Missed connection

[bobco85]

This missed connection has a specific near-accident that is part of a general trend from my accounts.

(5 cyclists involved who I will name Me, Good Cyclist, Sidewalk Cyclist, Shoaler, and Shoaler Buddy) on Wednesday morning ~7:15
Me: riding west on W&OD from GM Drive and stopping at the red light at Columbia Pike behind Good Cyclist whose front tire is at the edge of the trail pavement/sidewalk concrete leaving space for people to get by on the sidewalk
Sidewalk cyclist: riding east on the south Columbia Pike sidewalk across 4MR Drive with the light and attempting to continue on the sidewalk past us
Shoaler: as your given name suggests, shoals us on the W&OD and almost crashes into Sidewalk Cyclist by pulling out right in front of him and blocking his way because you wanted to get in front of us, followed by Shoaler Buddy who probably saw the near-crash but says nothing

Shoaler, please look for cross traffic (even on the sidewalk) before shoaling and blocking the sidewalk. Also, don’t shoal if there isn’t room (but also in general).

In general, I have noticed at trail-road crossings with stoplights that people have been pulling up to the edge of the curb instead of staying a few feet back at the edge of the trail pavement/sidewalk concrete (sometimes there is even a stop line on the trail). This blocks the sidewalk along with anyone using the sidewalk and forces them to either step into the street or go around the blocker(s). At places where cyclists access the trail from the road (W&OD/Walter Reed Dr for example), blocking the sidewalk makes it even more difficult for people to turn from the street/sidewalk onto the trail.

I have witnessed and experienced this as a cyclist and pedestrian from both cyclists and pedestrians and wanted to bring this to everyone’s attention. Anyone had similar experiences?

[ShawnoftheDread]

I believe MattAune had to offer education to a cyclist doing the same thing at Custis and Ft. Myer, after a CaBi rider expressed dissatisfaction with his blocking of the curb cut.

[dkel]

Some road crossings require a push of the beg button, which requires pulling up far enough to reach the button, which requires blocking the sidewalk. Poor design, I think. I try to pull up far enough to clear some sidewalk and yet not have my front wheel in the street.

[baiskeli]

@dplasters 121608 wrote:

Speaking of following other cyclists, I was at the place that isn’t the Kennedy Center but is instead the National Opera House according to Google

Google Maps is full of little errors like that, and they won’t correct them if you send corrections.

[Kolohe]

@dkel 122083 wrote:

Some road crossings require a push of the beg button, which requires pulling up far enough to reach the button, which requires blocking the sidewalk. Poor design, I think. I try to pull up far enough to clear some sidewalk and yet not have my front wheel in the street.

And some (I’m looking at you Main Line Blvd & Potomac Ave) have the beg button on the opposite end of the corner curb curve from the street you are trying to cross.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@dbb 121782 wrote:

According to my reading of the DC Code (caveat – I am not an attorney) it would seem the USPP officer was as wrong on the law as he was on geography.

§ 50-2201.28. Right-of-way at crosswalks.

(a) The driver of a vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross the roadway within any marked crosswalk, or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, when the pedestrian is upon the lane, or within one lane approaching the lane, on which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning.

(a-1) Whenever a vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk at an unsignalized intersection, a vehicle approaching the crosswalk in an adjacent lane or from behind the stopped vehicle shall stop and give the right-of-way to ensure the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists before passing the stopped vehicle.

etc.

Here’s why the NPS cop made this interpretation and why he was wrong.

Nearby to the crosswalk where the incident happened (GW off ramp at Memorial Drive) is the bike trail crossing of GWP at about 5 o’clock on Memorial Circle at the west end of Memorial Bridge. This crossing has a yellow sign for bicycles that says “Bikes must dismount to cross.” So although it’s a right-of-way crossing and cars must yield to the crosswalk, cyclists are “supposed to” dismount before they cross. The officer was probably thinking of this sign.

This “Bikes must dismount” sign is also posted on the downriver side of Memorial Bridge where the temporary ramps are installed. The sign says that the trail narrows and “Bikes must dismount.” Similar sign under Memorial Bridge where the trail essentially narrows to a single file width.

Here’s the thing though. Yellow signs are warning signs, not regulatory signs. A yellow sign might advise you that the road will be slippery when wet, or there are deer nearby or you should take a turn at 35 mph, but yellow signs are advisory. White signs are regulatory and must be obeyed (speed limits, one way, stop here on red, stay to the right)

White signs must be obeyed, yellow signs do not.

But this NPS cop forgot that. He remembered the dismount sign was somewhere around there, but forget it’s yellow. Par for the course frankly in the JMSU* (TM) world of the GW Parkway. Don’t get me started about them mixing yield signs and stop signs at the same intersection in contradiction to FHWA design standards.

*-Just Make Sh:t Up

[Vicegrip]

Me to guy walking on the wrong side of the WO&D with earbuds and looking at his phone. “You are walking on the wrong side of the trail”

Guy with earbuds and phoneface, without looking up puts an index finger up in the air like “One moment please”

Me. (thought bubble) “Farking dumbazz”

The non Dirt part of me wanted to go back and let him know he was an idiot.

[consularrider]

@Vicegrip 122095 wrote:

Me to guy walking on the wrong side of the WO&D with earbuds and looking at his phone. “You are walking on the wrong side of the trail”

Guy with earbuds and phoneface, without looking up puts an index finger up in the air like “One moment please”

Me. (thought bubble) “Farking dumbazz”

The non Dirt part of me wanted to go back and let him know he was an idiot.

Sounds like a “Zounds” moment.

[DrP]

You: dog on Mount Vernon trail between miles 4 &5 apparently being trained to lunge towards riders on the trail.

Me: second cyclist passing within about 30 seconds that you let towards and your owner pulled you back and gave a treat to after you lunged. I then yelled to your owner, “get him off the trail.”

It seems like a bad idea to stand on the trail with a dog that likes to lunge at cyclists (and maybe all people, I just saw cyclists ) on a busy Sunday morning. It really seemed more like you were reinforcing the lunging behavior. Lucky for me that I watched you lunge at my cycling buddy first, but either of us could have easily fallen.

[dasgeh]

@DrP 122287 wrote:

You: dog on Mount Vernon trail between miles 4 &5 apparently being trained to lunge towards riders on the trail.

Me: second cyclist passing within about 30 seconds that you let towards and your owner pulled you back and gave a treat to after you lunged. I then yelled to your owner, “get him off the trail.”

It seems like a bad idea to stand on the trail with a dog that likes to lunge at cyclists (and maybe all people, I just saw cyclists ) on a busy Sunday morning. It really seemed more like you were reinforcing the lunging behavior. Lucky for me that I watched you lunge at my cycling buddy first, but either of us could have easily fallen.

This is terrifying. I hope someone reported this to the appropriate police.

[GovernorSilver]

@DrP 122287 wrote:

You: dog on Mount Vernon trail between miles 4 &5 apparently being trained to lunge towards riders on the trail.

Me: second cyclist passing within about 30 seconds that you let towards and your owner pulled you back and gave a treat to after you lunged. I then yelled to your owner, “get him off the trail.”

It seems like a bad idea to stand on the trail with a dog that likes to lunge at cyclists (and maybe all people, I just saw cyclists ) on a busy Sunday morning. It really seemed more like you were reinforcing the lunging behavior. Lucky for me that I watched you lunge at my cycling buddy first, but either of us could have easily fallen.

Oh great. If I encounter this dog and that owner, pics and video will be taken, and sent to where they need to be sent.

I’ve been lucky so far, in that my worst dog encounter was one nearly diving underneath my front wheel on Four Mile Run.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dasgeh 122291 wrote:

I hope someone reported this to the appropriate police.

And the police would do….?

[dasgeh]

@TwoWheelsDC 122295 wrote:

And the police would do….?

Go out there and talk to the guy, and if necessary talk to animal control. (Which is why I used past tense — reporting after the fact is probably less useful).

[DrP]

I probably should have been a bit more clear. I believe the owner was trying to train to not lunge at people, however, it was not a good place and from what I could tell, the training looked incorrect, as if the lunging was being reinforced. I do not own a dog, but have many friends who do and it looked like bad training to me and my bike buddy, who is a dog owner. The dog and owner were not there upon the return trip, 30 min or so later. I would not have (and clearly didn’t ) think of calling police or animal control. If I see them again, I will get more info.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@DrP 122307 wrote:

I probably should have been a bit more clear. I believe the owner was trying to train to not lunge at people, however, it was not a good place and from what I could tell, the training looked incorrect, as if the lunging was being reinforced. I do not own a dog, but have many friends who do and it looked like bad training to me and my bike buddy, who is a dog owner. The dog and owner were not there upon the return trip, 30 min or so later. I would not have (and clearly didn’t ) think of calling police or animal control. If I see them again, I will get more info.

Yeah, sounds not good at all, but maybe there was some method to the madness…and perhaps they were trying to acclimate the dog to the trail activity, which is certainly understandable, even if they executed poorly. If you are bold enough, you could kindly point out to them that the lunging is potentially dangerous since peds/bike riders likely aren’t expecting it and might cause an accident. Why this wasn’t apparent to the owner to begin with is a bit of a mystery to me, but sometimes people just don’t quite process how seemingly harmless activities can affect others.

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