I don't live in the DC area but my 2 cents on this is: $15,000 is a lot of money for a fairly short strip of MUP tarmac even if it's relatively popular; and afaics pushing the "it's a huge liability" line is more likely to lead to a $200 "Riders Must Dismount" sign being installed than anything else.

i crashed on this stupid hill again this morning, descending it.

that's three times now.

****ing **** ****.

I miss the trails in the D.C. area. I quit trying to ride the roads there but did ride trails, albeit not on skinny, slick road tires. There are no bike trails where I live currently, but lots of unimproved, gravel roads in the national forest. Unfortunately, the quality of the NFS contractors' work on these roads varies greatly. Some are decent, some are awful. I especially hate the contractors who use cheap creek rocks for the road surface--they're like mini boulders and rough to ride on a bike. I applaud those of you who commute on the roadways in D.C. (or any of the other over-congested urban areas of the world), it takes a lot of fortitude and courage (at times). Here's hoping you all stay safe, especially with winter weather arriving in the Northern Hemisphere.

You OK? I just freaking avoid it whenever I can, run the Arlington streets.

Yeah I'm fine. Road rash on my left hip and knee. Gonna start avoidig that part altogether now as well. Might put some file tread 'cross tires on as well.

Yeah, I just jump off the Custis @ Fairfax and run Fairfax to Clarendon and down toward Rosslyn. Has bike lanes the whole way.

Good to hear you're OK.

I almost lost it the other day, riding UP the damn thing. I was standing up around the corner and my back wheel kept slipping on the wet leaves.

Maybe it was my imagination but it seemed like Arlington was getting better at clearing the leaves this fall. Owing to some personal issues, I have not commuted in nearly 2 weeks but the last few times I went down that spot I recall going glacially slow, even walking it once after a bad storm.

Washcycle (great blog, though I'm sure most of us probably already read it) reported that the county was taking the switchback leaf situation more seriously this year. That and lots of other Custis Trail (and S-of-Death) related stuff here:

http://www.thewashcycle.com/custis_trail/

Though if I had to ride through there daily, I'd probably try, and likely be a convert to, CCrew's detour around the curves.