[Brendan von Buckingham]

But now I see you’re a first time poster and my second cup of coffee has a more successful sugar content. The regulation I described can be found here: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-905 Title 46.2 – Motor Vehicles Chapter 8 Regulation of Traffic § 46.2-905

And as a bonus, here’s my new favorite section of code: § 46.2-823. Unlawful speed forfeits right-of-way, which says, “The driver of any vehicle traveling at an unlawful speed shall forfeit any right-of-way which he might otherwise have under this article.”

Sounds like something my widow could use.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

It doesn’t say “take the lane” specifically but the parameters for doing so are in the section that bicycles should stay as far right as practical except in certain conditions like avoiding road hazards, lanes too narrow for a car to overtake a bike safely, preparing for a left turn, etc. There are like 12 exceptions to the stay right rule. I’d look it up for you but I think I just put salt in my first cup of coffee.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Either she’s violating the traffic code or she’s trying to kill you. Maybe both.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

You describe pretty much what I do. As I approach, if I see both lanes slowing and creating a safe yield to me, I’ll cross before they even have to come to a stop. Everyone’s happy. If the near lane stops so I cannot see through it to the far lane, I’ll bring my bike to a stop in front of the car in the near lane. Now it’s clear I’m crossing and at least I have one lane yielded. I’ll “peer around” to make sure there’s no one flying through in the slaughter lane.

My morning crossings of GW are easy: all the cars are regular commuters and know the drill. My evening crossings are all over the map with taxis screaming into town with people fresh from National airport, and non-commuter errand runners and tourists. Lots of extra caution then.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

DCLiz is absolutley right, either take the whole lane or don’t do it at all. To “kind of take the lane” only creates an ambiguous condition where you’re closer to the path of a car and the car still thinks they have room to pass.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Fun fact: the last state to get an avenue in DC was Washington. Until the 1980s (or thereabouts) no one wanted to create a Washington Ave in Washington. They finally did. Wish I could find a citation, but it’s so easier to just take my word for it.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Me too. It goes without saying that when I was growing up in 1880’s East Jabip Kansas, there was no such thing as a bike lane for me either.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@baiskeli 7176 wrote:

So the cyclists began to cross before a vehicle had come to a stop at the crosswalk in the left lane? Wow, that’s dangerous. After all the accidents this summer, I’ll never do that.

Depends how fast the vehicle was going. You can tell by the vehicle’s speed if they’re yielding to you. If they’re yielding to you, better to get going and out of the way rather than prolong an ambiguous Laurel & Hardy situation (“After you.” “No after you.” “No no. I insist. After you.” “Oh really I’m not in a hurry. You go ahead.” “You’re too polite, but no, you first.”

[Brendan von Buckingham]

When I ran track and we did distance training, they taught us to run against the flow of traffic so we could see oncoming traffic and jump out of the road if we had to. When I’m in my bike lane WB Rosslyn to Courthouse, I hold my line and expect the runner coming at me to get out of the way (i.e., jump onto the sidewalk). That’s why he/she is running against the flow of traffic afterall, so they’re able to get out of the way.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I signed up with BWC about a year ago. Used them last month when my car got a flat, then the doughnut blew out too (which was because the doughnut was either over inflated or the pavement was 180 degrees, remember that week?) BWC got a tow truck to Petworth in 60 minutes which towed me to Clarendon. Cost me $2.00 because I was over my 5-mile free towing limit.

The call center was in Portland, Oregon, so I bet that’s where they’re headquartered.

BWC was serviceable for a bunch of commie hippies, but I’m rethinking my membership only because I’ve realized my auto insurance offers the same roadside assistance.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I think police have a process of tagging a bike for 2 or 4 weeks basically announcing to the owner that if you don’t move it the police are going to consider it abandoned and take it. I don’t have a problem that process. I don’t have a problem with a private property owner doing the same; same method, same result, police aren’t bothered.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

There’s all sorts of things in urban air. Professionally I work with historic architecture and old buildings. Went to a seminar on historic masonry. When they clean masonry buildings of decades worth of grime, guess what the number one contaminant is. Rubber. Rubber from millions of tires slowly wearing away, every day.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Did you check under the Judge’s robe? Because he/she MUST have been wearing bike shorts. No way a cyclist gets a break unless the judge is one of us. Cool story, no doubt.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

How does a bicycle beat a speeding ticket? I’ve always assumed that speed limits apply to bikes as well. Maybe something about bikes not required to have speedometers, so there’s no expectation that they know how fast they’re going?

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Wait. Seriously? You got tagged for running a red at 4:00 a.m. ? That’s nonsensical enough that it’s pretty funny. Good for you paying and moving on though. That’s one of the reasonings in the back of my head about going through reds safely: even if I get a ticket, it’s still worth it in terms of the years of beating traffic I’ve enjoyed.

[Author]

Posts