Hains Point 100 – December 21st – Come on out ya’ll!

[rcannon100]

I rode the HP100/2 (which is actually longer than I have ridden for….. oh…. let’s just say a few decades)

[video=youtube_share;-qjlDg4FA_s]http://youtu.be/-qjlDg4FA_s[/video]

BTW Gypsybug has an amazing collection of photos here https://www.flickr.com/photos/gersema/sets/72157649862204151/

[dcv]

@Harry Meatmotor 102529 wrote:

That was awesome! Glad I could make it down. The VWS team and I were there for a short while and I had a chance to put my nose in the wind for the Bikenetics guys for a few laps – hope that helped! Especially for Vin (I believe – I’m horrible with names) on the fixie leading the charge!!! Rock on –

Thanks for the long pull, I was pretty spent by then. Good to meet you in person.

V

[rcannon100]

Soooooo….. anyone know any more on the cops at HP? I have heard they were being dinguses bc the cyclist had a beer in the bottle cage?

[APKhaos]

@rcannon100 102534 wrote:

Soooooo….. anyone know any more on the cops at HP? I have heard they were being dinguses bc the cyclist had a beer in the bottle cage?

They were ticketing for failing to come to a complete stop at the stop sign. Saw that happen. Didn’t hear about the beery bidon though. Wish I’d thought to suggest they book guys for speeding. At least that would be a badge of honor…or something.

[rcannon100]

I dont think talking to these police would have been wise. They led one of us away in handcuffs. That’s a bit more than ticketing.

[JoeB]

Good question, rcannon100 – I was awarded a citation today during the Hains Point 100, but compared to the guy getting carted off in handcuffs it looked like I may have gotten off easy.

Got my ticket for “T072 – DISOBEY TRAFFIC DEVICE OR OFFICER WHILE ON A BIKE” just before noon, after an oncoming driver waved me through the intersection by the gate at the northwest corner of the loop. Cop said that didn’t matter, I’m supposed to stop anyway and then I guess engage in a battle of arm-waving and confusion to sort out who’ll actually go through the intersection when.

Not the kind of hand-up I was hoping for from the HP100, to be honest, but I’m curious: did any other forum members pull a short straw today?

P.S. Nothing was mentioned about any beers in bottle cages, and in fact the cop was polite & professional throughout the whole thing. Mulishly devoted to hyper-literal enforcement of that particular stop sign at that particular instant, but still: politely and professionally mulish.

[rcannon100]

I am sorry to hear this.

First, you may wish to challenge the ticket as it may have consequences for your license.

Second, I would contact Eleanor Holmes Norton. If you are a citizen of DC, contact her from that perspective. If you are a “visitor” to DC, asking her about the reception of NPS to visitors to DC.

Just because the police were polite doesnt mean this wasnt complete BS. Cyclists have attempted to work with NPS about this. There is NO REASON these intersections could not be redesigned to eliminate the requirement for bikes to stop. It is just stupid. And…. and okay I wont type the stronger words I have.

[Greenbelt]

Three cars to arrest the guy for a beer. And they would have left his bike on the side of the road had people not stopped to help. Sorry but this has much more to do with cops not having anything better to do than with security or safety.
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[Steve O]

@rcannon100 102532 wrote:

[video=youtube_share;-qjlDg4FA_s]http://youtu.be/-qjlDg4FA_s[/video]

Hey! There I am riding with dasgeh at :06 and outright featured at 1:05 – 1:06. I’m a star!!

[baiskeli]

@JoeB 102537 wrote:

Got my ticket for “T072 – DISOBEY TRAFFIC DEVICE OR OFFICER WHILE ON A BIKE” just before noon, after an oncoming driver waved me through the intersection by the gate at the northwest corner of the loop. Cop said that didn’t matter, I’m supposed to stop anyway and then I guess engage in a battle of arm-waving and confusion to sort out who’ll actually go through the intersection when.

Sorry to hear that.

This is an example of how motorists can screw over a cyclist even when they are trying to be nice.

[bobco85]

@rcannon100 102532 wrote:

I rode the HP100/2 (which is actually longer than I have ridden for….. oh…. let’s just say a few decades)

[video=youtube_share;-qjlDg4FA_s]http://youtu.be/-qjlDg4FA_s[/video]

BTW Gypsybug has an amazing collection of photos here https://www.flickr.com/photos/gersema/sets/72157649862204151/

Looks like it was a lot of fun, and you guys did a great job in the chilly weather! What was the final turn-out for the ride?

[Megabeth]

I’m going to count those that signed-in later today but for now…estimating maybe 300? Thanks for everyone coming out and supporting the ride. Getting ready for this event is such a ride in itself and now I’ve got to stop swirling!

I can also update that the person who fell, with ambulance called, is just fine. She stopped by later to let us know. She didn’t go to the hospital. All good. Just abundance of caution! Her bike got checked out by Handy Bikes DC and with a few little adjustments is just fine, too.

(Re: tickets, I got one last summer at HP. They never entered it into the system for me to pay. So, according to the ticket I received, after a certain time it’s null and void if not entered into the system. Also, it was from the NPS and not DC so even if it was put into the system, it wouldn’t show up on my license as points or anything…no connection.)

[JoeB]

@Megabeth 102576 wrote:

(Re: tickets, I got one last summer at HP. They never entered it into the system for me to pay. So, according to the ticket I received, after a certain time it’s null and void if not entered into the system. Also, it was from the NPS and not DC so even if it was put into the system, it wouldn’t show up on my license as points or anything…no connection.)

No such luck for me, I’m afraid, the ticket I got is labeled a “DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NOTICE OF INFRACTION” even though it was signed by a US Park Police officer, and it’s already online in DC’s payment system here: http://dmv.dc.gov/service/pay-ticket

The officer did explain the same basic thing about the outcome with respect to points on my license – namely that since it’s a bicycling infraction it’s not supposed to trigger any demerit points with the VA DMV. Really wish I could find some actual proof of that from the VA DMV side of things, though.

But even despite the ticket, Beth, I really enjoyed the event. Many thanks for setting it up – we’re already looking forward to next year!! My kids both did their first HP loops yesterday (hopefully first of many, for years to come!), and I’d love to think they could look forward to those future loops without feeling like (and occasionally being treated like) a criminal just for riding sensibly & carefully through those intersections. As far as I can tell here: http://www.waba.org/advocacy/priorities/, WABA doesn’t see this as one of their top ten priorities – and to be clear: I’m not sure it should be a top priority. But I do think it should be somewhere on their radar screen.

So can anyone fill in my ignorance about WABA’s official or unofficial views about the stop signs at Hains Point? Is the idea of getting those changed to yield signs for cyclists (either at particular times/days/during events or permanently) too much at odds with the rest of their goals for cycling in DC? Anyone know who in particular I could follow up with about that, either here on the forum or offline?

[JoeB]

BTW, the officer also added an interesting point while he wrote out my ticket, namely that he said they’d received “a lot of complaints” about cyclists and stop signs at Hains Point.

Anybody happen to know if that’s true, or more specifically: exactly what counts as “a lot” in this context? Do they get 50 complaints per year? 500? 10? And from whom: are all these “complaints” coming from tour bus drivers who’d prefer not to share that loop with anyone at all, or from the general public more broadly?

Better yet: is there anyone on the forum who works at or with the National Park Service who could fill us in on their approach towards cycling at Hains Point in general?

[dasgeh]

@JoeB 102616 wrote:

So can anyone fill in my ignorance about WABA’s official or unofficial views about the stop signs at Hains Point? Is the idea of getting those changed to yield signs for cyclists (either at particular times/days/during events or permanently) too much at odds with the rest of their goals for cycling in DC? Anyone know who in particular I could follow up with about that, either here on the forum or offline?

So I don’t know WABA’s official or unofficial views about the stop signs at Hains Point, specifically, but in my opinion, those particular stop signs shouldn’t be high on the list of priorities. There are just SO MANY AREAS where we need improvements to make cycling safer — true protected bike lanes of reasonable width providing a network of travel, signal and signage improvements at countless intersections, eliminating at-grade crossings of what are basically highways, lighting, maintenance of trails, adequate, safe side-paths along the bridges, routing signage, driver’s education, getting cycling education into the schools, etc, etc — that making cycling more convenient in an area that’s primarily used for training just doesn’t strike me as a high priority. Just focusing on NPP, my top issues would be (1) enforcing speed limits, yielding to cross-walks and other driving laws on NPS roads; and (2) not having NPP block crosswalks and curb cuts around the memorials.

I do think changing the law for all stop signs to be Idaho stop would be a good move, and I thought that was on WABA’s radar, just not high on the list. Changing the law in DC would change the law for those 3 stop signs. But I, for one, would be pretty disappointed if WABA focused its limited advocacy work on those three stop signs and not, say, on the Intersection of Doom, Teddy Roosevelt Bridge, or Route 50 Trail.

[Author]

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