Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Mason District Repaving and Restriping Meeting Set
FABB encourages its Mason District members and other interested residents to take advantage of this opportunity to speak up in support of the proposals. Your ideas are valuable to the VDOT and FCDOT planners for future restriping opportunities. If unable to attend, you can still provide comments through April 2, 2018 at the FCDOT website here.
Labels: FCDOT, gallows road, mason district, vdot
Friday, August 8, 2014
VDOT to reduce wait times at W&OD Trail/Gallows Rd intersection
This weekend VDOT plans to change the timing of the traffic signal that controls the W&OD Trail crossing of Gallows Road. Cyclists have complained for years about the long wait times at this signal. VDOT is responding to those complaints and will reduce the cycle by half, from 150 seconds (2.5 minutes) to 75 seconds (1.25 minutes). Trail users must press the pedestrian signal button to ensure the signal changes. Thanks VDOT!
See the note below from Randy Dittberner of VDOT about the effort:
VDOT studied this crossing recently to investigate possible improvements that could be implemented when the signal equipment at the crossing is replaced. One of the study’s suggestions was to improve the signal timing, which can cause long waits for trail users.
This suggestion does not require new signal equipment. As such, tomorrow (August 9), VDOT plans to try using a shorter signal cycle length during the midday on weekends. Previously the signal operated with a cycle length (time between successive WALK indications) of 150 seconds during the weekend midday period. Starting tomorrow the cycle length will be shortened to 75 seconds. The trail signal is the only one we are adjusting. Other signals along the Gallows corridor will continue to operate with a 150-second cycle.
Not all trail users wait for the full cycle length to cross, because they arrive randomly during the course of the signal cycle. Previously the average trail user wait time was 69 seconds, and with tomorrow’s change the average wait time will drop to 33 seconds.
We are starting implementation during the midday weekend period because trail use is heavy at this time and our review shows that traffic on Gallows will operate well (although perhaps not quite as well as before) with the shorter cycle length. The midday weekend period is in effect from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. In the hours before and after these times, the signal operates with a cycle length shorter than 150 seconds.
Our intention is to observe traffic and trail user conditions during the midday weekend before making a decision about whether to extend this same treatment to other times during the week. Feel free to let us know if you hear feedback or comments about this change. Also note that if we observe any unforeseen problems we may revert back to the original timing on short notice.
This suggestion does not require new signal equipment. As such, tomorrow (August 9), VDOT plans to try using a shorter signal cycle length during the midday on weekends. Previously the signal operated with a cycle length (time between successive WALK indications) of 150 seconds during the weekend midday period. Starting tomorrow the cycle length will be shortened to 75 seconds. The trail signal is the only one we are adjusting. Other signals along the Gallows corridor will continue to operate with a 150-second cycle.
Not all trail users wait for the full cycle length to cross, because they arrive randomly during the course of the signal cycle. Previously the average trail user wait time was 69 seconds, and with tomorrow’s change the average wait time will drop to 33 seconds.
We are starting implementation during the midday weekend period because trail use is heavy at this time and our review shows that traffic on Gallows will operate well (although perhaps not quite as well as before) with the shorter cycle length. The midday weekend period is in effect from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. In the hours before and after these times, the signal operates with a cycle length shorter than 150 seconds.
Our intention is to observe traffic and trail user conditions during the midday weekend before making a decision about whether to extend this same treatment to other times during the week. Feel free to let us know if you hear feedback or comments about this change. Also note that if we observe any unforeseen problems we may revert back to the original timing on short notice.
Labels: gallows road, vdot, W and OD Trail
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
No harm, no foul
The day of our last FABB meeting one of our members, John, was riding on Gallows Rd headed north near Annandale Rd where he was struck by a motorist's vehicle. Below is John's account of the incident, including his attempt to report it to Fairfax Co Police. Because John was not severely injured and his bike wasn't damaged, police said there was nothing they could do, even though John had a description of the vehicle and the driver.Had John wanted to press charges he could have requested that a report be written, then traveled to the Magistrate's office to seek a summons. If the summons was issued, the motorist could receive a ticket. See our summary of this process in an earlier blog posting. In this case the motorist did not pass at least two feet to the left of the bicyclist and met at least one definition of an aggressive driver (passing when overtaking a vehicle).
John does not think the motorist intentionally struck him but from reading his account, you could draw a different conclusion. He and I agree that there should be a way for cyclists to report aggressive drivers without having to go through the gyrations of physically going to the Fairfax courthouse and filing a complaint with the magistrate's office. If we can report a litter we should be able to report an aggressive driver.
Here's John's account:
In Annandale, four lane 35-mph residential artery Gallows Road is not the best place to ride a bicycle because drivers want to drive much faster. By virtue of the street design, however, there are few viable alternatives for bicycle riding from Annandale to Merrifield, and, since I was headed from Annandale across the beltway to INOVA Fairfax, that is where I chose to ride my bicycle, taking the lane, since the lanes are rather narrow.
Not that it should matter what I was wearing, but as someone who does not want to be involved in a crash, I was wearing a helmet, a bright reflective construction zone vest with neon green and orange, and neon green reflective bands around my ankles and wrists. My bicycle had a steady front light and steady red rear light on (thanks to a dynamo hub). During rush hours, night, or high-traffic times, I will also turn on a rear red blinky light on my helmet. At night I will also turn on a white strobe on my helmet.
About 2pm I was headed northwest on Gallows Road on 15 May in beautiful weather. I stopped for a yellow light at the intersection with Annandale Road. Some vehicles pulled alongside me and behind me. When the light turned green I proceeded across. After about 100 feet or so, the driver of a silver van behind me honked. I turned and waved at him. He gestured at me to get on the sidewalk.
As a side note, there is a sidewalk for one short block, but the next block the sidewalk is overgrown and in disrepair. A few seconds later as I continued in the center of the right lane, I felt what seemed like a roundhouse kick underneath my left arm and saw the silver van inches away to my left. With a loud pop, the van’s passenger side mirror had buckled inward (thank goodness) from the impact with my arm, immediately above my elbow.
Not that it should matter what I was wearing, but as someone who does not want to be involved in a crash, I was wearing a helmet, a bright reflective construction zone vest with neon green and orange, and neon green reflective bands around my ankles and wrists. My bicycle had a steady front light and steady red rear light on (thanks to a dynamo hub). During rush hours, night, or high-traffic times, I will also turn on a rear red blinky light on my helmet. At night I will also turn on a white strobe on my helmet.
About 2pm I was headed northwest on Gallows Road on 15 May in beautiful weather. I stopped for a yellow light at the intersection with Annandale Road. Some vehicles pulled alongside me and behind me. When the light turned green I proceeded across. After about 100 feet or so, the driver of a silver van behind me honked. I turned and waved at him. He gestured at me to get on the sidewalk.
As a side note, there is a sidewalk for one short block, but the next block the sidewalk is overgrown and in disrepair. A few seconds later as I continued in the center of the right lane, I felt what seemed like a roundhouse kick underneath my left arm and saw the silver van inches away to my left. With a loud pop, the van’s passenger side mirror had buckled inward (thank goodness) from the impact with my arm, immediately above my elbow.
I yelled at the driver to stop, which he did immediately. Extremely fortunate for me I stayed upright on the bicycle since no part of the van hit my bicycle, the speed differential was not very large, probably no more than 10 miles an hour, and the collapsing side mirror reduced the severity of the blow.
Now, some may think this was an intentional assault, since he clearly saw me when he honked at me. However, after our short discussion, I do not think that was the case. With surprise I was looking into my father’s eyes. Well, since my father has been gone a decade, the eyes conveyed the same impression of sheepishness and defiance as were in my 80-something year old father’s eyes when my mother described a slow speed but expensive accident he had had in backing into a parking space. I interpreted the look as “yes, I screwed up, maybe I’m getting too old to drive, but don’t make me give up my mobility.”
The driver was an older man driving a van with handicapped plates, and said he was just trying to pass with traffic. In disbelief, I said I had never been hit by a car in over a decade of bicycle commuting. He admitted he did not know that bicycle riders had the legal right to the road or that he had to pass with at least two feet clearance. After a minute or so of discussion, I decided my arm was not hurt and that this driver had just made a major error in judgment. I popped his side mirror back into its place and we both moved along.
Subsequently, I wondered if this should be reported, since I may have been too sympathetic and if this driver had a record of bad driving, then maybe something should be additionally documented in his files. I went to the Mason District police station, told the story to the dispatcher, and was told, essentially, “no harm, no foul.” She said since this was an “accident” with no property damage or injury, it was not reportable. Even if a policeman had shown up on scene, she said the patrolman would have given the same answer. So the police records will show nothing about this little incident.
Anyway, my arm may not have been hurt, but this episode certainly injured my expectation that drivers are reasonably competent in being able to change lanes.
Now, some may think this was an intentional assault, since he clearly saw me when he honked at me. However, after our short discussion, I do not think that was the case. With surprise I was looking into my father’s eyes. Well, since my father has been gone a decade, the eyes conveyed the same impression of sheepishness and defiance as were in my 80-something year old father’s eyes when my mother described a slow speed but expensive accident he had had in backing into a parking space. I interpreted the look as “yes, I screwed up, maybe I’m getting too old to drive, but don’t make me give up my mobility.”
The driver was an older man driving a van with handicapped plates, and said he was just trying to pass with traffic. In disbelief, I said I had never been hit by a car in over a decade of bicycle commuting. He admitted he did not know that bicycle riders had the legal right to the road or that he had to pass with at least two feet clearance. After a minute or so of discussion, I decided my arm was not hurt and that this driver had just made a major error in judgment. I popped his side mirror back into its place and we both moved along.
Subsequently, I wondered if this should be reported, since I may have been too sympathetic and if this driver had a record of bad driving, then maybe something should be additionally documented in his files. I went to the Mason District police station, told the story to the dispatcher, and was told, essentially, “no harm, no foul.” She said since this was an “accident” with no property damage or injury, it was not reportable. Even if a policeman had shown up on scene, she said the patrolman would have given the same answer. So the police records will show nothing about this little incident.
Anyway, my arm may not have been hurt, but this episode certainly injured my expectation that drivers are reasonably competent in being able to change lanes.
Labels: aggressive driver, annandale road, gallows road, inova, magistrate
Monday, October 8, 2012
"Walkable" Mosaic District not so bike-friendly
We've been hearing about the new Mosaic District development in Merrifield that is supposed to be transforming that area into a walkable community. See the Post article "Development transforming Merrifield into more walkable community." Only the first phase is complete, or nearing complete, so we'll hold off judgement about how walkable and bikeable the development is, but we did see what's in store for cyclists who want to ride to that area and it isn't pretty. |
| 5-foot sidewalk on Lee Hwy at Gallows Rd |
When this area was being planned several years ago there were suggestions from cyclists for bike lanes on Lee Highway. I can remember now-Planning Commissioner Earl Flanagan saying to me some time afterwards that those pesky bicyclists wanted too much and they didn't get bike lanes. We'll we didn't get a paved trail either. It looks like we're stuck with a narrow sidewalk on one side and a slightly less narrow sidewalk on the other side. All the more reason to make one of the travel lanes a bike lane by taking it when riding there; but only for the more experienced riders. Shouldn't we be encouraging more people to travel by bike to places like this?
It's depressing to see what has happened in this area. To say this area in general is a walkable place is delusional. Pedestrians will take their lives in their hands trying to cross Lee Highway and Gallows Road. As you can see in the top photo, the right turn lane was designed for maximum speed for motorists and maximum danger for pedestrians. Conditions in the interior of the development should be much better for non-motorists, but they will likely need to drive to get there.
The only consolation is that these roads were planned many years ago. It seems that the county and VDOT do not have the flexibility to modify auto-dominated road plans in what should be walkable places. The roads can be re-engineered, but it's sad that they were built this way in the first place.
As a side note, when browsing the Mosaic District site we noticed that Fresh Bikes now has a shop located there. Maybe they can help make this location more bike-friendly.
Labels: fresh bikes, gallows road, lee highway, merrifield, mosaic district
Friday, July 20, 2012
SAIC Transportation Fair
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| Handing out literature at SAIC Trans. Fair |
We talked to several people who live very close to Tysons. They all said they would ride to work if they could do so safely. I had a copy of the latest version of the Fairfax County Bicycle Route map that is being delivered to the county this week, showing people the many bike-friendly routes leading to Tysons. The worst part of the ride for most people is along Gosnell Road and Westpark Road. During rush hour the streets are packed with commuters and even the most experienced cyclists are challenged by the conditions. We need to make these critical connecting routes more bike-friendly.
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| New trail that ends near service road |
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| Northbound bike lane on Gallows Rd closed |
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| Backing out of the W&OD Trail |
The bike lanes are a vast improvement over previous conditions. When traffic is congested cyclists can easily ride to head of the line at traffic lights. The lanes are about 4 feet wide with a 2 foot gutter pan. Even so we'd like them to be 5 feet wide but they work pretty well as is.
Finally, we eventually made our way back to the W&OD Trail where we took the photo of a motorist who had turned right onto the W&OD Trail thinking it was either a road or an entrance to the adjacent Whole Foods store. People do some crazy things out there so beware. That's the second car we've seen on the W&OD Trail in that area, but we would definitely not want bollards placed at the entrances which are a hazard to cyclists, especially at night. Maybe better signage is needed.
Labels: bicycle route map, gallows road, saic, Tysons
Sunday, June 3, 2012
New bike lanes on Gallows Road
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| Bike lanes on Gallows Road north of the W&OD Trail |
It was disappointing to see that the bike lanes end before Old Courthouse Road. Ideally they should be extended beyond Route 7 into the heart of Tysons but that wasn't part of the project. However, we had understood that the lanes would reach Old Courthouse Road so we'll check with the county to find out if there are plans in the near future to extend the lanes.
The speed limit on Gallows is 35 mph but motorists appeared to be driving much faster when we were there this morning. The bike lanes appear to be 4 feet wide not including the gutter pan. We'd prefer they were 5 feet wide given the high speeds on the road. One huge advantage of the bike lanes is that during rush hour, when traffic is backed up, cyclists can easily pass stopped traffic in the bike lanes.
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| Bike lanes end before Old Courthouse Rd in the distance |
In fact, the lanes on Old Courthouse Road are very wide and there is a wide center turn lane. It would be very easy and relatively inexpensive to restripe the road to add bike lanes, at least from Gallows Rd to Route 123.
Labels: bike lanes, gallows road, Tysons
Friday, August 12, 2011
Braddock Rd and Gallows Rd bridges over Beltway to open today
According to the Virginia Megaprojects site, both the Braddock Rd and Gallows Rd bridges over the Beltway will open today. The Braddock Rd bridge will have two 10 foot sidepaths and the Gallows Rd bridge should have a 10 foot sidepath, a 5 foot sidewalk, and 5 foot shoulders. Not sure if these will be open or not. If you know, please comment below.See our HOT lanes summary page from a while back for links to cross sections of most of the bridges. The images are from photos we took at a public hearing and are not very good quality, but you can mostly tell what is proposed.
See the Megaprojects news releases about the bridge openings.
Labels: braddock road, gallows road, hot lanes
Monday, July 25, 2011
VDOT meeting on Gallows Rd/Route 29 construction
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| VDOT rendering of the project |
After three years of major utility relocation and right of way acquisition, the Virginia Department of Transportation begins construction on the $110 million project to improve the congested Route 29 and Gallows Road intersection in Merrifield.Improvements to the intersection will increase safety, reduce congestion and enhance bicycle and pedestrian access, and include:
- Widening Route 29 from two to three through lanes in each direction between Merrilee Drive and I-495 (about 0.6 miles)
- Widening Gallows Road from two to three through lanes in each direction between Gatehouse Road and Prosperity Avenue (about 0.8 miles)
- On Route 29, a six-foot sidewalk on the westbound side and 5-foot sidewalk on the eastbound side
- On Gallows Road, a 10-foot asphalt shared-use path on the west side, and six-foot sidewalk on the east side
- Dual left-turn lanes on Route 29 at Gallows Road
- Landscaped medians on both approaches
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| Co Trails Plan |
Gallows Road is a major north-south connector for all modes of transportation, and a 10 foot shared-use path isn't sufficient to serve the pedestrian and bike traffic expected in this area. The 5 and 6 foot sidewalks along Route 29 are even worse. Given the late stage of this project, it's not very likely these plans will change. We plan to attend the meeting on Wednesday.
Update July 26—We've learned that wide outside lanes are included on Gallows Road. Bike lanes were proposed but they are not included in the final configuration. Wide outside or "wide curb" lanes work well for many cyclists although most people who are reluctant to ride in traffic would much prefer striped bike lanes. Bike lanes are currently striped on Gallows from the W&OD Trail to the bridge over I-66 just north of Dunn Loring Metro. Later this year bike lanes will be striped from the W&OD Trail north to Tysons.
Labels: gallows road, merrifield, route 29
Friday, August 14, 2009
Gallows Road bike lanes almost completed
August is turning out to be bike lane month in Fairfax County. Not only was Lawyers Road recently repaved and restriped with bike lanes, but Gallows Road now has wide curb lanes with bike lanes soon to be striped, for a short stretch from Cottage St to the W&OD Trail. Because of width limitations, from the Trail to Idylwood Rd there will be a wide curb lane.You can just make out the old lane strip in the photo. The bike lanes have not yet been striped nor are there bicycle symbols, but the wide curb lane is already a vast improvement over the former road profile. The second phase, from Idylwood Rd to Old Courthouse Rd is not scheduled for another year or so. More work is required to make room for the bike lanes and so the process is much longer. Read more about the Gallows Rd project.
It's surprising that the bike lanes couldn't be extended almost to Idylwood. The center "turn lane" from the Trail to Idylwood is an unused lane. There are no places to turn in either direction and the lane is not needed. There's plenty of asphalt for creating a bike lane there. The second photo is looking from Idylwood toward the Trail. As an aside, that utility cover looks a bit intimidating and we hope it is filled in. It's located right where a cyclist would be riding in the wide curb lane. I wouldn't want to hit it at night on a bike.Labels: bike lanes, gallows road
Friday, April 17, 2009
Gallows and Lawyers Road bike lane meetings
Two bike lane-related meetings were held this week. VDOT will be repaving Gallows Road from the Dunn Loring Metro station north to Old Courthouse Road in Tysons. Fairfax County has requested that bike lanes be added when the road is restriped. Money has been available for many years.The Gallows Road meeting on Tuesday was a chance for the community to hear about the proposal, see the plans, and comment on the project. About 25 people attended the meeting hosted by Supervisor Smyth, who introduced the VDOT and Fairfax County DOT team who presented the plans. The first phase of the project will consist of bike lanes from just north of the I-66 bridge to Idylwood Drive. There will be a short section of wide curb lanes between the W&OD Trail and Idylwood. Construction is expected to occur this summer.
The second phase will include bike lanes and wide curb lanes from Idylwood to Old Courthouse. This phase involves more extensive median and pavement work and will not happen until 2010. VDOT presented details of the project at an earlier FABB meeting.
Several bicyclists spoke out in favor of the project. FABB supports the project and sent a letter of support to VDOT earlier in the year. A representative from an adjacent homeowners association submitted a list of comments. Most comments were positive and we look forward to the completion of the first phase later this year.
The Lawyers Road bike lane meeting was more contentious. VDOT proposes to reduce the travel lanes from 4 to 3 lanes with 5-foot bike lanes and a center turn lane between Fox Mill Rd and Myrtle Lane, about 2 miles in length. See notes from the first Lawyers Road meeting. While the majority of attendees supported the project, a few people were strongly opposed. One person started off on the wrong foot by joking about getting points for hitting a cyclist; sorry, that's not a laughing matter.Most of the concerns were based on a belief that a road can't be reduced from 4 to 2 travel lanes and still function properly. Randy Dittberner of VDOT was very good about explaining the benefits, related to slower speeds and fewer crashes. It's hard to argue against a road plan that will potentially reduce crashes by 20% and have almost no reduction in travel times. And by the way, will create the first ever bike lanes in Reston.
This could be one of the first road diets in Northern Virginia and could be looked upon in the future as a starting point for many more to come if it works. Road diets are not uncommon. According to the Wikipedia entry on road diets, "There are perhaps over 20,000 road diets in the United States, with another 500-1,000 being conducted each year." Dan Burden, a nationally known ped/bike advocate, has written a good article on road diets.
If you haven't written to Mr. Dittberner or Supervisor Hudgins about the project, please do. Just a few words of support helps. Many cyclists use the route for commuting to work or to reach the nearby Fox Mill Shopping Center and the new paved trail on Reston Parkway. Many participants in the Reston Triathlon train on this section which is part of the official triathlon bike course. The Reston Bike Club uses this section as well. It's time for a dedicated bike facility for cyclists in Reston.
Labels: gallows road, lawyers road
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Progress on Gallows Road bike lanes
At last night's FABB meeting representatives from VDOT and Fairfax Co DOT discussed plans for bike lanes on Gallows Road. The road is currently used by many bicyclists traveling between the Merrifield/Dunn Loring Metro Station area, the W&OD Trail, and Tysons Corner.The project will be done in two phases. Phase I is planned for September 2009 and will be done in conjunction with re-striping of the section of road between Stenhouse Place (just north of the Dunn Loring Metro Station) and Idylwood Road (just north of the W&OD Trail). The second phase, between Idylwood Road and Old Courthouse Road in Tysons, will require several changes to the road and will take much longer, from April 2009 to April 2011.
The sections of these two phases are shown above (green is Phase I, orange is Phase II) and on this map of the proposed bike lanes. In some sections where there is not enough road width, the bike lanes will become wide curb lanes with Share the Road signs. We hope that by the time Phase II is built that shared lane markings, or sharrows, will be approved for use.
This project has been in the works for a long time. Money was available for several years and the county and VDOT have finally been able to work out solutions to the many problems involved. We're excited about the progress and look forward to riding on the first section this Fall.
As with most bike projects, it's not perfect. We would prefer that the entire section be either bike lanes or wide curb lanes, not both. Also, just south of the project across the I-66 bridge is the Dunn Loring Metro Station. The bridge is too narrow for a bike facility and there are no plans to widen the bridge in the near future. There is a paved multiuse trail on the west side.
Labels: bike lanes, dunn loring, gallows road, merrifield
