[bobco85]

@KLizotte 32810 wrote:

Cool pics but where was the sun you referred to?!

For the first 4 days of my trip, it was overcast in the morning until around 10-11 when the sky would clear up and the sun came through. The 5th and 6th (just the morning) days were the only overcast, “typical Seattle weather” days. Apparently (verified by local “Seattleans” (?)) if you go in August/September you do get to see the sun and it’s nice and warm in the 70’s.

Proof that it wasn’t just overcast every day of my trip:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1808[/ATTACH] Day 1: the hostel I stayed at (College Inn)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1809[/ATTACH] Day 2: the Seattle skyline from the harbor

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1810[/ATTACH] Day 3: Mount Rainier

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1811[/ATTACH] Day 4: Boeing Museum of Flight

Day 5 was my bike ride, and Day 6 was really just the early morning trip to the airport.

Also, I ran across two separate couples who were traveling from Seattle down the West Coast to San Francisco/Los Angeles and visiting places like Portland on the way. It seems like a good vacation idea.

[bobco85]

Me: getting an dusk foggy bike ride in because I like to nap after work

You: all the joggers and cyclists on the W&OD trail last evening that I came across

Thank you! Every single person I passed had either some sort of reflective clothing (in addition to the reflective parts on shoes) or light(s). It really made it easier to see you in the fog. I was very impressed.

(Addendum) To the staple that lodged itself into my back tire on 27th St about a block before the Harrison St crossing: Because of you (and all the other sharp objects that have caused me many flats this year), I’m getting paranoid that there are magnets in my back tire that are attracting random bits of metal, screws, nails, and staples to it!

[bobco85]

The truck is going to be parked there overnight, it seems. I passed through there earlier tonight around 9 pm and saw it. It is surrounded by orange cones that have a reflective stripe near the top, so it should not pose a threat to anyone using a light. The only issue, however, is that the trail is narrowed to about 2 feet at one point just before the curve if heading west, so it will require more vigilance from both directions of traffic.

[bobco85]

Thinking about these pedestrian incidents, would a viable solution be to use a bell/audible warning when you can “sense” a jaywalker is likely to cross in front of you? I mean, I would like to develop a habit of doing this because I already ring my bell/call out for 1) passes and 2) blind corners. I’m considering doing this in cases where I have time to predict, but would like to know other options.

[bobco85]

@Brendan von Buckingham 32365 wrote:

Her response was a new one I hadn’t heard before: “You can’t make me feel bad if I kill you.”

I know Halloween is just a month away, but that story is just plain terrifying. If I were to hear a driver say that, I would immediately pull off the road and take a picture of the person’s license plate. I think people will be more cautious when they know they are being watched.

But still, I’ve never had an experience talking with a driver like that! The worst I ever tend to get is the typical, “You shouldn’t be on the road!” which I’ve had happen while riding in the bike lane on George Mason Drive.

[bobco85]

Thank you for the information. I’ll definitely use the survey for Holmes Run Park because I frequent the trail there. There are always problems with flooding near the tunnel under I-395 and build-up of sand (makes my chain/gears sound awful) around areas where the trail crosses the stream.

UPDATE: I submitted the survey for the Holmes Run Park. It took all of 2-3 minutes to complete. Very painless.

[bobco85]

Wow, that was fast! Thank you for revealing the mystery. I guess they will try to use these more than the wired counters I’m used to seeing to record traffic counts.

@Tim Kelley 32156 wrote:

know as in-lane “puck” detectors.

Well, they are located right outside the Kettler

[bobco85]

To the guy who was relaxing in his own hammock off the side of the Bluemont Junction trail in Bluemont Park, his bike lying on the grassy hill underneath:

1) That’s an awesome idea.
2) I want that hammock!

[bobco85]

This reminds me of a discussion I once had with a lady who was very anti-helmet (not just helmet laws, but people choosing to wear helmets). She explained to me that because people in general find helmets either uncomfortable or not stylish, they will not wear them. Forcing people to wear them will cause less people to ride bikes. This will lead to less bikers on the road and drivers will have less knowledge about how to share the road safely. This will, in turn, lead to more accidents. People wearing helmets will choose riskier routes and get in more accidents.

I tried to argue that in cases with head injuries, people who did not have a helmet had much greater rates of brain damage and/or death. She then retorted that humans were never meant to wear helmets in the first place, so it’s unnatural and somehow our bodies reject it because of that.

I started to get a headache after a while until I realized I was just banging my head against the wall.

That said, I’m a fan of helmet laws for children only. Adults can do what they please, but children, as indestructible they may be, are not fully developed in their risk assessment and go to the hospital often enough for other injuries. Brain damage does not need to become part of that list.

When people ask me why I wear a helmet and tell me that they don’t because they think it’s unsafe, I tell them: “I wear my helmet because I know it’s cheaper for the [Arlington] County to just scrape my brains off the pavement than get an ambulance.”

[bobco85]

To the ninja-driver in a black car around 10:30 pm coming towards me around the curve on Patrick Henry Dr between Rt 7 and Rt 50 towards me: you proved to me that ninja-drivers are far more terrifying than ninja-bikers or ninja-joggers! Please turn your headlights on, if not for the fact that it’s the law but that you might need to see things in front of you. Also, thank you for staying on your side of the road, as you are at least 1 for 2 in being a lawful driver because of it.

[bobco85]

I hear the pain on the blinding lights as I’ve had instances where I felt like I was going to be hit by a train or the sun or both (a train carrying a sun) and have gone off the trail having been unable to see anything in front of me. It hasn’t happened very often, but I know to slow down when I see a brighter light coming my way. I think that people using lights can manage it with the angles they shine their lights, using strobe only on streets, turning their lights away when approaching people in the opposite direction, and generally being aware of how bright/distracting their lights can be. Strobes can work on trails only if they are tiny (like Xmas lights).

On the other hand, I think that people not using lights should stick to trails that have streetlights. Or sit on the side. Or sit in a corner. Bad people.

@thecyclingeconomist 30740 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNPl2-1-fTQ

I zoned out for the entire video. It’s really cool being able to recognize the different paths you took. I have only one question: why didn’t you stop at Gravelly Point to watch the planes take off/land? If I had your commute, I’d have to leave an extra 15 minutes to account for stopping and staring at the planes (I’ve been biking through that area for over 10 years and still have to stop every time)!

[bobco85]

I’d definitely recommend taking the slight left into the church parking lot, then following the bike lane onto the sidewalk at Northside, and lastly using the crosswalks to get into position for the bike lane.

I asked this same question on another site a while ago, so it may also help: http://www.arlnow.com/forums/misc/biking-gauntlet-from-fairfax-drive-to-clarendon-blvd/

FWIW, that message thread led me to access this site in the first place and later (after a few months of lurking) become a member. Oh, the memories [tear]!

P.S. – Someone mentioned this in the “green bike lane” thread, but I imagine this would be a lot nicer if they did the intersection redesign with the Kirkwood intersection in mind. Here’s the link: http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/EnvironmentalServices/dot/page84699.aspx

[bobco85]

@jnva 30179 wrote:

I had a close call this morning at this intersection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIrboQajxN8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

While I’m glad there wasn’t an accident, I see that you entered the crosswalk with a flashing red hand showing 10 seconds left as that car was starting its turn. At that point, you shouldn’t begin crossing because you don’t have right-of-way (according to Virginia Code § 46.2-925). I’m not trying to be mean, but I don’t see the law on your side had you collided with the car.

The video shows a need for better balance at that intersection so that drivers get their chance to pass through the intersection and don’t have to resort to aggressive maneuvers. I think a bike signal is necessary here.

[bobco85]

It all depends on who you’re talking to. Obviously in America we primarily use miles for distance, but a good number of cyclists know that a metric century is about 62 miles, so they can do the math to figure out the 31 mile distance. To nitpick, I suggest saying “half a metric century” instead of “metric half century” as it sounds less awkward. Also, using “quarter century” if fine because everyone understands it as 25 miles.

Just be careful about saying “quarter century” around an ELITE biker, because in their language it translates to “light warm-up”

[bobco85]

@Tim Kelley 29743 wrote:

The first five locations are:
• EB Military Road at Nellie Custis split (Donaldson Run CA)
• EB Clarendon Blvd at 15th St. split (Courthouse)
• WB Wilson Blvd. at Vietch St intersection (Courthouse)
• NB Lynn St. between 19th St. and EB Lee Hwy (Rosslyn)
• WB 15th St./NB Joyce St. at Pentagon City Mall parking garage (Pentagon City)

I just went on a green bike lane scavenger hunt, and it looks like the following 3 have been completed:
• EB Military Road at Nellie Custis split (Donaldson Run CA)
• EB Clarendon Blvd at 15th St. split (Courthouse)
• WB 15th St./NB Joyce St. at Pentagon City Mall parking garage (Pentagon City)

I imagine the WB Wilson Blvd. at Veitch St intersection in Courthouse and NB Lynn St between 19th St and EB Lee Hwy in Rosslyn will be completed in the upcoming weeks, as they were not there when I checked.

I took some pictures of the green bike lanes I saw (my album is here: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/album.php?albumid=27), along with some of the other bike facilities including a construction gate that was forcing cyclists off a 4 inch drop into main traffic in Rosslyn. I moved it out of the way, though

The green bike lanes are nice, but they’re so short that you don’t get that “Wow, I’m in a really special place!” kind of feeling that I got when using the green bike lanes in San Francisco. That said, they are very nice to have, and I’d like to see this in more areas around the county.

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