My Morning Commute

[dbb]

@Terpfan 68316 wrote:

I’m just envisioning the nice dark rides home as we get the earliest sunset times of the year this week I think. Bah. 5:05pm tonight. My 5:40ish departure will be nice and dark.

Wait till this time next month when the sunset will be at 4:46 pm. Dark in the morning and at night. Lights anyone?

[consularrider]

No commute for me, just refreshing hill climbing to work on my Strava IMBA challenge. More tomorrow. :p

[cyclingfool]

My commute had an extra stop this morning — the polling place to vote. I was surprised that the line was as long as it was. It took me 15-20 minutes to do the whole process, and that was at almost 9 AM, so I figure most people. I was glad that turnout was as good as it was. Always heartening.

BTW, interesting note on local NPR news this AM… Takoma Park is allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote in the local elections today for the first time. Thought that was pretty cool.

Rest of the ride in after voting was beautiful. Second guessed my decision to ditch the gloves after voting, but only for the first couple miles, then I warmed up nicely and was glad I’d tucked them in the panniers. Great riding so far this week.

[dasgeh]

My morning commute was extra special: I got to leave the house with my husband and kids, and we all went to vote. I love that we got lots of interest in our bike, that there was a line to vote for an off year election, and that there was another bike there when we left. I Arlington.

Riding the ebakfiets adds at least 5 minutes (of “oh, that’s a cool bike – tell me about it”) to most trips, so the whole process took about 15 minutes.

Plus, it was a beautiful ride in!

[jabberwocky]

I swung by the polling place on the way in (its only adds a mile of riding). Was through 6:30ish, so not too long after they opened. The place was deserted. Don’t know if it was the early hour or my small district. The polling ladies (as usual) found my cycling attire fascinating. I fielded a few “did you actually bike here?” questions. In and out in a few minutes.

I bought a brownie from the girls holding a bake sale outside. Any kid willing to be out there at 6:30am on a cold weekday morning deserves some business. And the brownie was very good.

[KLizotte]

I stopped off to vote this morning. Saw someone leave the voting booth in full commuter gear and I was wearing bike gear as well. I was in and out in about 7 minutes.

[consularrider]

I voted a month ago since I’m out of town today. And what was with the unpredicted overnight rain in southern Indiana? I took it very slow and easy on the downhills due to the wet road surface and leave. I even got in a mile of unexpected gravel. I could have sworn that connecting road was paved (after all it was S Friendship Rd). :rolleyes:

[rcannon100]

I voted today by bike. The bicycle parking was inside the boundary where the poll workers (those people making there last minute pitch why you should vote for the Bull Moose party) are required to stay out of. So major plus! Not only did I get to bike, but I did not have to get harassed!

[mstone]

Biked over with the kids. Extremely light, and no stupid electronic voting machines slowing things down.

[TwoWheelsDC]

I made the electioneers watch my bike at Swanson MS, but I was inside for probably less than 3 minutes, so I think it would’ve been fine without a monitor.

[Amalitza]

My (current, running for reelection) delegate was hanging around at my polling station schlepping for votes and argued for mine (after I arrived on bike) with the promise of fixing Virginia’s cycling-related laws and his personal qualification of having biked across the country.

[DismalScientist]

I locked my bike at Swanson since the most I’ll do for electioneers is grunt.

[Vicegrip]

One year while waiting for someone to arrive I took one handout from each “side ” made paper airplanes and flew them to opposing tables. Got a laugh atleast.

[vvill]

Not on my morning commute, but I saw an older not-exactly-slim-looking gentleman unlocking and swinging a leg over his fendered All-City bike while in business shirt, suit pants and a tie before rolling on down 20 St. Had an ankle strap too for his trousers. Thought it was appropriate.

The morning commute itself was nice with the sun rising behind the clouds making it (tempered by the usual SUV-crossing-double-yellow-to-pass-me-at-30mph-then-swinging-back-over-to-brake-for-a-turn).

[dasgeh]

ACPD was out at the intersection of doom again, which was nice. Do we know what they’ve been doing there and the results?

In less positive news from the other side of the river: I’m biking East on Maryland Ave. As I approach 3rd St, my light turns green. A full second later, a car heading south on 3rd St rolls through the intersection – not quickly, so I could see the guy was looking at a map and hearing the guy talking on his handsfree. He looked lost, and I don’t think he saw the red light he was running at all. (I saw him, which is why I didn’t continue through the intersection and get smushed). He rolls through, I still have green, so I head towards the Capitol. On the other side of the intersection, low and behold, there’s an MPD car, stopped at the light (eastbound on Maryland has straight-and-left, so westbound on Maryland has red). I wave, the officers roll down their window, I point out that the car currently stopped at the next light at 3rd & Indepedence just ran the light at Maryland and almost hit me. The cops look. They turn left. They sit behind the guy and … nothing. Light at Independence turns green, both cars speed off.

I am left disappointed by MPD yet again.

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