Missed connection

[DismalScientist]

@consularrider 56308 wrote:

To Westover, what was up yesterday?

It’s the gentrification… ?:confused:

[baiskeli]

@nikki_d 56240 wrote:

When my BF and I ride together on our commutes he gets mad that I signal saying it just confuses the drivers.

Wow, that’s almost as crazy as my wife.

[jrenaut]

You: Guy in a giant black SUV who honked at me, passed me, and said out your window, “Get out of the way!”
Me: Cyclist obeying EVERY APPLICABLE LAW on Columbia NW approaching Georgia, doing maybe 20mph uphill in the right lane that needs paving badly

There was NO ONE else on the road. The fact that you wanted to make a right at the end of the long block does not entitle you to tell me to move, as I had just as much right to the lane as you did and THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE OTHER LANE. My presence meant you had to move your hand slightly left, then slightly right again. It took you more time and energy to honk at me than it did to go around. I feel sorry for the people in your life who do things that legitimately inconvenience you. I hope your reaction doesn’t scale proportionately.

[KLizotte]

Unfortunately a lot of these people truly are ignorant of the law. I found this out last week.

I had just crossed Constitution on 15th heading north to the tidal basin; I was 2/3rds over to the right of the lane. A very large, long sedan was behind me. The driver honked a couple of times, buzzed me when passing, and the passenger yelled out “get on the sidewalk”. *sigh* I had already planned on hopping on to the sidewalk at that point anyway so that is what I did. A female cyclist behind me (wearing a BTWD t-shirt!) proceeded to chase the sedan and yell at them about cyclist rights. (I was seriously impressed)

Wow, I thought. She then exchanged words with them at every intersection since the car got stopped at red lights every time. I caught up with them at the last intersection before the basin and echoed that cyclists in DC have the right to take the lane.

The two gentlemen in the car seemed genuinely sheepish at being scolded by two female cyclists as well as truly surprised by the law. One guy turned to me and said incredulously, “even if you’re only doing 5 mph?!”. Yup, I said (for the record, I had been going faster than that). “Oh, ok then, well be safe out there” was the ironic but well meaning response. They were cordial and didn’t really seem like dickheads, only ignorant of our rights. They then drove off before I had a chance to tell them that the same applies in VA and MD, that they need to give 3 feet space, etc. but the main message got through.

I’m glad cooler heads prevailed and we were able to educate a couple of drivers who truly thought WE were breaking the law. If you put yourself in their shoes, that is, ignorant of the law, it’s sometimes understandable why they get pissed (though I’m not excusing the behavior).

Any many belated thanks to the chick who went out of her way to defend my honor, so to speak. You rock. I wish you’d given me the opportunity to say thanks in person.

[dbb]

Me: Cyclist doing 15 mph on the channel side of Hains Point this morning.
You: The motorist in a silver import seemingly drafting on me.

While I am a big rider, I doubt draftign me provided much benefit to your drive. That and the fact that having you five feet behind me (even when I stopped pedaling to force you to pass me) scared the crap out of me would suggest your approach was suboptimal. In the future, please pass and get ahead of me where I can observe you.

[eminva]

@dbb 56397 wrote:

Me: Cyclist doing 15 mph on the channel side of Hains Point this morning.
You: The motorist in a silver import seemingly drafting on me.

While I am a big rider, I doubt draftign me provided much benefit to your drive. That and the fact that having you five feet behind me (even when I stopped pedaling to force you to pass me) scared the crap out of me would suggest your approach was suboptimal. In the future, please pass and get ahead of me where I can observe you.

This almost seems like a variation on that recent thread about Dirt: “dbb is so fast, cars draft HIM!”

Liz

[SerialCarpins]

In Bethesda today just outside of the Starbucks on East West Highway:

ME: Walking to work today in anticipation (read: fear) of impending thunderstorms.
YOU: Riding on the sidewalk, earbuds in, venti iced coffee drink in one hand, failing to control your bike with the other. You slowly rolled off the sidewalk (a few feet from the curbcut, which was clear of people) into the street outside of the crosswalk, and almost plowed into the car that had already been stopped there, behind the white line where they belonged. You did wave your hand sheepishly at them, then proceeded to meander along the sidewalk, now trying to hold your coffee and the handlebar at the same time.

You are my hero.:rolleyes:

[jopamora]

Me: Starting to go through 5th and Jefferson after stopping
You: Jogger that came out of nowhere blindly running into the street and almost into the bus going South. I sure wish I stayed to hear what the bus driver said to you.

[DCLiz]

Me: OW! OW! OW! (But less G-rated) after giving myself a nasty scratch that drew blood on the inside of my thigh on my U-Lock holder thingamabob that has somehow sharpened into a nasty point, on top of the mysterious scratch that had appeared in the same spot earlier this week.

Me: I guess that’s where I got that scratch.

[Xarici]

Turns out my wife’s day ended on a better note after the encounter with the scary driver: she was in a group of five or so bikers on Penn and the cab driver that pulled a U-turn between them was seen by a cop and was actually pulled over!

[sjclaeys]

Me: Waiting at the light behind the Park Police car at 15th and Independence.

You: The three cyclists who decided to pass the police car and go through the red light, only to see me roll up to you at the light at 14th and Jefferson.

Me: It doesn’t excuse the Park Police’s anti-bike bias, but it also certainly doesn’t help.

[jrenaut]

To the guy turning left on red NB 15th NW at Mass – yes, I stopped in the middle of the road to yell at you because you were turning ON RED through my path as I rode WITH THE LIGHT pulling the full kid trailer.

I have no idea why people on NB 15th NW seem to think the red left turn arrows are optional. But I’m going to keep stopping and yelling (Nothing profane, just “YOUR LIGHT IS RED. YOU HAVE A RED LIGHT”) until you stop running the reds.

[jnva]

Me: cyclist doing 30mph down the hill on Virginia lane towards Shreve rd. if anyone rides wod from vienna to falls church you know that this is where the path is nothing but a sidewalk that is kind of risky to ride downhill on.

You: big dude in huge SUV passing me across the double yellow and telling at me.

Well, of course I caught up with this idiot and exchanged “words”. He was adamant that I should not be on the road. I just don’t get how people can be so selfish and stupid. Unfortunately I forgot to turn on my camera, or else this guy would have been featured on YouTube.

[eminva]

@jnva 56524 wrote:

Me: cyclist doing 30mph down the hill on Virginia lane towards Shreve rd. if anyone rides wod from vienna to falls church you know that this is where the path is nothing but a sidewalk that is kind of risky to ride downhill on.

You: big dude in huge SUV passing me across the double yellow and telling at me.

Well, of course I caught up with this idiot and exchanged “words”. He was adamant that I should not be on the road. I just don’t get how people can be so selfish and stupid. Unfortunately I forgot to turn on my camera, or else this guy would have been featured on YouTube.

This is the exact same spot where someone yelled at me from a motor vehicle earlier this year while I was riding on the path. He said what I was doing was “illegal.” He did not pause long enough to explain why. I guess you can’t win!

Liz

[KLizotte]

I’m beginning to think that carrying little cards explaining cyclist rights is a good idea; I could hand them out to drivers who are ignorant of the law. *sigh*

The recent PAL advertisement in the Arlington newspaper was nice but I think a similar ad explaining the law to drivers about cyclist rights would be even more useful. I wish we could get such PSAs on TV to reach the broadest audience.

[Author]

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