"My ride would be better if"

[jabberwocky]

My ride would be better if my bike was equipped with a rocket launcher. :p

My commute is schizophrenic. The Reston portion is fine. The Great Falls portion kinda sucks. Walker Road is what I’d improve. Just repaving it would help a lot, to be honest; its sorta a slalom course of potholes and poorly-done patches at the moment. Great Falls drivers tend to be pretty bad too. I see unsafe passes every day (I’m just waiting for the day I see a head-on collision due to some impatient driver passing around a blind curve or over a hill).

[vvill]

The only part I really don’t like is getting from DC to VA. My 2 main choices are
– Key Bridge/Georgetown – too much PM traffic (vehicular + pedestrian)
– Roosevelt/MVT – Roosevelt path is ridiculously narrow and also really close to vehicular traffic, MVT has slippery bridges

Minor complaints:
– N Yorktown Blvd’s bike lane paint is all but faded away and the surface is pretty bad in spots, esp for a hilly road. Cars also don’t always realize how fast bikes can go there.
– 29/Military/Quincy Rd intersection

Really though what irks me most days is other drivers/riders. Some guy on the W&OD today was barreling past me at 20mph+ just as I turned my head left to look behind me to pass a lady with a stroller. If I hadn’t looked he would’ve hit me. I shouted “call your pass!” but got no response. I saw he had earplugs in. Not even ipod earbuds that sit in your ear with a bit of room, but nice sound isolating earplugs. I caught up to him but he made no acknowledgment of anything around him, and I had to turn off to take the Custis. Oh yeah, and he didn’t have a helmet He did have a good pedal stroke at least.

[Dirt]

I was discussing this elsewhere… If we got rid of cars entirely we’d also get rid of drunk driving, deaths in car accidents, driving while distracted, aggressive driving, etc.

I know… I know. I’ll crawl back into my coffee cup for another hour.

Love,

Dirt

[5555624]

@jabberwocky 20422 wrote:

My ride would be better if my bike was equipped with a rocket launcher.

I’ve seriously thought of mounting a paintball gun next to my light. A high-powered squirt gun with paint remover would be less obvious, but not as usefull for non-cars.

[jabberwocky]

@5555624 20436 wrote:

I’ve seriously thought of mounting a paintball gun next to my light. A high-powered squirt gun with paint remover would be less obvious, but not as usefull for non-cars.

I’ve had a few days where I’ve seriously considered riding to work with my AR-15 slung over my back.

[5555624]

My ride would be better without the FWCs. Once the weather turns nice and the Fair Weather Cyclists come out, my commute home is much more aggravating. Riders not calling their passes on the bridges. riding two abreast on the trail, passing when they don’t have room, etc. Cyclists ignoring traffic laws — especially running red lights — bothers me, too, and goes on year-round, but is also much worse once the weather warms up.

[5555624]

@jabberwocky 20438 wrote:

I’ve had a few days where I’ve seriously considered riding to work with my AR-15 slung over my back.

My hands-free riding needs work; but, I know I’ll never manage unslinging a rifle and taking aim without stopping. Mounting something next to my light? I can manage pulling a trigger or pressing a button.

[GuyContinental]

@5555624 20440 wrote:

My hands-free riding needs work; but, I know I’ll never manage unslinging a rifle and taking aim without stopping. Mounting something next to my light? I can manage pulling a trigger or pressing a button.

Except for the whole getting killed/beaten/arrested by the Secret Service thing- these would work well:
http://www.airgundepot.com/airsoft-guns-spring-air-soft-guns-standard.html

[Dirt]

Honestly and sincerely… My ride to work would only be better if it were longer. I have it pretty easy.

[jabberwocky]

@5555624 20440 wrote:

My hands-free riding needs work; but, I know I’ll never manage unslinging a rifle and taking aim without stopping. Mounting something next to my light? I can manage pulling a trigger or pressing a button.

I don’t intend on shooting anyone, I just have a working hypothesis that motorists would find me more noticeable and worthy of respect if I had an evil black rifle over my back. :p

[5555624]

@Dirt 20446 wrote:

Honestly and sincerely… My ride to work would only be better if it were longer. I have it pretty easy.

Limiting it to my ride to work, I’d agree. It’s peaceful and almost car-free — my favorite part of hte day.

[eminva]

@jabberwocky 20448 wrote:

I don’t intend on shooting anyone, I just have a working hypothesis that motorists would find me more noticeable and worthy of respect if I had an evil black rifle over my back. :p

Maybe not anyone, meaning people, but could you be so kind as to consider thinning the bambi herd on the W&OD a bit?

Liz

[consularrider]

@Dirt 20446 wrote:

Honestly and sincerely… My ride to work would only be better if it were longer. I have it pretty easy.

I have to agree with this sentiment – but I would like the Memorial Bridge underpass wide enough to accommodate two way traffic.

[rcannon100]

@Dirt 20446 wrote:

Honestly and sincerely… My ride to work would only be better if it were longer. I have it pretty easy.

Try taking the long way home. For you, that’s through MoCo, and across Point of Rocks, Right?

[rcannon100]

“My ride would be better if…” I was 20 years younger!

[Author]

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