Cyclists breaking the law

[Dickie]

Dear All.

I have been an avid cyclist in the Arlington area for the last 5 years. I log about 4000 miles a year and commute nearly every day. Over the last few years, as the number of cyclists in our area have grown, I’ve noticed a disproportionate number of traffic violations. I’ve lost count this week alone at the number of riders that have recklessly passed through red lights while I am sitting waiting with traffic for the right of way… the worst areas being the Rosslyn/Ballston corridor. I don’t claim to be a saint, and admit I will occasionally perform rolling stops at stop signs when no traffic is present, but besides obeying the law, I consider it my responsibility to earn respect on the road from drivers and pedestrians alike. Every single time a rider breaks the law in the face of others I feel my life becomes less safe on the road. I have been accosted by drivers in the wake of such disregard for the laws of the road, and yet we are the first to complain when the community doesn’t take us seriously. Today I witnessed such an individual break law after law, and watched as drivers became increasingly irritated, some even acting out their frustrations on me. I finally had enough and complained to the gentleman (not so politely) when I caught him up. His response was not surprising, but it made me wonder what can be done? How many of you deal with this/are the offenders/don’t care/see it totally differently?

– RS

Topic

[acc]

Yes, it happens. My mouth went instantly dry visualizing that situation. My biggest challenge at the moment is coming up with the guts to take the lane when I’ve got a big truck behind me and essentially nowhere to go except into the curb. This is my next teeth gritting experience.

ann

[GuyContinental]

@acc 17298 wrote:

Yes, it happens. My mouth went instantly dry visualizing that situation. My biggest challenge at the moment is coming up with the guts to take the lane when I’ve got a big truck behind me and essentially nowhere to go except into the curb. This is my next teeth gritting experience.

Make eye contact and smile- that guy really doesn’t want to run you over. Also, be super-aware of the right hook and never never never hang out at the FR corner of a stationary truck.

If it makes you feel any better, I run operations for a company with a fleet of class C (14K lbs) box trucks. As a result, all of my drivers are keenly aware that an aggressive driving complaint from a cyclist would be a very very bad thing for their career… (not that an aggressive driving complaint from a driver isn’t taken extremely seriously)

[Dickie]

Thanks GuyContinental, it sounds as if we ride a similar route in a very similar way. Your thoughts and comments are very concise and articulate…. much appreciated. My initial thread was really directed towards riders sharing the roads with cars, specifically on Wilson at rush hour, however I am glad to see so many witnesses and cyclists discussing such a variety of traffic/law issues.

[Author]

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