My Evening Commute

[lordofthemark]

By the way, yesterday, or maybe it was the day before? – I was at the place where the 4MRT crosses the Walter Reed. There was a car blocking the entire crosswalk. Cyclist ahead of me started to go around behind the car, when all of a sudden the car lurches rearward. No collision, but kind of scary all around.

And of course Eye and South Cap were miserable – the construction where the McDonalds used to be means instead of right turning cars having a place to merge across the bike lane, they now make right turns right across it. Which is even worse when there is heavy left turning traffic (like when a Nats game coincides with rush hour), and cars attempting to go straight swerve to the right to get around the left turning cars. And then there are usually SB on Capital that have failed to clear the intersection. Complete anarchy.

[dasgeh]

@Tania 159593 wrote:

You are supposed to have right of way but you don’t. Just like when I’m walking down a sidewalk – a SIDEWALK – I shouldn’t have to worry about cars coming out of parking garages and hitting me. But I do. Because you can’t assume people are paying attention 100% of the time. If others want to bike (carelessly, IMO) through there without stopping or looking to prove some sort of point, they can. I’ll continue to wait until there’s no one in that far right lane who could possibly be making that turn onto the exit ramp before I cross. And then at the far crossing, I’ll wait until someone waves me through, I’ll wave back in thanks and continue along my way.

Also, the speeds and sightlines on Rte 50 are such that even if you stop at every crosswalk, wait until there are no cars in sight that could turn right across that crosswalk, a car could come and make the turn while a person is biking in the crosswalk.

And right of way is a legal concept. So, yes, you have the right of way.

[chris_s]

@bobco85 159635 wrote:

Interestingly, they do have a configuration for a buffered bike lane that has buffers both between parking/bike lane and bike lane/travel lane.

Part of Clarendon Blvd has this configuration. DES generally only uses it if the expectation is that parking will turn over frequently (like in Clarendon). For instance, in front of the Container Store.

[semperiden]

@lordofthemark 159641 wrote:

By the way, yesterday, or maybe it was the day before? – I was at the place where the 4MRT crosses the Walter Reed. There was a car blocking the entire crosswalk..

This happens way to often between Columbia Pike and Shirlington Rd. Traffic cameras are quite unpopular, and I am against them, but this is probably a good use of them. It would bring Arlington a lot of money.

[Emm]

My rear derailleur had been acting up and was getting annoying during my commute home last night so I made what I had hoped to be a quick pit stop at Spokes Etc to get it adjusted. They were doing a quick look over my bike when they realized that my back wheel has begun cracking along the spokes. Not just in one spot, but there were 1cm or so cracks along most of the spoke holes on the rear wheel. 😮 They told me to finish riding my bike home, but then to stop riding it until I got a new wheel. So that was $250 I wan’t planning to drop during my evening commute (new rear wheel & new chain and cassette since I needed those anyways.) Yet again my WABA membership paid for itself with 10% off parts.

I knew this was bound to happen–the back wheel is a 2 spoke design (20 spokes total) race wheel that is 11 years old with 4,000 miles from me, and another 6K-10K from the prior owner. The wheels were not built to handle some of the stresses I put it through (year round commuting, panniers, dirt trails sometimes when I’m bored), so I knew this coming sooner vs later since I’d been warned by multiple shops that an 11 year old race wheel + my commuting habits = bad things happening. The new wheel is a 105 hub with 32 spokes though, so it should hold up much better to the nonsense I put my bike through. Hopefully it’s in by Friday so they can get it on my bike in advance of the DC Bike ride on Sunday.

My front wheel looks fine though they said. I may still switch it out to a 32 spoke wheel soon anyways so I can ride on the C&O without worry, but I’ll wait to buy one used or on sale since it’s not urgent.

[GovernorSilver]

Stopped on Potomac Yard Trail at the pullup bar/parallettes station and took off my helmet, placing it on the bike as usual.

This time the helmet fell to the ground. I somehow managed to step on the plastic band used to adjust the fit on the head, and snapped it.

Thank goodness for Amazon Prime’s same day delivery. The replacement helmet was the cheapest MIPS I could find – a Bell something.

[cvcalhoun]

Evening commute was made more interesting by being accompanied by the drunk guy on the recumbent tricycle halfway up the CCT. I described Maryland law regarding bicycling under the influence, and suggested he stay off the roads until his blood alcohol had dipped under the legal limit.

[bobco85]

Chalk this up as another case of “stop and smell the roses” on my evening commute yesterday.

On one of the various routes home that I like to use, I would pass by a little bridge and tower made out of wire and sticks on the side of the road. They looked cool, and I was sad when I saw them gone this past winter.

Fast forward to yesterday; the bridge is back and is accompanied by more bridges, and the tower became a lighthouse with a working light!

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[Emm]

@bobco85 159926 wrote:

[/IMG]

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That’s so cool. Any idea what that little stone says? It looks like someone wrote on one of them.

This looks like an adorable little squirrel city. Just needs some squirrel sized catapults and trebuchets and we could have a real life squirrel Medieval war!

[MFC]

@Emm 159928 wrote:

This looks like an adorable little squirrel city. Just needs some squirrel sized catapults and trebuchets and we could have a real life squirrel Medieval war!

Keeping with the Monty Python theme from the Missed Connection thread:

Silly squirrel K-nig-hts.

[streetsmarts]

I rode near the volleyball courts by the Memorial Bridge (the Ken Center side) and took out some gloves so had the panniers there. Then i rode to Linc Memorial and around, Ohio Drive and 14th st. bridge. Mt Vernon trail to 4 mile run then to Giant near Pot Yards. There i discovered panniers gone.

Wallet in them.

Any ideas? Cancel cards, etc.
Call Natl Park Service.

It would be cool if a cyclist found it/them

[bobco85]

@Emm 159928 wrote:

That’s so cool. Any idea what that little stone says? It looks like someone wrote on one of them.

This looks like an adorable little squirrel city. Just needs some squirrel sized catapults and trebuchets and we could have a real life squirrel Medieval war!

The stone does say the name of the father and son who made it. It’s a little too small for a squirrel to fit, but maybe …a mouse city?

FYI for those that would like to see it: it’s on N Rosser St a few blocks from Skyline.

[mello yello]

@streetsmarts 159933 wrote:

I rode near the volleyball courts by the Memorial Bridge (the Ken Center side) and took out some gloves so had the panniers there. Then i rode to Linc Memorial and around, Ohio Drive and 14th st. bridge. Mt Vernon trail to 4 mile run then to Giant near Pot Yards. There i discovered panniers gone.

Wallet in them.

Any ideas? Cancel cards, etc.
Call Natl Park Service.

It would be cool if a cyclist found it/them

I’d bet on a cyclist. I’ve picked up people’s panniers before – one had gov’t ID and gov’t issued cell phone in there. If your wallet was in there someone will probably find you.

[bobco85]

@mello yello 160002 wrote:

I’d bet on a cyclist. I’ve picked up people’s panniers before – one had gov’t ID and gov’t issued cell phone in there. If your wallet was in there someone will probably find you.

Update: she went back and was able to find her panniers last night. She posted on Strava that she found them at the DC end of Memorial Bridge next to The Arts of War statue titled “Valor” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arts_of_War_and_The_Arts_of_Peace

[streetsmarts]

Ha thanks Bobco. I’m waiting for a bus in the rain and was just gonna follow up.
It was really amazing that the bag was there 4 hrs later…untouched. Glad my friends encouraged me to go down there rather than wait.

Also from now on…things you can’t lose stay attached in pockets etc. And always make sure the panniers’ straps are attached. I maybe I forgot to do that.

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