Is Road Riding Worth the Risk?

[rcannon100]

@Emm 190045 wrote:

Also, you need to clarify what you mean by “advocacy”.

Nope. Not my rules. Not mine to clarify.

[Steve O]

@kwarkentien 190153 wrote:

The Forum never disappoints when it gets on to issues such as these: the hard issues of biking safety, infrastructure, enforcement, equity, participation, advocacy. Lots of opinions here, and some raw, sometimes harsh, criticisms and descriptions of “how it is” and “how it should be.”

Of all the places on the Internet where these types of conversations ensue, this is far and away the most courteous and respectful I have encountered. Thank you to all participants for maintaining that culture here.

[ginacico]

@rcannon100 190206 wrote:

Nope. Not my rules. Not mine to clarify.

Sure, but you may assume enforcement is part of the “advocacy” you’re getting.

I’m not criticizing our advocates/groups in any way, and I relate to the time constraints. But it’s misguided to pay minimum WABA membership dues every year and expect that they’ll do the job for us. The truth is they simply don’t have the resources to monitor the forum with their logo at the top, or to fight for enforcement as forcefully as they do for infrastructure. Heck, even a hard-earned Board position is a volunteer job.

Don’t like it? IF YOU RIDE IN DC and truly want safety for all road users your better options are to

1. Donate a big truckload of money, or a car, or half your inheritance to WABA, or
2. Learn to do the job yourself.

Not to be all GoT* dramatic, but BikeDC (#walkDC #bikeDC #liveDC) is fighting a war right now and they could sure use backup from people in the suburbs who venture within the city. The best of their soldiers have all the right authorities on speed dial, Twitter, bookmarks, and whatever means they need to report any type of shenanigans. For example:

• Bike lane violations and infrastructure improvements? Call 311 or tweet a location, license plate, and/or picture to @311DCgov and @DDOTDC. Submit pictures and details to Bike Lane Uprising. A resident expert here is LhasaCM, ask him about strategy.
• Safe accommodations around construction sites? Again call 311 or tweet a location, license plate, and/or picture to @311DCgov and @DDOTDC. Ask jrenaut about process and navigating city bureaucracy.
• See someone using their phone while driving? Submit a video to the TextToTicket app (bonus: and get paid!).
• Involved in or witness a crash or incident? Follow the guidelines. https://www.waba.org/resources/what-to-do-after-a-crash/
• Want to help organize the next memorial ride or attend civic meetings? Ask @HandlebarsDC about it.
• Wanna try some tactical urbanism? Check to see what @DCDOTRA recommends and recruit help. See also https://issuu.com/streetplanscollaborative/docs/tu-guide_to_materials_and_design_v1 and http://tacticalurbanismguide.com/
• If you just can’t anymore and it’s time to create a big, splashy, newsworthy scene with a mountain of spraypainted car parts in front of the mayor’s office to tell her she’s not doing her job, check with @NellePierson (who lives on a houseboat in Seattle and STILL shows up).
• And don’t forget to ask @JoeFlood to take photos and document the revolution, because even MLK knew there’s no point in protesting if it doesn’t make the news.

There are plenty of people out there who know how to get sh!t done in DC. We should start a whole thread, but most of them are not hanging out on this forum. And they’re all exhausted. If you do see any of them, buy them coffee and pastries and beer.

One more point. People are gonna argue about it, but this vexes me particularly. This is not a cult. This is not a community. There’s no such thing as the bike community (credit to Gear Prudence). You don’t have to identify as a cyclist. They don’t have to be your so-called family. You are no less legit if you usually take Metro, or have an e-bike, or have never been to a “coffee club” (spoiler: It’s not a club). If you EVER walk, scooter, or ride in DC and want the streets to be safer, your voice counts and you can help make a difference.

None of us can do enough alone, but every one of us can contribute. Next time, instead of coming to the forum to complain, figure out how to take action. Oh hello YOU ARE WABA.

Or, y’know, just go back to the coffee and games and cliques, and maybe we should just remove any references to DC and WABA from this site. That’s just where I’m at #sorrynotsorry

*I totally don’t watch GoT. Just tossing out a pop culture reference as a cheap attention getter.

[lordofthemark]

At the top of this forum, it says post to discuss bicycling. Although public entities (plus WABA) sponsor it, I see that as not limiting it to discussing advocacy. We can discuss advocacy. We can (and DO) discuss the weather. We can discuss trail conditions (not advocacy, but certainly something that I think the local govts are glad gets discussed here). We can help people figure out how to get started riding (thanks for helping ME!) how to commute, where to go. We can argue about safe riding styles. We can plan get togethers. We can spend months talking about freezing saddles, which is a silly game, but also gets some people to commute in the winter, which is kind of important if biking is going to be a real transportation alternative (my sponsored silly games have all played on an advocacy theme, btw). We can talk about gear, which is absolutely important (even if some of the discussions are less helpful to someone just getting started)

I do think maybe the forum could do with some reorg to bring advocacy front and center. Right now we have subforums for Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, relating to specific orgs in those places. Threads about DC, or about the region generally, are in general forums (unless they relate to crashes, or to trail conditions) where they are mixed in with everything else. Maybe one big “advocacy forum”? I dunno, I am sure that won’t make everyone happy.

I agree with Brian and I disagree. He is absolutely right that when we advocate for safe streets, it is right and just to advocate for safe streets for all, whether walking, riding a bike, scootering, or driving. I have tried to do that. He is also right (this is my reading of him here, as a caveat) that when we do advocate specifically for people on bikes, it should be for everyone who rides a bike – the casual rider out on a Spring day – the working class commuters who are generally not involved in these discussions – the occasional commuter – etc, etc. But there IS a bike community. When I started going to Hump Day Coffee (clatch? conclave?) it was like passing through into Diagon Alley. I entered a world of people with whom I had something important in common, and I found a set of overlapping circles of friends. I’ve come to know lots of good fine dear people – also many acquaintances – and I am at one or two removes from lots of people who ride in greater DC. It feels like a community to me. And at least I have found it inclusive, not exclusionary. Could it be better? Sure. Should we avoid confusing it with everyone who rides or has a stake in riding or has a stake in safer streets? Sure.

OTOH this week, when someone who was not only a safe streets advocate, but someone who did attend a coffee club, who knew lots of people who ride, who talk about biking and who do advocacy, and who tweeted, was recently killed, its kind of natural that there is a reaction, a cry from the heart, from the “bike community”. I would give them a pass right now on those feelings. Maybe its prompting some less than optimal advocacy right now (I am really not sure of that) but humans are human, and won’t always advocate optimally.

[ginacico]

@lordofthemark 190248 wrote:

I do think maybe the forum could do with some reorg to bring advocacy front and center.

Yes, please. Especially for DC.

@lordofthemark 190248 wrote:

Could it be better? Sure. Should we avoid confusing it with everyone who rides or has a stake in riding or has a stake in safer streets? Sure.

Nobody discounts that you can make friends riding bikes. But we shouldn’t be blind to the huge numbers of people who aren’t (and shouldn’t have to be) part of the cliques, and they should be equally empowered and educated on how to be a good advocate.

[dasgeh]

I agree with a lot of of what @ginacico wrote, and hate to focus on the negative, but this is the forum, after all ..

@ginacico 190247 wrote:

Not to be all GoT* dramatic, but BikeDC (#walkDC #bikeDC #liveDC) is fighting a war right now and they could sure use backup from people in the suburbs who venture within the city.

Can we stop with the false DC v suburbs dichotomy? The situation in the ‘burbs (particularly Fairfax, PG, and other places farther from density) is worse than that in DC proper. Plus, I would not say the issue is the ‘burbs not showing up for DC. While I see tons of ‘burbs advocates at the DC events, (and, thankfully, some DC folks at the Arlington stuff), it’s rare to see DC folks heading out to the ‘burbs when there are meetings and events. The ‘burbs folks have their hands full, and while it’s appreciated when they help out in DC, it’s understandable that they focus on ‘burbs. (If only WABA would help…)

[JorgeGortex]

@lordofthemark 190013 wrote:

If I am coming off harshly, we are engaged in a bitter, emotionally exhausting fight over Seminary Road in Alexandria. A bike advocate in DC was just murdered last Friday. I am really, really, really, not in the mood for people crapping on bike advocates, especially “avid cyclists”.

Doesn’t seem like crapping on all the rest of us that have an interest and support of change for cycling in our area is a great way to get your fellow cyclists to support your POV. If you are that tired and upset, then maybe stepping away to get a fresh head might be in order.

We all want the same things: safe places to ride and enjoy our sport. How each of us is able to contribute to that effort is a wide spectrum with millions of angles… but beating each other down isn’t one of the ways to encourage change.

[lordofthemark]

@JorgeGortex 190337 wrote:

Doesn’t seem like crapping on all the rest of us that have an interest and support of change for cycling in our area is a great way to get your fellow cyclists to support your POV. If you are that tired and upset, then maybe stepping away to get a fresh head might be in order.

We all want the same things: safe places to ride and enjoy our sport. How each of us is able to contribute to that effort is a wide spectrum with millions of angles… but beating each other down isn’t one of the ways to encourage change.

I did a quick review of my posts up to the one you quoted, and I think I succeeded in not crapping on anyone, and responding by providing facts as far as I knew them. And some of the posts I responded to did call out bike advocates as such.

And I do not think I am the only one who is tired and upset. And rather than step away, I hope it will be possible to turn the energy positive to do more.

I certainly recognize that there are lots of ways to advance biking and also safe streets for all, and sustainable transportation and sustainable development patterns generally. And I certainly respect the many things people do for those that are quite different from what we often think of as advocacy.

But someone here did make “bike advocates” the issue. I found that unfortunate.

[lordofthemark]

@dasgeh 190252 wrote:

The situation in the ‘burbs (particularly Fairfax, PG, and other places farther from density) is worse than that in DC proper.

I’ve been reflecting on this lately. I certainly see plenty of infra in DC I envy – much better seg infra, overlaid on a legacy street grid that was already more bike friendly than what is found almost anywhere else in the region. Also some better bike policies – on negligence law, LPI’s etc.

OTOH there have been a string of bike and ped fatalities in DC that we, at least in the inner suburbs, have not faced lately (we have had ped fatalaties, but much smaller numbers). Part of that is likely just higher bike and ped mode share in DC. But some of it is the volume of motor vehicle traffic, the culture of motorists (both DC residents and suburbanites) and the relative lack of traffic enforcement other than ATE.

So I would just say things are different, not better or worse. I will accept when #bikeDC complains even as folks in DC have some things I would love to have in NoVa. I will go to memorials in DC, but focus my letters and petitions and so forth in my own jurisdiction, as I think pols care much more about comments from people who can actually vote them out of office.

[streetsmarts]

Ken what’s ATE? Thanks

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

[lordofthemark]

@streetsmarts 190376 wrote:

Ken what’s ATE? Thanks

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

Automated Traffic Enforcement (IE speed cameras and red light cameras)

[mstone]

@lordofthemark 190374 wrote:

OTOH there have been a string of bike and ped fatalities in DC that we, at least in the inner suburbs, have not faced lately (we have had ped fatalaties, but much smaller numbers). Part of that is likely just higher bike and ped mode share in DC.

IMO, the mode share is the major factor. In most of fairfax people look at the infrastructure and just refuse to ride a bike on it, so they’re not going to be in collision. (Except for low-wage workers with no options because social justice isn’t a thing here.) We still get horrific fatalities (elderly people run down in crosswalks, cyclists hit by snowplows, etc) but in much lower numbers commensurate with the much lower opportunity for such.

[dasgeh]

@lordofthemark 190374 wrote:

I’ve been reflecting on this lately. I certainly see plenty of infra in DC I envy – much better seg infra, overlaid on a legacy street grid that was already more bike friendly than what is found almost anywhere else in the region. Also some better bike policies – on negligence law, LPI’s etc.

OTOH there have been a string of bike and ped fatalities in DC that we, at least in the inner suburbs, have not faced lately (we have had ped fatalaties, but much smaller numbers). Part of that is likely just higher bike and ped mode share in DC. But some of it is the volume of motor vehicle traffic, the culture of motorists (both DC residents and suburbanites) and the relative lack of traffic enforcement other than ATE.

So I would just say things are different, not better or worse. I will accept when #bikeDC complains even as folks in DC have some things I would love to have in NoVa. I will go to memorials in DC, but focus my letters and petitions and so forth in my own jurisdiction, as I think pols care much more about comments from people who can actually vote them out of office.

In the inner suburbs (Arlington, Alexandria, probably Bethesda, College Park, etc), I agree that it’s different, not better/worse. But I stand by the statement that it’s worse in the outer suburbs — Fairfax, PG in particular. It’s so bad that not a lot of people walk and bike there and they still have numerous deaths. But they don’t get the reporting and attention that the deaths in DC get (now).

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