The sidewalk is over there!

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  • July 30, 2012 at 11:10 pm #911816
    Subby
    Participant

    I thought it was just a-hole car drivers that yelled at bikers but I was running down the bike lane on 15th street around 6pm today, hugging the curb. A dude comes whizzing past me, yelling and pointing to my right, “THE SIDEWALK IS OVER THERE”. Then he whizzed past the next runner and pointed, yelling the same thing.

    I don’t know – I guess it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I wasn’t in his path really and I don’t yell that at bikers who are on the sidewalks. Maybe its because I have been running there for 2 years and this is the first time it has ever happened. I’m not a tourist serpentining in your path with my devil brood.

    I’m a bike commuter too, can’t we just share?

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  • July 30, 2012 at 11:21 pm #947296
    jrenaut
    Participant

    He shouldn’t have yelled, but I agree that runners shouldn’t be in the bike lanes.

    July 30, 2012 at 11:55 pm #947299
    bluerider
    Participant

    @jrenaut 26842 wrote:

    He shouldn’t have yelled, but I agree that runners shouldn’t be in the bike lanes.

    I agree. I have been tempted to say something especially when they run against bike traffic in the bike lane. Its dangerous. They created bike lanes for a reason.

    July 31, 2012 at 12:03 am #947300
    Certifried
    Participant

    Same, I wouldn’t yell either and don’t think he should’ve. It does seem dangerous for both the cyclist and the runner to be in a bike lane. Kind of the same reason I don’t ride on the sidewalk (unless it’s wide and labelled for bike use too). I believe it’s more dangerous (regardless of whatever studies on both sides of the fence say)

    July 31, 2012 at 12:45 am #947306
    rcannon100
    Participant

    “Multi-Use Universe“

    July 31, 2012 at 1:22 am #947312
    DaveK
    Participant

    You were running in the 15th St cycletrack? The one with 8 feet total for two-direction bike traffic? It’s too narrow for two directions of bikes, let alone two directions of bikes and runners. Not okay.

    July 31, 2012 at 2:42 am #947318
    cephas
    Participant

    @jrenaut 26842 wrote:

    He shouldn’t have yelled, but I agree that runners shouldn’t be in the bike lanes.

    Um, he raised his voice to be heard… not exactly a mortal sin. I’m sorry he didn’t have the patience to slow down and explain to you (OP) why runners shouldn’t be in the bike lane. You may very well be a bike commuter, but you were not acting like one. You were being a runner (I think – not really clear in the original post).

    July 31, 2012 at 4:51 am #947321
    washcycle
    Participant

    I’m going to go with everyone else here – you shouldn’t run in the cycletrack. It’s illegal too if that matters. In bike lanes, I let it slide – but prefer runners to go with traffic. But on the cycletrack, cyclists are blocked in. I still wouldn’t say something to anyone, because I don’t like getting my ass kicked, but I’d grumble.

    But this really speaks to the fact that there just aren’t enough good places to run and bike in DC. So we’re left fighting for table scraps.

    July 31, 2012 at 11:08 am #947323
    mstone
    Participant

    You shouldn’t be running in the street, it’s dangerous and generally illegal.

    July 31, 2012 at 12:20 pm #947330
    Subby
    Participant

    Cool. That’s why I posted this – mostly to get feedback. Will stay out of there from now on.

    I will say that it isn’t clear that the lane is bikes only. Maybe it is clear to regular bicycle commuters but I see runners in there all the time and I wonder if more signage would make a difference.

    July 31, 2012 at 1:21 pm #947343
    jrenaut
    Participant

    @Subby 26876 wrote:

    I will say that it isn’t clear that the lane is bikes only. Maybe it is clear to regular bicycle commuters but I see runners in there all the time and I wonder if more signage would make a difference.

    I doubt it. Unfortunately, I fear you’re in the minority of people who actually care. I mean, signs sure don’t stop people from making illegal left turns on red lights through the cycletracks every day…

    July 31, 2012 at 1:27 pm #947346
    bluerider
    Participant

    @jrenaut 26890 wrote:

    I doubt it. Unfortunately, I fear you’re in the minority of people who actually care. I mean, signs sure don’t stop people from making illegal left turns on red lights through the cycletracks every day…

    I agree. That being said, don’t the bike symbols painted on the pavement at every block already provide the necessary signage. People just need to open their eyes. But I agree with jrenaut, they don’t care.

    July 31, 2012 at 1:49 pm #947357
    Terpfan
    Participant

    I rarely see runners on the 15th St cycletrack and I take it daily. With that said, I usually just roll my eyes at those in it because I do think it’s more dangerous than usual since folks tend to focus on timing the lights more than they do someone suddenly pulling a crazy ivan or stepping into the track.

    The runners don’t bother me quite as much as the pedicabs who take both lanes. I’ve said something to the pedicabs before in rebuttal to them getting annoyed that I won’t move over for them and run my tires against the curb.

    July 31, 2012 at 2:11 pm #947363
    dasgeh
    Participant

    @Subby 26876 wrote:

    Cool. That’s why I posted this – mostly to get feedback. Will stay out of there from now on.

    I will say that it isn’t clear that the lane is bikes only. Maybe it is clear to regular bicycle commuters but I see runners in there all the time and I wonder if more signage would make a difference.

    I’m all for more signage everywhere, but aren’t there bikes painted in the lanes already? I just don’t buy that runners don’t know what they’re doing. They may not realize why it’s a bad idea — it’s already narrow for bikes passing each other, and some bikes are wider than others; bikes travel faster than on MUPs, meaning that the difference in speed between runners and bikes is greater. But that’s where users pointing all the rules and reasons is helpful. Sorry that cyclist wasn’t the most polite, but it sounds like he started something good.

    July 31, 2012 at 3:03 pm #947370
    bobco85
    Participant

    This thread made me think about the whole “joggers in bike lanes” problem (I don’t want to derail the conversation, but the problem seems to apply here). I looked on this forum and found an old thread http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?519-runners-in-bike-lanes-how-to-handle, but still find the subject a little bit ambiguous. I keep going through different scenarios (like the safety of a jogger in the bike lane running with versus against traffic, time of day, does the jogger have a blinking light, etc.), but keep coming to the same general conclusion: joggers should not be in the bike lanes, but I could tolerate a jogger using the bike lane in very specific circumstances (visible, no crazy movements, sidewalk is jammed full of people).

    July 31, 2012 at 3:29 pm #947377
    americancyclo
    Participant

    @dasgeh 26910 wrote:

    bikes travel faster than on MUPs, meaning that the difference in speed between runners and bikes is greater.

    I don’t know if I agree with that. I regularly get up over 30 on the trails coming in to DC, and I don’t think I’ve even come close to that once I’m actually in the district. Traffic, narrow lanes, and bad light timing usually keep my speeds down, particularly on the poorly established 15th st cycle track.

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