2 More Cars Spotted on W&OD Trail in Vienna

Maria Alvarez-Lundie was driving down Maple Avenue heading west when traffic slowed to a crawl, even as the traffic lights hanging above the W&OD Trail crossing near Whole Foods remained green.

That’s when, about 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, she saw people scrambling around the sidewalk by the Town Green; behind them, a black SUV slowly emerging from the stretch of trail between Church Street and Maple Avenue.

The vehicle was one of two spotted in Vienna and reported to Patch this week — and one of four reported in Vienna in just more than a month — on one of the largest recreation paths in the region.

• See also: Car Hits Bicyclist on W&OD Trail in Vienna

Last week in Arlington, a Florida motorist reportedly turned onto the W&OD Trail at Columbia Pike, according to ARLNOW.com. His GPS reportedly led him astray, and he was escorted off the trail at Glencarlyn Park, the site said.

While vehicles have been reported along various stretches of the 45-mile trail in recent years, there have rarely been this many sightings in such a short time. And police and local advocates are still struggling with how to solve the problem.

In some cases — like last month’s 5-mile spree by an alleged drunk driver that sent a local cyclist to the hospital — vehicles intentionally (or incoherently) drive down the path.

• See also: Bicyclist Recovering from Serious Injuries After Hit and Run on W&OD Trail

But in most others, motorists — some from out of town — often mistake the path’s openings for a roadway and quickly realize their error.

• See also: Car Travels the W&OD Trail — Again

A car spotted on Tuesday on the stretch of the trail near the Community Center and captured on video by YouTube user smcic had California license plates; the driver told the bicyclist, who was commuting to his home in Vienna, that he had “screwed up” and was turning around. (See video above).

For that reason, the bicyclist did not file a police report, though he did wait to make sure the vehicle “did turn around and that nobody was injured,” he told Patch.

Vienna Police Department spokesman Officer Gary Lose told Patch there were no requests for service on the W&OD either Sunday or Tuesday.

But he can’t help but wonder why nobody filed a report, especially in light of last month’s incident involving the drunk driver.  

Mehak Chopra, 28, of McLean, allegedly hit and seriously injured a 65-year-old bicyclist after entering the trail one night in Reston, sending local walkers and bicyclists diving out of her path before she exited onto Maple Avenue in Vienna, where she was stopped by police.

She faces a number of charges after the incident, including driving while intoxicated, failure to stop and felony hit and run, a charge that carries up to 10 years in prison and up to a $2,500 fine. Her hearing is set for Aug. 13.

Though the department does patrol the area, “we can’t be on the bike path 24 hours a day and 7 days a week,” Lose told Patch. “We need the citizens to call when they see or hear something that they don’t think is right.”

Suggestions for how to prevent vehicles from installing the trail have been exchanged, both on Patch and between local advocates and officials. Last month, gates were put up on the Capital Crescent Trail in Georgetown, WJLA reported, in an effort to keep cars off the path.

That idea doesn’t sit well with the majority of local bicyclists, including FABB President Bruce Wright, who said in a blog post gates “ would be extremely dangerous for cyclists, not to mention inconvenient for riders of unconventional bikes such as trikes, long wheelbase recumbents, tandems, and others.”