Missed connection

[gswim18]

ME – Riding South on Old Gtown across from NIH this morning around 8:15am.

YOU – Green Jeep Cherokee with South Carolina plates honking at me from behind then passing me while pointing to the sidewalk.

Sorry, I ride this route every morning and will continue to do so. I am not sure the rules of the road in the Palmetto State but I know I was doing the right and safe thing here in MD.

I am relatively new to bike commuting but am quickly starting to realize that this is not a game! I have been honked at more in the last two weeks than I had been all winter long during Freezing Saddles. My guess is that our #s are on the rise with the better weather and we all might not be doing the right thing at all time – I Idaho stop on a regular basis. I forgot who said it here, but my focus as of late has been controlling my front tire and riding predictably. I just want to get home safe, hope everyone here does the same.

Small rant – bike riders wearing bright day-glow jerseys while also wearing earphones. I find earphones and bike riding in general to not be a good idea but the combo of the two makes no sense to me. Make sure that you are visible but then intentionally impair your hearing while on the road? Doesn’t seem like a wise choice.

[cvcalhoun]

Gee, I usually encounter the honkers and sidewalk pointers further south than that. The last couple of blocks before Old Georgetown turns onto Woodmont seems to be a favorite, for some reason.

But you’re right, doing the right and safe thing doesn’t seem to help. And the fact that they honk and point–or yell out the window while driving at speed–means that you can’t even engage them to explain the rules of the road.

@gswim18 88435 wrote:

ME – Riding South on Old Gtown across from NIH this morning around 8:15am.

YOU – Green Jeep Cherokee with South Carolina plates honking at me from behind then passing me while pointing to the sidewalk.

Sorry, I ride this route every morning and will continue to do so. I am not sure the rules of the road in the Palmetto State but I know I was doing the right and safe thing here in MD.

I am relatively new to bike commuting but am quickly starting to realize that this is not a game! I have been honked at more in the last two weeks than I had been all winter long during Freezing Saddles. My guess is that our #s are on the rise with the better weather and we all might not be doing the right thing at all time – I Idaho stop on a regular basis. I forgot who said it here, but my focus as of late has been controlling my front tire and riding predictably. I just want to get home safe, hope everyone here does the same.

Small rant – bike riders wearing bright day-glow jerseys while also wearing earphones. I find earphones and bike riding in general to not be a good idea but the combo of the two makes no sense to me. Make sure that you are visible but then intentionally impair your hearing while on the road? Doesn’t seem like a wise choice.

[cyclingfool]

@gswim18 88435 wrote:

Small rant – bike riders wearing bright day-glow jerseys while also wearing earphones. I find earphones and bike riding in general to not be a good idea but the combo of the two makes no sense to me. Make sure that you are visible but then intentionally impair your hearing while on the road? Doesn’t seem like a wise choice.

My sightings this AM didn’t involve day-glow, but I did pass two individuals with full on Dr. Dre Beats ear-covering noise-canelling headphones on, one on a CaBi, one on their own MTB. Earbuds are one thing (I used to occasionally ride just the right one in, though don’t even do that anymore), but noise cancelling, cover your entire ears headphones? What makes anyone think that could possibly be a good idea?!

[baiskeli]

@cyclingfool 88446 wrote:

My sightings this AM didn’t involve day-glow, but I did pass two individuals with full on Dr. Dre Beats ear-covering noise-canelling headphones on, one on a CaBi, one on their own MTB. Earbuds are one thing (I used to occasionally ride just the right one in, though don’t even do that anymore), but noise cancelling, cover your entire ears headphones? What makes anyone think that could possibly be a good idea?!

You are a cycling fool. They are fools cycling.

[jrenaut]

You: Oblivious lady at 15th and K walking out in front of me in the cycletrack without looking
Me: The cyclist who yelled at you because my bell-ringing finger was engaged in squeezing the brakes as hard as I could to avoid sending you to the ER

Where was I going, you asked? To the grocery store, on the way to pick up the kids, in a bike lane with the green light. A better question might be where YOU were going, crossing a busy street against the light without even looking for oncoming traffic.

[PeteD]

Me: Walking to the Office in Ottawa
You: Ottawa Bike Share

I shed a tear this morning because you’re not here anymore. No bikes for me to share. Much Sadness.

–Pete

[baiskeli]

You: commuter about to pass me, fast, as I approached the line of tourists waiting for tickets to go up the Washington Monument. The route got narrower and a little crowded, so I slowed down but stayed to the right. You were going to pass me but braked hard, then said “heads up.” To which I replied, “call your passes.” My head WAS up, but I usually keep it facing the same direction I’m riding, not looking backwards in case you’re approaching. Sometimes you’re not sure if you need to call a pass until you’re there, so just call them all and you’ll be good.

[dasgeh]

Me: stopping at the redlight at the Custis and Scott on this beautiful morning, putting my right foot down.
You: no-call passing me on the right full speed to run the red light.

Wow. If I had landed my foot an inch further to the right, or if a car had been coming through the intersection, that wouldn’t have been fun for either of us (because I don’t want to see cyclists get hit).

[CaseyKane50]

@dasgeh 88538 wrote:

Me: stopping at the redlight at the Custis and Scott on this beautiful morning, putting my right foot down.
You: no-call passing me on the right full speed to run the red light.

Wow. If I had landed my foot an inch further to the right, or if a car had been coming through the intersection, that wouldn’t have been fun for either of us (because I don’t want to see cyclists get hit).

Had almost the same thing happen to me this morning on Union Street in Alexandria, except the rider blew through the stop sign. I was just pushing off after my stop getting ready to move to the right to get out of the way of the impatient car behind me, when the impatient rider flew past me on my right. Had I been quicker off the stop, we likely would have collided.

[culimerc]

Crazy Ivana!

[baiskeli]

Got passed on the right twice today. Both riders swerved into the adjoining roadway to do it.

[bobco85]

You: cyclist making laps around the circle at Welburn Square (yes, the circle is inside the square) while talking on his cell phone
Me: I thought it was slightly amusing to watch (I was sitting at a bench eating lunch) while you kept going in circles, but at the same time I started feeling dizzy because you kept going round, round, round the circle and…

…(oh no, now I’m dizzy!)

[dkel]

You: driver turning left from a side street onto a larger street.
Me: already in the lane you were turning into.

Thanks for almost running into me as you entered my lane! I know it’s preferable to get in front of some cyclist rather than waiting your turn to enter traffic, but nearly knocking that cyclist out of the lane in the process is not acceptable, assuming you were attentive enough to see me at all (which, given your behavior, seems improbable).

[Geoff]

You: young fellow on an old bike, waiting for the light at the Intersection of Doom.
The bike was an old Fuji, maybe dating back to the ’70s. Beautifully maintained. Paint and decals in good shape. Bare metal parts gleaming. Clean drive train. All bikes should be so well taken care of.

I was about to compliment you when the light changed.

[Toonces]

Me: 9:30pm – riding home westbound on Fairfax, crossing over Quincy
You: Jerk in dark blue Honda Civic with DC plates. Made a right on red without looking or slowing down.
Me: Slowing to avoid being hit, because I knew you were going to turn without stopping. Caught up with you at the next light and said you almost hit me and you ran the red light.
You: What red light? You can’t turn right on red in Arlington?
Me: Yes, but you have to come to a STOP first if the light is RED and look for traffic.
You: Racing off.

[Author]

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