Missed connection

[bobco85]

@Sunyata 99247 wrote:

You: A fellow “cyclist” in a black SUV VA plates (surprisingly) with your shiny Trek road bike in the back
Me: The cyclist that you buzzed WAY too closely (considering that was another ENTIRE lane on the left side of me for you to drive on) heading north on GM Drive just before the Route 50 crossing

When I got to your window, I was going to start the conversation with “Pretty cool bike you have in the back, as a cyclist, I just wanted to make sure that you were aware that there is a 3 foot passing law in VA to make cycling safer for everyone”, but instead, you started the conversation with “you were riding in the middle of the lane, I am a cyclist too, but you were in the middle of the road”… Unfortunately, I was unable to complete my conversation with you since the light turned green and you spun your tires as you sped off. I would like to continue the conversation and remind you (as a driver and a “fellow cyclist”) that sometimes the middle of the lane is the safest place for me to be (even if there are bike lanes), and that just because you are driving your bicycle around in the back of your giant SUV does NOT make you a cyclist.

I was really disappointed to be almost hit by someone who claims that they are also a cyclist, especially since this person should know how dangerous and rude that is. Especially since from the brief conversation I had with you, it seemed that you buzzed me on purpose because I was not riding where you thought I should have been. 😡

Just before the Route 50 crossing, the bike lane on George Mason Drive ends, dumping you into the sharrows in the right travel lane at a very inopportune place (just around a slight curve). Taking the middle of the lane like you did is the safest (and legal) thing to do in that situation.

you were riding in the middle of the lane, I am a cyclist too, but you were in the middle of the road

Translation: “You were in my way. I don’t think it’s safe to do that.”

All things considered, that guy is a cyclist albeit a horribly misinformed cyclist.

[jrenaut]

@DismalScientist 99251 wrote:

Northbound George Mason before Arlington Blvd. is marked with sharrows.

VA is like DC in that sharrows are simply informational and have absolutely no bearing whatsoever on where a cyclist may legally ride or not, right?

[ebubar]

@Sunyata 99247 wrote:

You: A fellow “cyclist” in a black SUV VA plates (surprisingly) with your shiny Trek road bike in the back
Me: The cyclist that you buzzed WAY too closely (considering that was another ENTIRE lane on the left side of me for you to drive on) heading north on GM Drive just before the Route 50 crossing

When I got to your window, I was going to start the conversation with “Pretty cool bike you have in the back, as a cyclist, I just wanted to make sure that you were aware that there is a 3 foot passing law in VA to make cycling safer for everyone”, but instead, you started the conversation with “you were riding in the middle of the lane, I am a cyclist too, but you were in the middle of the road”… Unfortunately, I was unable to complete my conversation with you since the light turned green and you spun your tires as you sped off. I would like to continue the conversation and remind you (as a driver and a “fellow cyclist”) that sometimes the middle of the lane is the safest place for me to be (even if there are bike lanes), and that just because you are driving your bicycle around in the back of your giant SUV does NOT make you a cyclist.

I was really disappointed to be almost hit by someone who claims that they are also a cyclist, especially since this person should know how dangerous and rude that is. Especially since from the brief conversation I had with you, it seemed that you buzzed me on purpose because I was not riding where you thought I should have been. 😡

Since getting my cycling camera i’ve been much more confident about “taking the lane” and riding somewhere between the right tire track and the middle of the lane. In my experience, that is the safest place to ride. Anyone who doesn’t realize that the middle of the lane is a perfectly reasonable and safe place to ride is kidding themselves about being a cyclist.

[jrenaut]

@peterw_diy 99243 wrote:

Ah, I thought the dialogue began with his begging, proceeded to your critique, and then the cursing. Thanks for the clarification; it was really bumming me out to think you might have transformed into BikeSnobDC or something. What an unpleasant day you had!

Your point is not entirely unfair – I could have been more polite. But it’s an area very close to my house where 1) The bike lane is constantly blocked 2) It’s often by DCPD, not on the job but grabbing lunch from Chipotle 3) There are always jaywalkers jumping out from between cars 4) it’s literally half a block from Columbia Heights Metro, one of the busiest transit intersections in DC 5) The main reason he had trouble parking, aside from his lack of driving skill, was that a FedEx truck was parked right where one would normally stop to begin parallel parking.

All of these things conspired against him, and then he put the icing on top by being rude from the outset. But you’re right, I could have been more Dirt-like.

[baiskeli]

@jrenaut 99254 wrote:

VA is like DC in that sharrows are simply informational and have absolutely no bearing whatsoever on where a cyclist may legally ride or not, right?

Thus sayeth BikeArlington:

Shared-lane markings are intended to reinforce that cyclists are allowed to use the traffic lanes, not to define a special condition.

http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/biking-in-arlington/bicycle-facilities/sharrows-faq/

[Orestes Munn]

Re: SUVs and nearly missed “connections”, the vehicle now topping my extensive fecal roster, having earned the honor by the product of prevalence in my corner of the world and sheer, clueless, mortal, threat, is the Mercedes GL450. The dealer must administer a stupid test and cyanoacrylate an iPhone between your left palm and ear before accepting your 65,000.

Half-hearted apologies to anyone here who owns one.

[Terpfan]

@Geoff 99209 wrote:

My understanding is that the sidewalk on the south side of Constitution is National Park Service jurisdiction and that bikes are allowed. I and many other people ride there all the time. Riding on Constitution itself would make me very nervous.

Having said that, there are usually lots of pedestrians, and they move pretty randomly. Any rider needs to be cautious and considerate.

Riding on Constitution isn’t all that bad, but you do need to take the lane otherwise many people will try to make shitty passes. That and you have to factor in the tourist element of “oh, I suddenly want to turn right there from the left lane and a cyclist is the last thing I expect” crowd.

[runbike]

@Orestes Munn 99260 wrote:

Re: SUVs and nearly missed “connections”, the vehicle now topping my extensive fecal roster, having earned the honor by the product of prevalence in my corner of the world and sheer, clueless, mortal, threat, is the Mercedes GL450. The dealer must administer a stupid test and cyanoacrylate an iPhone between your left palm and ear before accepting your 65,000.

Half-hearted apologies to anyone here who owns one.

OMG – I was literally thinking this past weekend that I should start a thread entitled, “What Make/Model Car Terrifies You the Most When You’re Riding?” This came to me after a particularly harrowing encounter with none other than a Mercedes GL series and I realized that I instinctively assume that any GL I see (either while driving or riding) can and will do something stupid, thus bringing it to the top of my personal list. Your post pretty much seals the deal; I will start that thread shortly!

[Orestes Munn]

@run/bike 99265 wrote:

OMG – I was literally thinking this past weekend that I should start a thread entitled, “What Make/Model Car Terrifies You the Most When You’re Riding?” This came to me after a particularly harrowing encounter with none other than a Mercedes GL series and I realized that I instinctively assume that any GL I see (either while driving or riding) can and will do something stupid, thus bringing it to the top of my personal list. Your post pretty much seals the deal; I will start that thread shortly!

Nice to have one’s prejudices reinforced.

[jnva]

@Sunyata 99247 wrote:

You: A fellow “cyclist” in a black SUV VA plates (surprisingly) with your shiny Trek road bike in the back
Me: The cyclist that you buzzed WAY too closely (considering that was another ENTIRE lane on the left side of me for you to drive on) heading north on GM Drive just before the Route 50 crossing

When I got to your window, I was going to start the conversation with “Pretty cool bike you have in the back, as a cyclist, I just wanted to make sure that you were aware that there is a 3 foot passing law in VA to make cycling safer for everyone”, but instead, you started the conversation with “you were riding in the middle of the lane, I am a cyclist too, but you were in the middle of the road”… Unfortunately, I was unable to complete my conversation with you since the light turned green and you spun your tires as you sped off. I would like to continue the conversation and remind you (as a driver and a “fellow cyclist”) that sometimes the middle of the lane is the safest place for me to be (even if there are bike lanes), and that just because you are driving your bicycle around in the back of your giant SUV does NOT make you a cyclist.

I was really disappointed to be almost hit by someone who claims that they are also a cyclist, especially since this person should know how dangerous and rude that is. Especially since from the brief conversation I had with you, it seemed that you buzzed me on purpose because I was not riding where you thought I should have been. 😡

On lee highway going west there is a short section where the right lane ends as the turn lane can’t remember the road name. If you aren’t turning right the best place to be is right in the center of the center lane. It’s three lanes here. Once, some dude started honking at me. Instinctively without even looking I flip him the bird. Then he rolls down his window and shouts that I can’t just ride my bike wherever I want. I’m flabbergasted and then I see he has a bike on the back of his car. The only thing I could think to say is that I own this road and I can ride wherever I want!

[DismalScientist]

@jrenaut 99254 wrote:

VA is like DC in that sharrows are simply informational and have absolutely no bearing whatsoever on where a cyclist may legally ride or not, right?

Correct. They usually come with signs saying “Bicycles may use full lane.”

Apparently, I was wrong on exactly where sharrows are located on GM. GM southbound (downhill) from 50 is marked with sharrows down to Columbia Pike. Northbound, sharrows are marked until the Foreign Service school. There, it looks like a parking lane has been converted to a bike lane (i.e. parking spots were removed) That bike lane ends just short of Arlington Blvd and George Mason becomes a bike route, but without any pavement markings. At least, this is what Streetview tells me.

[dkel]

@run/bike 99265 wrote:

OMG – I was literally thinking this past weekend that I should start a thread entitled, “What Make/Model Car Terrifies You the Most When You’re Riding?” This came to me after a particularly harrowing encounter with none other than a Mercedes GL series and I realized that I instinctively assume that any GL I see (either while driving or riding) can and will do something stupid, thus bringing it to the top of my personal list. Your post pretty much seals the deal; I will start that thread shortly!

I ride to McLean on Mondays, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think I was being passed over and over every couple of minutes by the same car on each leg of the trip, out and back, every week! There must be hundreds of black Mercedes crawling all over McLean. Weird. They seem to be the most impatient drivers around bikes, too, at least in McLean; other places that honor might go to the perennial black SUV.

[Sunyata]

@DismalScientist 99281 wrote:

Apparently, I was wrong on exactly where sharrows are located on GM. GM southbound (downhill) from 50 is marked with sharrows down to Columbia Pike. Northbound, sharrows are marked until the Foreign Service school. There, it looks like a parking lane has been converted to a bike lane (i.e. parking spots were removed) That bike lane ends just short of Arlington Blvd and George Mason becomes a bike route, but without any pavement markings. At least, this is what Streetview tells me.

This is correct. I rarely ever take the bike lanes on GM by the Foreign Service School because there is always some sort of shuttle bus stopped in the right turn lane going into the National Guard compound. The shuttle bus (sometimes more than one) blocks visibility from the intersection and I have almost been right hooked by cars turning into the compound since they were more involved in looking at the shuttle buses (or their phones) than paying attention to someone in the bike lane. Besides, someone said that the bike lane abruptly ends and dumps right before the stoplight at Route 50. It can be difficult to merge back into traffic there if the light is red. It is safer (in my opinion, and honestly, when I am biking, that is the majority vote) to take the lane there, especially since there is not that much traffic on GM that early in the morning. Anyone who is behind me can change lanes and pass quickly and easily.

I am still just incredibly perplexed that another cyclist would buzz me so closely and then blame his actions on the fact that I was taking the lane… :confused:

[jrenaut]

Me: riding NB in the 15th St cycletrack just behind Megan from Kidical Mass DC
You: turning left through the cycletrack, yielding to Megan and then proceeding right in front of me.
Me (very loudly): HEY
You: I have the right of way!
Me: No, you don’t!

What in the world is with people who think that a bike lane is any different from a car lane? Going straight has the right of way unless otherwise marked. This is basic Driving 101.

Not sure if it’s the time of day or some horrible coincidence, but nearly every time I run into Megan (not literally) on the 15th St cycletrack, she’s alerted to my presence not by me saying, “Hi, Megan” but by me yelling at some driver trying to kill me as i ride legally in the cycletrack.

[Drewdane]

To the ninja who stepped directly in front of me at the intersection of 19th and N. Van Buren in Arlington, then screamed “HELLOOO!” at me:

I do apologize, I should have approached the intersection with more care, and you did have the right of way. However, I have to admit the last thing I expected to encounter at that moment was a pedestrian in dark clothing walking in the street. Perhaps a reflective armband or a light would help prevent future close calls?

In any case, I somehow think your subsequent wish for me to “Have a wonderful life” was not entirely sincere, given that it was screamed at the top of your lungs and accompanied by running after me down the street in an apparent attempt to pull me down.

Seriously, dude: I don’t pack, but others do, and that behavior can get you shot.

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