Missed connection

[dkel]

@Judd 154690 wrote:

Don’t get me started on any internet claims you’ve made on the speed in which you can solve a Rubik’s Cube…

https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/results/p.php?i=2016KELL07

Browse around at all and you’ll see just how slow I actually am.

[OneEighth]

So I think we may be talking about two different e-moped riders.
The guy I’ve observed was not kitted out, appears to have platform pedals, rides a black/grey Diamondback, and follows a different route into town than in the linked Strava segment. He was also quite a bit more circumspect around and respectful of car traffic than he was of path users.
Otherwise, same basic pattern behavior.
Odd, I’ve never really been worried that I might hurt a car.

[Rockford10]

@dkel 154705 wrote:

https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/results/p.php?i=2016KELL07

Browse around at all and you’ll see just how slow I actually am.

Not as fast as my kids. 😎

[dkel]

@Rockford10 154710 wrote:

Not as fast as my kids. 😎

We’ll, they get that from their father.

[secstate]

@bentbike33 154687 wrote:

I do the vast majority of my riding in Virginia, and it is amazing how much bad driving I see adorned with MD War of 1812 tags.

I like to think that most drivers are fairly careful most of the time, even here in MD, but reading stories like this makes me want to stay off the roads altogether:

“Between 2011 and 2016, [Prince George’s County] council members driving take-home cars were involved in at least 15 collisions, including a major crash Nov. 21 that resulted in the arrest of council member Mel Franklin (D-Upper Marlboro), District 9, on drunken-driving charges.

“They also received at least 107 speeding, missed-toll and parking citations, according to public records provided to The Washington Post.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/this-suburb-spends-more-than-110000-a-year-on-cars-for-its-lawmakers/2017/02/10/ef014ba0-d925-11e6-b8b2-cb5164beba6b_story.html

[DrP]

Situation: Northern crosswalk at N. George Mason and Wilson (i.e., across George Mason). Two pedestrians on east side. One cyclist on west (me). Car in westbound travel lane clearly wanting to turn right from Wilson to George Mason.

Walk light to cross road turns on.
Me: Enter cross walk passing center line as the pedestrians approach me.
You (car): start turning as soon as you can not hit the pedestrians in the rear.
Me: Needing to hit my brakes to not hit you and I throw up one arm in exasperation/questioning.
You: Continue turning, looking at me and giving me the finger.
Me: (talking to myself) What a jerk.

Really. You couldn’t have waited another 5 seconds for me to pass and then legally make your turn and you had to give me the finger to show your “superiority”? Get a real life.

[bobco85]

I had so many missed connections today, but I’ll split this into 2 parts due to the severity of what was “missed.”

Me: Having an awesome ride, heading south on the Metropolitan Branch Trail, I pass through the 2 right angle turns near R St NE, and immediately stop when I see what’s ahead.
You: Group of ~10 men walking southbound on the MBT spread out, approaching the NY Ave underpass about 300 feet in front of me
Me: Remembering all the news reports about knock-out games, people being assaulted, and people getting harassed by groups of young men on the MBT, saying out loud to myself, “Not gonna do it,” and doing a quick 180. I then used R St NE, Eckington Pl, and 1st St to avoid any conflict.

Here’s a pic I got off my rear-facing camera as I turned around (the second pic is zoomed in).
[ATTACH=CONFIG]13686[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]13688[/ATTACH]

It’s the first time that I’ve actually had to apply my personal rule of “if I see a group of men spread out on the MBT, then I will turn around.”

[bobco85]

I’ll try and be quick about these since there are multiple missed connections, all interesting in their own way.

MC #1 – Royal Street in Old Town Alexandria
Me: Riding southbound on Royal Street
You: Driver behind me, trying to pass, giving a short beep
Me: Looking back, seeing that you are completely in the middle of the road with 2 out of 4 wheels on the correct side of the double yellow. I stay in the lane and slow down for a stop sign.
You: Not deterred, pull up right next to me at the stop sign because you just couldn’t wait behind me and there is a car oncoming that you need to move out of the way of. Then, you pass me.
You could’ve just waited to pass me after the stop sign!

MC #2 – Eads St in Arlington
Me: Riding southbound in the awesome protected bike lane just south of Fort Scott Dr
You: ARTBus driver, parked in the bike lane, completely blocking it
Me: Having to ride around into traffic with a couple of cars that I had to merge into just to get around you.
Stop parking in bike lanes!

MC #3 – really a Found Connection, but I’ll throw it on here nonetheless – Hillcrest Heights, MD
Me: Riding on 23rd Parkway up a hill
You: Female driver with 2 of your friends (also girls), rolls down window at a stoplight and says, “Do you know that your shorts are down?”
Me: Reaches back and “feels” that there is a gap between my mountain bike shorts (shorts + chamois) and my undershirt & jersey. Immediate embarrassment hits, and I pull up the chamois and shorts and tuck the undershirt back in. I thank you for it and awkwardly continue climbing the hill.
Thank you. I am still probably red from the embarrassment of knowing I was showing to everyone passing me on that hill a bit too much of my lunar surface.

MC #4 – multiple instances in VA, MD, and DC
You: Driver in left turn-only lane, going straight ahead into the lane regardless of the other drivers that then have to swerve to miss you
How none of these instances resulted in a side-swipe crash just puzzles me.

[anomad]

Good choice! Getting beat up and having your junk stolen isn’t a life experience you need.

@bobco85 154814 wrote:

I had so many missed connections today, but I’ll split this into 2 parts due to the severity of what was “missed.”

Me: Having an awesome ride, heading south on the Metropolitan Branch Trail, I pass through the 2 right angle turns near R St NE, and immediately stop when I see what’s ahead.
You: Group of ~10 men walking southbound on the MBT spread out, approaching the NY Ave underpass about 300 feet in front of me
Me: Remembering all the news reports about knock-out games, people being assaulted, and people getting harassed by groups of young men on the MBT, saying out loud to myself, “Not gonna do it,” and doing a quick 180. I then used R St NE, Eckington Pl, and 1st St to avoid any conflict.

Here’s a pic I got off my rear-facing camera as I turned around (the second pic is zoomed in).
[ATTACH=CONFIG]13686[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]13688[/ATTACH]

It’s the first time that I’ve actually had to apply my personal rule of “if I see a group of men spread out on the MBT, then I will turn around.”

[Crickey7]

I wouldn’t feel guilty. You have to do what you deem necessary for safety. And if they’re just out for a stroll, it’s not like you’re inconveniencing them, only yourself.

[SarahBee]

@cvcalhoun 154679 wrote:

So the one that hit me (at 3:09) was a stereotype?

[video=youtube_share;fl7-5a6feR0]https://youtu.be/fl7-5a6feR0?t=3m5s[/video]

Ouch, Marylanders aren’t all bad…

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cvcalhoun]

@SarahBee 154938 wrote:

Ouch, Marylanders aren’t all bad…

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep, I am a Marylander. With an SUV. I suppose I should be glad it is grey and has Chesapeake Bay plates?

[SarahBee]

@cvcalhoun 154939 wrote:

Yep, I am a Marylander. With an SUV. I suppose I should be glad it is grey and has Chesapeake Bay plates?

I usually get much more scared riding around people with vanity plates than war of 1812 plates regardless of the state.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Drewdane]

@SarahBee 154941 wrote:

I usually get much more scared riding around people with vanity plates than war of 1812 plates regardless of the state.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Even VA “Share the Road” plates with a cycling-oriented vanity message?

[notinthe18]

@bobco85 154817 wrote:

I’ll try and be quick about these since there are multiple missed connections, all interesting in their own way.

MC #2 – Eads St in Arlington
Me: Riding southbound in the awesome protected bike lane just south of Fort Scott Dr
You: ARTBus driver, parked in the bike lane, completely blocking it
Me: Having to ride around into traffic with a couple of cars that I had to merge into just to get around you.
Stop parking in bike lanes!

This is a real problem. There’s an ART facility there and I feel like every time I pass there (esp. around 8 AM) there’s a bus blocking the bike lane. Probably 9 days out of 10 for the last few weeks.

[Author]

Posts