Brendan von Buckingham
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Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantTip to ebike riders who barely pass me going up a hill. Stop with the cheerleading. “You can do it.” “Way to go.” Twice in two days. Tell me something I don’t know. I just turned 53 and have been doing this for over 30 years without a motor on my cycle. It’s either condescending or elder abuse. I can’t tell.
June 22, 2022 at 4:32 pm in reply to: What to do with video of dangerous driver at signaled crosswalk in Arlington? #1121720Brendan von Buckingham
Participant@EasyRider 219269 wrote:
Good morning everyone, I could use some forum wisdom about what to do with video of a really dangerous traffic violation.
This morning I was riding with my 8 year old to school. We dismount and use the beg button to cross Glebe Road at 9th St South on foot. It is part of the County’s “bike boulevard” running parallel to Columbia Pike. Pushing the beg button activates blinking lights that cars can see from a block away.
Our routine is that my kid gets to push the button. While he’s doing that, I get out my phone and start recording video. I do this every time we cross. I’ve found that holding up my phone so that drivers can see I’m recording our crossing encourages them to stop for the blinking lights. This morning, it didn’t work.
After we had already crossed the median, a driver accelerated, swerved and changed lanes, passing with a couple feet in front of us. He blasted through the crosswalk after the lights had been blinking for awhile. In my 20 years of riding a bike in Arlington, it was the closest call I’ve ever had. I captured the entire incident in one unbroken video clip, from the time my son pushed the beg button to the car speeding away. I have the driver’s face, the car’s make and model, and his license plate.
My question is, what is the most effective use of this video? I will report the incident to the police, so that I can say I did. I’m sorry to be cynical, but I don’t really expect that will accomplish anything; the police will just say they didn’t witness anything themselves. I’m not sure providing police video of the incident would change that. Honestly, I wonder if I need to give this video to someone more important than me. I’m just a nobody on a bike with his kid. To be clear, I don’t want to “dox” anyone but this driver’s actions are how children get killed on their way to school.
Ultimately, I do hope the driver is ticketed. But my larger aim is that videos like this one would lead to more enforcement and public awareness of pedestrian safety.
What’s the most productive course of action here?
Video would be more useful convincing transportation planners that they’ve implemented ROW crosswalks across multi-lane roads inrcorrectly. There are no zig zag shoulder lines. In Europe the zig zags declare the zone a no passing zone; do not pass stopped vehicles (because they’re stopped for a good reason). Without the zig zags the oncoming car in the far lane sees a stopped car in the near lane for no apparent reason and enjoys the pass and getting ahead. Except for the pedestrians in the crosswalk blocked from line of sight because of the stopped car.
ROW crosswalks over multi-lane roads without zigzags is a tragedy waiting to happen. And also too, teach Amercian drivers what the zig zag means.
Scariest thing I ever witnessed was seeing a woman crosswalk across Wilson courtesy of a car stopped in the near lane. Tow truck flying up the far lane not seeing or knowing a thing. Lady stepped into the far lane. Tow truck stood on the brakes and stopped with an inch to spare. Woman got to far curb and just collapsed hysterically sobbing. It was that close.
Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantKey, M/Pennsylvania, 15th, E Street
These are not difficult urban routes. You will be acclimated after a dozen trips.
M Street is much calmer and slower since the streateries have cropped up in the parking lane in Georgetown.
Pennsylvania between Washington Circle and the White House is a ghost town of wide open lanes. Almost no cars.
Pennsylvania at the White House is a car free plaza, must be prepared to detour when closed.
15th Street protected bike lane for a block
E Street across town is a low speed flat easy rideI’m Ballston to DC Waterfront but happy to detour sherpa you to Union Station the first few times. alsatian dot felix at the gmail.
Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantI don’t use 15th Street. I use Independence from Lincoln Memorial to where Maine splits off towards Waterfront. Then I take Maine and intersect with 15th as I continue through to the Waterfront. At the same time that they improved 15th Street with a two way cycle track, they took away the right lane on Maine (where I used to take the lane) and filled it with bollards and barriers so no vehicle could use it. This forces me over a lane to take what used to be the center lane. But the two remaining lanes are impassable due to potholes. I’m annoyed they couldn’t improve 15th without taking away Maine. Or at least instead of taking the right lane away from everybody, leave out the barriers to I can bike that lane safely. It feels like a one-mile detour at least to find the next best route.
It’s poor design and planning.
Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantGlad they’re having fun. I hope they fix this part of Maine Avenue soon though. This used to be my normal commute from Lincoln to Waterfront but its impassable since they put in the cycle track. They converted the right lane into a separated “bike” lane which is dangerous due to graveldrifts, bollards and those surface barriers that have been swamped enough by vehicles that several are cocked across the bike lane. The two remaining through-lanes are an un-ridable moonscape of potholes. Same for Indpendence WB between Tidal and Lincoln. Some sort of barely patched utility trench makes that practically un-ridable too.
Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantI biked to work today. Seems like it’s been two years. But that would be crazy.
July 29, 2021 at 11:25 am in reply to: How cycling changed during the pandemic – input for article #1114518Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantPre-pandemic my commute was roads and only a few lightly trafficked trails (Pershing, Ft. Cass, Memorial Bridge, Independence, Maine, M SW), or Wilson corridor. Once my 4th grader went back in person we’d ride the Four Mile Run Trail to get him to school and I learned that most cyclists on the trail are jerks. There were subcategories with some fine and others really jerks, but mostly jerks. Time-trialists were bad, but the worst were new cyclists trying to ride like time-trialists. By the end of the school year my son didn’t like riding the bike trail and it was a real challenge to keep him at it.
July 7, 2021 at 4:40 pm in reply to: How cycling changed during the pandemic – input for article #1114453Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantNot only did my daily commute (75 miles a week) go to zero, not to be replaced by any other kind of biking, but my reading of this forum became monthly rather than daily. Total check out.
Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantI finally found the only e-bike I will tolerate on the bike trail, the 1881 Trouve Electric Tricycle: https://vimeo.com/538548283
April 6, 2021 at 3:48 pm in reply to: The strange psychological phenomenon that explains why people hate cyclists #1114080Brendan von Buckingham
Participant@lordofthemark 210368 wrote:
This doesn’t really match my point though. People who regularly ride bikes on street generally have a pretty good idea of safe riding behavior, and of laws relating to bikes.
Similarly, drivers mostly have some idea (even if they violate it anyway) of how to drive safely around other cars, and what the laws are in that regard.
What drivers (and even car free pedestrians who do not ride bikes, sorry Steve) do not know, and what bike riders do know, are things like the dooring issue, the reasons to ride in the center of the lane, the need to get to the left to make a left turn, etc, etc.
If you ever see 3 cars arrive at a 4-way stop and execute it correctly according to the law, let me know. I’ll erect a silver Virginia history marker to commemorate the event.
June 2, 2020 at 6:18 pm in reply to: Biking to work appears more dangerous than other commuting options, study finds. #1105911Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantI haven’t been around here in a while. Life, I guess. And teleworking. All my biking was commuting so I’ve been mostly out of the saddle.
Good news is that my youngest (3rd grade) finally wanted to learn to ride, so now I take my boys on the W&OD trail. Going kid-speed has been eye-opening. I have a whole new perspective on how many cyclists are bad with their passes. Maybe it’s because there’s so many new cyclists out there (judging by kit and bikes), or that it’s so crowded, but not many slow down to wait to pass pedestrians. Too many think nothing at all about crossing the yellow line head-on into my kids.
I’m starting to ride for myself again though, recreating my commute in the roads. I dream about going back to the office. When I’m out on the roads now traffic is light to non-existent. The roads are a dream compared to the W&OD. It’s been a good opportunity to take my oldest out to teach him how to ride in the roads.
December 10, 2019 at 7:55 pm in reply to: Washington D.C. Bike Lanes Have a New Mascot: June the Broom (and Friends) #1101693Brendan von Buckingham
Participant@bentbike33 194967 wrote:
The brooms could also be used to assert your right to 3 feet of passing space by mounting them crosswise on the rear rack.
Although a rake or some other yard implement better suited to scratching the paint off the side of an SUV might be superior for that purpose.
For that, and the zombie apocalypse, I’ll go with my ditch bank blade.
Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantHold my beer.
Fillmore to points east (northside): abandon 50 and designate an on-road bicycle route of Fillmore, 1st Road, Cleveland, (signalize crossing of Washington), 3rd, Wayne, Pershing to cross 50 to and connect with Ft Cass Trail.
Fillmore to points east (southside): Arlington Blvd access road to Washington Blvd access road to Washington Blvd bike trail to Columbia Pike
Fillmore to points west, (north side only/no south side): upgrade existing network of sidewalks, roadways and trails into a uniform bike trail to Park Drive. Cross 50 to continue south on Park to Four Mile Run Bike Trail.
Keep the Fillmore intersection as-is.
Give me my beer back.
November 18, 2019 at 6:59 pm in reply to: Memorial Bridge lane closures will be "permanent" through 2021 #1101222Brendan von Buckingham
ParticipantReverse!
Memorial Bridge flipped construction around from the south side to the north side. I was able to ride inbound on the south side of the bridge today. Smooth sailing. It was nice to cross without going over two or three temporary wooded bridges or hop raised seams.
November 7, 2019 at 8:54 pm in reply to: The leading cause of bicyclist fatalities (according to NTSB) is… #1101085Brendan von Buckingham
Participant@lordofthemark 194123 wrote:
To be fair, didn’t Forrester say leading cause of cyclist crashes or injuries, not fatalities? From what I can gather (including by personal experience) collisions at intersections tend to be at lower speed (while hit by overtakers would be at higher speed) . While the former could still be fatal (esp with a very heavy vehicle like a truck) they are generally less serious.
Rural or ubran roads? Rural roads will have speed limits over 45. Urban raods will have speed limits at 25. The latter is much more survivable. All the people I know who were hit from behind were hit on rural roads. One died. One barely survived.
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