My Evening Commute

[Drewdane]

@huskerdont 154239 wrote:

Finally ran over a squirrel Wednesday evening (or rather, the squirrel ran under me). We all knew this day would come. I didn’t go over the bars, partially because I was going slowly due to pedestrians. Same pedestrians said the squirrel was fine and ran up a tree. Even though squirrels are basically rats with fluffy tails, I hope it was fine and not dying slowly and painfully from internal injuries.

I got mine a couple of years ago. I was surprised by how… solid the little bugger was!

[rcannon100]

Wonderful!

[cvcalhoun]

My evening commuter was definitely not in the spirit of Freezing Saddles!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13624[/ATTACH]

[dbb]

Was a bit disheartening.

Riding south from 14th St Bridge towards Gravelly Point (at my normal, measured pace). A cyclist rolls up behind me and says “Release the brake!” I was about to lash out for that unnecessary bit of coaching when I saw the cyclist was speaking to somebody on his cellphone.

For the record – that was my pace and I wasn’t dragging a brake.

[Alcova cyclist]

Can’t figure out if I was a jerk or had a ninja cyclist almost kill me…

A little before 6pm, I was approaching the Jefferson Memorial on the sidewalk from downtown and heading toward 14th street bridge and was cutting from the sidewalk into the road. An approaching opposite-direction cyclist yelled a loud “whoa!” as I cut directly in front of him. We missed a head-on or slight T-bone by a few feet at most. Never saw them until I heard them. I yelled a very loud “Sorry!” and we both continued on our way. But I am still not sure how I hadn’t seen them. So if this was you and you’re reading this, choose A or B as appropriate:
A. If you were lit up and I was somehow so spaced out that I didn’t see you – once again, I am really sorry; and nice job avoiding what would have been a nasty accident
B. If you were riding ninja – “hey man, get a light before you kill someone!”

In the rule of “bad things in threes,” on this same 6-mile commute, I also nearly got hit in the crosswalk on Memorial Drive (right-turning cab rolled right through the stop and the crosswalk while only ever looking left for cars… not to the right for peds/bikes). Then I missed getting doored in the bike lane on 6th St in Arlington by an inch or two with a bus on my left and nowhere else to go.

Here’s hoping for a safer ride tonight!

[scoot]

Glad to hear you emerged unscathed from that minefield.

I assume you’re talking about 6th St S between Courthouse and Walter Reed? I hate riding on streets designed like that one. The bike lanes are entirely within the door zone, and the median prevents drivers from being able to pass you with a safe clearance unless you ride perilously close to the parked cars. Taking the lane feels like the safest option, but then drivers think you’re just being a jerk. My experience on 8th and 9th Streets is far more pleasant.

[Alcova cyclist]

@scoot 154700 wrote:

Glad to hear you emerged unscathed from that minefield.

I assume you’re talking about 6th St S between Courthouse and Walter Reed? I hate riding on streets designed like that one. The bike lanes are entirely within the door zone, and the median prevents drivers from being able to pass you with a safe clearance unless you ride perilously close to the parked cars. Taking the lane feels like the safest option, but then drivers think you’re just being a jerk. My experience on 8th and 9th Streets is far more pleasant.

That’s the place — and I agree w/ you assessment.

I’ve tried staying on 2nd, but it’s not much better. Cutting down to 8th takes me out of my way and it doesn’t seem worth it for the few blocks (plus it’s weird to avoid 6th specifically b/c of the bike lanes). Maybe I’ll give that a try though.

[kcb203]

I meant to post this Tuesday but forgot. As I was riding up the Custis Trail westbound from Rosslyn, I noticed–for the second day in a row–an orange construction warning sign blocking half the trail/sidewalk saying “Steel Plates Ahead.” Given that the plates were in the road and not the trail, I saw no reason for the sign to be a trail hazard rather than a road hazard. I gently moved the sign into the roadway where it wouldn’t block the trail and to make it clear to drivers that there were steel plates ahead.

[secstate]

Today was a work day for me. I treated myself to blueberry pancakes and coffee at Open City on the ride in, and in the evening decided to take the CCT home.

Water Street (under the Whitehurst Freeway) was a mess, as I suppose is usual for a Saturday evening. I decided to chill and take it slowly, but a car ahead of me with, yes, War of 1812 plates, was having none of that approach. With a honk, she swerved around the vehicle in front of her, went through the stop sign, weaved around peds in the crosswalk, and took off toward the end of the road. She didn’t get far before she decided to turn around. For someone who had been so impatient with cars blocking her way, she was weirdly leisurely with her own backing maneuver. I decided to pass in front of her. There was plenty of room to spare, but I wasn’t exactly a PAL. Still in character, she gave me a honk and we both went our separate ways.

Riding on, I wondered whether my encounter was forum material. Naw. That driver was precious, sure, but sadly unexceptional. I’d keep my chuckles to myself.

But then, a mile or so down the trail: a light behind me. Headlights! Was she after me, the impudent cyclist who had dared to bypass her as she reversed? I kept pedaling. The lights slowly closed in. Either it was a police patrol, a late night trail maintenance crew, or I was about to become the CCT’s first road rage fatality. As the lights approached, I pulled off the trail as far as I could. Unfortunately there was no escape path onto the C&O or into the woods. The car pulled alongside — yes, it was her! — and without slowing or stopping continued into the distance, rounded a curve, and was gone…

Flummoxed, I turned around and slowly pedaled back toward the Key Bridge. I didn’t want to be on the trail with that car. She clearly wasn’t after me, but given her earlier driving, and her now being on the trail, at the very least she was frustrated and confused, and at the most of unsound mind or under the influence.

I called the cops. The dispatcher didn’t seem to know where the CCT was but confirmed that I was in DC, quickly consulted a colleague, very professionally took the details, and asked me to call back immediately “if anything changes.” Having reached the Georgetown end of the trail, I loitered briefly. I thought about taking a different route home but foolishly decided to head back up the trail. Perhaps a mile in, I saw headlights approaching, pulled to the side, and watched her drift past me once again, driving carefully, back toward Georgetown. Figuring deputies would arrive long after she cleared the trail and not wanting to waste their time, I called 911 again, was connected to Arlington, quickly transferred to DC, and let them know the car was headed back into town.

If there’s a moral to this story, it’s always be a PAL so that you never have specific reason to think those headlights approaching slowly behind you in the night conceal murderous intent.

[KLizotte]

How in the world was she able to access the trail? There is now a gate at the entrance. Confused.

[secstate]

@KLizotte 154823 wrote:

How in the world was she able to access the trail? There is now a gate at the entrance. Confused.

When I got back to the Key Bridge, I saw that one side of the gate was open. Either she opened it by striking it with her car (possible but unlikely?) or it was open before and I just hadn’t noticed (more likely).

[Steve O]

@KLizotte 154823 wrote:

How in the world was she able to access the trail?

And turn around?

[Crickey7]

@Steve O 154843 wrote:

And turn around?

Someone using the boathouse may have left it open. She probably turned around at Fletchers, where there is a paved ramp up to the towpath. After that, you’d have to go a long ways.

[huskerdont]

Even factoring in the War of 1812 plates, I just don’t think this whole scenario is possible without some rather exceptional drugs.

(I have nothing against drugs, but they should not be used while operating heavy machinery.)

[bentbike33]

@huskerdont 154886 wrote:

Even factoring in the War of 1812 plates, I just don’t think this whole scenario is possible without some rather exceptional drugs.

Unless she accidentally set GoogleMaps to find a bicycling route back to MD.

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