Cyclist Ticketed for Getting Hit At Custis/Lynn Intersection

[RideTheWomble]

Arlnow.com has posted a story about a cyclist who was ticketed for getting hit by a turning car at the infamous Lynn/Custis/MVT intersection. Expect serious anti-bike vitriol in the comments.

Comment Team, Assemble!

Topic

[consularrider]

Must have been watching the same guy I saw enter the intersection heading east after the last second of yellow had counted down holding up the three cars that had just waited for an umbrella toting pedestrian to clear the crosswalk (she had put out her left hand to tell them to wait).

[mstone]

to be fair, the “right to turn after red because you had to wait for a pedestrian” doesn’t actually exist even if widely practiced. at busy intersections what’s really needed more often is a pedestrian-only cycle, as much as that would inconvenience motorists.

[Jsnyd]

I agree with the pedestrian only cycle. There is a good 3 seconds of the pedestrian walk light before the green light but all that does is give pedestrians the jump on the intersection. Then traffic waits for the perfect gap to shoot through before looking if a cyclist is coming across.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.845532,-76.949908

[baiskeli]

@consularrider 8030 wrote:

Must have been watching the same guy I saw enter the intersection heading east after the last second of yellow had counted down holding up the three cars that had just waited for an umbrella toting pedestrian to clear the crosswalk (she had put out her left hand to tell them to wait).

Yep, same guy.

[consularrider]

Sometimes I wonder if the extra three seconds at the start hurts more than it helps. In the morning rush when I turn left from the trail into the crosswalk, there are often cars in the right lane of the off ramp heading west who are cheating forward to turn right on red. More often than not, they are looking for a gap in the traffic heading north on Lynn and will rarely check to their right to see if there is a pedestrian or a cyclist starting to cross when the walk light is on while the traffic light is red in all directions.

[Dirt]

That’s really some of the biggest danger we face. The last 4 times I’ve been hit it has been just such a situation. The driver is looking in one direction and driving in a completely different one. A front flashy light in addition to a light that you ride by is a help with that.

[eminva]

@Dirt 8163 wrote:

The driver is looking in one direction and driving in a completely different one.

When I was visiting my parents last month, my mother had a new Volvo that had a feature that alerted the driver whenever something or someone was getting too close to the car (or vice versa). My first thought was to sheepishly think how many alarm bells I might be setting off when lane splitting. On further reflection, maybe this technology, as it becomes more widespread on automobiles, can help save cyclists.

Liz

[vvill]

Yeah I pretty much assume that if I am on the right side of a car that’s turning right to join traffic that the driver will not look right far enough or satisfactorily enough to see me, as they’re concentrating on the left. It’s not really an issue in some places, but at this intersection the visibility is already bad for both drivers and cyclists.

[baiskeli]

@Dirt 8163 wrote:

That’s really some of the biggest danger we face. The last 4 times I’ve been hit it has been just such a situation. The driver is looking in one direction and driving in a completely different one. A front flashy light in addition to a light that you ride by is a help with that.

“The last” 4 times? You’ve been hit more than 4 times? Wow.

[Dirt]

@baiskeli 8215 wrote:

“The last” 4 times? You’ve been hit more than 4 times? Wow.

Yup. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been hit. Probably 10 or 12 times in the last 5 years.

[rcannon100]

I’ve decided not to get hit by cars anymore. Someone told me it was bad for my heath.

[Dirt]

I’ve done a detailed study of the relative comfort of different car hoods and fenders. By far the most comfy is the 2010 or newer Toyota Corolla. I bounced onto and slid off of it sooooo smoothly. It was almost entirely not completely horrible.

I haven’t been hit in a year. *Knock on wood-grained poly vinyl.* My plan is to keep it that way for a while longer.

[baiskeli]

@Dirt 8216 wrote:

Yup. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been hit. Probably 10 or 12 times in the last 5 years.

That’s alot.

[Dirt]

Too many….

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.860925,-77.199563

[DaveK]

@Dirt 8216 wrote:

Yup. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been hit. Probably 10 or 12 times in the last 5 years.

The second sentence explains the first.

[Author]

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