Cyclist hit by car, killed in Rockville area

[Crickey7]

Not sure it needs repeating, but do NOT read the comments on WTOP’s website.

[consularrider]

“…was riding a bike around 7 p.m. Saturday and headed south on East Gude Drive. As XXX was crossing the roadway, police said, he was struck by a black 2004 Lexus RX330.

Police said their investigation found that XXX was “crossing against the pedestrian indicator.” …

I’m sorry, but if the report is correct and he was riding on the street, so what does the pedestrian indicator have to do with anything? Did he go through a red light?

[Crickey7]

It’s very unclear. The report says he was in the road, so it should not matter. I do know that there is a “trail” that runs along the South side of that road. It’s really a glorified sidewalk, but it’s in decent shape with better curb cuts than most sidewalks. He may have been on that. I note that one news story said the light was against him. But all in all, the police statement that was the source of the pedestrian indicator detail raises questions as to whether they were correctly reconstructing the crash and allocating responsibility.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I really won’t be happy until the media reports “the driver was not speeding, texting, talking on the phone or distracted” when these crashes happen. There’s always a implied blame for the pedestrian or bicyclists “no reflective clothing/no lights/dark/no crosswalk – even if the nearest crosswalk is a mile away-.

[PotomacCyclist]

@Crickey7 129804 wrote:

Not sure it needs repeating, but do NOT read the comments on WTOP’s website.

I like to post to help show that the rabid “drivers never break laws and if they do, it’s OK” crowd do not represent everyone out there. I won’t get worked up about individual arguments because I know I’m unlikely to “win” an Internet argument. So I don’t bother. But I do bother to get the word out there, that there are people who are concerned about traffic and transportation safety and who think that all people on the roads, sidewalk, crosswalks and trails deserve respect and a safe environment. The extremists won’t change their views, but more moderate people might start to give these matters more thought after repeated conversations and posts.

I usually just post a few replies or messages and move on. I finally came to my senses at some point and realized that it’s not worth engaging some people in ongoing shouting matches, while at the same time, I think it’s useful to get in some points for general consumption on comment sections. (Except for some of the very ideological websites. Sorry to say it, but it’s true. Comments on those sites are much more extreme, and much more “tolerant” of hatred and threats against undesirables, such as cyclists, hipsters, people who live in central cities, and most people who are considered “different” in some way.)

I also learned to tune out a lot of the noise. I go in expecting a lot of garbage. I scan through those quickly. If I see some points that can be countered quickly, I will do so. The raving hate statements can’t be countered, so I don’t even try with those, other than to point out how dangerous those people are, and that they pose as much of a danger to American civilians as any foreign terrorist does. (If you look at fatality rates, those reckless/aggressive drivers actually present a far greater threat to most Americans.)

[mstone]

@PotomacCyclist 129831 wrote:

I like to post to help show that the rabid “drivers never break laws and if they do, it’s OK” crowd do not represent everyone out there

Trying to improve anonymous internet commentary is a wasted effort. For the most part reputable news sources have figured this out and are shutting down comment sections–they’re just a cesspit, with so little useful content as to be immaterial. I’ve even given up on greatergreaterwashington, as they just can’t manage their moderation policy to overcome anonymous trolling. This seems to be inevitable outcome for any popular facility on the internet.

[Author]

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