Memorial Circle mystery

[dasgeh]

I noticed the same thing (that was my daily commute from 2009-2012 and now is my snow commute and route when headed to courthouse). I always chalked it up to morning drivers expecting to stop on the bridge anyway. In the evening, bridge traffic is often moving along.

[Steve O]

@Alcova cyclist 112473 wrote:

Here are my theories:
1. In the morning, people will gladly put off getting to work for a few seconds, but in the afternoon they’re headed home. No time to wait for cyclists.
2. The sightlines are better/different in the morning. Since the approach is straighter going VA->DC, cars can see me approaching the X-walk sooner, but going DC-> there’s only a little stub off the “main” path going down to the MVT. Or maybe the sun is a factor heading NW in the afternoon?
3. In the morning, it’s Virginia drivers going to work in DC/MD, but in the evening it’s DC/MD drivers going home from the Pentagon/Crystal City/Alexandria.

Anyway, if you go through there regularly beware that your experience in the morning may not match what you get in the evening.

That was my regular commute for many years in the 90’s-early 00’s. They actually redesigned the geometry there at one point (early 00’s? anyone remember?). Here’s the old way.

I liked the old way better, because it was flatter; you didn’t have to rise up when coming from the bridge side, so sightlines for both cars and bikes were better. They also moved the crossing farther south. I liked it closer to the circle, because traffic was tending to slow more to get on the bridge. I would agree that the morning seemed to be easier to cross, though, at least after the change. I always attributed it to #2.

I think #3 has merit, too. Many mornings traffic is crawling along, so going from slow to stop is no big deal: you just end up right behind the car you were behind anyway. In the afternoon you have reverse commuters who are about to get a 1/2 mile of no intersections. The last thing they want to do is stop.

[Emm]

I noticed the same thing last year when I used this route, it was also true at the crossings on the DC side of the bridge. I just chalked it up to people being more cranky in the evening. The main risk I noticed is when cars try to swerve around the stopped cars and almost hit you. Never happened to me, but I did see it occur to a few joggers.

[americancyclo]

I’d also wager that since drivers are on the left side of the car, they see you a bit easier when you’re coming from their left.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

My route too and I’ve made the same observation. My theory is that at 8:30 everyone driving is going to work. No one is lost, everyone knows there’s a crosswalk there. In the evening though, there’s a good dose of tourists, taxis coming from the airport and people running errands, i.e. a drivers not necessarily familiar with the crossing. Sightlines are a factor too. Inbound cyclists are easier to see for all the reasons already mentioned.

[Terpfan]

@Brendan von Buckingham 112846 wrote:

My route too and I’ve made the same observation. My theory is that at 8:30 everyone driving is going to work. No one is lost, everyone knows there’s a crosswalk there. In the evening though, there’s a good dose of tourists, taxis coming from the airport and people running errands, i.e. a drivers not necessarily familiar with the crossing. Sightlines are a factor too. Inbound cyclists are easier to see for all the reasons already mentioned.

I don’t do that route as much, but I did it a handful of times in the sun and it’s usually the route when I drive. I’ve definitely observed the same trend.

I’m pretty sure what Brendan said is right. In the mornings, it’s regular commuters who are quite familiar with the crosswalks there. It also helps that they’re usually going slower to begin with because that merge from GWMP ramp to Washington Blvd is usually at 5-10mph, if that. And the sun is behind all of these morning commuters. Whereas in the afternoon, you’re dealing with less volume/faster approach speeds, more non-commuters, and the sun is closer toward being in their eyes.

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