Let's Think Long-Term about the Long Bridge - Online Survey Edition
Level of Effort: 5 minutes, at home in your PJs
Deadline: Monday 4/10 11:59pm

Over the next 8 years, the Long Bridge project will dramatically improve transportation across the Potomac River, by doubling rail capacity and building a brand new connection for people walking and biking from Long Bridge Park in Arlington to East Potomac Park in DC.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but the current plan for the design of the bike & pedestrian bridge reflects short-term thinking.  The proposed design is 16' wide with vertical barriers for safety on each side.

While 16' would be a good width for a well-used trail across a park, the barriers on either side narrow the effective width of the trail.  Trail users, especially those on bikes and scooters have a natural aversion to riding too close to vertical barriers.  VDOT's trail guidelines recognize this and require a 3' buffer between a trail and any vertical barrier. Effectively removing 3' of usable space on each side of a 16' trail leaves only 10' of usable space for the entire length of the bridge - nearly 10 football fields in length.

10' of effective space might be sufficient if everything goes perfectly, but this is the real world.  People will want to stop and take in the view.  People will get flat tires and need to stop and change them.  Toddlers in strollers will get fussy and their parents will need to stop and address the issue.  The current proposed width leaves no wiggle room for these activities, leading to inevitable conflict and safety problems.

Tell VPRA that the rail improvements from the Long Bridge are great but the bike/ped bridge needs to be wider.  Fill out the online survey today and/or join us on Saturday for Brunch, Bridges, & Bikes to give feedback in-person at their pop-up event and/or join the virtual meeting on Mon 3/27 from 6pm-7pm.

Suggested Feedback

The language in Question 3 "Which Project benefits are most important to you?" can be a bit confusing.  Here's our decoder ring:

  1. Improved bicycle and pedestrian connectivity between Northern Virginia and the District - how important is the new bike/ped bridge to you?
  2. More frequent and reliable intercity rail service - how important is new Amtrak service that travels outside the region to you?
  3. More frequent and reliable commuter rail service to/from work - how important is new/improved VRE and MARC service during traditional commute hours to you?
  4. More frequent and reliable commuter trail service for recreational trips - how important is new/improved VRE and MARC service outside traditional commute hours to you - enabling, for instance, a weekend rail trip to Frederick, MD or Fredericksburg, VA?

For question 5, we think it's critical to highlight the need for a wider bike/ped bridge to reduce conflicts.  Here is an example response for you to tweak:

The proposed 16' bike/ped bridge width is too narrow.  The vertical barriers on each side reduce the useful width of the bridge and leave no space for people to pause, whether to tie their shoe, change a flat tire, comfort a crying baby, or watch a train go by.  We cannot trap people in a 16' wide channel that is nearly 10 football fields long without space to take a necessary pause. The proposed width will create conflicts that will be with us for decades to come.  Please widen the bike/ped span to 24' in as many areas as possible to create space where people can pull to the side & pause.

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