[Brendan von Buckingham]

The city is not as scary as you’ve been lead to believe. It’s normal enough and safe enough that you should have no worries.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

When I’m coasting a steep downhill trail because it’s semi-technical with a blind curve and slick wet grass clippings ahead, I suppose I don’t mind that you passed. You rang your tinkly bell so you must know what you’re doing. Fair enough. But after the pass and the technical parts, you can’t be angry that I’m behind you. When you pass me I don’t cease to exist. Unless I’m asleep in philosophy class and this is all a dream on my way to a D.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@dasgeh 178962 wrote:

I have been much more successful moving in front of the nearest lane as soon as it’s clear the lead car is stopping for you. Then inch out so you can see the far lane, and only go if it’s clear the next lane is yielding/stopping as well.

Me too, but that’s a veteran move. Better safe than sorry when advising out-of-town beginners.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

All good info, hopefully some more but about crosswalks. DC, VA and MD have implemented right-of-way crosswalks at several trail crossings and city intersections. I am guessing this hasn’t been implemented as widely in Michigan as it has been here. If so, it will be something new to get used to. Drivers are supposed to yield to pedestrians and cyclists using these crosswalks. Many drivers have learned to yield correctly, but not nearly all. To use, approach the street edge slowly and visibly to indicate your intent to cross and be prepared to stop. Don’t fly across. Wait for approaching traffic to clearly yield to you. If there are multiple lanes of traffic, wait for all lanes to yield. Do not assume the second lane of traffic sees you.

When done confidently and safely, these crossings are very nice. But there’s a learning curve and you always have to watch for the drivers who have not adopted to the new paradigm.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@OneEighth 178860 wrote:

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/

Man. Ebikes just can’t win no matter what category I try to put them in.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

That guy broke his right arm, shoulder or collar bone; or at least separated badly. He would have been better off hitting the car and doing an endo.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@Harry Meatmotor 178831 wrote:

eMTB

Yep, that was it. And from the website it even provides power assist to push the bike. That’s a sort of feature, I guess. I should just start thinking of them as the quietest motorcycle on the road. At least there’s that.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Saw an ebike yesterday that had only one front chain ring. It couldn’t have been more than 2″ in diameter; (maybe 12 teeth?). Rings on the back cassette were huge in comparison; like pie plates. I can’t conceive how the cyclist adds any power to the ebike in that set up. What am I missing?

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I haven’t seen an e-bike in weeks. I think they’re all in the shop.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I saw a sea monster on my commute home yesterday!!

I was outbound on the George Mason Bridge. Something floating in the river 35 feet below caught my eye. I thought it was a lost sea turtle at first. But it was a gigantic eastern snapping turtle. Alas, it was dead. Of course as I’m gawking at the size of it, and want other people to see too, the bridge was completely empty of any other cyclist or pedestrian. Typical.

I’m taking guesses on how big you think that thing is.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17892[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]17893[/ATTACH]

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Let’s Go Ride Bikes
All the Apparatus
All the Apparatus
Faulty Records (2011)

With lyrics like:
Let’s go outside and go ride bikes,
Let’s go outside and go ride bikes,
Let’s go outside and go ride bikes!

Your sister looks like Donkey Kong
Your sister looks just like Donkey Kong
And not even the pretty girl version of Donkey Kong
but the ugly boy one.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

That video is my regular commute. The drivers northbound in the p.m. rush have gotten more aggressive about the rightmost lane now that traffic backs up in the left lanes to turn left into the Waterfront. Also too, after Maine passes under the highway, two left lanes turn left to get to Virginia and right lane goes through to the Mall. While the Virginia traffic almost always backs up to a standstill, cars going through to the Mall have gotten used to flying up the right lane. This, and New Jersey Avenue northbound to LeDroit give me the most aggressive drivers.

And the PBL is useless, too. Everyone should just admit it’s a loading zone for truck deliveries.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I had to stop from crying when I saw that footage. It showed exactly what I predicted. But I had the new feeling of why oh why was she crossing there in those conditions. She made more than one bad decision that I hope I never make, of if I do, that some driver is paying attention to save my ass. Driverless car couldn’t do that. I think this is a terrible example of a driverless system being programmed according to map and regulations of fallible human design. I bet human drivers intuitively drive more alert at that spot because they have real knowledge that pedestrians cross there against the rules. They know the intersection as culture rather than data.

Anyone know if driverless cars use incident or accident data in their programming? Seems to me that if they did they could drive slower or ready to react in high-incident areas.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

If she was following the paved sidewalk in the median and the desire trails worn into the landscape on the opposite side of the road she had probably dismounted her bike to cross the road. It probably wasn’t that she was just walking along the side of the road. I bet local human drivers know that people regularly cross at this unofficial crossing. Which is why authorities put up the no pedestrian sign. Unless the no pedestrian sign is one of those non-official (no certification stamp on the reverse) signs like the stop signs on the Custis trail put up by the Key Marriott at their entrance.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Saw two tourists riding bikeshare bikes on 110 last summer. Couldn’t guess where they were trying to go.

[Author]

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