[ImaCynic]

@Steve O 189474 wrote:

The tigers agree

the real burning question is Has Mr. Happy seen it, and will he watch it again?…

[ImaCynic]

@Steve O 189437 wrote:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457506001540

Fascinating findings:

“The relationship between rider position and overtaking proximity was the opposite to that generally believed, such that the further the rider was from the edge of the road, the closer vehicles passed.”

Ha! This is the basis of my repulsion theory: Those on the road tend to repel each other, like what happens when the same pole of magnets are near each other. Want cars to be further away? Ride closer to them!

I feel validated… somewhat.

[ImaCynic]

“But if drivers can put a human face to cyclists, researchers say this could reduce aggression directed at cyclists and road trauma involving riders.”

Lose the helmet, and you will be safer on the road?

[ImaCynic]

I plan to be there!

[ImaCynic]

I plan to be out there around dusk, but unfortunately won’t be able to stay to the end.

[ImaCynic]

Looking at sharevaroads.org’s brochures (https://sharevaroads.org/download-brochure/)

Specifically:
https://sharevaroads.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2-ENG-Share-VA-Roads-FINAL-single.pdf#page=5

Few interesting tidbits regarding crosswalk:
What is a crosswalk?
Crosswalks might not be marked or painted on the highway.
Wherever sidewalks meet the street and where streets intersect,
a crosswalk exists, whether painted on the road or not.
–Code of Virginia § 46.2-924

Did not know a crosswalk doesn’t have to be marked, so this confirms those are crosswalks at the intersection of Elberts and Four Mile Rd in my previous post. Motorists will have to yield there.

From the “Crosswalk” section:
Experienced bicyclists stay on the road
Confident riders can ride on the road as vehicles when using intersections.
Do not ride in crosswalks or alternate between the sidewalk
and road by hopping the curb or using driveway cuts. Ride with
consistency and predictability. Bicyclists who feel more comfortable riding on sidewalks
must follow pedestrian rules at crosswalks. When riding on the sidewalk,
bicycles must maintain a lower speed and yield to pedestrians.

This may be what the other cyclist was referring to as far as switching between road/crosswalk/sidewalk.

Lastly, based on law cited below, I do not see how a cyclist can be found at fault when doing a legal crossing at a crosswalk:
§ 46.2-904 If you are riding your bike on a sidewalk, shared use path, or across a roadway in the crosswalk, you have the same rights and duties as a pedestrian.

[ImaCynic]

@Steve O 188659 wrote:

But wait. Say the bike rider crosses “in the lane” rather than the crosswalk, essentially where a car would be driving were this a regular X intersection instead of a T. Is the bike rider now the equivalent of a car, and thus has the ROW over cross traffic that has a red light?

I actually think this is may be a safer strategy, because out in the middle you are both more visible to everyone and have more space and time to maneuver should a driver do something stupid. Then you continue straight in the lane as you were intending to do anyway.

I don’t disagree it may be a safer way to cross. But in the eyes of the law, I’d say this would be no different than j-walking. If there is police presence, would it be wise to deliberately cross outside the crosswalk? If something bad does happen, not being in the crosswalk is a slam dunk contributory negligence ruling.

More often than not, what us cyclists think is safe is not legal. Unfortunately, many of these are frown up on by the county’s finest.

[ImaCynic]

@scoot 188648 wrote:

Green arrow or green circle? If a circle, the driver certainly has no case. But an arrow would imply that the turning vehicles have ROW, and walk signals shouldn’t be directing pedestrians to cross in conflict. However I’m pretty sure I have seen some signals that do exactly this. I believe one example is in Georgetown at M and 33rd NW, where the ped signal on the north side of M comes on while eastbound M has both a green circle and an arrow. If nothing else, it seems like very dangerous engineering, but I have no idea how such a situation should be treated legally when the inevitable collision occurs.

No. The green arrow means a protected turn, this means opposing traffic has a red light. This is common for left turning lanes, however even with a green arrow, one must yield to any vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian still in the intersection. Opposing traffic turning right-on-red MUST yield to those turning left, unless there are multiple lanes, where those turning left MUST turn into the nearest lane. Bonus question: What is the difference between a green straight arrow and a circular green light?

[ImaCynic]

@Emm 188635 wrote:

Possible, BUT then I’d have to cross Four Mile Road to go straight down it, which at that moment would be illegal since I’d have a do-not cross signal for crossing Four Mile Rd, and in all honesty, I’d be facing drivers at that moment leaving Four Mile Run Road turning right onto Mt Vernon Ave. And they’ll have a green light, so if I get hit there it might even be worse–there’s currently a court case going on in Alexandria where a driver’s insurance company is saying since they had a green light to turn, the walk signal shouldn’t have been on, therefor it’s not the driver’s fault they hit and injured a pedestrian. The lawyer defending the injured pedestrian is a member of Alexandria’s City Council, hence me hearing about it. Needless to say it’s pretty absurd.

“since they had a green light to turn, the walk signal shouldn’t have been on, therefor it’s not the driver’s fault they hit and injured a pedestrian.”
Absurd argument indeed, good luck with this as pedestrian walk signal always have the right of way. I hope this won’t be used for no-right-on-red incursions.

Back to the crossing. I saw some markings just west of the intersection on Four Mile Road that looked like pedestrian crossings, so I thought you could get through the intersection, go a little further via sidewalk to Elbert, and then cross over. But I’m not sure if these markings are in fact crosswalks as I didn’t see any signs.

[ImaCynic]

@chuxtr 188622 wrote:

Not a direct answer to your question, but … I know this intersection, but haven’t really ridden it the way you describe. I’m usually on Mount Vernon itself going in either direction. Looking at the Google Maps picture:

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8428269,-77.0638659,3a,75y,251.22h,74.2t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sr1KVHWqhCTMVpSdGU4z7mA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dr1KVHWqhCTMVpSdGU4z7mA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D131.40092%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

and knowing that you’re crossing when the traffic on Mount Vernon has a red light, I wouldn’t even ride in the crosswalk. I’d ride in what amounts to the middle of the intersection to get to Four Mile Run. After you cross and are on Four Mile Run, move from the left of the lane to the curb part of the lane. Gives you plenty of “space” and “bail out” room for any cars that are not paying as much attention as they should making a right turn on red. In other words, greatly reduces your chances of getting hit. And you’re clearly on the road not the in the crosswalk if there’s some weird legal issue about a bike in a crosswalk. Don’t know if that helps.

But if you cross traffic outside the crosswalk, then technically you are not doing a legal crossing…

In this particular situation, how about crossing at the crosswalk on the OTHER side of the intersection? Cars on this side can only make a right before the crosswalk, so right on red should not be an issue. In fact, looking at this, I almost want to say the east bound from FM road should use the north crosswalk and west bound from FMR should use the south crosswalk.

[ImaCynic]

DC recently implemented a sweeping no right on red to over 100 intersections in the city:

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/drivers-say-goodbye-dc-to-adopt-no-right-on-red/65-67353164-5672-48bb-ab79-9079422d05af

One concern with this is that drivers will rush to turn during green, contending with those trying to cross, possibly making things even more dangerous.

[ImaCynic]

@komorebi 188159 wrote:

The forecast for tomorrow looks pretty dreadful, but yes, I’m still crazy enough to ride. Bring your rain gear and whatever extra clothes, socks, or gloves you need to be comfortable at the stops. This is a no-hypothermia-allowed event.

This shorter route we’ll be using is at https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29419142.

SarahBee and I are in. Looks like rain won’t arrive until this afternoon, so hoping for the best, planning for the worst!

[ImaCynic]

Hey! Those seats would be great for my home theater!

[ImaCynic]

Use this link to check Strava health:

https://status.strava.com

[ImaCynic]

Sounds like the switch is going south in or gotten wet. These are usually soldered to the main board and difficult to fix. If it had gotten wet recently, you may want to remove the battery, leave the compartment open and put it in a closed jar with some uncooked rice overnight. If not, then it would likely be a warranty issue, if it still applies.

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