Rush Hour and 16th St.

@cmacfido 77717 wrote:

I am fortunate that I am able to bike to work (17th & M NW) from Wheaton MD and the only time I am on a roadway without a designated Bike lane is in downtown Silver Spring for about half a mile. So it amazes me that folks insist on riding on 16th st, sometimes without a helmet, during rush hour. This is one of the busiest and narrow roads in the city and it is downright dangerous. There are designated bike lanes on both 15th and 14th and they don’t impede traffic. Every year there are more accidents involving cyclists on 16th. It is bumper to bumper traffic as well as one of the main routes for buses. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of this city’s excellent accommodation for cyclists, you might just save your own life.

Sorry to be blunt, but your post is textbook concern trolling. But since I have some spare time….

1) the helmet issue is a red herring, particularly in this context, but thanks for your concern.

2) There is no legal requirement to use only roads that have bike lanes. In fact, there is no legal requirement to stay in the bike lanes even on roads that have them.

3) If 16th is bumper-to-bumper, how do cyclists impede traffic? Sounds like the drivers are taking care of that on their own.

4) Maybe people are going to points located along 16th and the other roads are less convenient?

I’d love to see your route from Wheaton to DC in bike lanes.

@Terpfan 77730 wrote:

They may be referring to Wheaton in the broader definition so then hopping on GBT or Sligo Creek. It’s not easy, but it’s kind of possible until Silver Spring where it all sort of melts away.

What about Silver Spring to DC? 14th and 15th end long before you get close to Silver Spring.

@cmacfido 77717 wrote:

I am fortunate that I am able to bike to work (17th & M NW) from Wheaton MD and the only time I am on a roadway without a designated Bike lane is in downtown Silver Spring for about half a mile. So it amazes me that folks insist on riding on 16th st, sometimes without a helmet, during rush hour. This is one of the busiest and narrow roads in the city and it is downright dangerous. There are designated bike lanes on both 15th and 14th and they don’t impede traffic. Every year there are more accidents involving cyclists on 16th. It is bumper to bumper traffic as well as one of the main routes for buses. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of this city’s excellent accommodation for cyclists, you might just save your own life.

So you’re upset that a fellow cyclist is probably going faster than you on 16th St? Of course that must endanger his or her life somehow. There is no logic to that point. Also, the 15th St Cycletrack, as I’m sure you’re well aware, is one-way for a decent chunk of it and it ends at 16th st basically. Just as many busses run on 14th St (52, 53, 54 and I think one other one) as 16th (S2, S4, S9). If your point was to avoid faster traffic then the option would be 13th. I used to ride the S9 daily and never once saw a cyclist collision or accident along the route, and in fairness, I didn’t see many cyclists on it either. I don’t ride that way frequently, but I wouldn’t begrudge anyone for riding on 16th St–especially given it’s low speed limit and frequent traffic. (And the traffic flow is actually lighter now than in recent years with the closure of Walter Reed).