[JorgeGortex]

@acc 31166 wrote:

The Town of Herndon is soliciting public comments about a plan to light a portion of the W&OD that runs through the town.

http://www.herndon-va.gov/Content/Parks_rec/Rec_and_Trails_grant_application.aspx?cnlid=5045

Project Description: This project is to install light posts along the length of the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) trail that extends through the Town of Herndon. The installed lights would illuminate 3,800 feet of the 2.4 mile section of the W&OD trail in the Town of Herndon. The proposed trail section to be lit extends from Ferndale Avenue to Van Buren Street. However, the pedestrian bridge included in this section, in addition to the section of trail from Station Street to Elden Street, will not be lit. Approximately 50 light posts will be installed along the trail, as well as the necessary above ground transformers. Wiring will run underground from the transformer to the light posts and require temporary trenching.

Comments are due September 25th.

Let there be light…

I guess my question is: why? Is the area dangerous for riders? Bad sight lines, or questionable individuals lurking? Other issues?

Admittedly I am not out that way in the dark. With quality bike lights available, and my dislike for light pollution in general if I were to comment I’d not be in favor. However, as my questions above indicate I feel as if I’d need more information before commenting. I’ll probably not comment for those reasons since I’d want regular forum users to provide input based on experience.

Kudos to Herndon for looking into it though.

[JorgeGortex]

@sjclaeys 31163 wrote:

On one hand, I am glad to see article like this to help address the subject and kudos to the Post for keeping it fairly evenhanded. However, on the other, these articles just make those mad at cyclists even more angry. Reading the comments on the article is depressing.

And a reason I don’t read or comment on the Post and rarely on ArlNow anymore. Its hard to reason with the unreasonable. And the trolls.

[JorgeGortex]

I wondered if that was the man, the myth, the Dirt. Cool. Represent, baby! Or something like that.

[JorgeGortex]

@mstone 31106 wrote:

I tend to wear a helmet out of habit, but as people get more aggressive about the “need” for them, I find myself more sympathetic to the point of view that the pro-helmet hysteria is unhelpful. Cyclists are more likely to die from massive trauma in an accident with a car than from anything a helmet is going to prevent. The solution its to slow the cars down, make people drive less aggressively, and make the roads safer for everyone. Helmet hysteria does nothing to further that goal, and I increasingly think it’s just a distraction that prevents people from focusing on the real (hard) problems.

That sorta strikes me as the sort of stance a teenager takes… the more you tell them to do something wise, the more they go the other way. Hmmm. I don’t think there is any “hysteria.” Again, its up to each adult. I think you are unwise if you don’t wear a helmet out on a ride. I’d also suggest that accidents on bikes aren’t all about a collision with a motor vehicle. As an example:

Not long back I was in my car headed down King Street where it turns downhill after Janey’s lane towards the Masonic Temple. This is a good hill if you don’t know it. Anyway, two teens on BMX bikes were riding down the sidewalk at a good clip… and their bike handling gave me the impression that they had their bikes under control. So I was watching traffic while half admiring their riding as I start to pass them when, boom, the lead kid goes down and his bike spins half way into the street in front of my car. Luckily I was able to stop before I ran over the rear end of his bike. The second kid skidded to a stop and was helping his friend. I asked if he was OK, and the kids said yes. Although the kid that wiped looked a bit wide eyes and shaken up. Neither kid had a helmet on. This kid got really lucky. The point of this is that this kid biffed out of nowhere. His tire caught something, he shifted his weight wrong, who knows… and down he went. No car involved.

Stupid $@^! happens. Its not always as simple as a collision with a car.

[JorgeGortex]

@lordofthemark 31119 wrote:

Copenhagen.

Sorry, not into snuff.

[JorgeGortex]

@mstone 31093 wrote:

Thank god people don’t engage in too much hyperbole over this issue.

Hyperbole? Uhm, no. Witty penmanship, maybe. Taking the issue seriously? Always.

[JorgeGortex]

@RayDC 31096 wrote:

When a biker gets hit by a car, it’s a human body that takes the direct hit. No doubt I was very very lucky, but it is still a traumatic experience that could have ended up very differently with any change of variables. I guess my point (or confusion) is hitting a biker and getting the same citation as hitting another car doesn’t seem to be in the same category…

You are unfortunately correct. The laws and view of cyclists are still behind the times. The reaction of police officers to a given situation can vary greatly from officer to officer as well. Bikes and cyclists are still not taken seriously as part of the transportation infrastructure and not as merely a toy. Things are changing, but slowly. I think continuing to follow up with WABA is your best bet because they will be able to offer the best advice as to how to pursue this further. Having the police report and witness statements I think will be important. And certainly let your insurance company(ies) know about what happened so they can earn their keep and support you.

Again, glad your OK, relatively speaking. Take it easy over the next few days and really monitor yourself and give yourself time to heal. Injuries that may not have been discovered on the first pass at the hospital may appear later on when the body tries to relax more. You could even have micro fractures that don’t show up on x-rays. Not to try to scare you, just be aware. Lastly, props for mangling his windshield.

G.

[JorgeGortex]

I have two pairs of knickers by Pearl Izumi that I picked up at REI last fall. They fit as nicely as their PRO shorts. Mid-calf length. And except for the coldest weather work great into the 40’s for me. I covet the Ibex ones though…

[JorgeGortex]

@Mark Blacknell 30967 wrote:

Hopefully you see the possible contradictions here . . .

Yeah, I see the irony. I think my point was rather that CaBi survive or fail is irrelevant to my interest in people keeping their brains in one piece and not gooped on our shiny pavement.

[JorgeGortex]

@TwoWheelsDC 30839 wrote:

What do you mean “spin statistics”? Sounds like you are espousing a pro-helmet position, which is fine, but are you advocating for mandatory helmet laws? That’s also fine,

Well, first I’ll say I am glad I kicked a new topic into high gear! To answer your specific question, I just felt that the stance the site took was one that implied helmets are pointless. I don’t advocate helmet laws for anyone over 18. At that point, as generally defined in our country, you are an adult and are welcome to make your own decisions. I do espouse a pro-helmet stance since I think they can save lives or at least help prevent serious head injuries. I just attended a lecture for area HS coaches regarding concussions and came away with a much greater appreciation for their seriousness. Concussion is the polite way of saying brain injury. Its serious and head hitting pavement during a bike accident can potentially cause you months of issues and time away from the bike. Or worse. If a helmet helps to reduce that potential then I am all for it. If you are an adult and choose not to use one, so be it.

As to whether a helmet law affects the success of a bike share program… I could frankly care less. I want to see more people riding and using cars less… but if the current system fails I will still be trying to ride and encouraging others to do so as well. From the looks of it, CaBi is doing quite well, so that is just fine. Should people using them wear helmets? yes. If they get hurt when they don’t? Well, they will deal with the long term consequences.

Oh, and it is my belief that our “car-centric” streets are here to stay. At least in the time I have left on this planet which I hope is quite a bit. Hopefully the culture in our area will change with time so bikes are a respected and normal part of the roadways.

G.

[JorgeGortex]

@thecyclingeconomist 30740 wrote:

Probably not smart considering the hostility since you can now track me home…:confused: but I don’t think that the following commute video shows any close-calls. It also shows the actual amount of riding traffic I see in the AM.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNPl2-1-fTQ

As an FYI: if you can’t see my hand, then I’m upright with hands on the brakes.

However anyone want to interpret your video… that was cool. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

[JorgeGortex]

Its all good. You just hit on one of the hot button topics here on the forum. People are passionate about their lights! Or lack thereof. Welcome to the forum. Stick around, you’ll have a good time. Now, say, while you’re at REI…

[JorgeGortex]

@essigmw 30710 wrote:

Or better yet, how about better lighting on the trails. The W&OD is dark in the morning, so is MVT, Custis and most streets have some overhead lighting. Improving this lighting would improve visibility and safety. Night time riders should still illuminate themselves, but perhaps infrastructure can solve some of this in particuarly dicey sections of the trail.

Please no. We have enough light pollution as it is without more lights. I actually enjoy riding at night. I think smart use of bike lights, and as Dirt mentioned: just slow down some. We don’t always have to be jamming to get in a good ride.

As an aside another way to help alert people in blind corners is just to make some noise. If you know the spot on the WO&D where it goes under Carlin Springs Rd. in Arlington, there is a very sharp corner on a small hill… whenever I approach this corner from either direction I give a loud “HyUP!” I’ve had some funny looks, but I’ve never collided with anyone either.

JG

[JorgeGortex]

I think the ying and yang of this topic is that the people on this forum exemplify positive, thoughtful, intelligent riders. People who like to ride because they like to ride… and they enjoy sharing that. Some are about fast, some are not, but as long as you make it along your way people are cool with it. Unfortunately most of whom we might encounter on the trails and roads are not these same people. They either haven’t found the culture of the bike, are too cool for it, or simply don’t get it. Its not worth trying to debate it with them if they aren’t open to a friendly conversation. Easier said than done.

Its probably better just focus on why you are out there and not worry about other people’s angst. Again, easier said than done. One thing that my dad always said to me was “What goes around comes around.” At some point the troubadours or adrenalized expert spandexed biking macho powers will get theirs. Their blood pressure will rise to ear thrumming proportions. Teeth gritted, knuckles white, saliva spitting expert expressions of perfect life wisdom… will blow up in their faces. And the rest of us? We’ll keep pedaling or running or hiking along.

I know visiting the forum always makes me think and brings a smile to my face. Carry on people, blinkies and all.

[JorgeGortex]

@jabberwocky 30448 wrote:

They’re really fricking annoying on the trail though. Every taillight I’ve ever seen has a constant mode as well as a blinkie/strobe mode; I don’t think its all that difficult to just switch it to constant if you’re going to be riding a popular trail like the Custis/W&OD/whatever.

For me its not the flashing tail lights… most aren’t so bright that they blind me, its the flashing headlights, as other have mentioned. Just switched to low level constant if you must use a light on the trails. (Frankly, on the trails, I often just turn the headlight off as it is bright enough to see already.)

As for a headlight, I am using my Niterider Lumina (forget which version) and it is more than enough for street or trail. The flashing mode I use on the street really catches driver’s attention as I approach cross-streets. I had one lady follow me on her bike, for awhile, b/c she said she felt safer with my light leading the way! Go Boocycle with Niterider!

JG

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