Some more misc post ride thoughts and questions

[lordofthemark]

@dasgeh 82375 wrote:

What do you mean by unpleasant? I ride through GWU all the time (my main office is on the Mall there, so the best food option = biking up to GWU, and currently my commute takes me through there), and there are some holes in the streets and LOTS of jaywalking peds, but I find the cars to be fine through there, certainly no worse than the trying to walk the bike with all of the peds. When it’s really bad, Virginia Ave is usually fine (though they’ve been doing some crazy roadwork there and tearing up the road surface, but I’ve always seen one lane be passable, and not very much traffic), and 20th or 18th is fine for heading north.

I didnt take Virginia, maybe I should have – went east on H Street – IIRC there was an upgrade, and lots of traffic, and I just felt uncomfortable. By the time I bailed on H, I was at 23rd, and walked up that way. At Eye Street I got back into the street – to I guess 20th. Eye was fine, 20th was fine, as you say. I should have headed north on 24th – don’t remember why I did not.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

We all know the reason why drivers lose their minds when bikes go through reds: it means they’re losing the race. What race? I don’t know. I like to think we’re all on the same team.

[cvcalhoun]

@dasgeh 82377 wrote:

Thanks for the sites. I’ve always understood those roads and their sidewalks on both sides to be the boundaries, and if you’re on a boundary, you’re not within a boundary (soccer/basketball rules). Besides, the other reading would mean that you’re required to bike on some of the least bike-friendly roads in that immediate area (Constitution, Mass Ave). Given that I’ve ridden often on sidewalks along Constitution, and officers of many stripes have said nothing, it seems like others read it that way as well. Or don’t think about it.

@consularrider 82381 wrote:

Actually, in soccer the line is within the boundry (the ball has to go all the way across the line to be out of bounds or to score a goal), at least when I used to play and referee. It’s American football, like basketball, where the line is not within the boundry.

My suspicion is that the police have enough trouble enforcing clear violations of law that they are not typically going to take on a situation in which the statute is so ambiguous that it could mean:

• Bicycles are allowed on the sidewalk on either side of Massachusetts Avenue,
• Bicycles are not allowed on the sidewalk on either side of Massachusetts Avenue, or
• Bicycles are allowed on the sidewalk on the north but not the south side of Massachusetts Avenue.

And since the rule is that ambiguous criminal statutes must be construed in favor of the accused, a court should toss out any such tickets if written. However, my knowledge of criminal law is limited to what I learned some 30 years ago in law school. And being a typical attorney, I am formally providing that any advice I post here is not actually legal advice, and will self-destruct if you actually attempt to rely on it.

[PotomacCyclist]

You should always remain on alert while riding in a bike lane. Most of them are marked within the door zone of parked cars, usually on the right of the lane. Most of the time, you will not encounter any doors opening up suddenly. But you should be prepared for that one day out of 100 where someone does open a door suddenly. How? A combination of positioning in the lane and moderating speed.

Many cyclists will ride toward the left edge of the bike lane. I try to look ahead, to see if there are any occupants of parked vehicles up ahead but I can’t rely on that completely. So I ride at an appropriate speed, where I can easily slow down in reaction to a door opening into the lane. That makes the trip a little longer in duration, but that’s fine. Better than getting a concussion or broken collarbone from a door slamming into me.

The other alternative is to ride on a different street, perhaps one with less traffic and slower speeds. But those are likely to have more stops and you may have to take a detour to reach those other streets or trails.

[chris_s]

@lordofthemark 82322 wrote:

2. Clarendon western approaches. IE the connection in from Fairfax Blvd bike lanes. Always frustrating. But I gather on the County’s list of improvements – maybe a cycle track?

Honestly, not to the extent it should be. The Clarendon Circle project will make it much more pleasant to get through that horrid Washington Blvd / Wilson Blvd interchange (the old Clarendon Circle) but I’ve seen nothing that indicates we’re making any progress toward making it easier to actually get to that interchange from where the Fairfax Drive lanes end. Dave G keeps talking about updating the bike element of the Master Transportation Plan this year and in my opinion this gap needs to be in the top 10 list of priorities.

Right now the only good option for those not brave enough to merge across 2 lanes of fairfax drive traffic into a left turn lane is to do a 2-stage left there by Jackson Street to make the left onto Fairfax Drive and then use the crosswalks to get through Clarendon Circle.

@lordofthemark 82322 wrote:

2. Clarendon to Court House. The bike lane has an actual buffer on the left, and door zone markings on the right. Is that about as good as a non-cycle track bike lane gets?

I’d say pretty much yes. Though signalization improvements could take you up from there without actually entering protected lane status.

[dasgeh]

@chris_s 82412 wrote:

Right now the only good option for those not brave enough to merge across 2 lanes of fairfax drive traffic into a left turn lane is to do a 2-stage left there by Jackson Street to make the left onto Fairfax Drive and then use the crosswalks to get through Clarendon Circle.

Another option, depending on where in Clarendon you’re headed, is to stay on Fairfax as it becomes 10th Street, then take a left when you get the n-s street you’re looking for (e.g. Highland if you’re going to Trader Joe’s). Obviously more useful for destinations South of Clarendon/Wilson.

[chris_s]

@dasgeh 82416 wrote:

Another option, depending on where in Clarendon you’re headed, is to stay on Fairfax as it becomes 10th Street, then take a left when you get the n-s street you’re looking for (e.g. Highland if you’re going to Trader Joe’s). Obviously more useful for destinations South of Clarendon/Wilson.

This still requires either merging across traffic on 10th to make your left or doing a 2 stage left, correct? Does avoid Clarendon Circle at least.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@Dickie 82356 wrote:

We got in a real mess… how do you cross K Street on 25th?

Yes, the curb cut and crosswalk across K. Or instead of 25th take G to 20th.

I think she will need some better help from a more experienced DC commuter.

Happy to help anytime.

[dasgeh]

@chris_s 82419 wrote:

This still requires either merging across traffic on 10th to make your left or doing a 2 stage left, correct? Does avoid Clarendon Circle at least.

Yes, but the roads are smaller and you’re not merging from a bike lane, across 2 straight lanes to a left lane.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

[consularrider]

@chris_s 82412 wrote:

Honestly, not to the extent it should be. The Clarendon Circle project will make it much more pleasant to get through that horrid Washington Blvd / Wilson Blvd interchange (the old Clarendon Circle) but I’ve seen nothing that indicates we’re making any progress toward making it easier to actually get to that interchange from where the Fairfax Drive lanes end. Dave G keeps talking about updating the bike element of the Master Transportation Plan this year and in my opinion this gap needs to be in the top 10 list of priorities.

Right now the only good option for those not brave enough to merge across 2 lanes of fairfax drive traffic into a left turn lane is to do a 2-stage left there by Jackson Street to make the left onto Fairfax Drive and then use the crosswalks to get through Clarendon Circle.

I’d say pretty much yes. Though signalization improvements could take you up from there without actually entering protected lane status.

Until such time as east bound traffic on Fairfax/10th St gets a left turn arrow at Wilson, the two step tango is a reasonable alternative and probably a more efficient way to ride at that intersection.

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