Concept designs for improved bike routes running parallel to Columbia Pike are now available, aiming to make certain side streets safer and more inviting to bicyclists.
Arlington County is currently seeking feedback — due this Sunday, Oct. 5 — on the possible upgrades to the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards. The proposal includes a variety of signage, intersection changes and streetscape adjustments on either side of the Pike.
Regular markings on the asphalt, for instance, would indicate that the routes are “sharrows” intended for both cars and bicycles. Additional street signs and “street stamps” would remind people that they are entering a bike boulevard and provide wayfinding assistance, while added centerlines, curb extensions and parking lane lines would seek to improve safety.
The bike routes — located partly along 8th Street S. and 9th Street S. to the north the Pike, and 12th Street S. and 11th Street S. to the south — connect to several existing and proposed bike lanes leading onto Columbia Pike.
The first “Bike Boulevard” signs were installed in late 2013, with the intention of diverting bicycle traffic away from the proposed Columbia Pike streetcar line, back before county leaders abandoned that plan. Since then, the project has evolved to offer a safer alternative to biking on the Pike — which won’t have dedicated bicycling facilities even after the conclusion of years of disruptive roadwork.
“Due to limited space, traffic volume and transit operations, Columbia Pike cannot accommodate biking facilities; therefore, routes on parallel secondary streets are a safer alternative,” the concept design’s feedback form says. “These are designated as bicycle boulevards in the county’s Transportation Plan and ‘are designed to give priority to bicyclists for through travel and to link with trails and other streets that are safe and comfortable for riding.'”
As the feedback deadline approaches, however, some advocates say the current plans don’t do enough to slow down cars, protect bicyclists or help cyclists access the Pike itself.
For instance, the advocacy group Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County (SusMo) argues that the county should be doing more to address traffic calming, improve intersection safety and create connections to destinations on Columbia Pike, rather than just helping bicyclists travel in the vicinity of the road or avoid it altogether.
“Bike Boulevards paralleling Columbia Pike were supposed to be those safe and comfortable places, serving our local community by connecting them to destinations on the Pike and allowing safe, comfortable, sustainable travel along the Pike,” the organization wrote. “The recently unveiled concept plans for the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards fall far short of these promises.”
The feedback form asks respondents whether various infrastructure strategies would make them feel safer while walking or bicycling or make the routes easier to navigate.
Final designs for bike boulevards are expected to come out this winter, according to the project’s webpage.
