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@dasgeh 96317 wrote:

We discussed this last night at the ABAC meeting, and County staff is looking into it. Apparently, there’s a little confusion as to whether it’s going to be full time “No Turn on Red” or an electronic sign, which only prohibits rights on reds at certain times.

As I said last night, I worry that an extended Leading Pedestrian Interval without a No Turn on Red sign is worse than what we had, because during the LPI phase, drivers wishing to turn right are looking left — away from pedestrians and cyclists legally crossing the sidewalk — and may accelerate without ever looking right, leading to disastrous consequences. Staff heard my comments and said they would relay them. I’m ok with waiting to see what they come up with, though I’m extra careful during the LPI now.

Last night it was asserted (almost in an aside, so not discussed) that it is not lawful for cars in the center lane to turn right on red. I believe I’ve seen that happen, and wonder whether there should be signage to indicate so, if we’re not going to have full time No Turn on Red for all.

Thanks for the clarification. I have in fact seen cars turn right on red from the center lane, so if you want to report that at the next meeting please do. There’s no sign to say “NO”, so people unsure of the law will do it. Driving through there in the early mornings I would welcome the no-turn on red from both lanes. Even though traffic is light and it would slow me down, it would alleviate the anxiety of looking 6 different ways for on-coming people and also keep the a-holes from creeping up my bumper while I try to not kill somebody.

While they decide what to do, because that could take years, maybe the best thing would be to make it full time – No Turn on Red, and find out whether there’s actually any impact on traffic.

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@baiskeli 96298 wrote:

Yeah, motorists need another traffic control to violate and ACPD needs more violations to ignore!

“One change is minor in cost but should be significant in impact: A no-turn-on-red sign is being installed at N. Lynn Street for those exiting I-66. That’s being done “as soon as possible,” Marcus said.”

Despite being a minor cost, apparently, ASAP does not mean within 1 week+

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Also, related to the IoD – I thought the off-ramp from 66 was going to have “No Turn on Red” signs installed?? When is that going to happen? I didn’t see any this morning when I drove through there. I cautiously approached the intersection to look for cars/peds/bikes, and the car behind me tailgated me all the way through the turn.

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@Sunyata 95957 wrote:

You know… I hate conflict…….

This is exactly the personality that type-A d-bags feast on. They expect no one will step up when they’re acting irresponsibly or selfish and act like nothing happened or you’re over-reacting when you do.

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@hozn 95124 wrote:

I wouldn’t do it [unsolicited]. Seems like that would be a fairly significant geometry/handling change that could, worst-case, have more catastrophic consequences for someone used to riding it wrong.

I do feel like I should start telling people when their helmets are on backwards, though. That probably could have serious safety implications too. But they look so happy.

You mean the visor isn’t to protect my neck?

Also, please fix the rear brakes on my Surly if you’re so inclined. One of the pads fell off recently. What the hell?

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WHooooaaahhh fancy! So if you’re using the fixed gear, but will be doing some steep descents and want a free-wheel so you can coast, you could simply flip the wheel around and use the other side of it whenever?

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I’m a dumbass when it comes to fixed gear and Pinarello bikes, but why does it look like there’s a cog on the left side of the rear hub? You can see it in the zoomed in picture. Is it just a style thing, or does it serve a purpose? Maybe it’s a spare in case you ride so hard you wear the one out during the course of a ride.

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@eminva 95261 wrote:

Old Man Mountain Rack. Originially designed for mountain bike touring, this rack is mounted through the skewer. Ideal for bikes without eyelets. Compatible with disc brakes. Used but still as sturdy as a tank. $40 OBO

Is the OMM rack still available? I may be interested in upgrading a crappy old rack we have.

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@DismalScientist 95238 wrote:

Dude, you need to shake it off.

After a couple of hours, when I realized I was actually going crazy in my own mind, I tried to switch it to the Florence and the Machine version of “Shake it Off”, because I actually like that song. But I failed.

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Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water….or back on the forum.

But since you asked….

Yeah, this thread (Why I care, I have no idea. Maybe it’s the false accusations or the hyperbole of life and death arguments that some of you are making) has got me seriously reconsidering the ‘brotherhood’ of cyclists we have here in DC. A couple people here know less about sharing than 2 year olds.

fongfong – I don’t have to prove sh*t to you. On the rare occasion that I actually am out running and you see me in the bike lane, if you have such a big problem with it, step up. Don’t just rant here about it. Get some actual opinions maybe. I bet you’ll find a ton of reasons why people run in bike lanes, aside from your made up BS opinions. Maybe, this 50 yards of bike lane is the most direct way to connect quiet back streets, where you think runners ought to be… since they’re just recreational and all. Maybe it’s purely convenience on an open stretch of road. Or maybe, they’re too scared to run on the trails because they’ve had too many close calls with cyclist a-holes passing them dangerously. I see dangerous passes on the trails on a DAILY basis, but I have never had a bad encounter with a runner in a bike lane, whether I be in a car, on a bike, or the one running. THERE ARE OTHER REASONS PEOPLE DO THINGS THAN TO SIMPLY PISS YOU OFF. Halleljuah!

If there was a forum like this for DMV runners, I wonder what the missed connections thread would be like?? I thought the ultimate battle was against car culture and car only infrastructure. Battling the odd jogger here and there seems like a complete waste of time to me.

Yes, I do believe it’s time for me to log off and go for a ride. I have way better things I can do with my time.

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Pt. 2

From the top of Mar Lu Ridge eastbound. I climbed it both ways, so I went up the hard way in the morning. Going eastbound you have a lovely stop light at the bottom at the US Rt. 15 intersection. I got lucky with some cars ahead of me tripping the green, so I didn’t have to stop.
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Garmin at the end. 125 miles. 11 hours 36 minutes. 9590 feet of climbing.
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Oh! I forgot to say…. from the very beginning of the ride, I had that new Taylor Swift song in my head…. for 9 HOURS AND 35 MINUTES I had the Taylor Swift song in my head on REPEAT… it was driving me crazy! While I passed through Buckeystown at mile 103, I passed a hole-in-the-wall bar with a live band playing “Turn the Page” by Bob Seger. Appropriately enough, I heard the singer sing the lines “and you don’t feel much like ridin’, you just wish the trip was throuuugghhh”…. wow. That was weird. And helped cure me of my Taylor Swift problem.

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Here are some pictures I took on “Paul’s Paradise” permanent I did on Saturday. It was the hardest ride I’ve ever done, and it definitely tested my limits, in terms of leg strength. Today my legs feel sore in places that not even yoga practice has reached before. I definitely think I’m more tired and sore than after the relatively flat 300K I did last year. I am happy to be done.

Here’s my strava activity link; http://www.strava.com/activities/197255319

Early morning sunrise with fog and tiny horse silhouettes.
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While I was riding, Daisy was with my wife at Great Falls.
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I was riding northbound up Harmony Road and surprise, there’s the notorious Coxey Brown! I didn’t have to climb it, but I did climb Harp Hill, which was ridiculous. My estimation had the steep part equivalent to about 4 41st Sts stacked on top of one another.
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What Coxey Brown climbs.
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Vista on Harmony Road. Great descent to Wolfville Rd and the bast of Harp Hill Rd.
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@dplasters 94512 wrote:

Unhappy Monday afternoon numbered posting.

1.) Its only legal to run/walk in the street counter-traffic assuming the sidewalk is unsafe or non-existent. If someone is biking next to your SO and telling them they are unsafe, they better be a salmon or you better have a talk about road safety when on foot with them. At no time has it every been a good idea to walk with your back to faster moving vehicular traffic with no lights.

2.) If you are seriously going to be daft enough to run in the bike lane, use some common sense and at least apply rule #1 to it. Its still a really dumb idea. But hey at least you can see the accident you’re likely to create coming at you and you can swiftly slide back onto the sidewalk to avoid it.

3.) Bike lanes on 25 mph roads? Is that really necessary? We can’t successfully mingle with auto traffic in residential areas where many cyclists can actually break the speed limit. If the possibility of children playing, cars coming out of drive ways and car doors opening can’t save us, paint is nothing.

4.) I’m suppose to get out of the bike lane if I reach *near* motor vehicle traffic speeds? Why? Just because?

This daft person doesn’t waste his time enough to keep up with all of the stupid “rules” associated with cycling. What is Rule #1 again?

PS – Don’t bother. I really don’t care what the rule is. I just wanted you to know who you’re calling daft.

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If I read about your experience correctly, I saw elements like steep hill, on a curve, at night…. I would chalk up your experience to bad judgement on the joggers fault. Not realizing what a steep hill on a curve actually means.

If you read what I wrote, I said Commonwealth Ave is flat, straight, and quite wide. It’s also pretty well lit at night, though I don’t think I’d run at night. If you can’t see the difference here then I have nothing else to say.

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I don’t run often, but when I do, I will often run contra-flow in the street. Since I live in Del Ray, I’ll most likely be found on Commonwealth Ave. If you know it, you know that Commonwealth is wide, flat, and straight. You also may know that the sidewalks in Del Ray are often filled with pedestrians, strollers and dogs making sidewalk running a challenge. If some of you ride by and want to politely wave, please do. Or if you want to take a different tack and drone on about VA codes because you think I’m a scofflaw ruining your day, that would be welcome too I guess….

As a novice runner who thinks running a 30 minute 5K is a worthy fitness goal to maintain, I’ve been monitoring this thread with an open mind for strong arguments for or against. However, nothing presented here has persuaded me that running in the bike lane is a bad idea. Particularly wrt Commonwealth Ave. As a cyclist I’ve come across joggers in bike lanes without incident, although I greatly appreciate it when they acknowledge my presence and move over. It’s a respect thing.

Comments that may sound like a Mexican beer ad/internet meme are purely coincidental.*

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