Missed connection

[slowtriguy]

Me: cruising down the W&OD in Falls Church nearing the Oak Street intersection.
Others: a walker and two joggers coming the other direction on the W&OD

You: Fellow rider coming up from behind to attempt a pass. You called your pass, but it really is not OK to try a pass up the middle between a rider in one direction and others in the other direction; hence my request that you wait until we got clear of the other folks. To your credit, you did so – thanks – but please don’t do passes up the middle.

It is amazing how often folks do this. Please do NOT pass up the middle – the trail isn’t a 3-lane road.

[Harry Meatmotor]

Me: “On your left!”

You: “On your right!”

…

:confused:

[dkel]

Saw a car turn onto the W&OD heading toward Reston just as I was about to turn on. The car was going about 35 mph, and I only caught up because the driver eventually stopped to check her phone for directions. I spoke to her and convinced her to go back and get off where she got on, and then I followed to make sure she found her way back where she came from. She said she was lost. :rolleyes:

[ursus]

@dkel 143558 wrote:

Saw a car turn onto the W&OD heading toward Reston just as I was about to turn on. The car was going about 35 mph, and I only caught up because the driver eventually stopped to check her phone for directions. I spoke to her and convinced her to go back and get off where she got on, and then I followed to make sure she found her way back where she came from. She said she was lost. :rolleyes:

Heading to Reston from the east or west?

[bobco85]

@dkel 143558 wrote:

Saw a car turn onto the W&OD heading toward Reston just as I was about to turn on. The car was going about 35 mph, and I only caught up because the driver eventually stopped to check her phone for directions. I spoke to her and convinced her to go back and get off where she got on, and then I followed to make sure she found her way back where she came from. She said she was lost. :rolleyes:

Where did she enter the trail from? I hope you reported the incident (not out of spite, but because a car driving on the W&OD at 35 mph is a major threat to trail-users).

[dkel]

@ursus 143560 wrote:

Heading to Reston from the east or west?

She got on at Mill St, just west of Caboose Brewing, and made it about halfway to Clarks Crossing. That’s a westbound trip.

@bobco85 143563 wrote:

Where did she enter the trail from? I hope you reported the incident (not out of spite, but because a car driving on the W&OD at 35 mph is a major threat to trail-users).

I actually didn’t report it, because I got her off the trail; I figured there was no more threat at that point. But it may be helpful to authorities to know about it, now that you mention it. Any idea who to contact?

[bobco85]

@dkel 143564 wrote:

She got on at Mill St, just west of Caboose Brewing, and made it about halfway to Clarks Crossing. That’s a westbound trip.

From the Bing Street view (Google Street view was oddly not available for this spot): https://binged.it/2ah1SBp
While to most people it should be clear that one is not supposed to drive past the sign, I do not see any signs informing drivers that vehicles are prohibited.

@dkel 143564 wrote:

I actually didn’t report it, because I got her off the trail; I figured there was no more threat at that point. But it may be helpful to authorities to know about it, now that you mention it. Any idea who to contact?

Looking through the FABB site, I came to this link for the Citizen Reporting System: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/reportcrime/

I’ll tweet about it, too, to help spread the word from that angle.

[W Odie]

@dkel 143564 wrote:

She got on at Mill St, just west of Caboose Brewing, and made it about halfway to Clarks Crossing. That’s a westbound trip.

How did she drive a car from Mill Street onto the W&OD trail? There is no entrance from Mill Street unless she drove through the bushes west of Caboose Brewing.

[dkel]

@W & Odie 143617 wrote:

How did she drive a car from Mill Street onto the W&OD trail? There is no entrance from Mill Street unless she drove through the bushes west of Caboose Brewing.

There’s a tiny extension of Mill on the opposite side from Caboose. Bobco’s map link (above) shows the spot. Google maps calls it Mill, at least…not sure if that’s what it is in real life.

[W Odie]

@dkel 143619 wrote:

There’s a tiny extension of Mill on the opposite side from Caboose. Bobco’s map link (above) shows the spot. Google maps calls it Mill, at least…not sure if that’s what it is in real life.

OK, that makes sense. I thought that was just a parking area off Center St…didn’t know it was also named Mill St.

[Tania]

Saw some moron almost get creamed at the IOD this am after he decided to gun it through the intersection with 0 seconds left on the counter. The woman who almost hit him was livid and sat for two or three second yelling and screaming. Can’t blame her.

[huskerdont]

Bottom of the S-turn on the Custis. You in my lane, passing just before going up the hill and with lots of momentum; me in my lane coming out of the turn. Way uncool, but hey, no harm, no foul, and perhaps you learned something you can use for next time.

[bentbike33]

Was admonished by a photophobe for the brightness of my Dynamo-powered headlight just before 6:00pm today at Brandymore Castle on the W&OD. Granted it was cloudy, but my light did not noticeably illuminate the trail at the Sycamore Street underpass. This specimen either: (a) has a second set of eyeballs instead of testicles because the brightest part of my light shines at seat level, or (b) has developed excessive sensitivity to light by never having ridden into the morning sun his entire life.

[viennabiker]

@bentbike33 143659 wrote:

Was admonished by a photophobe for the brightness of my Dynamo-powered headlight just before 6:00pm today at Brandywine Castle on the W&OD. Granted it was cloudy, but my light did not noticeably illuminate the trail at the Sycamore Street underpass. This specimen either: (a) has a second set of eyeballs instead of testicles because the brightest part of my light shines at seat level, or (b) has developed excessive sensitivity to light by never having ridden into the morning sun his entire life.

A couple months ago, I was riding eastbound on the W&OD in Reston when I saw a cyclist coming west with a very bright flashing headlight that was distracting from a distance and much worse than distracting close up. I said nothing but I did hold up a hand to shield my eyes as he passed–and as I did so, I heard him shout out “Wimp!” So I read your post with a touch of empathy for the rider you are terming a photophobe. Also for you–but let me get to the other guy first.

At least on the W&OD, I think I see an increasing number of riders using bright flashing lights in the daytime. I think that is unnecessary on a trail–it makes sense when riding with cars when you want to be seen at greater distances. But if you are going to use it during the day on a trail, I would hope that you would make sure it is pointed down and not flashing.

In your post, you don’t say whether it was flashing, but you do say it was pointed at seat level (you don’t say at what distance). Depending on the rider and distance–as well as the terrain (you say it was at Brandywine Castle where there is a sudden incline)–that could be quite close to eye level. I wasn’t there, so only you and the photophobic other rider could say for sure but it seems possible that if your light did not illuminate the trail when in a dark underpass, it actually was pointed higher up than you realized.

I have ridden into the morning sun many times in my life. I did not think by so doing I was giving license to other riders to shine lights in my face.

Even if you are being unfair to the other rider (and that is difficult to tell, but since you deride him–and I assume the other rider was male by the anatomical reference–three times in three sentences, my guard is up a little) I’m actually empathetic with you as well.

Here’s why: a few weeks ago, I was riding over the Key Bridge to Georgetown. I passed another rider who shouted out “Please call your passes!” I am very careful about such things, so I immediately responded “I did! Listen!” satisfying myself that the rider had spaced out. Then it hit me–I actually had not called this pass at all. It’s never nice to be shamed on your behavior and to be the target of a shout–and that’s what passing riders do to be heard–is startling. I don’t react in a very saintly way, even when I’m in the wrong.

So I don’t know if you were in the right or not, but I would suggest that you think for a moment whether that other rider was giving you information that your light is more problematic than you think.

And I would urge all riders to be careful to check that their lights point down–an uncontroversial point, I hope–and never to have it flash like a strobe when riding on a trail.

[ursus]

At about 11:30 this morning I was riding on the CCT from Bethesda to G’t’n. I was in the part between the water filtration facility (I think that is what it is) and the RR bridge over the C&O canal. That part is entirely downhill. The trail was quite crowded and I was having trouble getting by a jogger going in the same direction as I was. I had told her of my intention to pass as soon as I found an opening. When I finally did, a bike which must have been behind (Yes, I should have looked, but I was trying to find an opening) decides to pass me at the same time as I passed the jogger. Thankfully, there was no collision.

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