Not everyone who reads this blog may be familiar with the Commuter Connections' Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Program. I had occasion to use it on Friday, and no one else in my office was aware of it--even though they all bus or Metrorail to work (except one driver). I was happy to pass along the info (which you can get here).
Unfortunately, it was an unhappy situation that created my need for it. I was biking to work on my usual bike commute from Arlington to Silver Spring. About 1/2 of my commute is along the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT). The CCT is a well used bike commuting route, but after the latest snowstorm, it received no attention whatsoever. There are still sections--particularly east of Bethesda--that are dangerously icy. I went down on an icy patch and injured my thumb. I continued to my office. At first my thumb didn't hurt too much, but it continued to swell and the pain increased, so I decided it would be best to get it x-rayed (10 years ago I broke my thumb in a bike wreck, and this seemed very similar). Since it wasn't life threatening, I decided to go home first and see my local doctor rather than go to a Silver Spring-area emergency room. 
I called GRH, and they ordered a minivan cab for me (to carry me and my bike both). It was there in less than 10 minutes and took me all the way home to Arlington for free.
Thankfully, the thumb isn't broken--just sprained. Now what can we do to get local jurisdictions to do something about ice and snow on the multi-use trails? It's been well more than a week since the snow, and there are still unpassable sections on the CCT.
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Steve Offutt, Arlington
East of Bethesda, the trail is officially the Georgetown Branch Trail, and the phone number for maintenance is 240-777-6000.
Posted by: Allen Muchnick | January 28, 2008 at 08:35 PM
Sorry about your thumb, Steve. I rode the CCT to downtown Bethesda on Sunday afternoon, and it had no snow or ice at all except for partial coverage at one short spot, between Mass Ave & River Rd I believe.
The phone number for trail maintenance from Bethesda west in Montgomery County is: 301-670-8080.
You might also send an email to .
Posted by: Allen Muchnick | January 28, 2008 at 08:20 PM