My Morning Commute

[rpiretti]

“Bike Lane, Bike Lane!!” – Portlandia

[NicDiesel]

dasgeh wrote:

Are you really saying that complaining about runners literally running into other people on the path is similar to complaining about cyclists being on the roads? Are we not supposed to call out crazy Ivans?
Everyone should be a PAL but I think we all forget that, at least in my experience on the MVT, most people are really living in their own space cadet universe. I mean, it should be obvious that a “multi-use path” is going to have other runners, cyclists, baby strollers, and dogs on it and not just you, just that’s just not the case. Part of it is everyone wearing headphones and not hearing people calling their passes/ringing their bells, but the majority of it is people just being clueless and aloof.

@Rando Guy 62365 wrote:

“Bike Lane, Bike Lane!!” – Portlandia

You know, I registered tourdef***you.com and still have yet to get it going. Maybe I should change that…

[Subby]

I know this sounds crazy, but until you become a cyclist, you just don’t get it. Maybe there are some outliers, but that’s just the way it is. I had absolutely no sense of MUP safety when I was solely a runner. It took being on a bicycle and becoming a member of this forum before I had any sense of what kind of protocols existed between runner, walkers, and cyclists (and horseback riders…yeah…I still don’t understand that sign).

All this to say that I think without improved signage and education (and PALness), this is our reality.

[mikoglaces]

@Subby 62392 wrote:

I had absolutely no sense of MUP safety when I was solely a runner.

Exactly. We cyclists have to remember that when we ride. Example from my commute home yesterday. I was overtaking two runners on the CCT. I had moved to left and was about to call out a pass, riding close to 20 mph. The runners stop and turn towards me, still in the right lane, and look my way. I think hey, they haven’t moved left, they see me and they’ll stay in their lane. Nope, they moved left even though they had to have seen me and started running my way and I swerved into right lane.

[dbb]

@Subby 62392 wrote:

I know this sounds crazy, but until you become a cyclist, you just don’t get it.

That might be due to our trail use generally has far more distance. Because of our increased speed, we pass far more runners and peds so we have the opportunity to see more of them than the average runner would. Most runners pass relatively few other runners because they often run about the same speed. A long morning run is typically 3-5 miles so they see fewer runners.

When I ran (note the past tense here!), I bumped into others on the track and because the closure velocity was so small, I can’t recall ever falling or getting hurt. A runner-bike collision will at best leave bruises.

Might be appropriate to learn from the bike-runner dynamic on the trail and apply that to the car-bike dynamic on the road and redouble our efforts to be PALs. For me that would be to channel Dirt and not take the lane unless I need to and maybe keep my middle finger in the glove.

[NicDiesel]

@Subby 62392 wrote:

I know this sounds crazy, but until you become a cyclist, you just don’t get it.

I’m going to have to disagree with you there. Being aware of your surroundings and paying attention to the world around you are not things exclusive to cyclists.

[Subby]

@NicDiesel 62400 wrote:

I’m going to have to disagree with you there. Being aware of your surroundings and paying attention to the world around you are not things exclusive to cyclists.

Ideally, sure. But until you experience a MUP from a cycling perspective, you don’t really understand. Most runners are in the zone and not really focused on a whole lot else. I’m not a headphones guy, but it’s obviously even worse in that situation.

Should runners be more aware? Yes, of course. Are they? Mostly, no. Should most cyclists call their passes, cover their headlights on dark winter nights, etc.? Again, in my experience, many don’t. Just because we want MUP users to act a different way, it doesn’t mean they do or will. It’s just the reality.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

[NicDiesel]

@Subby 62419 wrote:

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

It’s like I always say – Murphy was an optimist.

[dasgeh]

I think there are a couple things going on here:

1) We have too many people sharing too little space, and some of those people are going significantly faster than others.
2) We have next to no education (despite BikeArlington’s efforts).
3) This morning, the runners (and cyclists, honestly) seemed particularly dumb. They were literally running into each other.

1 & 2 have solutions: we need more facilities, especially segregated facilities that will separate the fast from the slow; we need better signage.

3 might be impacted by 1&2, but as cyclists, we need to remember that sometimes, everyone is dumb. Be safe out there — either avoid the area with the dumb people, or slow way down and give them wide berth. My initial point was that I usually commute a bit later, and had not understood the “go out of your way to take Key Blvd” argument. Now I do.

[runbike]

@dasgeh 62442 wrote:

My initial point was that I usually commute a bit later, and had not understood the “go out of your way to take Key Blvd” argument. Now I do.

Not to take this thread even more off topic, but I gotta admit that I’m loving the Key Blvd. route. The traffic restrictions in place (no cars can enter Key from Jackson 7-9 AM, and from Veitch 4-6 PM) result in a relatively car-free experience. In fact, I’ve yet to be passed in the AM by a car going downhill and more often then not I’m on the brakes behind a slower car that can’t navigate the roundabouts as quickly as I can. The Key/Highland intersection 4 way stop is only a minor annoyance on an otherwise pleasant ride. I went back to the Custis one day last week and immediately regretted the decision – the blind corners, ELITES, clueless joggers, and just general traffic all reminded me why I made the switch. Come on over dasgeh; it’s so easy to get to from Cherrydale!

Now, back to the topic…my morning commute sucked since I took the bus.

[dasgeh]

@run/bike 62454 wrote:

Come on over dasgeh; it’s so easy to get to from Cherrydale!

A few Cherrydalers were spit-balling a while ago about a better ped-bike connection between the ‘dale and Lyon Village. Our “reach” goal was a ped/bike bridge from either 17th St or the side of ASFS to Kirkwood Road Neighborhood Park. THAT would make it easy to get to Key from Cherrydale.

[Terpfan]

I think my favorite encounter this week was watching a jogger pass two cyclists. They were going that slow. My polite ding notifying them of a pass actually alarmed them more and I wish I had just not done it at all since they somehow took it to mean they should move left. But I missed them.

I look at the paths like I do the roads. Drive/ride appropriately, use my signals, be courteous where possible, but always predict the other person will do the absolute stupidest and most dangerous thing I can imagine…. because often they do.

[CPTJohnC]

@run/bike 62454 wrote:

Not to take this thread even more off topic, but I gotta admit that I’m loving the Key Blvd. route.

Forgive my ignorance, but I’d like more info on the Key Blvd route — is this an alternative to the Custis for someone transiting from W&OD to MVT? I’d love anything that avoids the custis, as it is crowded and fraught with hazards, esp. the segment along Lee Hwy past Rosslyn. I ride up the hill on Lee Hwy most days just to avoid the crowding, but I’m open to even better options!

[runbike]

@CPTJohnC 62577 wrote:

Forgive my ignorance, but I’d like more info on the Key Blvd route — is this an alternative to the Custis for someone transiting from W&OD to MVT? I’d love anything that avoids the custis, as it is crowded and fraught with hazards, esp. the segment along Lee Hwy past Rosslyn. I ride up the hill on Lee Hwy most days just to avoid the crowding, but I’m open to even better options!

Sort of. It replaces a 2.7 mile stretch of the Custis trail from Washington and Lee High School all the way down to the intersection of doom at Lynn/Lee Highway. There are a million different permutations, but the link below shows the route I’ve been taking lately and I’m very happy with it. It’s about .3 miles longer than if you were to stay on the trail and does involve a few intersections/lights.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=38.888803,-77.112695&daddr=38.8901401,-77.108558+to:38.8881254,-77.0992822+to:38.8945358,-77.0829842+to:38.8956737,-77.079576+to:38.898144,-77.073549+to:Custis+Trail&hl=en&ll=38.894991,-77.080271&spn=0.007139,0.016512&sll=38.893905,-77.083983&sspn=0.014279,0.033023&geocode=FWNlUQIdiVpn-w%3BFZxqUQIdsmpn-ynxkZ10LLS3iTEXpZxEwIx3Rg%3BFb1iUQId7o5n-ykxVeN9gba3iTHAnVTPKgzqyg%3BFcd7UQIdmM5n-ykDsqAQYba3iTGBiOlpVUe_HQ%3BFTmAUQId6Ntn-ynrqPi2YLa3iTEndzKZ0bXfzQ%3BFeCJUQIdc_Nn-ylXwYl-W7a3iTHKtbR_rONgjw%3BFXWNUQIdK_5n-w&dirflg=b&mra=dpe&mrsp=3&sz=16&via=1,2,3,4,5&t=m&z=17&lci=bike

Note: the section between N. Rhodes St. and N. Scott is a little-used pedestrian/bike trail that includes a very short, steep uphill as you head towards DC. It then ends in an apartment complex parking lot where you link up with N. Scott St.

[dasgeh]

@CPTJohnC 62577 wrote:

Forgive my ignorance, but I’d like more info on the Key Blvd route — is this an alternative to the Custis for someone transiting from W&OD to MVT? I’d love anything that avoids the custis, as it is crowded and fraught with hazards, esp. the segment along Lee Hwy past Rosslyn. I ride up the hill on Lee Hwy most days just to avoid the crowding, but I’m open to even better options!

I assume you mean you’re coming from NW on the W&OD and going to the Rosslyn end of the MVT (otherwise, just take FMR). If so, you could go a little farther on the W&OD from the Custis turnoff and use the Bluemont Trail, like this: http://goo.gl/maps/oVxFi

Bonus points: using this (or run/bike’s route), you bike past my church’s Plot Against Hunger (a vegetable garden where the veggies go to AFAC). That little plot (two 10’x5′ raised beds) has produced nearly 500#s of food this summer alone for AFAC. Smile as you bike by (and let me know if you see any problems – I run it, and one of the reasons I go this way is to make sure it’s doing ok). (PS. you may not recognize it from that picture.)

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