Missed connection

[notinthe18]

@Judd 144763 wrote:

Translation: every Uber driver.

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Do we have a name for when an Uber is cruising slowly on the right side of the road with no signal on, looking for a fare, apt to Crazy Ivan in any direction at any second? I think we need a name for that.

[Judd]

To the guy who nearly ran over me in the Crystal Drive bike lane as you were trying to illegally park in said lane: I wish I would have said to you all of the things that huskerdont would have said to you.

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[creadinger]

@Judd 144801 wrote:

To the guy who nearly ran over me in the Crystal Drive bike lane as you were trying to illegally park in said lane: I wish I would have said to you all of the things that huskerdont would have said to you.

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IMHO – Never EVER use the bike lanes along Crystal Drive. Just take the right lane. Drivers there aren’t quick enough mentally to process all of the stimuli that they’re confronted with and often (almost always) do stupid things.

The bike lanes’ only purpose now is for double parking, and allowing a buffer for pedestrians wanting to jaywalk across the street. Besides, given all the traffic lights and randomly turning cars, buses, jay walkers, etc… speeds are low enough to justify taking the lane as well.

[scoot]

@creadinger 144806 wrote:

IMHO – Never EVER use the bike lanes along Crystal Drive. Just take the right lane. Drivers there aren’t quick enough mentally to process all of the stimuli that they’re confronted with and often (almost always) do stupid things.

The bike lanes’ only purpose now is for double parking, and allowing a buffer for pedestrians wanting to jaywalk across the street. Besides, given all the traffic lights and randomly turning cars, buses, jay walkers, etc… speeds are low enough to justify taking the lane as well.

This advice also applies to some other bike lanes in the area. Lynn St in Rosslyn and Joyce St in Pentagon City, to name two.

[bobco85]

@creadinger 144806 wrote:

IMHO – Never EVER use the bike lanes along Crystal Drive. Just take the right lane. Drivers there aren’t quick enough mentally to process all of the stimuli that they’re confronted with and often (almost always) do stupid things.

The bike lanes’ only purpose now is for double parking, and allowing a buffer for pedestrians wanting to jaywalk across the street. Besides, given all the traffic lights and randomly turning cars, buses, jay walkers, etc… speeds are low enough to justify taking the lane as well.

This is true if you are biking southbound, but I have had few issues when biking northbound and using the lanes. Of course, the reason for the difference is that most of the restaurants and stores that people are trying to access are on the west (southbound) side.

I biked southbound the entire street from Long Bridge Park to Potomac Ave on an afternoon detour commute a few weeks ago, and I came away from it thinking, “Is this bike lane really for bikes?” I experienced the following on the Crystal Dr southbound bike lane all on that one particular ride:

• the driver-suddenly-deciding-to-cut-into-a-parking-space-without-looking situation that Judd described
• delivery trucks blocking the lane
• vehicles blocking the lane because their driver wanted to dash into a store/restaurant to make a pick-up
• drivers flooring it in the travel lane so they could cut me off to make a right turn
• pedestrians standing/walking mindlessly in/into the bike lane
• drivers sticking their vehicles out into the bike lane as they waited to turn from side streets or garages onto Crystal Dr
• people opening their car doors into the bike lane from both the travel lane and parking lane without really looking (luckily none were close calls)

Basically, when I bike south through Crystal City and don’t feel like using the MVT to bypass it (almost all the time now), I use Eads St. I feel far more comfortable using the protected bike lane than that mess.

[Anonymous]

You: Yelled at me to get in the bike lane.

Me: you know, sometimes I make mistakes and do boneheaded things. I’m human and we all do. It’d be nice to not get yelled at for them, but I understand when someone does. Other times, I do things (like take the lane) that are necessary for my safety but may look like I’m being selfish to people who don’t understand the reasoning for it. It’d really be nice to not be yelled at for those things, and would be nice if drivers were more knowledgeable about why cyclists do these things, but even here, I can kinda sorta understand why it happens. Don’t like it, but know why it is.

This was not one of those times. I was not in the bike lane because I was preparing to make a left turn at the upcoming stop light. I had signaled my intention. I was wearing reflective wrist bands (just after dark) so that you could easily see me signal my intention. I was all the way to the left of the lane, on top of the white line. You had *plenty * of space to pass me on the right. Again, I had signaled my left turn so that you were aware I was staying left and not going to move back over to the right. I was in no way impeding your forward progress. I did everything perfectly, by-the-book, legally and exceptionally courteously. And you *still* yelled at me.

tl/dnr: Jerk.

[Judd]

@bobco85 144809 wrote:

This is true if you are biking southbound, but I have had few issues when biking northbound and using the lanes. Of course, the reason for the difference is that most of the restaurants and stores that people are trying to access are on the west (southbound) side.

I biked southbound the entire street from Long Bridge Park to Potomac Ave on an afternoon detour commute a few weeks ago, and I came away from it thinking, “Is this bike lane really for bikes?” I experienced the following on the Crystal Dr southbound bike lane all on that one particular ride:

• the driver-suddenly-deciding-to-cut-into-a-parking-space-without-looking situation that Judd described
• delivery trucks blocking the lane
• vehicles blocking the lane because their driver wanted to dash into a store/restaurant to make a pick-up
• drivers flooring it in the travel lane so they could cut me off to make a right turn
• pedestrians standing/walking mindlessly in/into the bike lane
• drivers sticking their vehicles out into the bike lane as they waited to turn from side streets or garages onto Crystal Dr
• people opening their car doors into the bike lane from both the travel lane and parking lane without really looking (luckily none were close calls)

Basically, when I bike south through Crystal City and don’t feel like using the MVT to bypass it (almost all the time now), I use Eads St. I feel far more comfortable using the protected bike lane than that mess.

I’d actually prefer that the southbound bike lane on Crystal be converted to a sharrow since it’s become additional parking and I’ve never seen any type of parking enforcement in Crystal City ever. Missed revenue opportunity for Arlington I say. I’ve been taking the lane a lot more when I’m not biking with Komorebi. I’ll have to discuss our Crystal Drive strategy.

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[streetsmarts]

Dear walker… on my side of the MVT when the other side was clear…i looked right at you but you didnt move. So i went around you on the left. Why??? Maybe you had a good reason but i cant think of one…

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[komorebi]

@Judd 144815 wrote:

I’ve been taking the lane a lot more when I’m not biking with Komorebi. I’ll have to discuss our Crystal Drive strategy.

Consider it discussed.

I agree with you and everyone else that the constant blocking of the Crystal Dr. southbound bike lane is annoying and dangerous. I’m glad that you were there yesterday to yell at the driver who nearly ran over you, me, and the woman biking in front of us.

That said, I actually find the Potomac Ave. southbound bike lane (between the Renaissance and South Glebe) to be more problematic. There’s guaranteed to be at least one hotel shuttle or tour bus blocking the bike lane in front of the Renaissance, and the rest of the bike lane frequently has debris and pedestrians in it — although you can’t really blame the pedestrians, because half of that stretch lacks a sidewalk or any other place for people to walk. But taking the travel lane there has gotten me honked at or buzzed, usually by cars going well above the posted speed limit (another contrast to Crystal Dr., where the cars are usually going slowly). It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.

[consularrider]

@komorebi 144852 wrote:

Consider it discussed.

I agree with you and everyone else that the constant blocking of the Crystal Dr. southbound bike lane is annoying and dangerous. I’m glad that you were there yesterday to yell at the driver who nearly ran over you, me, and the woman biking in front of us.

That said, I actually find the Potomac Ave. southbound bike lane (between the Renaissance and South Glebe) to be more problematic. There’s guaranteed to be at least one hotel shuttle or tour bus blocking the bike lane in front of the Renaissance, and the rest of the bike lane frequently has debris and pedestrians in it — although you can’t really blame the pedestrians, because half of that stretch lacks a sidewalk or any other place for people to walk. But taking the travel lane there has gotten me honked at or buzzed, usually by cars going well above the posted speed limit (another contrast to Crystal Dr., where the cars are usually going slowly). It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.

The problem on that stretch is that it’s not really a bike lane even though it is sign posted as such, just a slightly wider parking area.

[creadinger]

@komorebi 144852 wrote:

That said, I actually find the Potomac Ave. southbound bike lane (between the Renaissance and South Glebe) to be more problematic. There’s guaranteed to be at least one hotel shuttle or tour bus blocking the bike lane in front of the Renaissance, and the rest of the bike lane frequently has debris and pedestrians in it — although you can’t really blame the pedestrians, because half of that stretch lacks a sidewalk or any other place for people to walk. But taking the travel lane there has gotten me honked at or buzzed, usually by cars going well above the posted speed limit (another contrast to Crystal Dr., where the cars are usually going slowly). It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.

Yeah, now that you mention it, that section is really bad too. Commuters use Potomac as a speed-cut to get around traffic on Rt 1. I don’t bother with that “bike lane” either, but you’re right about the drawback where the fast traffic really doesn’t give a s&^t that you’re there. It’s a shame that Eads is such a mess south of Khoinoor Dhaba, or else that would be the best alternative option.

[komorebi]

@creadinger 144866 wrote:

Yeah, now that you mention it, that section is really bad too. Commuters use Potomac as a speed-cut to get around traffic on Rt 1. I don’t bother with that “bike lane” either, but you’re right about the drawback where the fast traffic really doesn’t give a s&^t that you’re there.

I was heartened to see that the cops had pulled over a driver in the Alexandria section of the Potomac Ave. speedway this morning. I don’t know whether the driver got pulled over for speeding or some other violation, but the fact that there was any enforcement at all seemed like a step in the right direction. If only the Arlington PD would step up on their side of 4MR…

[Enabler]

@Judd 144815 wrote:

I’d actually prefer that the southbound bike lane on Crystal be converted to a sharrow since it’s become additional parking and I’ve never seen any type of parking enforcement in Crystal City ever. Missed revenue opportunity for Arlington I say. I’ve been taking the lane a lot more when I’m not biking with Komorebi. I’ll have to discuss our Crystal Drive strategy.

I fail to see a downside to the strategy of just calling the police non-emergency number every morning before leaving for work and complaining that there is someone parked illegally in that bike lane. Either they’ll send someone over or they won’t. If they don’t, at least you’ve highlighted the problem. If they do, changes are they’ll find someone and ticket them or ask them to move along which will deter further parking and clear the way for you when you bike through. If they don’t find anyone to ticket, they’ll just assume the person who was blocking the lane left before they got there…

[OneEighth]

I think the Stupid Fairy wore out her wand this morning on the MVT between Alexandria and the stone bridge.

[Judd]

@OneEighth 144952 wrote:

I think the Stupid Fairy wore out her wand this morning on the MVT between Alexandria and the stone bridge.

Sounds like a typical day on the MVT during commuting hours. I’m a fan of Potomac Yard through Crystal City > Long Bridge > Pentagon > LBJ Grove during commuting hours.

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