Tandemonium

Tandemonium is a new blog that will cover issues related to tandem bicycling in the Washington, DC area. I have plenty of things to talk about and will cover local DC tandeming issues in the coming months. I may also decide to discuss other issues that strike my fancy as I run out of things to say about tandem-related issues.

I have a history of doing this before. For a very short period recently I wrote a column for Spokes Magazine on tandeming in the local area. I quickly ran out of things to write about and started to venture a little too far afield for the publisher. So we parted ways. My last column for Spokes wasn't accepted by them so I am posting it here because my new publisher (me) has decided to run it.

Ridin’ the Trails
We are fortunate to have a decent bike trail network in the Washington, DC area. Unfortunately, riding on our trail network can be frustrating and even dangerous. In my opinion, based on twenty years of observation, the users of our trails are the cause of many of these problems and have the power to improve the overall trail riding experience through the exercise of common sense and courtesy.

I have a like/hate relationship with our local trail network. Although I would rather do my riding on open country roads, there are none near my home in Old Town, Alexandria. The Mount Vernon Trail is my bicycling lifeline which allows me to go south to Mount Vernon and Fort Belvoir (which offers great riding) and north to DC where I can connect to the Capital Crescent Trail (brunch at Thyme Square in Bethesda, anyone?) or the Martha Custis Trail. The Martha Custis Trail connects to the W&OD Trail which takes me to those open roads I was talking about. (All of the trails mentioned have good web sites that can be found by Googling).

It is a long way to where I can finally leave the trail and switch to the roads, but at least I don’t always have to carry my bike on the car to get to a good bike ride. Loading the bike on our SUV and driving to the start of a bike ride never feels quite right and the trail network offers an alternative.

Stoker Kim and I use the Mount Vernon Trail frequently during the riding season to commute to work in DC. And I think we may feel the inconveniences and hazards discussed in this column more than most since we are riding an eight-foot-long tractor trailer rig of a bicycle.

My life would be very different without our trails and I consider them an important public resource.

But using our bike trails often results in frustrating experiences that prevent a good ride from being a great ride. On almost every ride I observe users of the trails performing mindless and often dangerous acts, almost all of which are entirely preventable through the use of one’s head for something other than a helmet rack

I will base my further opinions on the following two of observations concerning the trails:
They are transportation corridors.
They are very similar to motorized vehicle roadways and the rules of the road should work fine for the trails also.

Our Trails are Transportation Corridors
First, let’s agree that our trails are primarily transportation corridors, not picnic areas, dog parks, or playgrounds. Please, don’t misunderstand me. I realize that the trails are public facilities that are open to pedestrians and users of all vehicles without motors. There are many benches, picnic areas, scenic overlooks and other distractions located along the trails and this invites a variety of users seeking different forms of recreation.

Until recently I have personally used them for running and inline skating (ten knee operations have finally put an end to that) in addition to bicycle riding. But, regardless of the activity we are engaged in at the time we should always aware that the trails are primarily transportation corridors. Let’s examine how this perspective is logical and contributes to the enjoyment and safety of all.

If one agrees that these facilities are transportation corridors one should hardly be surprised to find bicycles using the trails. Seems logical, no? Given that, how can one explain the frequent surprise and even shock exhibited by persons walking dogs on those extra-long retractable leashes upon encountering a bicyclist?

I frequently observe the dog on one side of the trail in the grass, doing what dogs do, while the dog walker is on the other side of the trail bird watching and seemingly oblivious to the fact that the retractable leash connecting them to their dog is effectively creating a garrote for the next bicyclist unfortunate enough to ride by.

Let me go out on a limb with a strong statement: the person creating this dangerous situation is being unthinking and rude. They are creating a situation that is dangerous to all persons and animals involved. Furthermore, they have the power to easily correct it by applying some common sense to the situation. Again, if they would take the time to examine their surroundings and notice that they are on a transportation corridor they would never allow this situation to occur.

Another example of this nonsense is the numerous airplane watchers at Gravelly Point. There is a huge expanse of grass one can occupy to watch aircraft landing and taking off from Reagan National Airport. What valid reason is there, then, to stand on that narrow strip of pavement with the yellow line painted down the middle while looking up at the sky in amazement?

The Trails are Very Similar to Motorized Vehicle Roadways and the Same Rules Should Work for Both
Here’s another example. Families frequently use locations near trail parking areas for recreating. There is nothing wrong with this and the various park authorities encourage these activities by placing facilities such as benches, exercise facilities and picnic areas along the trails.

However, such facilities are also often placed near motorized vehicle roadways. That doesn’t mean children should be allowed to play in the road. So why do some parents assume that it is OK for their kids to play on the trail? I have actually seen junior playing soccer with the goal constructed by placing two soda cans on the yellow stripe marking the center of the trail.

Think about this for a minute. It takes an extraordinary amount of rudeness (there’s that word again) for parents to allow their children to play soccer on our transportation corridors unsupervised.

If we were to apply the rules of the road to using the trails we would stay to the right except to pass. Driving, or riding, on the right creates an orderly traffic flow and allows faster traffic to pass. When you consider that the slowest trail user is traveling at about 3 MPH and the fastest is traveling at about 20 MPH you can see that this difference in speed will create problems if orderly passing procedures are not facilitated by staying to the right.

I like to back up my theories with direct observations, so here goes. I encounter numerous persons running on the center line of the W&OD Trail. Around the time of the Marine Corps Marathon this practice becomes so common that I once stopped to ask one of the “centerline Charlies” what in the world they were doing. Charlie responded that he had some kind of knee problem that was exasperated by the downward slope of the trail from the center to the edge called the “crown” which encourages water to run off.

It seems that Charlie had a condition with his patellar tendon whereby the crown on the side of the trail caused it to rub against his yadda yadda creating inflammation in his whatever making it difficult for him to train enough to have a good finishing time in his first marathon. His elegantly simple solution was to run down the middle of the trail.

Charlie, here is the deal: It’s not my problem. My problem is you creating a dangerous situation by running on the center line. There is no law that says you must do your marathon training on the W&OD Trail. Start a petition to have the crown flattened or whatever, but don’t use the trail if you can’t use it safely and properly.

I could go on and on. Actually, I have been, haven’t I? Anyway, there are many more examples of mindlessness and rudeness that I have personally witnessed (inline skating while wearing headphones, maybe). But, to avoid being labeled as biased toward the viewpoint of bicyclists I have saved my final blast for the stupid things bicyclists do.

Bicyclists are the fastest vehicles allowed on the trails (with the exception of one totally out of control inline skater I recently saw careening toward disaster down the hill near Mount Vernon). With speed comes responsibility. We are the fastest and we should be the safest.

Bicyclists should always be on the lookout for stupid things being done by others, for self-preservation if for no other reason. And it is absolutely necessary to be in control of your bicycle at all times. This sounds like a no-brainer, but I have lost count of the number of bicyclists I have found in the trees after running off a corner on one of the trails due to excessive speed.

Also, there is no law that requires bicyclists in pairs to ride side-by-side. It really isn’t possible to ride two-abreast on a trail and not have some portion of the inside bike over the center line intruding on the space of oncoming traffic.

I personally believe that two-abreast riding can be done safely on some portions of our trails if the riders are very aware of the traffic in front and behind them. However, most bicyclists riding alongside are so busy talking that they have almost no awareness of their surroundings and this is a potentially dangerous situation. My recommendation is to ride single file if there is any doubt about the safety and appropriateness of side-by-side riding.

Finally, there are sections of roads in our area that are not safe for bicycling. I know they are public roads, you pay taxes, and you probably have a right to ride where you want. But consider two specific examples.

First, consider the George Washington Memorial Parkway between Old Town and Mount Vernon, Virginia. The second example is Lee Highway in Rosslyn, Virginia, going uphill on Lynn Street. Both of these roads have no shoulder or bike lane and it is not safe for bicyclists to ride on them. However, I see bicyclists riding on these roads all the time. Stand in front of the Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn any afternoon during rush hour and you will see an average of one bicyclist every few minutes riding in the road.

What is peculiar about both of these cases is that there are perfectly serviceable bike trails within a few feet of these dangerous roads and for some reason bicyclists insist on not using the trail. I can hear the reasons for this behavior now: “I am a racer and the trails are too crowded for me to train”, or, “They’re too bumpy” or, “You said it yourself. The trails are dangerous so I won’t ride them”.

Whatever. Those trails were put there for a reason: to make it possible to use a bicycle for transportation in areas where it is not safe to ride the roads. Bike advocates fought long and hard to have them installed and continue to work to keep them maintained and improved. If nothing else, show them some respect.

The Captain