Comments for “Palisades Trolley Trail & Foundry Trestle Feasibility Study”
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Providing access to CCT would provide the access bikers are asking for and lessen demand to radically alter the trail
Liked 11 times -
This would be a good spot for an access point. The trail should have lots of neighborhood access points to maximize access and utility.
Liked 16 times -
Bridge is needed here.
As for crossing via sidewalk, I think stop signs would be a good idea, because cars coming up Reservoir from Canal RD is a blind spot.
It's time for the pedestrian to have priority and for cars to slow down here.Liked 12 times -
This is where I live. Once upon a time the trolley passed outside my house. One could take it to Glen Echo, or to Georgetown, or even deeper into DC. I am not a bicyclist. I would love to have public transport along the old trolley tracks. Trolley or cable car.
Liked 4 times -
A connection to Potomac Avenue here would give access to area residents. If there were a creek crossing then people from the entire area north of the creek and north of Arizona Avenue could come to the library, church, CVS, Safeway, etc. on foot or bicycle via this entry. And likewise, people from this area could access the rec center, Key School, the churches, etc.
Liked 20 times -
A creek crossing here that is usable by people of all ages and abilities, and in all weather, would be a great improvement. It doesn't necessarily have to be a recreation of the old trolley bridge, it could be a much smaller bridge with an improved approach on both sides.
Liked 17 times -
This section of trail is muddy in all weather and at all times of year. Some sort of covering and improved drainage would be a big improvement.
Liked 19 times -
The problem with any kind of connection to the canal or the CCT is the grade. According to Google Earth the Rec Center parking lot is at 123 feet elevation, while the deck of the Arizona Avenue trestle bridge is 41 feet, a drop of 82 feet. In order for a trail to be considered usable by people of all ages and abilities it should have a slope of no more than 8%, which means that a trail down to the canal should be at least 1000 feet in length, at a uniform slope. There is no way to do that along Arizona Avenue, there simply isn't room.
I would like to investigate the possibility of a trail starting at the parking lot and going behind the rec center building, down to Arizona Avenue and crossing the Avenue on a new bridge that connects to the trestle bridge. By following the contours of the hillside it could maintain an even slope and cover the required distance. The views from such a trail would be spectacular.
Liked 16 times -
From the end of Sherier Place to the Rec Center parking lot the trail could be routed along Sherier (with just signs) at minimal cost and with no loss of utility for trail users (at least from a transportation aspect).
This is a section with lots of houses close to the trail, where many residents object to improvements. Routing the trail around the houses would address those complaints.
Re-routing this section, the section by the rec center, and the section by Clark Place -- as noted in my other comments -- should address almost all of the neighbor objections.
Liked 6 times -
This section is mud year-round. Hard and dry is better than mud.
Liked 13 times -
A connection to Hutchins here would be a great neighborhood connector.
Liked 13 times -
At this point historically there was a trestle bridge, there is a ravine with a creek here. I don't believe a new bridge is necessary for pedestrians and cyclists. Rather, a trail on posts or terraced into the hillside, that started at the road at the same altitude as the trail, would be all that is needed. Such a trail would have to be curved, which would have the added benefit of slowing trail traffic as they approached the hazardous road crossing.
Liked 12 times -
The sidewalk on Reservoir down to the boathouse here is awful. It's narrow, it's blocked by utility poles, and it's often obstructed with debris. It's not usable by people of all ages and abilities. Improving the sidewalk would make access to Fletcher's much better.
Liked 19 times -
This is a very tricky crossing. During rush hour traffic can be heavy here, and cars move very quickly along this stretch. Due to the nearby curve and hill the sight lines are very poor.
Please don't just route the trail across the road with a crosswalk and hope cars will stop for trail users, they won't, and someone will get killed.
A treatment that I think might work is on both sides of the road to have the trail run parallel to the road for 40 yards or so. That will allow trail users to move laterally to find a spot to cross where they can see traffic in both directions and pick their moment to cross.
Liked 10 times -
A connection to MacArthur Boulevard here, along with some sort of bridge crossing the creek, would make the trail a real neighborhood connector. Right now the only way to get from one side of Battery Kemble to the other is along MacArthur, which is neither cyclist-friendly nor pedestrian-friendly along this stretch.
Liked 13 times -
At Potomac Avenue and Q, the trail could leave the trackway and continue on street or sidewalks up Q to Clark Place, then down Clark Place. As Clark Place goes down the hill to Canal Road there is enough city-owned land to run the trail along the side of the hill at a constant elevation to join the trackway on the other side of Clark Place. This would be a safe and usable trail that would be relatively inexpensive to create as it would use mostly existing roads and sidewalks, it could be done entirely with signage. No bridge would be required to cross Clark, and minimal construction would be required along Clark for the final connection.
The neighbors along Potomac Avenue have expressed opposition to have the trail run across the street from their houses, this route would address that opposition.Liked 4 times -
There already exists a paved trail from the parking lot to the door of the tennis court. If that trail were continued from the tennis court to the bridge and on to Galena there would be a paved entrance to the park from Galena. For people coming to the tennis court, soccer field or baseball field from Galena it would be more convenient than coming in through the parking lot. It would serve the same purpose as the improving the trolley trail between Galena and the parking lot, but wouldn't upset the neighbors who back onto the trackway.
Liked 7 times -
Access to Fletcher's Cove is difficult for all modes. An access point here for cyclists and pedestrians would be very useful.
Liked 20 times -
Accessing either the CCT or the C&O from the Palisades is very difficult. There need to be regular access points. This would be a great spot for one
Liked 28 times -
Please study possible connection from Foundry Branch Bridge to Canal Tunnel
Here is a video I made that I think a switch back could be created here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SWiN6CuHEA&t=178sLiked 7 times -
Bridge over Clark Please
Would love a bridge here.Liked 2 times -
Please study this second.
It needs to be more pedestrian Friendly.
And how will people from the path get across to the other side of Foxhall Rd?Liked 14 times -
Concerns about parking on Hutchins.
Liked 3 times -
No paving. Concerns about trespassing on private property and safety.
Liked 6 times