Missed connection

[jrenaut]

vvill: Hi, Jon
Me: Saw you but you seemed off in your own world and didn’t realize you recognized me until you called out. So, Hi vvill.

You: Insane person in white Jeep on 15th north of V approximately four feet before the bike lane begins and I’m out of your way, passing me with much less than 3 feet to spare
Me: “Three feet!”
You: screeching to a stop. “What did you say?”
Me: “The law in DC is three feet to pass”
You: “[Incoherent swearing]”
Me: “Get off the phone.”
You: “Are you going to make me?”

By this point you looked like you might swerve into my lane and run me over.

Me: “Learn to drive.”
You: “[More incoherent swearing]”.
Me: “Bye!” with a big smile.

In hindsight, neither my most Dirt moment nor a particularly good idea. But I didn’t swear, and I think he was mostly pissed that I was calm and laughing at him as he blew his top.

[vvill]

@jrenaut 85843 wrote:

you seemed off in your own world

You: Insane person in white Jeep

Correlation here perhaps? I’m usually mentally pre-occupied on my commutes, especially closer to intersections like, say, the Intersection of Doom. Or even this afternoon on Westmoreland St where a southbound silver Merc decided to u-turn (slowly, at least) just after passing through the intersection with Kirby. For those unfamiliar, it’s here although there are sharrows painted there now. Not sure who was more annoyed, me or the traffic in the intersection behind the guy. It turned out to a rather elderly gentleman who then pulled up beside me and asked for directions just as the light went green for me. I don’t understand how people don’t think to just pull over somewhere (legally). It’s not as if they’re on a 4 lane highway.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Speaks for itself. Location: Westmoreland bike lane @ I-66

[Edgar P.]

@jrenaut 85843 wrote:

You: Insane person in white Jeep on 15th north of V approximately four feet before the bike lane begins and I’m out of your way, passing me with much less than 3 feet to spare
Me: “Three feet!”
You: screeching to a stop. “What did you say?”
Me: “The law in DC is three feet to pass”
You: “[Incoherent swearing]”
Me: “Get off the phone.”
You: “Are you going to make me?”

By this point you looked like you might swerve into my lane and run me over.

Me: “Learn to drive.”
You: “[More incoherent swearing]”.
Me: “Bye!” with a big smile.

In hindsight, neither my most Dirt moment nor a particularly good idea. But I didn’t swear, and I think he was mostly pissed that I was calm and laughing at him as he blew his top.

Hahahah! Perfect response!

[consularrider]

@TwoWheelsDC 85846 wrote:

Speaks for itself. Location: Westmoreland bike lane @ I-66

Saw that unit parked on 12th Rd N near the Ohio St intersection in Madison Manor about 6 pm yesterday. I believe that’s also the unit that many cyclists see parked at its hilly home in N Arlington.

[cyclingfool]

@TwoWheelsDC 85846 wrote:

Speaks for itself. Location: Westmoreland bike lane @ I-66

Servin’ and protectin’. :rolleyes:

[dasgeh]

Did you report it to ArlCo? Please?
@TwoWheelsDC 85846 wrote:

Speaks for itself. Location: Westmoreland bike lane @ I-66

[dkel]

Driver 1: graciously stopping on Cedar Ln to let me cross on the W&OD.
Me: checking for traffic coming the other way, then proceeding across in the crosswalk.
Driver 2: getting impatient, and zooming around from behind Driver 1, up the wrong side of the street, only to find me in the crosswalk.

Driver 2 had the foresight to check for oncoming traffic (I assume), but didn’t think that the reason Driver 1 stopped in the travel lane was for someone crossing in the crosswalk, and didn’t check either. He did have the presence of mind to stop short, and looked sheepish as I accosted him from directly in front of his car. I’m proud of myself that all I said was, “Seriously!? What do you think you’re doing?!?” I could have been far ruder.

[bobco85]

You: cyclist getting into the Potomac Ave bike lane off 27th St going the wrong way tonight headed towards me at night
Me: (pointing to the other side of the Potomac Ave median) “You’re going the wrong way. There’s a bike lane on the other side.”

I hope you were listening and didn’t think you were in a contra-flow bike lane because I didn’t see you try to get over onto the correct side.

[brendan]

Me: An eastward-bound cargo cyclist who just called and passed a pedestrian and positioned to make the sharp right turn to head up the hill to Brandymore Castle.
Yinz: Four cyclists pacelining eastward on the W&OD during rush hour, passing on the centerline (you do realize how difficult it is to keep a cargo bike pinned to the far right side of the trail there to ensure not getting elbowed/elbowing) and left side of the trail before/during/after the blind turn and while cycling up the hill. Well, I suppose ‘partially passing’ since the last guy ends up paralleling me on the wrong side of the trail going up the hill for a while until I hit the brakes so that he doesn’t take out cyclists headed down the hill.

Basically, WTFH are you doing?

[VikingMariner]

Riding with my wife on two awesome, modern road bikes. Stopped for water break at Maple on the W in Vienna. Must be a Navy thing ’cause I like stopping at the fountain memorial. It’s pretty cool, particularly the misting effect. Then we entered a dimension beyond sight and sound. A gentleman interrupts our conversation in a rather terse and abrupt manner.

Self-Deputized Bike Police (SDBP): Do you know your bike light is on?
Me: Good morning. Yes.
SDBP: Turn it off.
Me: Why?
SDBP: It hurts my eyes.
Me: Stop looking at it.
SDBP: You don’t know what you are doing. You are blinding people.
Me: You mean my one-watt battery operated bike light is blinding you in broad daylight on a cloudless day? Let me take a look at it. Hmmm, I can still see. Odd, huh?
SDBP: You’re a dick.
Me: You’re right, but I’m sorry my bike light hurt your vagina. Son, in over 40 years of road and mountain biking I’ve never heard of a bike light “blinding” someone in broad day light, but I’m thankful you interrupted my conversation to tell me because someone with less patience would have knifed you for being so aggressive. Now continuing biking, sir, and remember cycling is a happy event, not an ocassion to act out because you are failing in other parts of your life. Bye-bye, and good luck.

Cyclists sure have changed in the last 40 years. “If I could turn back time….” Hope it happens again so I can YouTube it. Must buy a low-profile video camera. The light will stay on; it’s been great at road intersections (drivers actually stop for us now even at or near Cedar Lane and the “Intersection of Doom”) and alerting pedestrians to our presence throughout the trail. Great safety feature.

[mikoglaces]

@dkel 85994 wrote:

Driver 1: graciously stopping on Cedar Ln to let me cross on the W&OD.
Me: checking for traffic coming the other way, then proceeding across in the crosswalk.
Driver 2: getting impatient, and zooming around from behind Driver 1, up the wrong side of the street, only to find me in the crosswalk.

Driver 2 had the foresight to check for oncoming traffic (I assume), but didn’t think that the reason Driver 1 stopped in the travel lane was for someone crossing in the crosswalk, and didn’t check either. He did have the presence of mind to stop short, and looked sheepish as I accosted him from directly in front of his car. I’m proud of myself that all I said was, “Seriously!? What do you think you’re doing?!?” I could have been far ruder.

Have had similar done to me. Always have to look at the cars behind the one that stops. Glad you weren’t hit.

[cyclingfool]

@brendan 86030 wrote:

Me: An eastward-bound cargo cyclist who just called and passed a pedestrian and positioned to make the sharp right turn to head up the hill to Brandymore Castle.
Yinz: Four cyclists pacelining eastward on the W&OD during rush hour, passing on the centerline (you do realize how difficult it is to keep a cargo bike pinned to the far right side of the trail there to ensure not getting elbowed/elbowing) and left side of the trail before/during/after the blind turn and while cycling up the hill. Well, I suppose ‘partially passing’ since the last guy ends up paralleling me on the wrong side of the trail going up the hill for a while until I hit the brakes so that he doesn’t take out cyclists headed down the hill.

Basically, WTFH are you doing?

Yinz? Are you from western PA by chance?

[baiskeli]

@dkel 85994 wrote:

Driver 1: graciously stopping on Cedar Ln to let me cross on the W&OD.
Me: checking for traffic coming the other way, then proceeding across in the crosswalk.
Driver 2: getting impatient, and zooming around from behind Driver 1, up the wrong side of the street, only to find me in the crosswalk.

Driver 2 had the foresight to check for oncoming traffic (I assume), but didn’t think that the reason Driver 1 stopped in the travel lane was for someone crossing in the crosswalk, and didn’t check either. He did have the presence of mind to stop short, and looked sheepish as I accosted him from directly in front of his car. I’m proud of myself that all I said was, “Seriously!? What do you think you’re doing?!?” I could have been far ruder.

I see this alot. It’s an especially dangerous situation when there are two lanes of traffic, and impatient drivers can change lanes to pass, sometimes at high speed. It’s why the Crossing of Doom on the Mt. Vernon Trail was so dangerous (it seems better now; let’s hope).

EDIT: I wrote this, and then read about the latest crash at that intersection. Oh well.

[brendan]

@cyclingfool 86059 wrote:

Yinz? Are you from western PA by chance?

Spent some time in the ‘burgh, yeah.

B

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