My Morning Commute

[dbb]

@TwoWheelsDC 163380 wrote:

Significant drop in bike traffic this morning, but still a decent number of riders. Car traffic was curiously light as well.

That’s logical, the motorists might get rained on as they get in their cars. Can’t have that!

[Mario20136]

@TwoWheelsDC 163380 wrote:

Significant drop in bike traffic this morning, but still a decent number of riders. Car traffic was curiously light as well.

Yesterday was somewhat a chaotic commute, I could tell the difference between regular commuters and fair weather commuters i.e., cadence and riding style. Rode with a fellow commuter this morning all way to Arlington/DC line and had a nice chat. 😎

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Timing the lights on Clarendon Boulevard inbound. No cars behind, none in front, but the lingering green light at Highland tells me I gotta get up and hammer it to keep up with the synchronized lights. Get up to about 25 mph when the jaywalker herd starts, then the light goes yellow so I ease off into a coast.

Approaching, with my light still yellow, a jaywalker bleats, “Please stop!!!”
Me: “I am”
Jaywalker: “I’m confused!”
Me, light finally red, standing in pedals: “I know. That’s why I stopped.”
Jaywalker: “You’re an asshole!”
Me: blink blink

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15304[/ATTACH]

[KWL]

…was a little eventful. I figured I would need to clean up and dry off when I got to the office but I didn’t count on needing to walk the last 4 miles to work pushing a bike with a blown out front rim. It became clear the tire trashing about made things worse so I removed it and clattered up the MVT on the rim. I was tempted to ride in the grass, but my bike handling skills aren’t all that great in the best circumstances. I took CaBi home and will transport an extra 26″ front wheel to my crippled XO-1 tomorrow. Note to self: Be more diligent in checking rim wear.

[lordofthemark]

I was riding southeast on Maine as usual between 9th and my left turn onto 7th. There was construction equipment scattered into the right lane, and as usual I took the left lane – really the only through lane – in preparation for going to the left turn lane to make my vehicular left onto 7th. I ride the center of the lane near as I can (given pavement irregularities) – its only one long block, and most vehicular traffic is not going very fast there anyway, due to all the construction.

This morning however, about midblock, a large black SUV passed me, maybe a foot to my right. The layout of the construction equipment this AM made the street basically one and a half lanes SE bound, so he could do that by using part of the right not-a-lane. He rolled his window down and said something about “it would be easier if you stayed to the right” I tried to say something about making a left, I don’t think he heard, but I am pretty sure he saw when I pulled up right behind him in the left turn lane.

I note that this happened because the lane was, effectively, overly wide. I had the right to take the lane, because it was too narrow to safely pass in lane, as well as because I was about to make a left. Had there been some traffic calming to the right – such as a striped bike lane – he could not have done what he did, but would have had to simply go slowly behind me. Alternvatively, if there was actual good seg infra (a two way PBL is proposed there, and will presumably have accommodation for a Copenhagen left at 7th) I would not have been in the general travel lane at all.

I did manage to get the license plate. What can I do with it in DC?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@lordofthemark 163925 wrote:

I did manage to get the license plate. What can I do with it in DC?

I’d have countered with “it’d be easier if you chilled th f*ck out” (maybe with a “and go back to Maryland” depending on the plates) but I think that would’ve been your only recourse. Frankly, even if a cop had witnessed the exchange, I doubt anything would’ve been done…maybe a citation for passing too closely (ha!), but there’s no law against making non-threatening remarks to another road user.

[lordofthemark]

@TwoWheelsDC 163928 wrote:

I’d have countered with “it’d be easier if you chilled th f*ck out” (maybe with a “and go back to Maryland” depending on the plates) but I think that would’ve been your only recourse. Frankly, even if a cop had witnessed the exchange, I doubt anything would’ve been done…maybe a citation for passing too closely (ha!), but there’s no law against making non-threatening remarks to another road user.

I meant in regard to the close pass.

[Crickey7]

@lordofthemark 163930 wrote:

I meant in regard to the close pass.

In a loud voice:

“Driver of vehicle with Maryland license plates XXX-XXXX. You are currently being filmed. If you do not cease your harassment immediately, this film will be turned over to the MPD Second District (it really doesn’t matter if this is true, the point is to sound official).”

[huskerdont]

@Crickey7 163933 wrote:

In a loud voice:

“Driver of vehicle with Maryland license plates XXX-XXXX. You are currently being filmed. If you do not cease your harassment immediately, this film will be turned over to the MPD Second District (it really doesn’t matter if this is true, the point is to sound official).”

But don’t tell them the part about it not mattering if it’s true, even though it’s in quotation marks. Definitely lessens the impact.

[lordofthemark]

@Crickey7 163933 wrote:

In a loud voice:

“Driver of vehicle with Maryland license plates XXX-XXXX. You are currently being filmed. If you do not cease your harassment immediately, this film will be turned over to the MPD Second District (it really doesn’t matter if this is true, the point is to sound official).”

Just to set the record straight, he had Virginia plates.

[bentbike33]

@lordofthemark 163925 wrote:

I was riding southeast on Maine as usual between 9th and my left turn onto 7th…

If this is getting to be a regular issue, you might consider taking the left off of Maine at 9th, then heading east on G Street until 4th, then south to I. It adds a couple blocks to your morning ride, but G and 4th are usually pretty serene in that area.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@bentbike33 163943 wrote:

If this is getting to be a regular issue, you might consider taking the left off of Maine at 9th, then heading east on G Street until 4th, then south to I. It adds a couple blocks to your morning ride, but G and 4th are usually pretty serene in that area.

+1. I modified my eastbound PM route to take the Case Bridge to G, G to 3rd, then 3rd down to I to get across to Capitol Hill. It adds 0.2 miles to my commute compared to taking Maine to I, but is much less stressful. Westbound in the AM I take I to Maine, just because G is one way eastbound and carrying my bike over the curbs at L’Enfant is more trouble than it’s worth.

[creadinger]

I don’t ride everyday like you guys do, but I have been taking a lane each way between the fish market and M St. and 4th, and I haven’t really had any issues down there.

[scoot]

When going from Case Bridge to I St SW, I often take the Maine sidewalk from 9th to 7th. Sidewalk!!?? Yeah I know… but that block isn’t bad. It saves the trouble of two left turns and riding through the ever-changing construction zone. I haven’t encountered crowds of peds there, plus there are no driveway crossings to worry about. Westbound I use the Maine roadway.

[lordofthemark]

@creadinger 163950 wrote:

I don’t ride everyday like you guys do, but I have been taking a lane each way between the fish market and M St. and 4th, and I haven’t really had any issues down there.

Most of the time it is not too bad, but this interaction stood out. Not only for the close pass, but for the classic misunderstanding by the driver of where I needed to be positioned. And for the role of a “too wide lane” in enabling his bad pass. Since we have spoken about lane widths and traffic calming of late, I wanted to point this out.

[Author]

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