Missed connection

[Terpfan]

Forgot to post this fun one from this morning’s commute: https://youtu.be/8sGMhNcLamw

Every single day at 35th & Wisconsin I see people run the red light. But today it was 5 cars going southbound on Wisconsin, one bus turning onto 35th, and one car heading northbound on Wisconsin that waited in the middle of the intersection. The sad part is the buses illegal left turn (they run this red every day) partially obstructs the southbound traffic’s view of the light so you end up with the situation where that one car barely stops from hitting a pedestrian (and that was seven seconds into the crosswalk no less).

[dasgeh]

@Terpfan 125800 wrote:

Forgot to post this fun one from this morning’s commute: https://youtu.be/8sGMhNcLamw

Ugh. Have you sent this to MPD and WMATA? I imagine twitter would be the easiest way to do so…

[Terpfan]

@dasgeh 125805 wrote:

Ugh. Have you sent this to MPD and WMATA? I imagine twitter would be the easiest way to do so…

I have not, but I will.

And since then, FFX County joins the list of ridiculous drivers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTAbE5zk6U8

Thursday night’s commute that guy blows the red. But what’s unseen is this old guy in his car next to me proceeds to start driving right at me through the red at like 5mph, which is why I suddenly veer right. I think the guy got distracted by the red light running car and thought he was supposed to go. Thankfully he drives mercifully slow from the startup otherwise I would be squished.

Sad part is by one year of owning this camera, I will end up with dozens if not more of these videos. And I’m only putting ones I consider more flagrant/when I have time. If only I had video-editing software and time, I could make a full length feature film of local drivers doing dumb crap.

Same intersection, last night:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDQpzL6hthY&feature=em-upload_owner

[Emm]

you: Guy in a flashing vest (literally–it had flashy lights)

me: thinking your vest was cool

your very low slung shorts: making it so your vest wasn’t the only thing flashing

me: turning onto Independence Ave so I could avoid seeing that for the rest of my ride in to work

(I considered saying something to him, but as I saw him try to pull his shorts up twice I knew he was fully aware and doing his best to stop putting on his light and …. show).

[AFHokie]

@Emm 126310 wrote:

you: Guy in a flashing vest (literally–it had flashy lights)

me: thinking your vest was cool

your very low slung shorts: making it so your vest wasn’t the only thing flashing

Bright lights & a show…I think that’s known as ‘the Vegas’

[Vicegrip]

Might venture a guess where he had all the weighty batteries for the vest.

[mstone]

@Vicegrip 126324 wrote:

Might venture a guess where he had all the weighty batteries for the vest.

Sounds like some place very uncomfortable.

[consularrider]

@Vicegrip 126324 wrote:

Might venture a guess where he had all the weighty batteries for the vest.

Then he needs bibs!

[consularrider]

@AFHokie 126315 wrote:

Bright lights & a show…I think that’s known as ‘the Vegas’

It’s better if what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

[notlost]

Pretty close one this morning.

Waiting for the light at Williamsburg and Old Dominion headed east on Williamsburg towards Chain Bridge. The light changed and myself, a jogger, and a car (Civic) proceeded on green. Next thing I know a car (CRV) is coming from the left on Old Dominion through the red light at full speed.

I manage to be slightly ahead of the Civic (and by slightly I mean a foot), which turned out to be a good thing as the CRV slammed into the side of the Civic, pushing it across the road (through the space that I had just been occupying) such that the front passenger corner was in the crosswalk where the jogger had just passed (she also managed to clear the intersection).

The Civic driver was pretty shaken up, with pain on the left side of her body where the CRV had slammed into her (her side curtain airbags and front airbag had deployed).

It was a good day not to fumble the clip in.

[Emm]

@notlost 126395 wrote:

Pretty close one this morning.

Waiting for the light at Williamsburg and Old Dominion headed east on Williamsburg towards Chain Bridge. The light changed and myself, a jogger, and a car (Civic) proceeded on green. Next thing I know a car (CRV) is coming from the left on Old Dominion through the red light at full speed.

I manage to be slightly ahead of the Civic (and by slightly I mean a foot), which turned out to be a good thing as the CRV slammed into the side of the Civic, pushing it across the road (through the space that I had just been occupying) such that the front passenger corner was in the crosswalk where the jogger had just passed (she also managed to clear the intersection).

The Civic driver was pretty shaken up, with pain on the left side of her body where the CRV had slammed into her (her side curtain airbags and front airbag had deployed).

It was a good day not to fumble the clip in.

wow that’s scary! Were you able to stay around and provide a witness statement to the police? I’m glad to hear you and the jogger are ok, and hopefully the civic driver is too.

[Steve O]

@notlost 126395 wrote:

Waiting for the light at Williamsburg and Old Dominion headed east on Williamsburg towards Chain Bridge. The light changed and myself, a jogger, and a car (Civic) proceeded on green. Next thing I know a car (CRV) is coming from the left on Old Dominion through the red light at full speed.

I manage to be slightly ahead of the Civic (and by slightly I mean a foot), which turned out to be a good thing as the CRV slammed into the side of the Civic, pushing it across the road (through the space that I had just been occupying) such that the front passenger corner was in the crosswalk where the jogger had just passed (she also managed to clear the intersection).

The Civic driver was pretty shaken up, with pain on the left side of her body where the CRV had slammed into her (her side curtain airbags and front airbag had deployed).

This starkly illustrates the difference between a person on a bike running a red and a driver of a car running a red. It also starkly demonstrates the difference between people in cars and vulnerable road users like those on bikes and on foot. You or the jogger would likely be grievously injured if not dead.

Just last week a total stranger, who said he had been a police officer for 28 years, walked up to me out of the blue and started talking about cyclists “always blowing through” red lights. Oddly, he seemed to be focused on the person in the car. He suggested that when a car runs a red light, the driver is protected by the frame and air bags, etc.–seemingly forgetting that it’s not the safety of the person in the car he should be most concerned about. Weird.

[notlost]

@Emm 126398 wrote:

wow that’s scary! Were you able to stay around and provide a witness statement to the police? I’m glad to hear you and the jogger are ok, and hopefully the civic driver is too.

Yes, I stuck around and provided a statement. A guy in a car (also a biker I found out) who saw it all from behind was also kind enough to hang around to give a statement.

[jabberwocky]

@Steve O 126399 wrote:

Oddly, he seemed to be focused on the person in the car. He suggested that when a car runs a red light, the driver is protected by the frame and air bags, etc.–seemingly forgetting that it’s not the safety of the person in the car he should be most concerned about. Weird.

This illustrates our approach to driver safety over the past few decades. Basically, making the cars much more safe to be in a crash, while doing almost nothing to stop them from crashing into each other in the first place (which is admittedly largely a driver issue, not an issue with the car itself).

It can be scary out there. I definitely try and check both ways even when I have a green, because some people just don’t pay attention.

[DCLiz]

@jabberwocky 126403 wrote:

This illustrates our approach to driver safety over the past few decades. Basically, making the cars much more safe to be in a crash, while doing almost nothing to stop them from crashing into each other in the first place (which is admittedly largely a driver issue, not an issue with the car itself).

Morning Edition had a piece last week on the different auto safety standards in Europe and the U.S. One of the differences: Europe has a standard for pedestrian safety–as in what happens when a car hits a pedestrian. Talk about priorities!

[Author]

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