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@TwoWheelsDC 29359 wrote:

My only wish is that WABA would release the cue sheet the day before…seems like a waste of paper to give out such a large cue sheet to everyone when lots of riders have Garmins…not to mention the pain in the a** of having to deal with an ungodly long cue sheet for 60+ miles of urban riding.

I sent an email to WABA on this very subject. Hopefully, something can be done.

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I see it pretty regularly as well. The only thing I can come up with is that the helmet is hot so they take it off as they get close to their endpoint for cooling before they get to work. I don’t recommend it but thats my logical mind working. Maybe I should stop applying logic to this level of stupidity.

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Thought I had a Dirt sighting at the end of the WO&D trail today less than a mile from the end of the trail in Purcellville. Then I saw him later and I am pretty sure it was Dirt’s twin complete with pink jersey.

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This discussion is starting to make me laugh with all the “Helpy McHelpsalot” talk. Keep it at a Level 5!!!!!

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Hey guys, I saw this gathering on Dirt’s Twitter feed the other day. Is there a secret password or handshake to join? Where does this coffee outing occur? Are newcomers welcome?

Thanks.

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Is that a jumbo jet or are you just happy to see me?

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Wrong thread LOLOLOLOLOL

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@Dirt 27880 wrote:

My head hurts.

That is killer!!!!

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@jabberwocky 27867 wrote:

I think its sad because its never a good thing when deadly force has to be used, but its awesome because the police recognized that a car can be used as a lethal weapon (deadly force in self defense is only acceptable if a reasonable person would feel their life is in danger).

I know a few people who carry while commuting, even in this area. Given some of the run-ins I’ve had with motorists over the years, I’m not sure I’d even call it overreacting.

Sorry jabberwocky, I didn’t mean to say your feelings were inappropriate or I was offended by your thoughts. Sad and awesome are both easily applied to that situation and are appropriate within the context you mentioned. I just see it as an example of systemic problem with our society that seems to be increasing. I guess I have separated that event and the larger meaning into two separate pieces in my head.

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@jabberwocky 27853 wrote:

Thats both sad and incredibly awesome.

Yeah, I have mixed emotions about it years later. Maybe its a character flaw but sadness is not one of them. The motorist made his choice and created the situation that got him killed. The cyclist, my friend, was actually ready for what happened after we watched the actions by the motorist leading up to the shooting. At the same time, awesome is not a feeling I have either. It was not something I want to be a part of again. It should be noted that the laws governing the use of deadly force in Oklahoma are very liberal. It even extends to protecting personal property. In many ways, its a ridiculous place. I guess my feeling about it is more of a loathing of the society we live in where no one takes responsibility for what they do, their general inability think of other people, and no one ever thinks laws apply to them. Since I have lived here I have watched MPD ignore the safety to cyclist and pedestrians that almost get run over right in front on MPD officers. That being said, there are a number of cyclists that could do things better as well. However, if MPD can’t or won’t enforce laws that make the system work it just encourages incidents and violence. I know there are some cyclists that are getting feed up with MPD’s lack of concern or caring for enforcing laws on pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists in a consistent manner. I just feel like the cycling community is heading for a similar incident in this city at some point without good law enforcement and leadership.

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@creadinger 27799 wrote:

And where is it you come from so I can avoid said place because I don’t want to carry weapons on my bike and would prefer to wait until all of the idiots who live there die out due to a tiny gene pool.

After reading many many tour journals of people traveling all over the world on sites such as crazyguyonabike.com I think that this area is an isolated pocket of hostility and can be easily avoided.

I am originally from Oklahoma, a state I am sadly embarrassed by often. It is one of the most hostile places towards cyclists on streets. I have witnessed a motorist attempt to run down a cyclist after a verbal incident. The cyclist had a gun and used it to defend himself. The motorist was gravely wounded and didnt survive. The cyclist was determined to be within has rights and was not charged. Unfortunately, they fill the gene pool with small minded pinheads every day. I hope that I am the exception to the rule. It’s a big reason I left and have never returned.

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@Certifried 27766 wrote:

I wish I looked as good as him! Such a devilishly handsome clown he is.

Is that hair what they call “business in the front, party in the back”

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@Certifried 27759 wrote:

The scary thing is, I actually have pepper spray on my bike at all times. It has about a 4″ wide velcro sleeve that wraps around my top tube right in front of my seat post (where I chose to put it, can go anywhere) then the little bottle of pepper spray has another tightly wrapped sleeve with the other side of the velcro (it’s really stuck on well). Ostensibly, it’s for dogs. I’ve only had to actually brandish it once when some hooligan kids were on my lawn…er I mean screwing around in the bike path and trying to cause mayhem. They clearly saw the little black bottle with the bright red cap and quickly figured out what was fixin’ to happen. They apologized and scampered off under the rug.

Where I come from, most cyclists I know carry guns. They are much more hostile to cyclists in other parts of the country.

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@KLizotte 27754 wrote:

Perhaps you (we) should carry a copy of this to hand out to peds walking in bike lanes/cycle track. It is a summary of DC’s bicycle and pedestrian traffic regulations. http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/Publication%20Files/On%20Your%20Street/Bicycles%20and%20Pedestrians/bike-ped_traffic_reg_summary.pdf

The most pertinent section to what you describe above is:

Pedestrians on roadways

Where sidewalks are provided, it shall be unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway. Where sidewalks are not provided, any pedestrian walking along and upon a street or highway shall, when practicable, walk only on the left side of the roadway or its shoulder facing traffic, which may approach from the opposite direction.

Thanks Klizotte,
I don’t know if passing this out will help much but I will give it a try. Unfortunately, MDP doesn’t seem to care about enforcing much of anything in terms of cyclist safety. I fear that sooner or later, a jogger and/or a cyclist will be badly hurt or killed due to this continued and increasing problem. I sent Council Graham a message and may try to meet with him about this issue.

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@Certifried 27753 wrote:

I would have pepper sprayed those old ladies.

OK, not really, but I am imagining using pepper spray on them right now.

I do that a lot.

Thanks Certified,

That puts me in a better mood.

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