Commuting through the city tips

[ebubar]

I’m back after several months of not being around here.

I’ve done my Takoma to Arlington commute (13-15 miles) a few times now.
The three routes I have either take me around the Georgetown Branch to Capital Crescent
and crossing at Chain Bridge, crossing at Key Bridge and coming through Rosslyn,
or riding down Kansas to 13th to R street to 21st to M to Key Bridge. Of all the routes,
the one through the city, shockingly, is my preference and seems to be the quickest.

Based on this surprising discovery, I’m looking for some good “city commuting” tips
from the pros on here. I see all sorts of bike riders (which makes me less wary of the
city biking), but they do all sorts of different things in their riding.

There are the fully-suited road bikers who are apparently invincible and don’t need to
obey any stop signs or stop lights. That is obviously insane.

I see the folks who ride with traffic, occasionally jump onto the sidewalk when traffic is
stalled and/or ride beside cars, cut over to ped-crossings when safe and move between
being on the road and sidewalks.

Finally, there’s me who sits there taking up the right side of my lane, staying with the traffic
even when it looks safe and easy to move to the sidewalk.

What say the pros here? What approach do you use to city commuting?

Topic

[DismalScientist]

@fuzzy 43185 wrote:

What is bad about shoaling- Passing another cyclist who is stopped? Is it like flying pass them or just slowly riding by?

I think shoaling is more getting in front of or next to a cyclist who is already stopped at the head of line at a traffic light. It is particularly bad if you cannot out-accelerate that cyclist.

[jrenaut]

@DismalScientist 43189 wrote:

Some people must be shoaled.

Like some guy wearing flip flops track-standing a mountain bike with an empty baby seat on back.:rolleyes:

There is no way he could keep up with me.

I’ve been shoaled on 15th NW while pulling the kid trailer, which is incredibly annoying because it’s difficult to pass the slow shoaler ten feet down the road in a narrow cycletrack pulling the trailer.

[jnva]

Regarding shoaling – I think part of the problem is that most people do not consider bicycles to be an actual mode of transportation – more like going for a walk for entertainment. If the shoalers realized how rude it is they probably wouldn’t do it. It is annoying as he’ll though!

[TwoWheelsDC]

In my experience, the worst shoalers are pedicabs on Penn and on 15th.

[DCAKen]

90% of the time, I ride with the traffic. It’s pretty rare that I’ll filter up past a line of cars. I get a little irked when I wait in line and another cyclist filters up to the front, then proceeds to trundle along after the light changes, slowing down everyone behind them.

@Riley Casey 43105 wrote:

I’d +1, +2 and +3 the suggestion on hand signals for turns. Nothing says I love you to a driver, to other cyclists and pedestrians like clear and ample hand signals. Maybe they convey vulnerability, humaness, what ever but they seem to disarm the crankiest of drivers.

Pay attention to lane positioning, also. Too many cyclists made left turns from either the right side of the lane or the bike lane. If you’re going to turn left, get over to the left side of the lane.

[fuzzy]

I get it. I haven’t shoaled, don’t plan too either ( unless it needs to done ).

[5555624]

I don’t shoal — I tend to assume I’m going to be slower than the cyclist that’s already stopped.

I rarely get shoaled. On the way home, I’ll sometimes have a cyclist stop next to me, but usually, they just run the red light. That includes the illegal “‘turn right’ for five or so feet, cross the street, and ‘turn right’ again” maneuver, which I’ve seen twice this week. (If I come across a cyclist in the morning, which does happen maybe once a month, they’re usualy not going my way.)

[Author]

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