Missed connection

[Subby]

@83(b) 69150 wrote:

Something for VA commuters to note:
You: Two cyclists coming from the 15th street/Ellipse sidewalk (I assume having come from the MVT) into the 15th street cycletrack.
Me: Turning–with the light–onto the 15th street cycletrack from the Penn Ave lanes.

There’s a lot going on at that intersection. I’m looking for drivers who try to turn left from Penn on the cyclists’ light. I’m looking for southbound drivers on 15th who overshoot the stop line. It’s a tight turn around the bollards and I’m looking for southbound cyclists in the cycletrack cutting their turn onto Penn short. What I’m not looking for–or at least haven’t been until now–are northbound cyclists running their lights (both pedestrian and road signals are there).

That was really close and I’m not at all sorry for losing my Dirt™ with you.

I don’t know why folks take the sidewalk there. I still think you are better off northbound on 15th street. As I get closer to the light, I will wait for a break in traffic then drift over to the middle, then move over again to the empty vendor/bus parking lanes (techincally salmoning at that point, but only for a 100 feet or so). Probably not the most legal of maneuvers, but that sidewalk is hazardous with tourist and other ped traffic. All that said, coming northbound you *have* to pay attention to the light there – sure you can glide through on a red, but you have to be 100% sure there is no cycle or vehicle traffic turning from Pennsylvania Ave.. I think coming up 15th northbound also gives you much better sight lines than you would get on the sidewalk.

[83b]

@Subby 69151 wrote:

I don’t know why folks take the sidewalk there.

Beyond the northbound cyclists, I’m always surprised by the number of southbound cyclists I see head up onto those sidewalks. As you say, they’re really crowded, and the southbound bike traffic has the option of merging onto 15th. Your method for navigating the transition sounds eminently sensible. That’s what I’ll try if I’m ever headed that way.

[dasgeh]

@83(b) 69153 wrote:

Beyond the northbound cyclists, I’m always surprised by the number of southbound cyclists I see head up onto those sidewalks. As you say, they’re really crowded, and the southbound bike traffic has the option of merging onto 15th. Your method for navigating the transition sounds eminently sensible. That’s what I’ll try if I’m ever headed that way.

I often use those sidewalks to get on to / off of the Ellipse when I’m headed East/West. There’s no other option.

[jrenaut]

@dasgeh 69168 wrote:

I often use those sidewalks to get on to / off of the Ellipse when I’m headed East/West. There’s no other option.

I think it depends where you’re coming from – I think Subby is talking about people coming off the 14th St Bridge then getting on Ohio Drive and turning onto 15th. I do the same thing – when I get a break in traffic, I salmon on 15th just south of PA Ave until the cycletracks pick up. Doing that I remind myself that I’m not riding in a lane and have to yield to anyone and everyone. Coming off the Ellipse I take the sidewalk, too, but again very slowly and yielding to everyone

[dasgeh]

@jrenaut 69170 wrote:

I think it depends where you’re coming from – I think Subby is talking about people coming off the 14th St Bridge then getting on Ohio Drive and turning onto 15th. I do the same thing – when I get a break in traffic, I salmon on 15th just south of PA Ave until the cycletracks pick up. Doing that I remind myself that I’m not riding in a lane and have to yield to anyone and everyone. Coming off the Ellipse I take the sidewalk, too, but again very slowly and yielding to everyone

I was really responding to:

@Subby 69151 wrote:

I don’t know why folks take the sidewalk there.

Pointing out that some folks aren’t just going north/south and have no other options.

[83b]

@jrenaut 69170 wrote:

I think Subby is talking about people coming off the 14th St Bridge then getting on Ohio Drive and turning onto 15th.

That’s where I assumed everyone was coming from. I didn’t even know you could still ride on the Ellipse’s road portions. I got turned around by security there a few years ago and haven’t been back on a bike. Even walking gets you into a maze of barriers around E street that always seems to be evolving.

[jrenaut]

Right, I guess I just thought you two were missing each others’ points. Maybe I was the one missing the point.

Regardless, I don’t think any of us are really disagreeing.

[cyclingfool]

@jrenaut 69177 wrote:

Right, I guess I just thought you two were missing each others’ points. Maybe I was the one missing the point.

Regardless, I don’t think any of us are really disagreeing.

Yes we are. This is an Internet forum. Clearly, someone must be disagreeing with somebody else!

[DismalScientist]

@cyclingfool 69179 wrote:

Yes we are. This is an Internet forum. Clearly, someone must be disagreeing with somebody else!

No, you are wrong. We are all in agreement.

[rcannon100]

@cyclingfool 69179 wrote:

Yes we are. This is an Internet forum. Clearly, someone must be disagreeing with somebody else!

Are y’all familiar with Godwin’s Law?

[ShawnoftheDread]

I’m disagreeing. When I go that way, I take the sidewalk there in the winter months, and use caution approaching Penn and the WH guard shack. In the summer I try to ride on the Ellipse, but it takes me to the same intersection and the same need for caution.

Crossing to the east side of 15th before Constitution is less than ideal because of the construction fence at the corner and the tight spaces with traffic, especially since I’m only going to have to cross back to the west side again in another block. Just as Subby uses caution when merging across the roadway to merge onto the cycletrack, I use caution when exiting the crosswalk to do the same.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@rcannon100 69181 wrote:

Are y’all familiar with Godwin’s Law?

The other morning I almost yelled to a scofflaw BMW driver that he had a Nazi car. Would that have meant I automatically lost right-of-way?

[jabberwocky]

@ShawnoftheDread 69183 wrote:

The other morning I almost yelled to a scofflaw BMW driver that he had a Nazi car. Would that have meant I automatically lost right-of-way?

Thats silly. Everyone knows VW Beetles are the real hitler-mobile.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@jabberwocky 69185 wrote:

Thats silly. Everyone knows VW Beetles are the real hitler-mobile.

That’s the People’s Car. The leaders needed cars too.

[jabberwocky]

@ShawnoftheDread 69190 wrote:

That’s the People’s Car. The leaders needed cars too.

The leaders can drive Porsches, which are after all just overpriced Beetles.

[Author]

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