Bikers passing pedestrians on paved trails

[KWL]

And it was such a beautiful day. He DID call his pass but that didn’t give him the right to preempt my pass that was on hold waiting for the runner to clear, nor to drive the runner off the trail. I’m pretty sure his name is Richard because everyone was calling him “Dick.”

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@AT_Hiker59 161143 wrote:

I don’t live in the area but visit family who do frequently. Many times this spring I have been on the Sligo Trail. I have noticed only 7 bikers calling out their passes. Bikers who do not call out their passes whizzing close by me are too numerous. I am not used to bikers not calling out. Is this a DC area norm? Sligo Trail is too narrow to be speeding by. Is there any educating bikers to sensible courteous trail usage?

One biker gave me the finger when I called out “hey”. Boy did he change his tune when I and my daughter’s pit bull caught up to him at Colesville Rd. red light.

I don’t know, but according to your story you were standing right next to him afterwards. Why didn’t you ask him?

[Subby]

This thread is a good example of why you should just always ride on the street.

[DrP]

@Subby 161321 wrote:

This thread is a good example of why you should just always ride on the street.

And many of the threads in http://bikearlingtonforum.com/forumdisplay.php?48-Crashes-Close-Calls-and-Incidents are good examples of why not.

[Subby]

Don’t live your life in fear. 😎

[GovernorSilver]

I was riding on the street when a wind gust nearly blew me into the path of 2 lanes of cars. I think it was the same ride in which the headwind slowed me down to like 5 mph, which is not good for street riding.

So, no to “always ride the street” for me. I used to commute on N. Capitol St NE btw. I’d rather ride in that zoo of a street than Potomac Ave with nasty wind gusts.

If the wind conditions are not to my liking, I retreat to the nearest MUP/parking lot/sidewalk/whatever.

[scoot]

@GovernorSilver 161331 wrote:

I was riding on the street when a wind gust nearly blew me into the path of 2 lanes of cars. … So, no to “always ride the street” for me.

If you do choose to ride on streets in gusty conditions, it’s advisable to be more assertive about taking the lane than you would in calmer conditions. When you make it obvious to drivers that they need to use another lane to get around you, they almost always fully move into the next lane. As a result, you’ll get much wider passing distances, as well as fewer passing drivers overall. When many drivers are already passing too close (a typical situation if one rides near the edge of the right lane), the extra uncertainty in your position due to the wind gusts can be disastrous.

[accordioneur]

I have used the W&OD for years as a runner and lately as I recover from a health issue I have been doing a lot of walking and slow biking on the W&OD and Custis. I haven’t kept a tally, but my guess would be that about 25% of cyclists I’ve encountered over the years called their passes. It’s easy to blame this low number on clueless newbies, but I’ve found that the most dangerous offenders are Lycranauts barreling along at speed who pass me so close and so fast that my first and only warning of their presence is feeling their pressure wave.

On the other hand, I’m actually grateful to the cyclist who cursed me out during a pre-dawn run a few years ago. This was before I was doing any significant cycling and I hadn’t realized just how much of a ninja I was being – since then I’ve always worn lights and/or reflective clothing.

[Crickey7]

Bridges in lightning storms. Yeah, buddy.

[GovernorSilver]

@scoot 161337 wrote:

If you do choose to ride on streets in gusty conditions, it’s advisable to be more assertive about taking the lane than you would in calmer conditions. When you make it obvious to drivers that they need to use another lane to get around you, they almost always fully move into the next lane. As a result, you’ll get much wider passing distances, as well as fewer passing drivers overall. When many drivers are already passing too close (a typical situation if one rides near the edge of the right lane), the extra uncertainty in your position due to the wind gusts can be disastrous.

I was just told by a colleague that he takes the lane, until he can get to the start of the bike lane on Potomac Ave.

I’ll do that the next time I get caught on the road with strong wind gusts. It’s a game-time decision after I pass S. Glebe, whether to stay on the street or switch to the (temporary) MUP that goes by Target and other stores. I usually stay on the street because getting to the MUP can be a pain, when there are oncoming cars in the opposite direction, as well as cars going in my direction; and there’s no left turn lane. Once in a while I make the wrong call.

[creadinger]

@GovernorSilver 161347 wrote:

I was just told by a colleague that he takes the lane, until he can get to the start of the bike lane on Potomac Ave.

I’ll do that the next time I get caught on the road with strong wind gusts. It’s a game-time decision after I pass S. Glebe, whether to stay on the street or switch to the (temporary) MUP that goes by Target and other stores. I usually stay on the street because getting to the MUP can be a pain, when there are oncoming cars in the opposite direction, as well as cars going in my direction; and there’s no left turn lane. Once in a while I make the wrong call.

This thread is getting off topic but… oh well.

This is mostly in my own head, but Potomac Ave is one of the heated battles in the rights of bikes to take a lane and not be forced up onto the MUPs. The more cyclists who opt for the road, the more drivers will see it as a bike corridor and treat it as such. First, the road is 2 lanes and 25mph! There is plenty of room to pass, and low enough speeds that on a good day we might even be able to ride at the same pace as the traffic. Second, Alexandria PD is heavily enforcing the speed limit on it right now. They are huge allies in this right now by keeping speeders and aggressive drivers honest. I biked it and drove it yesterday and saw 2 cops each time. Third, with a wide open road to ride, it’s nice to leave the MUPs to the walkers, joggers, and families out for a stroll of which there are many. Lastly, if Potomac Ave can be established as a bike corridor then drivers will be less likely to use it as a shortcut to avoid traffic on Rt 1. They can have Rt 1. They can’t have both!

[Crickey7]

I watched a rider on the CCT pass two walkers this morning at speed, so closely he actually brushed the sleeve of the closest one. I felt really helpless and frustrated, with no options other than to stop and apologize–which fixes nothing, really, and is kind of strange–or turn around, chase down the inconsiderate and foolhardy rider and chew him out, which generally does not end well.

[Judd]

@Crickey7 161395 wrote:

I watched a rider on the CCT pass two walkers this morning at speed, so closely he actually brushed the sleeve of the closest one. I felt really helpless and frustrated, with no options other than to stop and apologize–which fixes nothing, really, and is kind of strange–or turn around, chase down the inconsiderate and foolhardy rider and chew him out, which generally does not end well.

I saw a guy do a six inch pass on a lady in a wheelchair yesterday as she was trying to negotiate the uneven transition and narrowing path on the 14th St. Bridge near the Jefferson Memorial. I gave the headshake of shame at the other rider and apologized for his behavior as I stopped to allow her to negotiate the transition.

I gave thought of turning around to chat with the guy, but it’s one of those things where I don’t know if it does any good to do so.

[Drewdane]

Failure of cyclists to call passes is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I am embarrassed and ashamed on a daily basis by the behavior of “passholes” who don’t seem to understand (or care) how unnerving it can be to be passed without warning.

In my view, there is no excuse for not calling passes. Pedestrians who react by moving into the path of the pass? That’s on them. Pedestrians intentionally impairing their situational awareness through use of headphones? On them. People who think you’re being aggressive or rude? On them. And I simply don’t care if I have to constantly warn people when the trail is busy – you gotta do what you gotta do.

The way I see it, calling your pass – either verbally or with a bell – is just the right thing to do. Even if the worst-case scenario comes true, I’m at least able to establish (if only to my own conscience) that I did my part to avoid that scenario.

[Anonymous]

@Crickey7 161395 wrote:

I watched a rider on the CCT pass two walkers this morning at speed, so closely he actually brushed the sleeve of the closest one. I felt really helpless and frustrated, with no options other than to stop and apologize–which fixes nothing, really, and is kind of strange–or turn around, chase down the inconsiderate and foolhardy rider and chew him out, which generally does not end well.

I’ve gone with “Passing! In a more reasonable manner!” when passing pedestrians after another cyclist did a too-close, or thread-the-middle-with-oncoming-traffic type pass.

For people headed the opposite direction, I’m more likely to make eye contact and do the shake my head, roll my eyes at the bad-behaving cyclist. It still doesn’t fix anything, but I feel like a little shared sympathy and solidarity in the face of stupid behavior is better than nothing, and doesn’t put me in the position of apologizing for something a stranger did, which would feel kind of strange.

Unless I’m the bad-behaving cyclist, (I have been known to misjudge the timing of oncoming traffic), in which case I do apologize…

[Author]

Posts