Cars in Arlington Behaving Badly.

[Tim Kelley]

As I was coming down the (one-way) hill on Wilson Blvd into Rosslyn near Rhodes street this morning, the sedan driving directly towards me (the wrong way, in the bike lane) reminded me of this video I saw yesterday.

Here’s 13 minutes of people in cars in Arlington being idiots:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0IlT2aaaic

Next time someone tells you that cyclists are reckless, show them this video and tell them that PEOPLE, no matter the mode of transportation, are reckless.

[bobco85]

Watching the video, I noticed both idiotic moves by other people and the general aggression/impatience from the driver filming himself. Recommendation: 10 CC’s of chill pill

[scoot]

@Tim Kelley 153981 wrote:

As I was coming down the (one-way) hill on Wilson Blvd into Rosslyn near Rhodes street this morning

Perhaps you were the one going the wrong way?

[Tim Kelley]

@scoot 153989 wrote:

Perhaps you were the one going the wrong way?

You’re right–at that point it’s still Clarendon Blvd!

[KLizotte]

This is why all vehicles should have forward and backwards facing cameras along with “black boxes.” Would help hold people accountable for their actions (this includes drivers, peds and cyclists).

[ShawnoftheDread]

@bobco85 153987 wrote:

Watching the video, I noticed both idiotic moves by other people and the general aggression/impatience from the driver filming himself. Recommendation: 10 CC’s of chill pill

Trying to pass on the left when the car in front was signaling intention to move left and turn left was another nice touch.

[Steve O]

This video could have been made five years ago or five years in the future. This is the way people behave, and our whining about it is not changing it. In the absence of Arlington hiring a dozen more police officers and spending several million more dollars a year on enforcement, all this stuff will just keep happening.

Which makes for the very strong argument that the changes need to be made in our infrastructure. If the videographer/driver had actually crashed because of any of those crazinesses, there would have been property damage and possibly some minor injuries. They were all relatively low speed interactions and cars contain myriad safety devices that reduce risk and severity of injury.

If a person on a bike or on foot had been involved, though, more serious injury or death may have resulted. I do not anticipate a sudden and amazing positive change in driver behavior. If we want people to use the streets on their bikes, then we need to make it safe to do IN SPITE OF the reckless behavior. Designers need to think through how to do this–not assuming a world of perfect drivers, but assuming a world of oblivious ones.

[dasgeh]

@Steve O 154073 wrote:

If we want people to use the streets on their bikes, then we need to make it safe to do IN SPITE OF the reckless behavior. Designers need to think through how to do this–not assuming a world of perfect drivers, but assuming a world of oblivious ones.

This should be a required watch for all Arlington County engineers, planners and Police.

[KLizotte]

@dasgeh 154094 wrote:

This should be a required watch for all Arlington County engineers, planners and Police.

And FHWA and members of ASHTO.

[Author]

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