Missed connection

[Dickie]

@TwoWheelsDC 89988 wrote:

Got Milloy’d by a driver from Potomac Springs Landscape this morning. As I was approaching the right hand turn from Westmoreland to Chain Bridge, about 10 feet from entering the 90 degree turn, he speeds around me so as to essentially cut me off mid-turn. Of course, this was not an easy maneuver for his truck, so he had to slow down quite a bit through the turn…he then peeled out as he accelerated away and then proceeded to run the red light at Chain Bridge and Tennyson. Unluckily for him, I was able to catch up to him at Old Dominion (good thing he drove so aggressively!!) and get a photo of his truck. I will be firing off an email to the company’s customer service and making sure I never patronize their business.

Since his license plate is so clear, you should report his aggressive driving to the police while you’re at it.

[Greenbelt]

According to a reliable, but second hand source, a cyclist got Milloy’d by a bunch of chest beating thugs near the Mt. Rainier circle on Route 1 yesterday. They apparently threw a full can at him, and then stalked him and got out of their car in big show of bravado it sounds like. Probably scared him to death.

Thanks, Washington Post.

[KLizotte]

@TwoWheelsDC 89988 wrote:

Got Milloy’d by a driver from Potomac Springs Landscape this morning. As I was approaching the right hand turn from Westmoreland to Chain Bridge, about 10 feet from entering the 90 degree turn, he speeds around me so as to essentially cut me off mid-turn. Of course, this was not an easy maneuver for his truck, so he had to slow down quite a bit through the turn…he then peeled out as he accelerated away and then proceeded to run the red light at Chain Bridge and Tennyson. Unluckily for him, I was able to catch up to him at Old Dominion (good thing he drove so aggressively!!) and get a photo of his truck. I will be firing off an email to the company’s customer service and making sure I never patronize their business.

If you haven’t sent the email yet, I would send it to the company’s president or district manager instead of customer service. I would also CC the police department as well. That should get someone’s attention. If I am the president or manager of such a company, I would want to know if an employee is driving dangerously. A customer service rep may not care and/or not want to rat on a fellow employee.

Glad you are ok though!

[TwoWheelsDC]

@KLizotte 90054 wrote:

If you haven’t sent the email yet, I would send it to the company’s president or district manager instead of customer service. I would also CC the police department as well. That should get someone’s attention. If I am the president or manager of such a company, I would want to know if an employee is driving dangerously. A customer service rep may not care and/or not want to rat on a fellow employee.

Glad you are ok though!

I only found one email on their website and didn’t research further. Funny thing is, if this were just some random driver, I’d have just brushed it off. And frankly, I’m not even upset about the actual incident. I’m more annoyed at the lack of self awareness of a guy driving like an asshat in a company truck. Like, your brain is so testosterone-addled that you don’t realize that the name of your employer is plastered all over your vehicle, so you’re not some anonymous driver? Strange I know, but I have a high tolerance for harassment, but a very low tolerance for this kind of dumbassery.

[americancyclo]

not so missed connection from the other morning. The ped was ok, a bit of a scraped arm. The cyclist seemed ok, but her handlebars were turned around and stuck under her brake cable. I advised she get it looked over at her LBS.

[consularrider]

That’s the 4MRT crossing under Mt Vernon Ave. The camera comes doesn’t pick up the pedestrian action early enough to tell if he did a crazy Ivan or if the woman on the bike just wasn’t paying enough attention as she passed the other pedestrians.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@americancyclo 90062 wrote:

not so missed connection from the other morning. The ped was ok, a bit of a scraped arm. The cyclist seemed ok, but her handlebars were turned around and stuck under her brake cable. I advised she get it looked over at her LBS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE-SpZTHsoM

Play-by-play? Looks like the ped makes a sudden 90 degree turn to the trash can as the cyclist is passing…doesn’t help that I have no sound…

[mstone]

Looks like the cyclist wasn’t paying any attention at all–I don’t see any sign of her trying to avoid the collision. I also don’t hear a bell.

[Geoff]

@americancyclo 90062 wrote:

not so missed connection from the other morning. The ped was ok, a bit of a scraped arm. The cyclist seemed ok, but her handlebars were turned around and stuck under her brake cable. I advised she get it looked over at her LBS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE-SpZTHsoM

Probably either the pedestrian or the cyclist could have avoided this with just a little more attention. What scares me is that any of us could be the one who causes an accident by a moment’s inattention. I nearly caused one myself, earlier this week. I was so focussed on where I needed to go I almost made an unsignalled left turn, without checking behind me first. Just then, another cyclist made an unannounced pass. We were saved from a T-bone by timing; he passed just before I started my turn. I muttered a prayer of thanks for avoiding a collision and made my turn when it was safe.

[KLizotte]

Looks to me like the cyclist was completely over in the left hand lane to pass and the ped just turns (presumably to go up the trail on the other side) and walks right into her. He actually crosses the yellow line before he walks into her. Definitely looks like the ped is at fault for crossing the yellow line without looking. Sigh.

[americancyclo]

@TwoWheelsDC 90069 wrote:

Play-by-play? Looks like the ped makes a sudden 90 degree turn to the trash can as the cyclist is passing…doesn’t help that I have no sound…

What I believe happened was that the three pedestrians were walking on the right hand side of the trail, but were about to cross over to a dirt path that leads up to the intersection of South Glebe and Mt. Vernon Ave. I think the cyclist passed on the left with a bit too much speed and didn’t signal loudly enough (with voice or a bell) and crashed in to the pedestrian. I’d chalk this up to an inexperienced cyclist and unexpecting pedestrians. The bike seemed brand new, and most seasoned cyclists that I know are pretty vocal with their passes, or know well enough not to trust the movements of pedestrians.

@mstone 90079 wrote:

I also don’t hear a bell.

I didn’t either.

[mstone]

@KLizotte 90081 wrote:

Looks to me like the cyclist was completely over in the left hand lane to pass and the ped just turns (presumably to go up the trail on the other side) and walks right into her. He actually crosses the yellow line before he walks into her. Definitely looks like the ped is at fault for crossing the yellow line without looking. Sigh.

The pedestrian could have been more careful, but the rules actually require the cyclist to signal audibly when passing, but don’t require pedestrians to signal their turns on a sidewalk. Also, the cyclist is supposed to yield to pedestrians and should be exercising care not to hurt them (in this case it’s the cyclist who is the less vulnerable user).

[bobco85]

@americancyclo 90062 wrote:

not so missed connection from the other morning. The ped was ok, a bit of a scraped arm. The cyclist seemed ok, but her handlebars were turned around and stuck under her brake cable. I advised she get it looked over at her LBS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE-SpZTHsoM

After watching the video a few times to get a general sense of the situation, it sounded to me like the cyclist said “Oh Sh**!” or “Holy Sh**!” right before the collision. I can’t quite figure out what one of the other pedestrians (the one who raises up his arm like “WTF?”) says, but it sounds sort of like he said, “You gotta keep your eye on it [not sure].”

Given the evidence in the video, I think the following occurred:
– cyclist signals (bell or voice) to the first pedestrian (I am assuming this)
– cyclist moves across yellow line to make the pass
– cyclist does not signal to the 2nd or 3rd pedestrians and stays on the left to continue passing
– 3rd pedestrian starts walking across the trail without looking
– cyclist, already on the left side of the trail, tries to move farther left but cannot avoid a collision
– cyclist hits the 3rd pedestrian

Here’s the VA law regarding bicycles on shared use paths with emphasis added on the relevant part http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-904

…A person riding a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, motorized skateboard or foot-scooter, motor-driven cycle, or an electric power-assisted bicycle on a sidewalk, shared-use path, or across a roadway on a crosswalk, shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing any pedestrian…

Mistakes were made by both the cyclist for not signaling to the 3rd pedestrian and by the 3rd pedestrian for not looking before walking to the other side of the trail.

The lessons I think we as cyclists should learn from this:
-if you are passing multiple people at the same time, make sure to signal to every person you pass (I try to practice this, even though it sounds odd to say, “Passing, passing, passing,” given how close some people can be to each other)
-don’t assume that every person you are passing is aware of your presence
-be mindful that between you and a pedestrian, the pedestrian is more vulnerable

[KLizotte]

@mstone 90085 wrote:

The pedestrian could have been more careful, but the rules actually require the cyclist to signal audibly when passing, but don’t require pedestrians to signal their turns on a sidewalk. Also, the cyclist is supposed to yield to pedestrians and should be exercising care not to hurt them (in this case it’s the cyclist who is the less vulnerable user).

Peds don’t have to signal their turns but they do have to look first otherwise they are doing a crazy ivan. She may or may not have called out audibly; we can’t judge. My experience has been that most peds have earbuds in or are in their own little world and don’t hear my bell or voice.

And let’s face it. If you were passing a cyclist in a car and he suddenly pulled out in front of you without looking and you hit him, you’d surely be blaming the biker.

[dkel]

@KLizotte 90098 wrote:

My experience has been that most peds have earbuds in or are in their own little world and don’t hear my bell or voice.

I hate seeing earbuds on the trail, but peds seem to have them most of the time. My bell is pretty loud, but who knows if anyone hears it with their earbuds in; I’m sure no one will ever hear a verbal call while wearing earbuds.

Oddly, my experience this week on the CCT through Fairfax Co has been much different than on the W&OD: peds without earbuds on the W&OD might or might not acknowledge my loud bell when they hear it, but on the CCT, peds who hear my bell tend to jump out of their skin and off the trail! I guess there aren’t many bikes that go that way. Anyway, I call my passes verbally now on the CCT, because I hated to scare people, and I do it Fast-Friendly-Guy-style: ”Good morning! Coming by! How are you today?” People respond and smile or wave. It’s pretty nice.

[Author]

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