GW Parkway Bridge Widening

I guess I haven't been on the GW Parkway or the Mt. Vernon trail for a while, because I haven't noticed the construction going on there just north of the airport. Officially the project includes

Bridge widening and deck replacement for GWMP bridge over North Access Ramp to Reagan National Airport. The bridge widening is to provide trail access over the bridge, separated from traffic. Currently, the trail crosses the bridge along the shoulder. Only 4-inch high mountable curb separate pedestrians and traffic. Work will also include painting of steel members and repair to bridge lighting underneath.

Work began Sept. 22 and should be completed by the end of this year.

Neither the trail through the airport nor the connection to Crystal City is supposed to be affected. Perhaps the separated bridge and trail will mean that cyclists won't feel they have to bike on the Parkway.

This past weekend I nearly ran into a bycyclist[sic] who was riding his bike on the GW Parkway. I know the Mt. Vernon trail gets a bit crowded on weekends, but riding your bike on the parkway can't possibly be legal can it?

Dr. Gridlock flubbed the answer, but someone corrected him

From byways.org, website of the National Scenic Byways Program (part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration) re the GW Parkway: "Non-motorized vehicles such as bicycles are prohibited from the roadway."

Addendum: Based on comments on this post, I'm no longer sure that bikes are prohibited from the GW Parkway, and suspect they're allowed. Use your own judgement.

Bike are also prohibited from the interstates, in case you were confused.

Then there's this letter and response from the Examiner.

A few friends and I regularly make weekday exercise runs between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the multiuse Mount Vernon Trail along the Potomac between Rosslyn and National Airport. With the arrival of warmer weather, we are experiencing the return of a recurring problem: unsafe bike riders. I’m not talking about the occasional individual out for a fun riding excursion, but rather the serious, well-equipped riders who use the trails as if they were the only ones there. Many cruise along at excessive or unsafe speeds, fail to announce their passing, and refuse to obey signs that require they dismount and walk through narrow underpasses or across roadways. On more than a few occasions, we have been nearly run over when moving through the narrow pathway under the Memorial Bridge.

Steve Elkridge:

Look, I know that a crash with a 3,000-pound vehicle is more likely to be fatal than one involving a jogger and a bike, but the point is the same: Show some respect for those with whom you share the road (or the trail) and obey the posted rules.

My main issue with this article was the inane title "Do unsafe bike riders pose a danger on the roads?" Of course. As 'unsafe' bike riders, they're dangerous by definition. And the article doesn't deal with bikes on the road, but on a trail. As for the letter itself, people should announce their passing (though on a busy trail it really stinks) and bike safely around pedestrians, but I repeatedly ignore "dismount and walk" signs. Some trail designers are overzealous in their use of these. If a narrow area is crowded, I'll do it. But if no one else is coming the other way, I just bike through slowly. And I almost never do it to cross a street. A better question is "Can you disobey "dismount and walk" signs and still be a safe bike rider?"