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This may be heresy for fun, but I don’t love cycling for cycling, but cycling is my favorite way to get from point A to point B. So “balance” is easy, in that whenever I can do point A to point B on a bike, I do. “Can” gets harder with a difficult pregnancy, a toddler, moving, etc, but I seem to get on the bike (and out of the car) enough to stay sane.

My husband is more of the “more time in saddle = better” variety. So there are some sacrifices we all make so he can ride more. He generally rides on the trainer during the week (during said toddler’s naps, or at night), and races or does a team ride most weekends. Sometimes that means less sleep or less kid time for him (though he’s a stay at home dad, so he’s not low on kid time), and/or a little more household chores or less cuddle-time with him for me, but I think the balance is pretty good. We moved last month and are still unpacking, so that has thrown a wrench in the routine, but I still commute and he still races and trains (though not as much as he likes), so it’s ok.

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

Honestly, from reading the story and comments, I could see it going either way: it’s possible that the lady didn’t hear well, was going to jump out in front of any noise and turned into the cyclist’s path just feet before he got to her, even though he was slowly passing her. It’s possible he bumped her and she just hit her head in a way that was unfortunate. It’s also possible that the cyclist was going way to fast, called the pass too late, etc. It’s possible a bell would have helped, it’s also possible it wouldn’t have. I don’t think there is a way to know.

I do think there are lessons to take away (full disclosure: I’ve only biked this area a handful of times, and not in a while). It sounds like there is an alternative path there (W&OD) but that it’s not optimal for cyclists (at grade crossings). It also sounds like there are sections of that trail that are very steep and too narrow for safe passing.

I would love to see more separation between pedestrians and cyclists, but I agree with Mark that it’s not likely to happen here in the way we see in Europe, at least any time soon. But not all hope is lost. We can make certain routes more attractive to different road users, so that while other users aren’t banned, people self select. For example, if the W&OD were made wide and smooth, with lights that are timed for cyclists and signage and pavement markings indicating that the trail is primarily for cyclists (and other trail users going faster), and FMRT were more annoying for cyclists (less smooth pavement, more twists and turns, etc) and were signed to preference other trail users, we could get the fast cyclists onto W&OD and the slower pedestrians (and cyclists, like kids) on FMRT. Another example for the R-B corridor: we could create bike-boulevards that parallel Wilson-Clarendon for cyclists heading to points beyond, and put in signage and other traffic calming to discourage cars from taking those routes. Then the W-C sidewalks could be for pedestrians and the W-C bike lanes could be for cyclists to finish their rides.

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@jabberwocky 21819 wrote:

You’re supposed to stop. I admit that there are a few situations where I’ll hop on the sidewalk and ride past though (there are a few places in Reston where the bus loads like 50 kids and it takes 5 minutes, and they are all loading on the other side of the road from me).

I also read the law to say that if a cyclist hops onto the sidewalk, thereby ceasing to be a vehicle, the legal responsibility to stop goes away. Not that it’s always/often a good idea, but there are times when it might be. (Like when seeing the bus in my old neighborhood meant I might be too late to catch the Henry Gate, and I could jump on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street from the kids).

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+1 to Mark’s comment about this sounding a bit like drivers v. cyclists. There are pedestrians who break the rules. But pedestrians are the most vulnerable on the road, so they have every incentive to, if not follow the rules, act in a way that doesn’t pose a threat to others.

So while I agree that it would be awesome if pedestrians would follow the rules, it really seems like we should concentrate enforcement resources on the road users that pose the most danger to others (cars and trucks), and concentrate our advocacy efforts on making the infrastructure safer for the vulnerable road users, including pedestrians. I think that the infrastructure is safer when it’s easy to use and meets the needs of the users, e.g. better timing of lights so pedestrians get a walk signal when there are no cars around, and therefore aren’t tempted to jaywalk.

@rcannon100 21751 wrote:

* Culture (it is changeable)

I worry that “culture” on the streets in Arlington is a very hard thing to develop, because so many of the people (mainly drivers, but also peds and cyclists) are not Arlingtonians, and are not even in Arlington all that much, that it’s hard to involve them in the development of culture.

Total side note: Apparently I can’t like posts anymore.

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+1 for CaBi, depending on where you are and where you’re going. If it works for you, you don’t have to worry about it being stolen.

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WABA and Mark are both awesome.

And back to the topic of what to do about the MVT crossing the GWMP, I think that aligning our interests with those of motorists is the way to get things done here. Right now our interests are aligned, both theirs are weaker than ours — they get to speed with abandon, and only have to worry about maybe hurting us, not the other way around. We could strengthen their interest in fixing the problem in two ways: 1) getting NPP to enforce the actual speed limits and crossing laws, which would impact motorists’ driving habits more directly (hopefully encouraging them to help lobby for a real solution – highway-like-parkway with grade separated crossing); or 2) becoming more visible to enforce our rights — I imagine a morning of peds and cyclists legally crossing at the crosswalk without a brake, backing up traffic on the GWMP until someone has to pay attention. Obviously, #2 is more obnoxious than #1, but something we have control over.

As far as how to get NPP to do their job, why not go the legal route? Start with FOIA-ing records, then decide if we should take the case to the press, to the courts or both.

On a side note, I’ve heard that a Cat 2 (think elite amateur) racer was struck by a tour bus on Hains Point. The racers are up in arms, especially because they saw NPP’s crackdown on cyclists, and it’s clear there’s no complementary crackdown on tour buses, who break the law on a daily basis, especially on HP. Now would be a great time to get them involved in the advocacy side of things.

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@Mark Blacknell 21537 wrote:

And since we’re talking about locks, anyone have the Abus? http://www.abus-bordo.com/html_en/bikelock_bordo_granit_x_plus.html For some reason, I dig the design.

I have an Abus traditional U-lock, and it works fine. I agree the design of that Bordo looks cool!

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Personally, I find it hard to answer the theoretical question. Instead, I’d start shopping around at LBS’s to see if there is a real bike that meets your needs and fits you well. If you can wait for the sales, then you have some time to shop around, taking the top contenders on some long rides. Then, if there really is a bike out there that fits you well and rides better than N+1, you can make the decision.

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You’ve gotten some great advice so far, I just wanted to add that I find a great investment, even though I commute on my own bike. Sometimes, it’s nice to be able to take CaBi one-way (like when meeting friends) and have the freedom to Metro or cab or whatever in the other direction. Sometimes, it’s nice not to have to worry about adequately locking up your own bike. I’ve found the CaBi annual membership to be a great investment.

There are tons of CaBi stations around Foggy Bottom. If I were you, I’d buy a helmet, gloves and the CaBi membership, and go from there.

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I’ll be there with a big chunk of my husband’s large family, plus our 19 month old, to cheer on husband in the 1,2,3.

If anyone falls in love with the ‘hood while watching the race, our house goes on the market this weekend, and is a short walk south of Clarendon. We bought it after end a day of house shopping by stumbling into the Clarendon Cup four years ago. We couldn’t have been happier with the decision (we moved into a larger place north of Clarendon, what with the growing family and all). PM me for more info…

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@vvill 21078 wrote:

Nice linking!

Thanks. Unfortunately, my search prowess has died in the post-lunch slump. Can someone please link to the thread with the reliable radar sites?

Thanks

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@eminva 21034 wrote:

I’ll have to think of a lunchtime errand I can run on CaBi. I’m open to suggestions.

Food Truck Chasing! http://foodtruckfiesta.com/ The lobster truck (if you want to splurge) will be at Navy Yard and Dupont (where there are apparently free donuts)!

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@DismalScientist 21043 wrote:

It’s much better for people watching than the Roosevelt bridge. :rolleyes:

Especially because people watching on the Roosevelt bridge consists of “Please, don’t let there be any other people. Please, don’t let there be any other people. Please, don’t let there be any other people.” Passing/being passed on that bridge sucks!

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There’s a thread for that:

Tires: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?1201-Commuting-tire-recommendations&highlight=sick+flats

Bags: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?2277-Junk-in-the-trunk&highlight=backpack

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I was talking about the CVS side, and that’s a great point about the ramp in the parking lot — I forgot about that one. It looks like it also could be more user friendly, but I haven’t taken it yet (I was going to take it on the way down the hill, but I didn’t see it in time).

Does anyone take Key Blvd or 18th St N in Lyon Village as a Custis/Lee alternative? That seems like it will get me from Danville to Rhodes, and I think the neighborhood is pleasant around there, but I haven’t been there during rush hour….

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