The below was asked to be circulated in area lists:

[snip]
In recent months, it became apparent that something was happening to experienced cyclists on the Lyon Village Switchbacks on the Custis Trail. Those are the S turns on the steep hill between the Lee Highway overpass and the Lyon Village Shopping Center at Lee Highway and Spout Run.

[http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...1738&t=h&z=19]

There have been many crashes on those turns.

Arlington County staff think that applying a high-friction surface will cut down on the crashes. That will cost $18,000, and nobody has the funds in their budget. (Don't laugh, Arlington is bureaucratically unable to pony up that amount for a trail safety enhancement.) The County did put up warning signs, a good first step.

The BAC has agreed to ask the cycling community for their stories of crashing on those S turns. We have a number of them already from BAC members, but need as many as we can find to justify the cost. Those crashes are never reported, of course, because you just got up and rode on. So we need to document them.

Please send your crash story to David Patton in Arlington's DOT. His email is

dpatton@arlingtonva.us

Please cover the following points if you can:

==================================

--Is this your own crash or one that you witnessed?

--Approximate date of the crash

--Time

--Trail conditions: (wet? leaves?)

--Subjective judgment on the rider's speed.

--Rider's injuries

--Damage to the bicycle

--Going uphill or downhill?

--Comments on why you think the crash occurred.

==================================

Thanks for helping us document this problem. Please forward this message to other DC bike lists.

Randy Swart, Chair
Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee
[/snip]