The sidewalk is over there!

[TwoWheelsDC]

I guess I’ll chime in…To the OP, I generally side with the cyclist in your case, but his yelling at you was lame and unnecessary. Other than getting to feel superior in some weird way, yelling at people in that fashion is almost universally unproductive. As others have mentioned though, it may be illegal to run in the cycle track. With regard to bike lanes, my issue is that the times I’ve come across runners in them, I get the distinct impression that they expect me to accommodate them (they tend to run against traffic, I’ve noticed), and they make no effort to give me room in the lane…this then requires a quick move into the traffic lane, which is uh, suboptimal. So while I get a little miffed about joggers in the bike lanes and would prefer they didn’t, I realize that many of the sidewalks just aren’t good to jog in* and am willing to share with you…just please be cognizant of the fact that you may put cyclists in a dangerous position when you do so.

*To the joggers in the East Capitol street bike lanes, the sidewalk is like 15ft wide, so please use it instead, kthxbai.

[dasgeh]

@americancyclo 26924 wrote:

I regularly get up over 30 on the trails coming in to DC, and I don’t think I’ve even come close to that once I’m actually in the district. Traffic, narrow lanes, and bad light timing usually keep my speeds down, particularly on the poorly established 15th st cycle track.

My understanding was that all the MUPs in the area have a speed limit of 15mph, and the speed limit on cycletracks is whatever the speed limit of the road is. That’s what I was talking about.

[GuyContinental]

@dasgeh 26936 wrote:

My understanding was that all the MUPs in the area have a speed limit of 15mph, and the speed limit on cycletracks is whatever the speed limit of the road is. That’s what I was talking about.

Far as I know the only MUP speed limit is 15 mph on the CCT but other MD trails may have one as well. WO&D does not.

[Tim Kelley]

MVT is 15 mph: http://www.nps.gov/gwmp/mvt-safety.htm

[DaveK]

@TwoWheelsDC 26930 wrote:

*To the joggers in the East Capitol street bike lanes, the sidewalk is like 15ft wide, so please use it instead, kthxbai.

But my double-wide Jeep-brand jogging stroller doesn’t fit down the curb ramps!!

[Dickie]

Not sure about DC, but the bike lane in the Ballston/Clarendon corridor is clearly labelled for bicycles only and yet I deal with runners in it every morning and evening. I have lost my s**t a few times when a runner is coming towards me and I have no where to go. My option is to play chicken with the runner or veer out of their way and hope a semi or bus isn’t coming up behind me. Until a little painted stencil of a runner is in the lane pretty sure it is for cyclists only. I once calmly asked a runner why they were in the lane and the answer was “it is more convenient”, my response “for me its saving my life”.

[creadinger]

@rsewell19 26943 wrote:

My option is to play chicken with the runner or veer out of their way and hope a semi or bus isn’t coming up behind me.

Is playing chicken with a jogger so bad? I mean, you’re more than likely going to come out the winner. I can’t imagine any little jogger dude would think it’s a good idea to collide with anyone moving at a good clip on a spikey metal machine. You could even stick your elbows and knees out for greater effect.

[mstone]

I see these guys jogging in the street next to an empty sidewalk just about every morning (in the dark), so it’s not about congestion or safety. I think I’ve heard bull#!^ excuses like “the sidewalk is too hard” or “the sidewalk is too bumpy”. (To which I think, “suck it up or find a sport that’s better for you”.) I dunno, I guess they’ve just seen someone else do it and now think it’s the right thing to do, in spite of common sense.

[mstone]

@creadinger 26949 wrote:

Is playing chicken with a jogger so bad? I mean, you’re more than likely going to come out the winner. I can’t imagine any little jogger dude would think it’s a good idea to collide with anyone moving at a good clip on a spikey metal machine. You could even stick your elbows and knees out for greater effect.

It’s all fun and games until they push you into traffic.

[Dickie]

@creadinger 26949 wrote:

You could even stick your elbows and knees out for greater effect.

I ride naturally with my boney knees and elbows sticking out…. sort of like a scarecrow on wheels…. still has yet to deter them, maybe I need to install a plow on the front of my bike?

[ShawnoftheDread]

The short-time runners from the local CrossFit all insist on running in the street (no bike lanes). They even do the Crazy Ivan in front of cars at the only intersection in Old Town that doesn’t have a stop sign. I really don’t understand it.

That said, it is a bit amusing that we hate runners in the bike lane as much as drivers hate cyclists in the street.

[pfunkallstar]

Add a Segway or two into the mix and you get a biscuit and gravy – bike v. world disaster. Seriously, stay the crap out of the bike lanes Segways! FIST SHAKE

[Tim Kelley]

@pfunkallstar 26957 wrote:

Add a Segway or two into the mix and you get a biscuit and gravy – bike v. world disaster. Seriously, stay the crap out of the bike lanes Segways! FIST SHAKE

I don’t mind the Segways since they can usually move pretty quickly. Granted, these are Arlington commuters, not tourists out gawking at the sights.

But don’t forget wheelchairs either. I occasionally have to negotiate around the homeless gentleman in the wheel chair or the woman in the electric scooter who rides and walks her dog in the bike lanes.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@ShawnoftheDread 26954 wrote:

That said, it is a bit amusing that we hate runners in the bike lane as much as drivers hate cyclists in the street.

I think about this every time I pass one and get grumpy…helps calm me down*.

*unless it’s on E. Capitol. Did I mention how wide the sidewalks are??

[renebt]

speaking of the sidewalk being over there…i’m a casual CaBi rider. Is it legal for me to ride on the street from VA to DC (or vice versa) on the Key Bridge? First, all of the bikers I’ve seen on Key Bridge bike along the sidewalk. Second, I’m not really sure what area the Key Bridge is on? Is it VA or DC? I think under DC regs, bikes can be on the street. Just want to get input from fellow bike riders.

[Author]

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