East Eisenhower Plan Bike comments

[Bruce&Linda Dwyer]

Judy,
You asked for specifics comments from the Bike Committee regarding the East Eisenhower plan.   We applaud the city's recognition of bicycles and pedestrians as effective modes of transportation in the East Eisenhower area.  In general, it appears that Bike Committee comments were somewhat misrepresented and many of our specific recommendations were not addressed except in the most broad sense, i.e."The plan also calls for linkages to other bicycle paths in the region..."  I confess to not having reviewed the entire plan in depth and have only looked at the sections you provided me, so I may be overlooking some detail. In addition to reiterating all of the comments from our earlier communications, the following are specific comments on the following sections of the plan.
Page 5-14 Transportation Section.
1. "Following consultations with the biking community, it was decided that dedicated bicycle lanes would not be incorporated into the streets; rather the "commuter" cyclists will move with the autos within normal travel lanes."  To the contrary, see bolded  below:  we recommended bike lanes (or minimally a 14 foot curb lane) on Mill Road and Holland Lane as primary commuter bike routes. Further, we recommended a 14 foot curb lane (Vs the 11 shown in the plan) for Eisenhower since it will have high volume traffic moving at a relatively high speed.  The text in the plan may have been what was decided, but the implication of the text is that the biking community made these recommendations, which is not the case. TES has already fallen through on a commitment to mark a wide curb lane on the recently reconfigured Mill Road, so you can see that we are very skeptical about the city's will to carry through on making bicycle and pedestrian friendly accommodations.
2.  We agree to the concept of a short path component of the sidewalk design and provide a rendering of such a design in the New York Ave. area of DC.  Again, we have concerns that a good path design will not be given sufficient consideration.
3.  The map on page 5-15 has the routing incorrect.  The bike route to the north should be on Mill Road.
4.  Of the other eight other recommendations we made (see italicized text below), only one appears to have been addressed. 
I would be glad to discuss this with you or others to clarify any questions.
Thanks
Bruce Dwyer
Chair, Alexandria Bicycle Committee
703-549-3263
ouibike at att.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bruce&Linda Dwyer 
To: BSC 
Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2002 5:27 PM
Subject: East Eisenhower Bicycle Routes 


Last night, six members of the Bicycle Committee meet with city staff (Recreation, Transportation, Planning), a representative of the Planning Commission, and the architects working on the new design for the eastern end of Eisenhower Valley.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how best to get bicyclists to and through the area.
Bruce presented the recommendations of Bike Committee as contained in the 1998 Bicycle Transportation Master Plan as updated in the  2000 TEA-21 grant application.  Our thinking at the time was that Eisenhower Avenue would be extensively used by vehicles and pedestrians at peak times making it difficult for bicycle use.  Our concept was to have two alternative routes that would minimize the number of curb cuts and cross streets.
1.  An on-road route, preferable as a marked bike lane and minimally with a 14 foot wide curb lane on Mill Road from Eisenhower to Jamieson. The route would continue on the existing single lane in each direction on Jamieson across Holland Lane to connect to the existing multi-use path.  This route is the most direct route to get to Old Town to the east and to Commonwealth Avenue to the north and would be used primarily by commuters.
2. An off-road route on a multi-use path to the south of Eisenhower Avenue to border along the beltway to Hooffs Run and/or to connect to a multi-use path in the Mill Race stream that runs from Mill Road to Hooffs Run.  This route would be used primary by recreational and novice cyclists. Unknowns here include the location of the exit from the beltway to Eisenhower Valley, the security requirement for the public safety building, and the possible routes around the newly constructed sewage treatment facility.

The architects presented a concept for keeping the bike route in the Eisenhower Avenue corridor.  The concept would have a six foot bike lane included in the 16 foot "sidewalk" area to be one-way for cyclists on either side of the street.  This design is a concept used in several European cities.  Factors included in this proposal are the requirement for fire vehicles, the overall width of the "streetscape" and number of vehicle lanes, and the desire to bring cyclists to the heart of Eisenhower "downtown". 

The primary concern of bicycle committee members was the safety of cyclists and pedestrians with a bicycle facility unconventional in this country.  The AASHTO guidelines for bicycle facilities strongly recommends against bicycles being on sidewalks, which is effectively what this design would create. (Prior to the meeting this proposed design was discussed with Charlie Denney, the Arlington Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator, who discouraged its use.)  The bike committee did agree that it would be good for cyclists to have access to the retail on Eisenhower Avenue, and the access would not be difficult by connection along side streets from the southern path.  Given the constraints, bicycle committee members felt that  the best solution for Eisenhower Avenue is a 14 foot wide curb lane to accommodate the experienced cyclist.  A dedicated bike lane is not possible because the extra width it would add to the street surface and because of the possibility of variable parking hours. This is somewhat complicated because the decision on parking on Eisenhower has not been made.  The committee agreed with the architect that parking is highly desirable to create a more urban environment and parking contributes to traffic calming which makes for a safer cycling situation.
The committee further recommends that all bicycle facility design in the area be done in conformance with AASHTO guidelines to the maximum extent practical.  Consultations with professional bicycle  facility designers would be appropriate. 

Other details/recommendations that would need to be considered and worked out include:
1.  Widening the sidepath on the south side of the bridge carrying Eisenhower Avenue over Telegraph Road.
2.  How best to have these proposed bike route connect with a reconfigured Mill Road intersection with Eisenhower west of Telegraph Road.
3.  Tying the proposed routes into the Wilson Bridge Project redesign of the Telegraph Road Interchange (multi-use sidepath on flyover to Stovall Street.
4. Constructing a bridge across Hooffs Run if a bike route around either the southern or northern side of the sewage treatment plant is feasible.(Postscript, a path on the southern boundary of the Sanitation Plan is feasible and included in the Wilson Bridge Project funding.)
5. Putting in a multi-use path on the west side of Hooffs Run from the mill race to Eisenhower Ave, which also would bring walkers and runners using the Mill Race path back to Eisenhower.
6.  Looking at a bike lane or wide curb lane on Holland Lane from Eisenhower Circle to Jamieson or Duke.
7. Selecting the best route and making minor improvements and clear signage for connecting Jamieson to Commonwealth Avenue, a primary bike route to Arlington and DC.  For example, bicycle use of the proposed tunnel under Duke to connect to the King St. Metro station
8. Improve the bicycle pedestrian access between Duke Street and the Valley at Telegraph Road.  The only access now is through an isolated tunnel or using the traffic ramps.

The meeting concluded with thanks all around.  The architect was most appreciative for the insight of the bicycling community.  The bicycle committee welcomed the opportunity to be in on  early design considerations.  The Planning Commission representative expressed his appreciation for all the thought that has gone into  bicycle considerations and reminded us to be sure to show up at the public hearings when they are scheduled.

Bruce Dwyer
Chair, Alexandria Bicycle Committee
703-549-3263
ouibike at att.net
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