Missed connection

[dasgeh]

Not really a missed connection, but

Me: biking eastbound in the [horrible, terrible, no good, very bad] L street “PBL”, approaching the non-protected part in front of the Red Lion hotel
You: Black Uber car, mostly blocking the green painted bike lane (which is pulled a car’s width away from the curb there), but also close enough to the curb that a bike won’t fit to the right.
Me: Stopping because you’re an Uber and I don’t see anyone getting out so maybe someone just got in and you’re about to pull away…
You: still stopped
Me: thinking you’re just waiting, check that it’s clear to go around you in the travel lane, then slowly pull around and start to turn back into the protected part as my front tire is clearly past your bumper
You: starting to roll forward
Me: Yelling my head off surprised that you would go when a bike is right in front of you
You: Stopping after you hit my rear wheel.

Yeah, that sucked, but at least you stopped before making it worse. Yeah, “tapping” a bike is still hitting it. No, it was not an accident or an act of God that your car started moving forward – you took your foot off the brake. No, I was not in your blind spot, I was in front of you; you were just looking backwards for a gap in traffic.

At least you waited around to file the police report so we have another data point on how awful the L St PBL is.

[Steve O]

@dasgeh 187082 wrote:

Me: biking westbound in the [horrible, terrible, no good, very bad] L street “PBL”, approaching the non-protected part in front of the Red Lion hotel

If you were biking westbound, well, that might be the problem.

[dasgeh]

Oh, right. I’ll fix that

[SarahBee]

You, nervous Nellie on 14th street bridge headed west in a stiff cross wind who could barely keep control of your Cabi. Me, the person heading eastbound that you sandwiched into the guard rail when the wind picked up. Thank you for stopping to apologize and make sure I was okay, but it would have been nicer of you to get off me first before doing so. Thankfully the only injury/casualty was my lunch sandwich, which did not survive the you, me, guard rail sandwich. I’m buying myself a salad!

[dasgeh]

@SarahBee 188219 wrote:

You, nervous Nellie on 14th street bridge headed west in a stiff cross wind who could barely keep control of your Cabi. Me, the person heading eastbound that you sandwiched into the guard rail when the wind picked up. Thank you for stopping to apologize and make sure I was okay, but it would have been nicer of you to get off me first before doing so. Thankfully the only injury/casualty was my lunch sandwich, which did not survive the you, me, guard rail sandwich. I’m buying myself a salad!

With any other collision on the 14th St Bridge, traffic would be snared for the entire morning. Bike collision? “hey, sorry about that. You ok?” “Yeah, you?” “Yeah, have a good day” “ok you too”. No traffic-magedon.

Sorry about your lunch

[AFHokie]

@dasgeh 188234 wrote:

With any other collision on the 14th St Bridge, traffic would be snared for the entire morning. Bike collision? “hey, sorry about that. You ok?” “Yeah, you?” “Yeah, have a good day” “ok you too”. No traffic-magedon.

Sorry about your lunch

Actually….back in 2015 I spent ~45-60 minutes on the 14th St bridge at a standstill due to a headon collision between two cyclists at the midpoint of the bridge.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930AZ using Tapatalk

[ChristoB50]

Not probably a real missed connection here — but in light of the collision talk in the posts above….

Last Thursday I was biking the Hains Point loop as part of a long route ride home after leaving work early. I had just stopped at the Stop sign by the golf parking entry. As I started up, a group of 7 blew past me (and the Stop sign). Tight, tight formation, cruising above 20mph in unison; I heard them approach from behind and thought a vehicle was driving with heavy snow-tires; a low whirring hum was their collective, distinctive sound. I was now following them (and I boosted up my assist until I hit 22mph out of curiosity — that seemed to be when their increasing lead on me froze, to gauge their speed.) I drifted back down to about 16mph and then suddenly up ahead of me, one of the riders was flying out sideways, and a split second later, another rider flew out the other way; a tangle of bikes tumbling, a 3rd rider slammed brakes hard and fell over sideways. It was actually brutal to see happen — I saw all this from about 300 yards back. (Apparently the first to fall had their front wheel just nip the rear wheel of the rider ahead… they were racing impossibly close to each other, it seemed to me!) I came to a stop at the pile-up and asked if I could help, or call 911, or call the park police, etc. Their leader(?) said no thanks, insisted they were all fine — with one guy still flat on his back, being cautioned not to move by another guy, while bits of visors and accessories were strewn about, and 2 bikes still down in the road. Because they’d been riding partway on the dotted white line between lanes when the implosion happened, they occupied both lanes with the unexpected pile-up and (potential) injuries. (And of course, a car was headed our way just at that time!) After asking if I could do anything to help again, and scanning for obvious signs of running blood (none seen) I eventually went on my way. They didn’t pass me later — I assume that was the end of their session.

So my “missed-connection” rant is probably more generally about the racers/trainers/roadies who too frequently ride like this through Hains Point, always flying through all 3 Stop signs, and then so often using the roadway as a racing/training course.
(I understand the appeal – the mostly flat loop, the mostly quiet & empty space, the generally very nice pavement condition…) But all the while (for this group, plus an even larger group of about 20 riders a week earlier) not particularly staying towards the right hand side, nor even staying contained within the right-hand lane (in order to keep the left lane free for cars to pass.)

[Crickey7]

Me: Me on my bike in the right travel lane of Wisconsin Avenue, going 18 mph or so in light traffic conditions.

You: $25 ticket for “Obstructing traffic”

I offer this as a cautionary tale despite it turning out well. On my regular ride home, I’m startled by a police siren behind me. When I slow down and stop, I’m told via megaphone to pull out of the travel lane and ride in the parking lane. I do, but as the car passes, I shout that they are harassing me. At that, I’m really pulled over and have a long and somewhat heated discussion with the officer, during which he mentions a number of violations he could cite me for, as to each of which I point out he’s not citing the law correctly, and under the correct citation it would not apply. Finally, he writes me a ticket for “obstructing traffic”. I pointed out that applies to total or near total stoppage or traffic, not riding a bike at a normal speed; a speed at which, in fact, he could not cite a car for travelling on that road. Under his interpretation, he could cite a cyclist anywhere at any time, for just riding on a street below the speed limit. He finally relents and offers to convert it to a “warning” if I apologize for berating him (an inappropriate request but not inaccurate). I agree, and then he quasi apologizes by saying he will review the applicable traffic laws that evening.

So being a hothead, even if justified, is unequivocally stupid. Still, the outcome is that I’m less likely to be harassed by a cop on my regular ride home for incorrect “violations” and I got no ticket.

P.S.: WABA’s pocket guide to DC bike laws covers this specific situation. It actually would have been useful to have on me.

[Steve O]

@Crickey7 188375 wrote:

…
Under his interpretation, he could cite a cyclist anywhere at any time, for just riding on a street below the speed limit…

This whole interaction totally pisses me off.
But this quoted part, arggh. Isn’t everyone supposed to be traveling below the speed limit? Isn’t “limit” supposed to mean maximum?

Limit
noun
1. a point or level beyond which something does not or may not extend or pass.
“the limits of presidential power”
2. a restriction on the size or amount of something permissible or possible.
“an age limit”
synonyms: maximum, ceiling, limitation, upper limit;

[huskerdont]

Congrats, and I do admire your hotheadedness. I am too much of a hothead, though I’ve found it’s just better not to be around the Polizei.

Sample, driving (gasp!) to a DC United game several years ago when I still did that. I had been washing my car and there was a forgotten beer in the center console. DC’s finest motorcyclist pulled me over because I was talking on a cell phone. Conversation went something like:

“Sir, it’s illegal to drive in DC with a handheld cellphone. Oh, and you also have to wear your seat belt. [Looks into the car and sighs.] And could you at least put a bag over your beer?”

“My apologies, sir. I will do that.”

“Move along, and be careful.”

Yes, I was part of what’s wrong with America.

[lordofthemark]

@Crickey7 188375 wrote:

P.S.: WABA’s pocket guide to DC bike laws covers this specific situation. It actually would have been useful to have on me.

I need to remember to keep mine with me (I forget, does anyone do a Va specific one?) Good to be reminded what WABA and bike advocates do for us even when we are cycling vehicularly.

[LhasaCM]

@lordofthemark 188378 wrote:

I need to remember to keep mine with me (I forget, does anyone do a Va specific one?) Good to be reminded what WABA and bike advocates do for us even when we are cycling vehicularly.

I’m not aware of a handy pocket guide like WABA/DC put together, but http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/bikeped/laws_and_safety_tips.asp has general information for Virginia. (I think the multiple jurisdictions complicates a slimmed down presentation?) https://www.waba.org/resources/bikelaws/ has links to similar pages for DC and Maryland, as well as the Pocket Guide.

[dasgeh]

@Crickey7 188375 wrote:

So being a hothead, even if justified, is unequivocally stupid. Still, the outcome is that I’m less likely to be harassed by a cop on my regular ride home for incorrect “violations” and I got no ticket.

True, though police harassment is worse. If you have a warning, you hopefully have enough information to report the officer for this ridiculousness.

[creadinger]

@ChristoB50 188291 wrote:

But all the while (for this group, plus an even larger group of about 20 riders a week earlier) not particularly staying towards the right hand side, nor even staying contained within the right-hand lane (in order to keep the left lane free for cars to pass.)

You don’t want to know what I would say to a driver who actually complained about being inconvenienced for 30 seconds because I wiped out on the road in front of them.

[huskerdont]

@ChristoB50 188291 wrote:

Not probably a real missed connection here — but in light of the collision talk in the posts above….

Last Thursday I was biking the Hains Point loop as part of a long route ride home after leaving work early. I had just stopped at the Stop sign by the golf parking entry. As I started up, a group of 7 blew past me (and the Stop sign). Tight, tight formation, cruising above 20mph in unison; I heard them approach from behind and thought a vehicle was driving with heavy snow-tires; a low whirring hum was their collective, distinctive sound. I was now following them (and I boosted up my assist until I hit 22mph out of curiosity — that seemed to be when their increasing lead on me froze, to gauge their speed.) I drifted back down to about 16mph and then suddenly up ahead of me, one of the riders was flying out sideways, and a split second later, another rider flew out the other way; a tangle of bikes tumbling, a 3rd rider slammed brakes hard and fell over sideways. It was actually brutal to see happen — I saw all this from about 300 yards back. (Apparently the first to fall had their front wheel just nip the rear wheel of the rider ahead… they were racing impossibly close to each other, it seemed to me!) I came to a stop at the pile-up and asked if I could help, or call 911, or call the park police, etc. Their leader(?) said no thanks, insisted they were all fine — with one guy still flat on his back, being cautioned not to move by another guy, while bits of visors and accessories were strewn about, and 2 bikes still down in the road. Because they’d been riding partway on the dotted white line between lanes when the implosion happened, they occupied both lanes with the unexpected pile-up and (potential) injuries. (And of course, a car was headed our way just at that time!) After asking if I could do anything to help again, and scanning for obvious signs of running blood (none seen) I eventually went on my way. They didn’t pass me later — I assume that was the end of their session.

So my “missed-connection” rant is probably more generally about the racers/trainers/roadies who too frequently ride like this through Hains Point, always flying through all 3 Stop signs, and then so often using the roadway as a racing/training course.
(I understand the appeal – the mostly flat loop, the mostly quiet & empty space, the generally very nice pavement condition…) But all the while (for this group, plus an even larger group of about 20 riders a week earlier) not particularly staying towards the right hand side, nor even staying contained within the right-hand lane (in order to keep the left lane free for cars to pass.)

Not always the best behavior there, that’s true. We need a velodrome to reduce the need for this kind of thing at HP.

I do stay to the right, but the speed limit is 15 if I recall, so cars don’t really need to pass the cyclist groups that are riding that hard.

[Author]

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