My Morning Commute

[PeteD]

@Brendan von Buckingham 180759 wrote:

In Arlington, I call this week the Angriest Week of the Year. So I like to chill out by pretending. This morning I pretended I was a cowboy driving the orneriest bunch of steers this side of Wichita.

Agreed… the past two days have been a menagerie of steers backing up or turning around, so at times I just unclip and watch in amusement.

[ursus]

I think that it is necessary to use a bell when passing someone absorbed in listening to music. They MAY hear the bell; they WON’T hear my voice.

[streetsmarts]

So I may have mentioned it above, but this happens to me regularly. Last night, biking to the Nats game – I’m stopped at a red light (this was on First St., SE), waiting for it to change, in a bike lane, and another cyclist comes whipping by me at 20 MPH or so, almost brushing my left elbow. This happens all the time!

If it were unusual, that’d be one thing. No bell, no “on your left” – but what I really want is either room when you’re passing another cyclist or just SLOW DOWN and wait until there is room.
When I’m taking off from a stop, sometimes I lean a little to the left or right.

And *this* is what I don’t see when I see photos of folks biking in [name a city in Europe with great biking culture and infrastructure]. I don’t see folks speeding by. I don’t see folks acting like some I see here, weaving in and out of traffic at dangerous speeds, rushing past other cyclists.
Maybe we all could just slow down>?!

And don’t get me started on the trails. I actually think 15 mph should be enforced on MUPs and unsafe behavior (speeding up the middle, etc.) should be ticketed or something. If you want a speedway, go find one – or ride on roads.

[lordofthemark]

@streetsmarts 180768 wrote:

So I may have mentioned it above, but this happens to me regularly. Last night, biking to the Nats game – I’m stopped at a red light (this was on First St., SE), waiting for it to change, in a bike lane, and another cyclist comes whipping by me at 20 MPH or so, almost brushing my left elbow. This happens all the time!

If it were unusual, that’d be one thing. No bell, no “on your left” – but what I really want is either room when you’re passing another cyclist or just SLOW DOWN and wait until there is room.
When I’m taking off from a stop, sometimes I lean a little to the left or right.

And *this* is what I don’t see when I see photos of folks biking in [name a city in Europe with great biking culture and infrastructure]. I don’t see folks speeding by. I don’t see folks acting like some I see here, weaving in and out of traffic at dangerous speeds, rushing past other cyclists.
Maybe we all could just slow down>?!

And don’t get me started on the trails. I actually think 15 mph should be enforced on MUPs and unsafe behavior (speeding up the middle, etc.) should be ticketed or something. If you want a speedway, go find one – or ride on roads.

If someone is going slowly in a bike lane, and it is possible to get around them safely by taking the lane, I will do it. I have a 10 mile commute to work, and while I love that people are tooling along on the Eye Street bike lanes on CaBi bikes, I don’t want to ride behind them. And the general travel lanes on Eye often have huge gaps in traffic. But in that case I will move completly to the center of the lane, so there is plenty of room between me and the passee – I sometimes still call the pass out of habit though I really don’t need to.

[lordofthemark]

To summarize

A. I probably should get used to looking behind on the trails when passing, even if I shouldn’t have to.

B. Some of y’all have quiet voices. I am pretty sure I can shout louder than my bell.

[scoot]

@lordofthemark 180743 wrote:

Do I need to look back to check for passing bikes before signalling a left?

It’s a good idea not only on the trail but also on a street. I don’t trust that an extended left arm will dissuade drivers from attempting to pass on my left.

[dkel]

@scoot 180776 wrote:

It’s a good idea not only on the trail but also on a street. I don’t trust that an extended left arm will dissuade drivers from attempting to pass on my left.

Absolutely, definitely this.

[huskerdont]

@lordofthemark 180770 wrote:

To summarize

B. Some of y’all have quiet voices. I am pretty sure I can shout louder than my bell.

I would say my Incredibell is louder than my voice, but my voice is louder than my Oi bell. For that reason, when I ride with the Incredibell, I hardly ever use it anymore but use my voice, while I do use the Oi more often. One of the reasons I got the Oi was that it was less harsh and less likely to startle people.

On the subject of the morning commute, mine was much better after I finally remembered to add air to the tires. However, I came across two different riders with rear white strobes. I guess this will be the new normal. Don’t mind them head on b/c I can look away for the brief period we’re approaching one another, but sitting behind someone like that is enough to make me leave the trail.

[josh]

@scoot 180776 wrote:

It’s a good idea not only on the trail but also on a street. I don’t trust that an extended left arm will dissuade drivers from attempting to pass on my left.

I thought LOTM’s question was more of a joke than a serious question. His point was about needing to look before signaling so you don’t whack someone with your arm during the act of signaling itself. I think it’s reasonable to signal, then check, and finally turn.

[Zack]

@josh 180828 wrote:

I thought LOTM’s question was more of a joke than a serious question. His point was about needing to look before signaling so you don’t whack someone with your arm during the act of signaling itself. I think it’s reasonable to signal, then check, and finally turn.

The Dutch point with their finger when in crowded cycletracks and other confined spaces. I have tried that in confined situations and it works reasonablly well.
http://www.holland-cycling.com/assets/images/rechtsaf-vrij.jpg

[lordofthemark]

@josh 180828 wrote:

I thought LOTM’s question was more of a joke than a serious question. His point was about needing to look before signaling so you don’t whack someone with your arm during the act of signaling itself. I think it’s reasonable to signal, then check, and finally turn.

I guess it was more “Oy, even just signalling a left at like the most requent spot to make left turns on the whole trail, I have to look behind to avoid getting hit by a speed demon? I will do it for my own safety, but really, dudes, do ya hafta?”

And it was more about my arm getting whacked. If I whack someone who is passing me without calling, well, as some say “look out for your own safety”

[ginacico]

@lordofthemark 180840 wrote:

I guess it was more “Oy, even just signalling a left at like the most requent spot to make left turns on the whole trail, I have to look behind to avoid getting hit by a speed demon? I will do it for my own safety, but really, dudes, do ya hafta?”

Putting your hand out before a left turn with the expectation that anyone behind you will yield is, literally, the whole point of signalling at all.

The look-behind is nothing more than a defensive maneuver to avoid crashing with idiots who ignore rules of the road.

[Steve O]

@lordofthemark 180770 wrote:

To summarize

A. I probably should get used to looking behind on the trails when passing, even if I shouldn’t have to.

I think it should be an ingrained habit to glance over your left shoulder any time you are going to move left, whether on trail, road or racing in a garage. A mirror can mitigate this need to a significant degree, however. Even if you are completely copacetic with your move, it’s good to know what’s back there.
This is so habitual for me that I find myself doing it even on my rides home in the middle of the night when I know for certain there is no one around for miles.

[dkel]

@Steve O 180889 wrote:

This is so habitual for me that I find myself doing it even on my rides home in the middle of the night when I know for certain there is no one around for miles.

I catch myself doing it while pushing a cart around the grocery store. :p

[consularrider]

@dkel 180893 wrote:

I catch myself doing it while pushing a cart around the grocery store. :p

‘Cause of those scoflaw eCart drivers?

[Author]

Posts