Bike Route Update Recommnedations

[Bruce&Linda Dwyer]

Here are the result of the discussion on bike routes from the last Bike Committee meeting.  Please post any comments on the BSC list.

Alexandria Bike Map Update, Recommendations of the Bicycle Study Committee, February 2004 

Following is documentation of recommended changes to Alexandria’s current bike routes. (Planned routes requiring construction are not addressed.) The Bike Committee reviewed routes in May 2003 for an update of the Washington Metro Bike Map put out by ADC. The committee did another review in February 2004 to be prepared for a final review of the draft ADC Metro area map and to assist the city in updating its bike map. Planned routes requiring construction were updated for the open space plan in November 2001 based on the 1998 City Bike Plan. An update of the Bike Plan should be scheduled and put on a separate map for planning purposes only.

The following list describes the deletions and additions to bike routes on the existing map. All proposed routes requiring construction should be deleted from the map since it is confusing to the public bicyclist. With a few of the recommendations, minor improvements are suggested, but not necessary for the route to be used. It is recommended that on proposed and existing routes, consideration be given to adding striped bike lanes where the road width permits. We strongly recommend that such study include making travel lanes 10 feet as a proven effective traffic calming measure and to gain additional width for bike lanes. All work should rely on bicycle and pedestrian facility design guidelines from the American Association of State Highway Traffic Officials (AASHTO), the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. With GIS, an overlay of proposed routes can be maintained for planning purposes only. Out of city connecting routes on the Alexandria map need to be updated based on the final ADC Map.

1. Add the temporary Mt Vernon Trail alignment at Hunting Towers. This path will be in use for several years and may become a permanent alignment. Delete the planned South Street route until it is completed with the Wilson Bridge construction.

2. Delete the current Pitt Street route and replace it with a route on Royal Street. Royal Street is very similar in characteristics to Pitt Street and provides a direct route between the Mt Vernon Trail at the Wilson Bridge all the way to the power plant path on the north end of town passing Market Square along the way. Cyclists generally use Royal Street as the preferred route.

3. Add Slaters Lane between Potomac Greens Drive and the Route 1 Monroe Street Bridge. (Route from Mt. Vernon Parkway on Slaters Lane previously stopped at Potomac Greens Drive, an oversight in 1998 Plan.) The route needs to go on the sidewalk at Bernard Street so cyclists can cross Rt. 1 at the signalized crosswalk to reach the Monroe Bridge sidepath and Rt. 1 Henry Street sidewalk (to get to Fayette Street.)

4. Add Rt. 1 Henry Street west sidewalk between Monroe Street Bridge and Fayette. This is a wide sidewalk suitable for mixed use for this short distance. Safety improvements are needed for pedestrians and cyclists where the sidewalk crosses the on-ramp from Slaters Lane.

5. Add Fayette Street between Rt. 1 and Pendleton Street to provide a route into upper Old Town from Slaters Lane and Del Ray.

6. Add the Monroe Street sidewalk from the bridge to Leslie Avenue South and as an on-street route on Monroe Street between the Leslie Avenue and Mt. Vernon Avenue. Items 3-6 need to be coordinated with the Monroe Street Bridge redesign.

7. Add Leslie Avenue between Windsor Avenue and Monroe to provide a connection between Potomac Yards to Monroe Street Bridge, passing the YMCA and retail on Monroe.

8. Add Howell between Leslie and Jeff Davis Highway (see 6 above)

9. Add Windsor between Leslie and Braddock Road to provide a direct east-west route between Del Ray/Potomac Yards and Braddock Road. Windsor has the lowest grade of all streets going up to Braddock Road.

10. Add Mt Vernon Avenue between Braddock Road and Commonwealth as a direct route between these heavily bike-traveled routes on a street with many services.

11. Add Old Dominion Drive from Allison Street across Glebe (light sensors need to be adjusted to detect bicycles) to Four Mile Run Road to cross Mt Vernon Avenue to unnamed path the 7-11 Store. North of Glebe the route goes on Old Dominion one-way northbound and on Notabene Drive one-way southbound. This is a popular commuting route to get between west and south and the northeast and the Mt Vernon Trail into DC.

12. Add Tennessee Avenue between Valley and Old Dominion as an alternative to avoiding the difficult Glebe Road/Glebe Road intersection. 

13. Add Gunston Road between Martha Custis and Valley to make a more direct route from Shirlington through Parkfairfax and onto Braddock Road.

14. Add Daingerfield between Prince and Duke so that cyclists can connect to the new path along Hooffs Run between Duke and Jamieson. Crosswalk improvements and curb cuts are needed.

15. Add King Street between Daingerfield/Commonwealth and Kenwood. This is a route recommended with improvements in the Northern Virginia (NOVA) Bikeway and Trail Network Study. This route is heavily used by cyclists and pedestrians as the primary direct route between the King Street Metro Station/Old Town and the west center of the city.

18. Delete route through the Masonic Temple Grounds. Road has been closed since 9/11/2001. Cyclists and pedestrians can still use a small gate, but it is subject to closure. 

17. Add Walnut between Commonwealth and King and Upland between King and Hilltop Terrace as a direct route between Duke Street area and Commonwealth Avenue and Del Ray and to replace the Masonic Temple route.

18. Shift route from Skyhill to Taylor Run as a more direct route avoiding a hill.

19. Add Osage Street between Kenwood and Quaker Lane and Quaker Lane between Osage and 36th Street as a route to Arlington.

20. Add Early Street and Menokin Drive and King Street service drive between Braddock Road and Dearing Street for access to Arlington across King Street onto Wakefield Street

21. Add Janneys Lane and Seminary Road between King Street and Seminary Forest near Pickett. This is a major east west route for cyclists as confirmed by the NOVA Bikeway Study. 

22. Add Pickett Street and Pegram Street between Richenbacker Avenue and Seminary Road and the old Seminary Road, Pickett St, old Van Dorn St., and Ivor Lane through Seminary Forest as an alternative to Van Dorn which has become too dangerous for cyclists until improvements have been made as called for the Alexandria Bike Plan. 

23. Add Jordan Street between Homes Run Parkway and Howard Street as a direct route between Duke Street area and Braddock Road Route.

24. Delete Howard Street between Taney Avenue and Raleigh Avenue and Raleigh Avenue between Howard and its dead end to the west until a trail is completed through Raleigh Park.

25. Delete Wheeler Avenue from Gordon Street to its dead end to the west since a potential connection to the park at this location has been eliminated in favor of using the Tarleton Path based on discussions with the neighborhood.

26. Add the Tarleton Path as the preferred route through this area. A 100-yard section of the path through the park needs to be completed.


27. Add Beauregard between Morgan and Sanger to provide an alternative to the Holmes Run Trail under

I-395 which is subject to frequent flooding.

28. Delete Chambliss Street between Morgan Street and its dead end at Holmes Run Park until Fairfax County and/or Alexandria planned trail improvements are made.

29. Add Edsall between Pickett and Van Dorn as a route in a high-density area.

30. The Bike Plan calls for improvements on the entire length of Van Dorn for bicyclists and pedestrians. Improvements have been made between Pickett Street and Edsall Road. This section can now be designated as an on-street route. For the section between Pickett and Eisenhower, add Van Dorn sidewalk as an off-street route now since this section is critical to provide non-motorized access to the Van Dorn Metro Station. Priority should be place on making improvements. Improvements on most of Van Dorn are not expected in the near future, so it should be deleted as a bike route. 

31. Delete Mill Road between Jamieson and the proposed off-street Mill Race path pending development in accord with the East Eisenhower Plan.

32. In the area of the new Duke Street concourse and we recommend that it is appropriate to address bicycles in the pedestrian and vehicular traffic movements in the area. The new Duke St. Tunnel is planned for pedestrians only because it is too narrow to accommodate mounted bicyclists. This is similar to the tunnel connecting the Pentagon with the parking lot south of I-395. To facilitate bicycle movement in the area, the Bike Committee asks for two accommodations: 

  a.. Allow bicyclists to walk their bikes through the tunnel and place signs that read "Walk Your Bike" 
  b.. Alter the bike routes in this area to allow cyclists to cross Duke at the intersection with Dulany (on the south) and Diagonal (on the north). It is recommend that the bike route from Jamieson to Commonwealth go on Dulany, Diagonal, and Daingerfield to make a more direct route and provide easier and safer access to Metro. Vehicle traffic other than busses is currently prohibited from entering Diagonal northbound from the south. We recommend that the "Do not Enter except buses" sign at Duke be modified to add "except bicycles". On Diagonal southbound, all vehicles are directed to turn right. We recommend signage to permit bicycles to cross Duke onto Dulany. Signage to allow bicycle traffic movements differing from vehicular traffic is a common practice in jurisdictions that support bicycles in their transportation network. If this recommendation is accepted, the bike routing in this area could be simplified to be more direct and much safer by eliminating current routing on Reinekers Lane.