Tree Hugger Meets the Bike Hugger

Arlington County's continuing efforts to improve the network of bike infrastructure has recently butted up against Arlington County's efforts to improve its urban forest.  These represent two environmental goods--both of which I have strong support for.

The County is now in the final stages of engineering the extension of the trail along Washington Blvd. south of Route 50 to Columbia Pike (via Towers Park) (map).  The construction of this trail will require the removal of about 350 trees, some temporarily and some permanently.

As a member of the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee, I advocate for and support the County's efforts to continually improve bicycling for our residents and visitors.  This trail extension is an important part of the cycling network.

As a long-time environmentalist working on climate change and an amateur urban planner, I fully understand the tremendous value that trees and tree canopy bring to urban areas like Arlington.

So what's the tree hugger to do when he's also the bike hugger?  It's a tough question, worth asking.  I believe asking the question allows us to think about an approach that can lead to a reasonable solution.

Some of these trees will be removed in order to construct the Washington Blvd. trail extension

First, my tree-hugger self has to agree that there is value in the trail extension.  My bike-hugger self must acknowledge that those trees are also important.  Likewise with the communities involved.  Those who paint one side or the other as wrong while they are "right," ultimately work against any kind of solution.  And if they "lose," then they may likely get nothing that they want.

Once both sides of me acknowledges the importance of the values of the other side, then we can work together to find a solution.  The solution may not be perfect for one or both sides, but mutual respect and a collaborative approach is much more likely to create a result that can benefit both.

I don't know what the absolute perfect solution would be, but I do believe that the trail extension is a critical link, so some way of building it must be found.  Perhaps the construction of the trail could provide an opportunity to actually enhance the urban tree canopy?  Currently, this area is partially wooded and completely unmanaged: some of the trees are full-grown native trees, others are overgrown bushes and others are invasives.  Kudzu has invaded, too, threatening many of the trees that are there already.

Because of the topography, some trees will need to be removed, but can be replaced once retaining walls are built and the trail is completed.  The entire project may present a terrific opportunity to create an even more beautiful canopy as well as improve habitat.  By working with arborists and urban forestry experts, perhaps an even better canopy could be created in harmony with the trail.  I don't know if this is possible, but I am sure that some aspects could definitely be improved.

For instance, I recently planted an elm tree in my yard in a small effort to help re-establish elms in America.  Imagine if this project included planting numerous elms alongside Washington Blvd.  Once grown, they could create a beautiful tree-lined boulevard, shading both the trail and the street, with all the concomitant environmental benefits.  It probably won't look quite like this, but still could be a big improvement.

The first step, though, is to get past the idea that these two environmental efforts should be battling each other.  My bike hugging self is not the enemy of my tree hugging self.  We both want a better Arlington community to live in.  The challenge is to find a way to turn this project into an opportunity.

My public comments to Arlington County Board re: Bollards

On May 19, I attended the Arlington County Board meeting and made comments during the public comment period.  Each commenter is allotted two minutes, so I had to keep my remarks short.

(For more details and photos, see my recent post on this issue)

Here is the text of what I said:

My name is Steve Offutt, and I wanted to bring to the board’s attention recent activity by the parks department that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

More bollards in Arlington County

There has been a proliferation of bollards in Arlington County over the last few weeks.  I know of six that have been installed within one mile of my house, all of which are unnecessary.

From conversations with insiders, I have learned that these bollards are being installed without consensus among staff and against the recommendations of some staff with cycling expertise.  In any case, they are being installed without community input and without any input from the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee, of which I am a member.  I have previously posted about how bollards are mostly unnecessary and often create more problems than they solve.

(UPDATE: I made comments to the Arlington County Board on May 19.  Text of my remarks is here.)

The new East Falls Church bridge went into service last month, and about a week later four bollards were installed: three at one end and one at the other.  These three went in first:

New ped/bike bridge near East Falls Church Metro goes into service

The new bicycle/pedestrian bridge linking the W&OD trail with the East Fall Church Metro station in the Madison Manor neighborhood has been put into service.  The old bridge has been demolished and removed.  Final construction details are still being completed, but the bridge is now in use.


View East Falls Church trail bridge replacement in a larger map
As reported in my post a few months ago, the new bridge is larger and modernized compared to the old one.  Here are some photos of the new bridge:

Arlington County begins posting new trail "wayfinding" signs

Arlington County has started installing the first of the 250 "wayfinding" signs it has planned for along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor (as detailed here).  I have blogged on trail signs in the past--mostly negative, because they either tend to not exist or fail to function well.

So it's great that these are finally going up.  I'm sure I will have criticisms (see below), but signs of almost any kind are better than the absence of signs.  So all in all, this is a great step forward.

 I took pictures of them and their exact locations are shown on this map:

This one is mounted on the sound wall at the entrance of the trail  It is excellent that the signs indicate the name of the trail.  In the past, this has often been a problem.  Signs would point towards destinations but would fail to tell you where you were.  Now someone using Google Maps and given the direction "Turn Right on the Custis Trail" will have confidence they are in the right place when they reach the trail.
The East Falls Church distance indicator is swapped with the one on the sign below.  This sign is actually closer to East Falls Church than the sign below, but indicates that it is farther away.
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A financial solution to the Bethesda tunnel

East end of tunnel (silverspringtrails.org)

Recently Montgomery County has estimated that the additional costs to the Purple Line of building the bike/ped trail through the Bethesda tunnel could add as much as $40 million to the project.  Using financing mechanisms to capture savings could ameliorate part or all of these costs and improve the project and the community at the same time.
 (Update: the Washington Post reported on February 25 that the MTA has rejected proposals to put the trail in the tunnel.)

In order to fully appreciate this proposal, we have to accept a couple of assumptions that I believe are true:
1) It is cheaper to build the Purple Line and the trail if there are no buildings and/or building supports in the way during construction
2) It is cheaper to build commercial buildings when there is not an operating transit line below them.
3) Conclusion (to accept for the sake of argument) - It would be less expensive for the Purple Line project AND the building developers to design and build everything at the same time.

Arlington County removing dangerous bollards from trails

Arlington County has been removing some of the dangerous bollards and collars that riders have identified on the bollard map, which is here:

View Arlington Bollards in a larger map

Last week I noted that the two bollards on the connector from N. Van Buren St. to the Custis/W&OD, just east of Lee Highway and west of the East Falls Church Metro station, have been removed and new pavement has been smoothly added.  I updated the Bollard map to show this change.  Please check out my previous post on why bollards are mostly unnecessary.

If you have noted other bollards or collars (or other similar hazards) on Arlington's trails, please add them to the map.  Please also note any bollards that have now been removed, as I did.

Kudos to Arlington for using the information provided through this public forum to improve cycling for all of us.
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Steve Offutt is a member of the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee

Ped/Bike bridge replacement will improve connection from W&OD to East Falls Church

Arlington County is replacing the footbridge across Four Mile Run that connects the

Existing bridge as approached from the east

W&OD/Custis Trail east of Sycamore Street with the East Falls Church Metro station.  The current footbridge is very narrow, very old and has become obsolete. Its replacement is necessary for safety reasons. However, with input from the Arlington County pedestrian and bicycle advisory committees, the County has taken advantage of this opportunity to improve the bridge.  The replacement bridge will meet ADA standards, will be wider and is in a better location for reducing confusion among trail users.

Arlington looking for help with bollard locations

Arlington County has created a public Google Map that people can edit with bollard locations and issues.

View Arlington Bollards in a larger map

In particular, they are asking for locations where bollard collars (that part in the ground that holds the bollard itself) may be sticking up causing a hazard. Since we have the map, it will also be useful for identifying other bollard-related locations, such as where bollards are needed or where they should be removed.

I have posted on this topic before (here and here). Those who know me know that I am opposed to bollards in general and believe they should only be installed where there is documented need, rather than at every intersection just as a policy. The W&OD trail removed all its bollards along the entire 45 miles some years back and experiences few problems with cars. Not zero, though. However, they have decided that the positive aspects of better aesthetics and safer travel for cyclists outweigh the negatives of a rare car encroaching on the trail.

Please check the map out and add any locations that you believe could use attention. It's easy, just click on the EDIT button and you will be able to edit the map. Remember to save when you are done. Thanks for your help.

On-street Crescent Trail will be worse for bikes and peds

(This is an unedited cross post from Greater Greater Washington)

This post is in response to a Greater Greater Washington post from Dan Reed: On-street Crescent Trail may be better for bikes and peds

I disagree with almost everything Mr. Reed suggests in his post.

For a year or so I commuted through that tunnel almost every day. It is an excellent amenity.

Mr. Reed suggests that the on-street alternative may be safer because of the likelihood of crime, and he points out crime problems at other bike/ped facilities.  This is a red herring argument.  The tunnel has been open since 1998 and crime has not been an issue.  Undoubtedly it will be even less so with greater usage.  The safety benefit of not having to cross Wisconsin Avenue at grade is much greater than any potential danger associated with crime.

Solving the Lynn Street/Lee Highway Bike/Car Conflict

The intersection of Lee Highway and Lynn Street in Rosslyn, where the Custis Trail crosses Lynn St., has been the subject of great scrutiny lately. (GGW reported on a recent meeting at this very intersection.)  This is one of the most dangerous intersections for cyclists in the Greater Washington area. By reconfiguring the exit ramp for the Key Bridge, this conflict can be entirely removed, dramatically improving safety while also potentially improving traffic flow.  (This post has been cross-posted at Greater Greater Washington, including a number of reader comments.)

The problem at this intersection is traffic turning right from the I-66 off-ramp onto Lynn Street traveling towards the Key Bridge.  This traffic has a green light at the same time as the pedestrians and cyclists have the cross signal. There are two lanes of right turning cars (and sometimes cars in the third lane turn right illegally). By shifting the Key Bridge traffic to the north of the Custis Trail crossing, this conflict will be eliminated.

The perfect bike trail bollard installation

For those of you have read my previous post on this topic, you will know that I am not a fan of bollards on bike trails.  Hence this photo of what I consider to be the perfect bollard installation.

Bicycle Facility Film Screening ar Arlington Central Library Brings Biking Community Together

More than 100 people attended the film screening held on Monday evening at the Arlington Central Library.  This film screening was hosted by the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee, with additional assistance (including sponsoring the food) from BikeArlington.

Although many attendees were from Arlington, there were also representatives from Fairfax County, Falls Church, Alexandria, DC, Montgomery County and even one from Kentucky who was in town to attend the National Bike Summit.

Mark Blacknell, Chair of the Advisory Committee, made some remarks and introduced and thanked a number of people, including Arlington County staff who work on bicycling related matters and the staff of BikeArlington, who work to spread the word about biking throughout the community.
The film, a documentation of bicycle practices compiled by James MacKay during a 2009 European tour, was relatively technical in nature. However, it catalyzed an animated discussion afterward among attendees.  As a member of the Bicycle Advisory Committee, I was excited to see so many people with ideas and opinions about how to improve bicycling in our community and the region.

Afterward, approximately 20 attendees retired to a nearby bar/restaurant to carry the discussion further.
The Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee is open to the public, and all are invited to attend.  Meetings are held the first Monday of the month at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard in the ground-floor conference rooms.  We hope to see you there. 

If you are interested in keeping up with news about bicycling in Arlington and would like to be notified about future events, please visit the BikeArlington Forum or send an email to BikeArlington.

Monday What's on the Web: Compenhagenize

Every Monday I highlight other bloggers or web contributors who are making important or interesting contributions to climate, sustainability, transportation or market transformation. Check back each week for another installment.
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"Each and every day roughly 500,000 citizens choose the bicycle in Greater Copenhagen. This blog highlights who they are, why they do and how it was made possible.

Forty years ago Copenhagen was just as car-clogged as anywhere else but now 37% of commuters crossing the city boundary ride bicycles each day. That number rises to 55% in the city proper. Copenhagenizing is possible anywhere."

That quote is taken from the Copenhagenize.com website, which is thankfully written in English.  There's not much to say about the blog.  It features stories, snippets, policy thoughts and other aspects related to how Copenhagen is (and how it became) the most bicycle-friendly city in the Western world.  Here are a few sample posts:

• Simple Bike-Friendliness
• Lyon Pushes for More Bicycles
• Temporarily Permanent

It's a quick look every day at something cool or interesting about urban bicycling.  Take a look.

Monday What's on the Web: The Washcycle

Every Monday I highlight other bloggers or web contributors who are making important or interesting contributions to climate, sustainability, transportation or market transformation. Check back each week for another installment.
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The WashCycle is DC's most well-known blog specifically dedicated to bicycling in the region.  It takes a very partisan view (of which I am pretty much on board with) that cyclists and cycling could benefit from much more support from all angles: funding, government, business, media, etc.

It covers the news related to cycling as well as issues.  Most posts get from a few to numerous comments--primarily from the bicycling community.  It's very worthwhile to follow if you are a resident of the DC area and cycle even just occasionally.  Also, if you are interested in transportation issues in general and how cycling fits in with them. . .and how the cycling community views these issues.

Recent posts include:

15th Street Expansion and redesign

Are shower requirements like minimum parking requirements

More on trail crossings of roads

 

 

I-66 "Spot Improvement" Underway

The "spot improvement" on westbound I-66 between the George Mason Drive and Sycamore Street is underway.

These spot improvements, which are essentially short-distance widenings have been the subject of great debate for more than a decade.  VDOT has long wanted to widen I-66 to three lanes in each direction; Arlington, smart growth and environmental groups have been strongly opposed.  The original agreement to build I-66 included an agreement to not widen the highway beyond two lanes in each direction.  VDOT has instead proposed a series of "spot improvements," which widen sections of I-66 to three lanes.  This section is called "Spot 1," and it has a page on the VDOT web site.

In February of 2009, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board voted to put these projects on hold,only to reverse itself the very next month.  Since then, there has been little to stop this project from moving forward, particularly because it has received earmarked funding from Congress that can be used for nothing else.

The contract was awarded in May, and construction has begun.  Here are photos:

I-66 looking westbound from Ohio St.

This one shows I-66 looking westbound from Ohio Street.  Note the (semi) vegetated median between the left shoulder and the Metrorail tracks.  That is being partially removed to make room for the additional roadway width.

The photo at the top of the post shows the demolition of the median next to the Metrorail tracks.

The Custis Trail passes under I-66 along this stretch of highway.  At the point were it crosses underneath there are three bridges: one for each direction of traffic and one for the Metrorail tracks.  The westbound bridge is being widened.  To accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic during construction, VDOT has constructed this structure for protection.  There have been occasional detours while work is being done here.  The detour is well marked and only slightly longer.

Once the bridge is widened, there will be less daylight at this point.  Although there is some relatively inadequate lighting now, it may need to be upgraded as part of the improvements.

The following information was mined from the project documents of the Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan for 2030:

Do traffic congestion conditions necessitate the proposed project?  Yes
If so, describe those conditions: Recurring congestion
Is this a capacity-increasing project on a limited access highway or other arterial highway of a functional class higher than minor arterial? Yes

Please identify any and all planning factors that are addressed by this project:
  - Support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency.
  - Increase the safety of the transportation system for all motorized and non-motorized users.
  - Increase the ability of the transportation system to support homeland security and to safeguard the personal security of all motorized and non-motorized users.
  - Increase accessibility and mobility of people and freight.
  - Promote efficient system management and operation.
a. Is this project being proposed specifically to address a safety issue? Yes
Briefly describe the nature of the safety problem:
Existing levels of congestion is exacerbated by the intense weaving and merging movements happening over a short distance along with inadequate sight distance. The recurring congestion and associated operational/safety effects poses concerns on the corridor’s ability to serve as an efficient emergency evacuation route.

The suggestion that this will improve the road as an emergency evacuation route is just silly.  The capacity of I-66 for evacuation will not be increased by adding a lane for a mile and a half.  This language is likely a holdover from the arguments used for widening the entire length of I-66 inside the Beltway.

Many people believe that once the "spot improvements" are all in place, the argument to widen the relatively short remaining sections will grow very strong, and VDOT will eventually prevail.  It will be interesting to see how long that takes.

(Cross-posted on Greater Greater Washington)

Google Bike Directions: Part 2

Yesterday I blogged the story of using Google biking directions to travel from my house in Arlington VA to a friend's house in Springfield VA using Google bicycling directions to help me navigate.

My second trip was to travel from this same friend's house in Springfield to the Whole Foods in Vienna. Unlike the first trip above, in which I was familiar with the first part of the route (and could adjust based on my knowledge), in this case I was completely dependent on the Google directions. I had never ridden in this area before.

In this case, the directions proved to be excellent, with one exception. The implementation of the directions presented some problems, but the actual route worked almost perfectly--taking me along mostly back streets and some trail connectors right to my destination. The major obstacles in this case were Route 50 and I-66. The crossing at Route 50 actually turned out to be better than expected, because there was a trail connector that Google Maps was unaware of that I noticed when I reached the intersection of Pickett Road and Arlington Blvd. I-66 was crossed on Vaden Drive, a back street that crosses the Interstate with no interchange.

The biggest problem presented by Google biking directions is that trail signage is typically so poor--or not designed the way street signage is--that it presents challenges for giving and following directions. At every single intersection of two streets, there is a street sign. It was simple to follow the directions: Turn right at XXYZ St. or left at ABBC St. At each of these points, I was virtually 100% confident that I was following the directions as indicated. However, each time I had to travel on a trail, I lost confidence, because the trails did not have signs like the streets. On this trip, even the trails with signs had different names than what Google indicated them as. The most disconcerting part was when I was traveling along a trail and would encounter an intersection or fork in the trail. Google does its best, but without any signage, it just states "Turn left toward Vaden Dr." or the like. If the cyclists doesn't know where the named street is, then there is no way of knowing what those directions mean. Thankfully it was a sunny day, so I could at least tell what direction I was going and could correlate that with the line on my map.

Google biking directions is a good tool for cyclists. If jurisdictions would now please put up signage that will help cyclists navigate those directions, it would make the tool work much better.

Google Bike Directions: Part 1

Last week I had a couple of opportunities to try out Google's bicycling directions to travel to places I had never gone before. My experience with the directions was mostly positive, guiding me along routes that for the most part worked well. The problem of poor trail signage (not Google's fault), however, could have caused a cyclist to become temporarily lost. Here's the story.

I wanted to travel to a friend's house who lives just off Braddock Road in Springfield VA about one mile west of the Capitol Beltway (I-495). I live in Arlington VA not far from Seven Corners, about 8 miles away. I had never been to my friend's house before, so I asked Google to give me cycling directions there. What I look for in the directions is how it overcomes the major obstacles, in this case, Route 50 and the Beltway were two major roads I had to cross. Google did not have me cross Route 50 at the new pedestrian overpass at Seven Corners, which I think is a better option than what it showed me. It did, however, have me cross the beltway at the pedestrian overpass that is north of Braddock Road about 1/2 mile, which is definitely the best option. All in all, the directions were not bad. A less experienced cyclist might have found some of the roads--particularly Braddock Road--a bit daunting to ride on. However, the directions worked for getting me there.

All in all, Google biking directions is a useful tool, and I expect it will become more useful over time as Google--and users--improve it.

"A Bicycle is not A Transportation Device" (NOT!)

There's been a bit of a brouhaha over a statement made by a Fairfax County official, Supervisor John Cook, who wants to cut out funding for bicycle facilities in their county (article here). He said, "I don't believe a bicycle is a transportation device. I think it's a recreation device. The big problem is people don't want to ride their bike in the rain or get sweaty before work."

Of course he is dead wrong, but this attitude works against efforts to transform our communities and transportation systems to something more sustainable. (It's also a bit presumptive that the only transportation use he can think of is getting to and from work.)

I sent the Commissioner this letter.

Hello Mr. Cook,

I read in the Examiner your quote that you believe bicycles are not transportation. I can assure you that is not the case. As a long-time bike commuter (yes, I sweat and ride in the rain--as do hundreds of others) I have met and seen literally thousands of people who use their bikes to get where they need to go.

I live in Arlington County, but for about a year I worked for a company in Herndon and then Reston. I biked there at least 90% of the time. Every single day: summer, winter, fall, spring, I would see other cyclists riding both ways on their way to work or otherwise. I don't work there any more, but not long ago I biked to to the Fair Oaks Mall to see a doctor at the Kaiser facility there. I generally bike to my dentist in Tysons, and, recently, pulled my daughter on her trailer bike to her dentist appointment there, too. We also often bike to her orthodontist in Seven Corners and her dance studio in Bailey's Crossroads. If that's not transportation, what is?

I would strongly suggest you go out to the W&OD some weekday morning in May or June (yes, it's true, fewer cyclists ride in the winter) and watch. Even better, why don't you participate in Bike to Work Day on May 15. Perhaps you saw the press release from the County. Six of the 23 pit stops this year will be in Fairfax County. I'm sure FABB or WABA would be pleased to provide you with a bike buddy to help you get there.

Portland just passed a resolution to spend over $600 million on bike facilities over the next 20 years. I suspect you perceive Portland as a bastion of liberal, spandex-wearing weirdos, but what do you know that they don't? (or what do they know that you don't?)

Clearly you were just speaking from your own limited viewpoint. I believe it's always a good idea to gather facts and data first before making an assertion based just on one's own personal experience. Had you done that, you would have learned that bicycling is rapidly growing in the region, the number of bike commuters is rising every year, and that even in Fairfax County there are thousands of residents who use their bikes both for transportation and recreation.

Good luck to you, and I hope that you are able to make it out to Bike to Work Day this year. Sign up early, and you can get a free t-shirt.

Kind regards,
Steve Offutt

(top photo by M.V. Jantzen; Reston BTW Day photo from FABB)

Transforming Transportation by Reprioritizing Trails

Here in the Washington region we have experienced record snowfall that has crippled our transportation systems. They are returning to normal. At the time of this post, it is eight days since the blizzard ended.

I live in Arlington County, which is supposedly the model TOD community: bicycle and pedestrian friendly, excellent transit service, smart land-use decisions, etc.  At bicycle advocacy meetings I hear that we are going to strive to move up from Silver to Gold designation from the League of American Bicyclists. However, not one flake of snow (now ice) has been removed from any of the key (and in some cases essential) ped/bike commuter corridors.

This part of the Custis Trail (which is likely one of the 10 most used bike commuter routes in America) has been redubbed the Custis luge.Because of how it is shaded, it will still have ice on it a month from now unless action is taken.

Arlington has a Car-Free Diet campaign that promotes Arlington as a place to live
without a car, because of all their supposed amenities and  infrastructure.  Yet  someone who lives in parts of Rosslyn  without a car has no--zero!--options for getting to the Metro (okay, taxicab; one).  What are they to do?  Walk on Lee Highway?  Risk injury on the Custis luge?

There are three sections of trail near Metro stations that provide Metro access to hundreds and hundreds of people.  As of the time of this writing, not one inch of those sections has been attended to in any way.  Because of the significant pedestrian use, those sections have now become glaciated skidways of treacherous ice.

The problem is that trail maintenance is housed in the Parks Department.  Rightfully, Parks tend to have lower priority than transportation.  Yet in the case of significant portions of Arlington trails, they function primarily as transportation facilities.  Trails that are used significantly for transportation should be treated as transportation infrastructure and prioritized as such.


View Larger Map
Recently Arlington installed counters along the trails, and they have documented the fact that a significant number of people are using the 4-Mile Run underpass at 395 for transportation; it's necessary for them to reach jobs in Shirlington.  Yet as far as the County is concerned, they may as well not exist.

In reality, if a small vehicle plow had been dispatched immediately after the snow stopped and before it was tramped down, it could have cleared a 5-foot wide path on the 17 miles of Arlington Loop plus the section from the Custis/WOD intersection to East Falls Church in 4-5 hours max.  At $100/hour, it would have cost under $500 total.  Three times this year so far, we're still looking at probably no more than $2000.  No salt or chemicals needed.  If you clear down to the pavement right away, it dries out on its own.  By now it would be totally usable.  (Some people have intelligently pointed out, if you clear 1/2 the trail, the other half remains for the skiers for much longer--everyone wins.)

If someone were to try to clear the Rosslyn part of the Custis now, it will take many hours and big-time treatment, costing thousands of dollars.  Clearing all the trails would take days.  I can hear the whine already, "We doe-on't have the muh-uhny to do it."

A few years ago I was in New York a couple of days after a large snowstorm.  I stayed on the west side near Ground Zero.  I could see the Hudson River Greenway totally cleared as far as I could see, and one cyclist I talked to said it was cleared all the way up.  The streets were still a mess.  Somehow NY has figured out a way to prioritize that route for the thousands of peds and cyclists who are dependent on it.

When the George Washington and Rock Creek Parkways were built, they were primarily envisaged as "recreational" facilities--intended for people to tool along and enjoy the scenery.  Their function has changed.  Imagine if commuters were told that those roads were not going to be cleared, because they are "Parkways" rather than "highways," so they are not really transportation corridors, but recreational.  That's essentially what pedestrians and cyclists are being told about their "trails."  They are recreational facilities, not transportation corridors, so they don't get tended to until everything else is done, and then only if there is money enough left.

It is past time for communities to re-prioritize their thinking about transportation to include all the amenities, not just the roads and transit facilities.  Pedestrian and trail facilities should be included in transportation budgets--not parks or other lower priority budgets.