*closed* Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards - Existing Conditions

Connect Montessori to Alcova park via a bike street for the kids

Recommendation #7. At bikeway intersections with S. Glebe Rd and S. Walter Drive insure rides can activate the signals while keeping their bikes in the street and install green thermoplast painted lanes across the roads.

Rationale: Current signal configurations treat bicyclists and 2nd class citizens to pedestrians and require rides to maneuver onto small crowded sidewalk spaces to reach the pedestrian button to activate the signals. The current setup is awkward and inconvenient to riders. Painting lanes across these major streets (as the County has done with the Bluemont trail at the Wilson Blvd and N. George Mason Dr intersection) would improve safety for riders by making the bikeway lanes much more visible to drivers.

Recommendation #4. Install BKWY sharrows (arrows with the letters BKWY below them) along the length of the bikeways and include BKWY pavement markings in the new Shared Use Paths (SUPs) being installed east of S. Wayne St. Include introductory signs at both ends of the bikeways to inform riders to look for and follow the BKWY sharrows.

Rationale: Bikeriders look down and ahead of their bikes. The bikeway directional signs that were installed are too small to read from a distance, missing along the lengths of the bikeways, and require riders to turn their heads to read them. BKWY sharrows would be more visible and useful for riders. Including metal sharrows in the SUPs would convey the quality and significance of the memorial bikeways.

Recommendation #3. Put the bikeways on the map!

Rationale: Neither Google Maps or Apple Maps acknowledge the existence of the bikeways. If you put a start origin address of the Arlington Mill Community Center or Bluemont Park on the W&OD trail with a destination of Penrose Square, neither apps present the 9th St bikeway route for the Barcroft or Alcova Heights segments. If the bikeways don’t exist in these apps, then they effectively don’t exist.

Recommendation #2. Rename the boulevards to the Columbia Pike Memorial Bikeway (BKWY) to make it a well known established bicycle link by which W&OD riders throughout the region and tourists in the corridor could reach the Air Force and Pentagon 9/11 memorial sites.

Rationale: The bikeway will allow visitors on the W&OD to reach the Air Force Memorial and the Pentagon 9/11 memorial with its future visitor center. Renaming the boulevards as the Columbia Pike Memorial Bikeway will raise its profile and open up the possibility to secure donations for key infrastructure from federal entities, major donors, and defense contractors (who financed the large bulk of the Air Force Memorial construction). The renaming would make the corridor more interesting and attractive to curious regional bicycling visitors. The memorial bikeway could also be a selling point for the two hotels in the corridor and Airbnb/VRBO hosts to encourage their guests to use Capital bikeshare to explore the memorials and restaurants along the length of the corridor.

Recommendation #1. View bike routes as not just a transportation amenity but as an economic development tool to draw outside consumers into the corridor to support small struggling businesses.

Rationale: Columbia Pike has a unique set of ethnic restaurants and grocery stores that can not be found anywhere else along the W&OD or George Washington bike trails. Raising the visibility of the bike routes could draw in customers/visitors from large communities to the west along the W&OD and from Alexandria customers south of the corridor.

Recommendation #6: Bridge the gap on the southern bikeway between S. Barton St in the Columbia Heights and neighborhood and S. Rolfe St in Arlington View with a forested path, tunnel, and prominent viewing path along the northern edge of the Army Navy Country Club. Bikeway route would use driveway off S. Barton St to rear parking lot/tennis courts of Arlington Village condominiums. Bikeway would then travel south/southwest along stream valley, requiring easements from the Barkley and Dominion Plaza apartments. The path would rise to a newly constructed biking tunnel under the Army Navy Country Club tee box on the south side of the fence from Army Navy Country Club. Path would travel along a newly acquired easement along the northern edge of the golf club and enter Arlington View neighborhood using a County easement aligned with 14th Rd S off of S. Rolfe St adjacent to the AHC Arlington View Terrace apartments. Bikeway route would continue along 14th Rd S. and then travel through the southern edge of APS’ Hoffman Boston Elementary School to link up with future connection to Army Navy Drive through the golf course road under I-395.

Rationale: Proposed bikeway route would close gaps and allow bicycling through Columbia Heights and Arlington View neighborhoods. Bikeway route would encourage more movement by neighbors through and within these neighborhoods creating more social interaction and cohesion. Bikeway route would allow children in the Columbia Heights neighborhood to bike to Hoffman-Boston school along a safe route with much of the route avoiding car traffic. Bikeway segment along the northern edge of the golf course would provide scenic southern views across the golf course and provide an added amenity to eastern half of the Columbia Heights neighborhood which lacks public parks.

Recommendation #5: Install an elevated bike/pedestrian bridge between S. Taylor St in the Barcroft neighborhood and the western terminus of S. 9th St in the Alcova Heights neighborhood.

Description: The path to the bridge would use a driveway easement that the County has off S. Taylor St providing access to the Laurel Green condominiums. The easement abuts the northwest corner of the Centro shopping plaza where the bridge sections would be cantilevered over the parking garage, supported by a concrete pillar at the west side of George Mason Drive. Bridge would then jog north to reach a pillar on County owned land in Alcova Heights park and then travel west to link up with S.9th St. County would need to acquire an aerial easement from 1 or 2 homeowners on S. Randolph St and thread the bridge along shared property line. Bridge section would be fenced so riders/visitors could not look down into homeowners yards and disturb privacy. County would identify these properties as priority open space acquisition targets for Parks & Rec.

Rationale: This bridge would span the gap in the north section of the bikeways that exists at S. George Mason Dr and serve as a mini-version of Arlington’s own High Line. This bridge would remove the current need for riders to divert north to S. 8th St and have descend into the valley created by Doctors Run Stream and the arduous peddling to climb out of the valley. With lighting in the trees and the engagement of artists this could be a wonderful drawing card and unique experience that Arlington and the Columbia Pike corridor would offer visitors.

Recommendation #5: Install an elevated bike/pedestrian bridge between S. Taylor St in the Barcroft neighborhood and the western terminus of S. 9th St in the Alcova Heights neighborhood.

Description: The path to the bridge would use a driveway easement that the County has off S. Taylor St providing access to the Laurel Green condominiums. The easement abuts the northwest corner of the Centro shopping plaza where the bridge sections would be cantilevered over the parking garage, supported by a concrete pillar at the west side of George Mason Drive. Bridge would then jog north to reach a pillar on County owned land in Alcova Heights park and then travel west to link up with S.9th St. County would need to acquire an aerial easement from 1 or 2 homeowners on S. Randolph St and thread the bridge along shared property line. Bridge section would be fenced so riders/visitors could not look down into homeowners yards and disturb privacy. County would identify these properties as priority open space acquisition targets for Parks & Rec.

Rationale: This bridge would span the gap in the north section of the bikeways that exists at S. George Mason Dr and serve as a mini-version of Arlington’s own High Line. This bridge would remove the current need for riders to divert north to S. 8th St and have descend into the valley created by Doctors Run Stream and the arduous peddling to climb out of the valley. With lighting in the trees and the engagement of artists this could be a wonderful drawing card and unique experience that Arlington and the Columbia Pike corridor would offer visitors.

There should not be any parking anywhere on Walter Reed near the pike or 9th and it needs very clear bike lanes and crossing areas. This area is so insanely dangerous – I had no idea it was actually part of an official bike pathway! The fact that there are totally empty parking lots in the commercial complex blight right on the pike (that are not allowed to be used and are actively towed), while too much street parking exists makes the streets incredibly dangerous for bikers. It’s just insane. Get rid of the street parking now. That doesn’t need a long study!

Because of parking, every single intersection in this area ends up being blind for bikers. I have almost been hit so many times on eighth and ninth streets that it’s not even funny. I’m not sure where to click on here because this problem exists all throughout this area! A bike Boulevard should be clearly marked and should have reduced parking, especially at intersections!

None of these "boulevards" matter if the car traffic isn't reduced on them. Until there are less cars on these streets, it will NEVER be safe for cyclists or pedestrians. You must find a way to get cars off these neighborhood streets.

Getting between the two bike boulevards at Penrose is particularly difficult with the disconnected street network and lack of bike infrastructure. Cyclists are basically forced onto Columbia Pike sidewalks if they want to cross the pike here. This is a major north/south barrier

Awful crossing of Glebe Rd here creating a massive barrier for cyclists on this corridor

Others have said but the sidewalk on Columbia Pike between the W&OD and Dinwiddie is insufficiently wide and far too close to traffic to safely handle two-way bike and pedestrian traffic.

Honestly this whole bike blvd is such a missed opportunity. It should have been on the Pike. Ridiculous to be honest. Every single N-S AND the Pike are just designed for car with no one else in mind. Wayfinding must be dramatically improved. With so many twists and turns, following these bike boulevard right now is a challenge. I made a mention during the first ARL Transportation event at the Library that very distinct pavement/marking to really signify what the bike blvd is and augment traditional signage.

My main concern is that traffic must be calmed. 9th Street is already starting to see enough cars that we question whether a bike boulevard is an appropriate treatment. We fear that the much-needed road crossing improvements mentioned above will also lead to increased car traffic.

Crossing Glebe at 9th St and Walter Reed at 9th are both harrowing.

Others have already said but major road crossings must be addressed. Crossing Glebe at 9th St and Walter Reed at 9th are both harrowing.

Gaps must be addressed. Right now the 12th Street Bike Boulevard disappears between Barton and Wayne St (or between Cleveland and Scott Street if you don't like to ride through private parking areas)

The hill going up 8th Street to Quincy is a huge impediment to your average cyclist. Many (myself included) will instead opt to go up the less steep climb on 7th Street. If we're trying to encourage more people to ride the Bike Blvd, it might make more sense to change this route.

The hill going up 8th Street to Quincy is a huge impediment to your average cyclist. Many (myself included) will instead opt to go up the less steep climb on 7th Street. If we're trying to encourage more people to ride the Bike Blvd, it might make more sense to change this route.

Realizing it's not on the bike boulevard, but these traffic circle interactions in this neighborhood are incredibly dangerous. They are too small to be effective traffic circles, there are inconsistent stop signs (in some directions, but not others), and no marking for pedestrians. I have almost been hit in these intersections on several occasions.

Biking (and walking) between Penrose and pentagon/pentagon city area is extremely dangerous now. Cars coming from Washington Blvd do not see pedestrians and cyclists crossing Columbia pike. They often do not stop even on red lights or stop signs and there are frequent negative interactions and conflicts . This is the only way to bike into parts of DC also from penrose

This sort of zig-zag framework is at least one of the reasons why I don't frequently bike through the 9th Street Blvd. Arlington needs to do a better job of straightening out these bike boulevards so that bicyclists aren't constantly re-routed north and south while going to their destinations.

I'd second the comment here that the bike route should be extended here in a straight line (if possible). The turn north, in addition to putting the bicyclists on a steep hill, also is confusing and irritating. It certainly makes me as a bicyclists feel like a second-class citizen.

As far as I'm concerned, the trail just ends here. There's no safe way for bicyclists to continue, the whole trail right now feels like an island without any of the actual connections that would make it useful to me.

Again, another missing link that leaves bicyclists stranded. There needs to be connectivity for this trail to be useful. Right now, the connectivity to 9th Street for bicyclists between places like Rosslyn or the Mt Vernon Trail is sorely lacking.

This route needs to be connected. This is a massive gap between Pentagon City (or DC more broadly) and the rest of Arlington. It isn't safe, it isn't convenient, and it makes this bike trail largely unusable to many more cautious cyclists.

Another very uncomfortable crossing that can use improvement.

Very uncomfortable crossing here. Please improve.