landscaping and wider sidewalks.

I think it's wise for MoCo to prepare for the inevitable population increases they're going to continue to see. (I think they ought to rethink the ICC before it's too late. A real urban area would not build a highway, but rather a rail corridor). The plan has as one goal to

Better connect the surrounding neighborhoods to retail, public buildings and transit by foot or bicycle, reducing the need to drive to the center.

They have some good ideas about how to do that, like

Creating more street connections from surrounding neighborhoods, so that people don’t use the major arterials and highways for local trips, and more trips are made by bicycle and on foot. (See this post on RPUS about how important connections are. Though he doesn't mention bikes, I know which neighborhood I'd rather ride in).

and

Providing pedestrian and bicycle amenities such as bike racks and lockers, special pavement and lighting so that non-motorized people know they are welcome.

And they recognize that "narrow sidewalks are not bicycle friendly" - true, bikes do not belong on sidewalks. It's dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians - so they talk about bicycle sidepaths (which I don't care for unless there really is no other option) and bike lanes. But they're still missing critical elements.

They need to start from the bottom up. They need to make sure they don't force out small neighborhood bike shops with big box retailers. They need to provide not just parking, but shower facilities, bike maps, and bike related signage. They need to think about bike rentals. If they build bike lanes - they need to be wide with room in the door zone. And they need to integrate bikes into rail and bus transit as well as roads. They're plan is still too road centered in my opinion. But it's a good point to start from.

What else did I miss?

MoCo's Framework

Montgomery County is preparing to become Montgomery City. The county is working on a new general plan for the county to replace the one it original wrote in 1964 - and refined in 1993. The new plan, the "Framework for Planning in the Future," promotes urbanized centers as opposed to auto-friendly suburbs. Of course, urban usually means less cars, more pedestrians and more bicycles - which requires changing roads.

In addition to promoting development of urbanized "centers," the draft document envisions turning some of the county's big roads into "boulevards" that would be more appealing to pedestrians and less like highways.[Planning Board Chairman Derick] Berlage cited Rockville Pike, Georgia Avenue and University Boulevard as roads that could be redesigned to include bus lanes, bicycle paths, better landscaping and wider sidewalks.

I think it's wise for MoCo to prepare for the inevitable population increases they're going to continue to see. (I think they ought to rethink the ICC before it's too late. A real urban area would not build a highway, but rather a rail corridor). The plan has as one goal to

Better connect the surrounding neighborhoods to retail, public buildings and transit by foot or bicycle, reducing the need to drive to the center.

They have some good ideas about how to do that, like

Creating more street connections from surrounding neighborhoods, so that people don’t use the major arterials and highways for local trips, and more trips are made by bicycle and on foot. (See this post on RPUS about how important connections are. Though he doesn't mention bikes, I know which neighborhood I'd rather ride in).

and

Providing pedestrian and bicycle amenities such as bike racks and lockers, special pavement and lighting so that non-motorized people know they are welcome.

And they recognize that "narrow sidewalks are not bicycle friendly" - true, bikes do not belong on sidewalks. It's dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians - so they talk about bicycle sidepaths (which I don't care for unless there really is no other option) and bike lanes. But they're still missing critical elements.

They need to start from the bottom up. They need to make sure they don't force out small neighborhood bike shops with big box retailers. They need to provide not just parking, but shower facilities, bike maps, and bike related signage. They need to think about bike rentals. If they build bike lanes - they need to be wide with room in the door zone. And they need to integrate bikes into rail and bus transit as well as roads. They're plan is still too road centered in my opinion. But it's a good point to start from.

What else did I miss?

Virginia Rails to Trails budget in danger

When I first read this line in this article (Va. House, Senate Propose Widely Differing Budget Plans)

It eliminates Warner's proposed $950,000 program for converting unused railroad lines to bicycle trails.

I was surprised that Virginia was spending less than a million dollars on new rail trails, and I was surprised that this was a political issue. Sure, there will be arguments over how much to spend on rail to trail conversions, but I'm surprised to see the Republicans positioning themselves as the "anti-rail trail party." It can't be for reasons of fiscal responsibility. Not when you read this:

A recently published study of the Virginia Creeper Trail's (pictured) economic impact concluded that trail-related visitor spending amounted to about $2.5 million annually and supported about 30 jobs. The study found that nonlocals who used the trail traveled an average of 260 miles to reach it.

Is their some constituency out there demanding that this funding be removed, or are the Virginia Republicans so against immigrants that now they also don't want out of state tourists? Sadly, it appears to be good old politics as usual.

But they cut spending for many of the smaller programs that Warner had started, including many he is using as evidence of his success in what could become a bid for the presidency.

So, it appears to be a policy that hurts the state and the people they represent but helps the national party. Awesome.

Closing Streets to Cars

A controversy in San Francisco is brewing that sounds very familiar. Right now, the city closes part of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to cars each Sunday. It appears that bicycle and pedestrian advocates have been successful in getting the closures extended to Saturday.

San Francisco voters rejected two ballot measures in 2000 that would have closed JFK to traffic on Saturdays. At the time, one of the main objections had been that an 800-space parking garage had not yet been built below the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. Shahum said since that parking garage at the De Young is now functioning there should be enough parking in the area. Others said there are too few places to walk and bike in The City.

Not everyone is pleased. One of The Examiner's San Francisco columnists feels the advocates are trying to short circuit the democratic process.

voters in 2000 overwhelmingly rejected Saturday road closures not once, but twice. Yet the bikers and skaters who feel entitled to their favorite section of the park have once again gotten two supervisors, Jake McGoldrick and Ross Mirkarimi, to override history and political will in the most recent push to block cars from the park.

This is similar to, but not identical to, the controversy in DC over closing Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park. One difference is that DC citizens never got a chance to vote on extending the hours during which Beach Drive is closed. I don't know how that vote would turn out, but it's clear that Maryland's Congressional delegation has worked hard to keep it from closing.

Still, there seems to be a movement - nation wide and even world wide - toward closing more roads to car traffic to make them available for recreational uses. I found out about this article on Rebuilding Place (Peddling car free, bike-friendly days for Baltimore) about how American cities are starting to notice the Ciclovias of Bogota, Columbia.

Bogota has continued on the environmentally progressive course he and Peñalosa set. Indeed, the long-range goal - currently the subject of legal wrangling - is to ban virtually all cars within city limits during morning and evening peak hours by 2015.

No American city (or mayor) is ready to take that radical a quality-of-life step, but officials in Boston, Cleveland and Philadelphia reportedly are contemplating Ciclovia-inspired weekend road closures. Chicago, however, may be ready to roll this fall. Mayor Richard M. Daley has signed off on a "Sunday Parkways" program that would block off three to eight miles of city streets from noon to 5 p.m.

Cantori would love to have Baltimore be the second. He thinks Druid Hill Park might make a good focal point for a mini-Ciclovia.

If successful, it would be easy to expand the route to the Inner Harbor, then to east and west Baltimore and even Towson: "I can see people coming from Washington and Philadelphia to ride in Baltimore

It would be interesting to see how shutting down cars for a day, or even a few hours, might effect the environment. Remember after 9/11, when air travel was shut down, researchers discovered that the contrails created by airplanes decreased the variations in high and low temperatures by 1.1 degrees Celsius. I wonder if such a change would be visible in Bogota.

Classic Bike Collector

I own three bikes, and Ideally I'd like a fourth (I want to try mountain biking). But, I don't have anyplace to put the bikes I have now. Getting into my house involves everyone doing the bike-dodge-mambo (step, turn sideways and suck in, slide past the handelbars of my utility bike, turn back). So when I read about retired schoolteacher Bob Swain who has over 200 bikes I was both terrified and jealous.

‘‘I started collecting a couple of bikes at a time and before I knew it I couldn’t stop,” the 60 year old said.

Swain is also the creator of the Penn State Six Pack, a bicycle which has 27 gears and holds six passengers in a linear fashion seen in the photo.

Monroe Avenue Bridge

Construction began on February 16th on the new Monroe Avenue Bridge (according to reports, I actually haven't been out there lately). The present bridge has two sharp turns, so even though it was only built in 1986, it's being replaced largely, officials claim, for safety reasons.

Officials believe that removing the curve and straightening the bridge will improve safety, allow for an expansion of nearby baseball fields and parkland, and allow easier access to the shopping center for nearby residents. The developer, Potomac Yard Development LLC, will pay for the new bridge. Some proposed changes, such as a pedestrian ramp, will be paid for by the city.

It's not without controversy. Alexandria City Council member Andrew H. Macdonald wrote an op-ed arguing that the new bridge shouldn't be built until how best to increase bus, train and Metro ridership can be determined or until there is agreement on if the forecasted reduction in traffic will be large enough to offset many of the quality-of-life concerns expressed by residents. He dedicates an entire paragraph to cycling concerns in the area

Residents east and west of the tracks want to be able to bike and walk safely between George Washington Memorial Parkway, Del Ray and the Braddock Street Metro station. But now, instead of following a fairly direct east-west route, cyclists and walkers would have to follow a serpentine course to cross the new bridge. According to a bicycle and pedestrian watchdog group, many of the new intersections that will accompany this grid of new streets would be unsafe to cross; some trails would be too narrow, and crossing times would be much longer. So it's no wonder that there is still no consensus about how best to incorporate this important community benefit into the project. Advocates of biking and walking have asked the city to hire a firm that specializes in the design of such trails to ensure that both the disabled and able-bodied can navigate easily and safely.

The potomoc yard trail, a rail trail since it runs along an abandoned line of the old Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, dead-ends just north of the site at Howell avenue. Any plans to build in this area should include a trail that continues along the rail line all the way to Braddock avenue. In addtion, a bike/ped bridge (built on the site of the old railroad trestle) should connect the trail to the W&OD railbed that still exists between Route 1 and Commonwealth Avenue.

The unfortunate thing about this bridge is that it's being built by the Potomac Yard Development Company. I would suspect that their first allegiance is to their investors so the bridge will serve Potomac Yard's interests and not the community's. Serving the community's needs is why - in theory - we have government in the first place.

The new bridge will have pedestrian walkways on both sides like the present bridge, but a little nicer.

The Potomac Yard Development site says of the park.

Potomac Yard Park will be a 24-acre linear park that will run parallel to the property between Potomac Avenue and the railroad corridor. This park will offer an ideal venue for the public to stroll along its paths or perhaps have picnics on its beautifully landscaped grounds.

The slideshow is particularly informative.

Metropolitan Branch Trail Photos

I mentioned earlier that construction on the Metropolitan Branch Trail north of the New York Avenue Metro station had begun and the other day I got out and took some photos of the construction.  In addition to work north, I noticed that asphault has been put down south of the station all the way to L St NE, where it runs behind the parking lot across from the bus station (it's possible this work was done a long time ago, but I never remember seeing it before). Eventually a staircase and/or a ramp will connect this part of the trail - at the level of the railroad tracks - with L Street about 11 feet below.

I must warn you that I'm not much of a photographer. The first photo is of the portion that was opened (and promptly closed) in December 2004.

The next shot is of the construction looking north from the New York Avenue Bridge. The green line I drew in constitutes the west edge of the trail.

The last photo is of the trail south of the station.

W&OD, Power lines and Battlefield Parkway

The W&OD trail attracts "3 million people a year--more than any such trail in the country" (though I've also heard the CCT referred to as the most popular in the country) and so it's no surprise that it excites a lot of passion. Earlier I wrote about how it was in danger of having power lines built along it - lines that would require the removal of the tree canopy. The power lines would require

82 towers, 110-feet tall, posted along an 11-mile stretch of the trail from east of Leesburg to Purceville.

The public hearings related to this began recently and

State Corporation Commission hearing officer Howard P. Anderson proposed a last-minute compromise route that would follow the Rt. 7 Bypass for much of the way. It would also use the W&OD Trail west of Leesburg, but be located far enough to the north so that trees on that side of the trail could be spared.

People who lived near either of the two alignments showed up to argue that the lines should be built away from their homes (classic NIMBY-ism). Everyone argued the lines should be buried (I agree). And

Stephen H. Axeman, chairman of the Leesburg Airport Commission, highlighted concerns about aviation safety, both at the airport itself and for pilots having to fly through a narrower envelope over the ridge west of the airport if the 120-foot towers carrying the transmission cable are erected there. Axeman, a longtime licensed pilot and operations supervisor for the Federal Aviation Authority, said there could be problems either to the south or the north. Noting past accidents, Axeman said the 120-foot towers could impact landings at the airport.

Finally,

A Virginia Department of Transportation engineer said the agency did not support using either the shoulders or median of Rt. 7 for installation of the line, as the county originally requested. VDOT is planning to widen the Bypass to ease congestion from traffic flowing west from the Dulles Greenway.

Then, the hearings were postponed until May or June when it was pointed out to Anderson that his proposed route might require the purchase and condemnation of up to 12 homes.

By seeking to preserve wooded sections of the trail, Anderson’s plan would move the power lines closer to homes in the upscale Shenstone subdivision north of the trail. Homes in the community are assessed at $1 million and up.

Leesburg2day weighed in with an editorial that included this piece

Another attorney advocating that the utility use its W&OD Trail easement told the hearing officer that virtually all bike trails have power lines along them. Listening to his comment one got the impression that power lines and recreational trails go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Exsqueeze me? Even if that were true, the BEST trails do not have power lines along them. Cyclists need our shade, we have sensitive skin.

There are also plans to build the Battlefield Parkway, which will necessitate an easement from the park authority to cross the W&OD Trail.

VDOT’s link has three distinct sections, the outer two will have a 40-foot grass median and the inner section will be side-by-side bridges with a 38-foot open-air median to allow light to reach the W&OD and Tuscarora Creek below, Folse said.

A shared-use path for pedestrians will run the length of the roadway and tie into the future Russell Branch Parkway to lead users across the future interchange at River Creek Parkway and Rt. 7, Folse said.

So it's hard to say how much it will impact the trail, and if that impact will be balanced out by the addition of the shared use trail.

Finally, while this isn't related and it's a bit far from DC, I found it researching this and found it compelling.

David Brickley, who was a delegate from 1976-98 and served as director of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation from 1998-2002, said he "acquired the rights" to the 16-mile right of way [of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail] in December from former King George Planning Commissioner Joseph Williams. He hopes to open it to the public by June.

Which is downright inspiring. One guy fighting to make a public space - with his own money. I might cry. And then in the same article you get this

But John LoBuglio, who lives near the site, said county residents "overwhelmingly" oppose the trail because of potential side effects such as crime, pollution and noise.

Those noisy, pollution toting, criminally minded trail users ruin it every time or...

The rail bed cuts through land owned by the Northern Virginia Shooting Facility, and the club's 325 members are concerned, said LoBuglio, the gun club's president.

That's awful suspicious. It seems Prince George County In 2000 agreed to delete all "rails-to-trails" references from the county's comprehensive plan. Thats's too bad. Best of luck David Brickley (pictured walking along his right-of-way.