[eminva]

Wish I had these today . . . we got an email a couple of days ago that our buidling is considered “closed” today due to the federal holiday, even though my colleagues and I are working. Therefore the locker room and gym are closed. I considered my options, and not wishing to offend my co-workers, I rode metro. I need to order these because I’m sure the same thing will happen on the day after New Year’s Day (or whenever the feds get off on that weekend). Or are they available at my LBS?

Liz

[eminva]

I’ve never driven to my office, so my comparison point is the Orange Line — whenever I am on the trail near the above ground tracks and I see a train stuffed to the max, I breathe a sigh of relief.

My commute is 28 miles round trip, so usually I’m not looking for extra mileage. On the long days of summer, it is tempting, though!

Liz

[eminva]

I agree that this was an assault; the analysis should be completely independent of what happened at the intersection earlier (he was also at fault there for failing to yeild on his turn; but good luck getting any action on that without a police officer witness). This absolutely should be charged. If a police officer sees a couple of pals swinging away at each other, that’s the time for the “let’s all make this go away quietly” chat, but when a citizen assaults a complete stranger in downtown DC, with possible injuries (I take it from their conversation they thought this was a possibility) that calls for official action.

I would either contact a lawyer or keep pestering the police, take it all the way up to Kathy Lanier if necessary. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

I hope you and your bike are okay.

I wouldn’t beat myself up too much about not taking all the excellent steps outlined in the previous posting — perfect recall is a bit much to expect under extraordinary circumstances. But your idea of printing it out is good; maybe I will do the same, laminate it and keep it in my panniers.

Liz

[eminva]

@FFX_Hinterlands 10213 wrote:

I’ve taken the TS101 class (Traffic Skills). It included basic stuff on parts of a bike, safety, etc. There is a classroom (online) and hands-on part that includes safety drills, riding in traffic, etc. I highly recommend the class and I plan on taking the LCI (League Certified Instructor) class at some point.

This sounds very interesting; who offers it and where/when?

Thanks.

Liz

[eminva]

Was driving (a CAR) in the neighborhood at about 8:30 last night and a kid, looked to be about 12, was riding his bike toward me on the opposite side of the street. He abruptly cut in front of me and then proceeded to salmon along the opposite curb.

No helmet, no lights, dark clothing — was tempted to double back, follow him home, and have an educational discussion with him and his parents.

Liz

[eminva]

I started bicycle commuting seven years ago. At the time, I didn’t know about WABA or Confident City Cycling classes, so I just got a neighbor to teach me the ins and outs. By the time I learned about the WABA classes I was something of an old hand so I didn’t think I needed it. When CCrew told us he signed up for one earlier this year, I started to think that maybe I COULD learn something from the class. It may be a function of marketing — if you adapt the same/similar class to experienced commuters and give it a different name, you might reach a broader audience and we all might learn something new.

Some things I’d like to see in an Advanced Commuting Class: biking in heavy traffic, biking on major suburban commuter arteries (e.g., Rte. 123, Rockville Pike), MUT etiquette, bike handling at slow speeds and best ways to carry various cargoes.

As far as bike maintenance instruction, I agree with everything stated so far. We have a huge range of technical skills in this forum, so I’ll speak to the needs of the beginner. I think the classes at the bike shops are good as far as they go, but there is only so much you can learn in an hour or three. I have heard about the Park Tool School and it sounds interesting because it meets once a week for several weeks and you are working on the bike. I am actually thinking of going to one of the intensive one or two week courses that are offered (there are a couple of schools I am aware of — both out west) because for convenience sake, we seem to need a skilled mechanic in our family of three cyclists, especially as we consider riding the GAP and C&O next summer with our son.

Another gap in “instruction” is how to select a bike. I was in the market for a commuting bike when I started seven years ago and then three years ago when the first bike got stolen. It was interesting to go to bike shops but a bit overwhelming and intimidating. I did not have this forum to ask advice. And I think some of the sales people I spoke with, though well meaning, were about to steer me in the wrong direction. If we had some kind of bike expo in DC every year or two, where all the bike shops could bring their wares to a convention center and novice cyclists and commuters could explore the universe in one fell swoop, it would be great. Bike Arlington and WABA could have an “ask the experts” table where some of the more knowledgeable people here could give advice on not just bike selection, but all sorts of topics, including those mentioned above as well as commuting routes, etc.

Oh, and give out free stuff — water bottles, buttons, etc. — I’d be hard pressed to come up with a group that loves free stuff as much as cyclists! :rolleyes:

Thanks.

Liz

[eminva]

I took my son to participate in a kid’s triathlon and was astonished at the nice equipment some of the kids were riding. I assume these are kids whose parents are triathlon enthusiasts and either had a small bike already or had no objection to spending big bucks on a growing kid. You might inquire around the local triathlon clubs.

Liz

[eminva]

Roscoe, I’m going to back up and clarify something that most of the responses to your post assume: most of us who ride regularly in traffic take the full lane for safety, and indeed, this is recommended in the Washington Area Bicyclists Association Confident City Cycling class. On many streets, it is not safe to ride “in the gutter.” Like most commuters, I ride fully in the lane in downtown DC every day and motorists, by and large, seem to understand what I’m doing and give me ample space when passing. I also don’t think I’m holding up traffic (it’s usually the other cars holding up traffic, but that’s another topic).

The streets you mentioned only have one travel lane in each direction. They are also secondary roads. I used to live reasonably close to that area and I think a lot of motorists use those streets to avoid East West Highway and Connecticut Avenue. Living so close to Rock Creek Park, which gets heavy recreational use on the weekend, I never expected to drive through or near the park quickly on the weekend. Just one minor downside to living near a beautiful but popular natural resource. And there are wider, more car friendly alteratives to the roads you mentioned above.

Liz

[eminva]

@consularrider 9845 wrote:

CCrew’s discussion has been very useful, because this was one of the points the Arlington Police Chief was making during our discussion at the Lynn/Lee crossing in September. That’s the way he and the other Arlington Police officer were interpreting the law. Distressingly, he was also saying the cyclist who enters the intersection before a car turning from the same street for a left or right cross/left or right hook, could also be found at fault (made no sense at the time or after further reflection). That was the situation of the cyclist struck there in August who received a warning ticket from best anyone could tell.

This is a good point and I had the same impression from the meeting. To paraphrase, I understood his position to be that the cyclist is in the best position to avoid an accident, and thus the onus is on the cyclist to do so. I think unfortunately it doesn’t matter what the statute says if the first line of enforcement takes this attitude.

Although I am admitted to practice in the Commonwealth (and I know I’m not the only one), I have been loathe to wade into this debate, because traffic law is so far from my area of expertise and interpretation of any statutory provision hinges on so much beyond the plain language. I noticed that one of the speakers at the WABA summit next Thursday will be an attorney who is addressing the legal rights of cyclists. For anyone attending the event, it might be worth putting the question we’ve been debating to him, if he is taking questions.

Liz

[eminva]

They were also handing out the survey on the W&OD right where the Custis branches off this morning. I give them credit for coming out in the rain.

Liz

[eminva]

You all put me to shame . . . I continue the commute through all seasons, but my cross training is as haphazard in winter as summer. I rake leaves and shovel show as the opportunity presents itself. If I’m really feeling ambitious, I overhaul one of the garden beds, but not this year.

The suggestions were helpful, though — even I could manage a half an hour of running. As long as it is outside.

Liz

[eminva]

@DismalScientist 9644 wrote:

I think trying to induce Fairfax county folks to use transit will be difficult as residential density is not sufficient to have an efficient bus system. When commuters get to a Metro station, the lots and the trains are already full. Most people won’t even consider bicycling.

I live in Fairfax county and while my experience is anecdotal, it does not bear this out. Just taking the neighbors on my block who work in DC, not one drives in. I primarily bike, the rest take metro. They either get dropped off at the station by a spouse, walk (1 1/2 miles) or ride a moped or bike to the station. When I take metro, I take the bus to the metro station. It runs every half an hour during rush hour and there is a Fairfax Connector bus a couple of blocks away that also runs every half an hour. I find the system efficient. On the rare occasions I have driven to the station, I can get a parking spot if I get there by 8 a.m. The trains are crowded, I will give you that.

I can think of two friends who bought hybrids and drive to DC — one works very long hours and the other has a job that requires her to travel through many parts of DC, not all easily accessible by public transit. She would take metro if she didn’t have that obstacle.

I think the situation is very complicated, which makes solutions bedeviling. I guess I should have said good for VDOT for trying, even though I found the survey flawed.

Liz

[eminva]

Dang, I already took the survey and I answered that I didn’t commute on I-66. It never occurred to me that that was meant to include the Custis and that I would have gotten an option like “bicycle” assuming I figured out the follow up question was “What mode of transportation do you use?” But overall, I found it one of the more confusing and ill conceived surveys I’ve taken in a while.

I don’t live in Arlington but I said NO to any new lanes on I-66. If there were a way to make that more emphatic, I would have. I also said they should make the whole thing HOV-3 and get rid of the exemption for hybrid vehicles. I am mean that way.

Liz

[eminva]

Here is the current version of what I have:

http://www.rei.com/product/668198/shimano-m324-spd-pedals

You can ride comfortably in any type of street shoe. On the downside, you can only clip in on one side. I find it a good balance for a bike that has to do everything.

Liz

[eminva]

I passed by there shortly after the accident. There were already so many people gathered around you (including other cyclists), I didn’t stop because I wasn’t sure what I could add. In retrospect, I could have offered to get witness names/contact info (glad you got that) — so much for my great thinking on the spot.

Glad it appears there are not serious injuries. Another reminder that we can’t be too careful.

Liz

[Author]

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