[lordofthemark]

@mstone 210369 wrote:

Not in my experience. They generally have a good idea of what they think is safe/”normal”, but actual laws? No. That’s true regardless of mode.

I would say MOST frequent transportation riders appear to me to realize A. That bikes are legal in the road B. That riding on the far right of the lane is not required, etc. IE the kinds of things that non riders typically misunderstand, leading to “cyclist hate.

It may be different for some other laws. Its probably most an issue where we have inconsistent laws through our region – for example proceeding on LPI legal in DC, but not elsewhere (absent explicit signage).

[lordofthemark]

@Brett L. 210367 wrote:

Us-vs-them language not going to solve anything. I’d expand the language, change “car drivers” to “people”.

… There is the problem that huge numbers of people don’t actually know either the law or proper safe driving behavior.

This doesn’t really match my point though. People who regularly ride bikes on street generally have a pretty good idea of safe riding behavior, and of laws relating to bikes.

Similarly, drivers mostly have some idea (even if they violate it anyway) of how to drive safely around other cars, and what the laws are in that regard.

What drivers (and even car free pedestrians who do not ride bikes, sorry Steve) do not know, and what bike riders do know, are things like the dooring issue, the reasons to ride in the center of the lane, the need to get to the left to make a left turn, etc, etc.

[lordofthemark]

@ImaCynic 210202 wrote:

When cycling as explained by psychology.

https://boingboing.net/2021/03/17/the-strange-psychological-phenomenon-that-explains-why-people-hate-cyclists.html

I mean in addition to attribution bias, there is the problem that huge numbers of non bike riders (and many casual bike riders) don’t actually know either the law or proper safe riding behavior.

Recently I attended a virtual college reunion – another zoom event with about 8 alums from my old dorm. I mentioned that I am into biking and bike advocacy. One guy was like “are you one of those bad cyclists who ride in the center of the lane” One other agreed.

“Actually there are good reasons to do that – how much time do you have” I “smiled” of course, and moved on (believe it or not)

But I am planning on trying to explain “taking the lane” on my FB page – maybe it will sink in with somebody.

[lordofthemark]

I have not yet had a vaccination, and I am being super cautious in the expectation that I will have a vaccine soon, so I will end my most pathetic FS since I first entered in 2015 (in terms of miles – I have very much enjoyed my Civil War fort excursions) by being with you guys in thought, and looking forward to when we all meet again.

[lordofthemark]

@Judd 207956 wrote:

Has anyone experienced a ghost train on Slater’s Lane before? I was headed to the MVT this morning and the railroad crossing lights lit up and the arms came down for about 2 minutes. No train came through. As far as I know this piece of track was to bring coal to the power plant and hasn’t been used since the power plant shut down.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24106[/ATTACH]

The line also served the Robinson Terminal which handled newsprint for the Post. I am not sure when the last delivery by rail there was made, but the terminal was put up for sale in 2013.

[lordofthemark]

@Zack 208046 wrote:

Twice, I have seen CSX park its track inspection equipment down this track but stop short of Slaters Ln. I think they use it when the line is less busy but occasionally store equipment during the day.

So back during the Reagan years, when I was young (and oh, so callow) I was, as some of you know, a financial analyst for CSX (actually Seaboard, but you dont want to know). I was tasked with organizing the economic analysis of the “South Carolina Plant Rationalization” – determining which of the spaghetti of lines that CSX had there, a result of mergers, would make sense to keep – the determinants being customers on the line, operating needs for through freights, maintenance and operating costs, salvage and land sale opportunities, etc – all neatly folded into a cash flow analysis and tied up with the ribbon of an internal rate of return (ROI, but not exactly). With a side helping of internal RR politics as the marketing dept fought with the operating department, with us finance dept folks trying to keep the peace.

As part of this I and my boss spent two days (I think two? Or was it one?) criss crossing all the lines in question on a “high rail vehicle” driven by some operations guys. Basically a pick up truck, that also had a set of small steel wheels able to operate on tracks – you got on the tracks at a grade crossing and off you went. Now the truck set off the grade crossing gates and lights, just like a train, and just like a train we did it at some distance. So we would come down the track, across the road in some small town, and the drivers waiting, expecting a locomotive at least, stared on this bizarre contraption filled with guys in suits (did we wear suits for that? I forget)

[lordofthemark]

@Fairlington124 205778 wrote:

Any news on this front? I know fall and winter are slow times for infrastructure development.

G Street NW PBL is complete basically from 17th to Virginia (IE 24th)

20th Street NW PBL from G down to Virginia (IE E Street) and almost done last I looked to Constitution.

NJ Avenue NW from Eye to N, IIRC?

4th Street SW /NW from Eye street SW to Madison.

Some small improvements right around NJ SE and Tingey

[lordofthemark]

@accordioneur 205765 wrote:

Yes, I’m a cyclist, but I’m not a car hater as many cyclists are. In fact, I like cars – enough to notice interesting or unusual ones when I see them. That’s how I already knew where to find a Bug (two, actually – there’s another one in front of the yellow one) right in my neighborhood.

I don’t know if AWitt is participating in the photo scavenger hunt, but she could get this one easily!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23013[/ATTACH]

I’m a Clintonian on cars – they should be safe, legal, and rare. :p

[lordofthemark]

There certainly are a lot of different civil war related markers and street names around here.

I have found myself taking a much narrower approach to this game. Basically doing markers only of forts. By doing so I have been led to several places I had never visited before, which of course means figuring out bike routes I had never tried before, which to me is one of the fun things about FS pointless prize games. So far all have been forts in NoVa, the so called Arlington Line, which as Paul Wilson pointed out, are not all in Arlington (I am still trying to learn when the line received that name, as Arlington County did not exist then, and not all the forts were close to the Custis-Lee Mansion called Arlington) For streets, I have only done streets in Alexandria named after CSA officers (since all new NS in west alexandria were so named for about 40 years, there are a lot)

I will probably diversify as I run out of places in the above categories. My next major goal is to explore the circle forts in DC. Hints about the best routes through greater Anacostia to the circle forts from the Wilson bridge will be appreciated.

[lordofthemark]

@bigredboiler 204000 wrote:

Likely a well known wormhole, Taney Ave has a nice sidewalk to let you stay parallel to Duke St and avoid traffic.

Surely someone has a more creative name too, but I’ll call it the Taney Ave Sidewalk wormhole to keep it simple.
Here it is on the Google map

I do that once in a while – pretty crappy sidewalk (there was I think a project proposed to rebuild with a decent shared use path, but I don’t know the status.) I really want to explore that little connection from Gordon to Raleigh that bypasses Taney Avenue Park

[lordofthemark]

@BicycleBeth 204033 wrote:

Yes. That’s exactly it. Another example: there are three different sets of historic marker signs at Fort Ethan Allen park. I got one set yesterday and am planning to read and visit the two other sets on two more rides.

Oh dear. There are at least a dozen signs around Fort Ward, not counting the newly installed ones that tell the story of the adjacent post war AA community and its 20th century displacement.

[lordofthemark]

@Steve O 203867 wrote:

As the Great OG of Wormholing (GOG W?), I believe my definition has been incorporated, as per Filipe’s recent post:

That part of the Alexandria bike infrastructure is the “ordinary, everyday route everyone already takes.”

So the tiny sidewalk connection behind the tennis court, from Stafford and 35th in South Fairlington to the sidewalk on Quaker Lane, that was on my regular route from home to Valley Drive prepandemic (before avoiding peds was more important, and when there was more volume on Quaker) is not a wormhole because it was my everyday route? Or was a wormhole because most of my (more vehicular) friends went the way I now go, 33rd to Quaker, or Quaker to 36th?

I could probably come up with a dozen more liminal cases.

To me the whole point of wormholes, is how flexible bikes are – depending on conditions, geography, or the rider’s particular skills and preferences – they can zoom along on an arterial, or take advantage of a sidewalk – the wormhole is the tangible expression of “the bike will always get through” I guess if our local authorities have discovered that and incorporated it into their plans and maps, that makes it less of an adventure – even if more of a triumph.

[lordofthemark]

@Steve O 203853 wrote:

I don’t really think of this as a wormhole, since it’s actually an official bike route and highlighted on the Alexandria bike map. It’s just the usual bike path.

So to me wormholeness (wormholocity?) is not a binary. I mean a street open to cars, or a standard long trail, is clearly not a wormhole. A “social path” clear is. A cut through a parking lot would seem to be one. A short trail intended mostly for peds, but legally open to bike riders is one. One that is a designated bike route is still one, I think, if it resembles the above in appearance and function.

[lordofthemark]

@smb9600 203295 wrote:

We all love to learn about the cool stuff being built to make our cycling lives easier. From mechanical stands, to tire ramps up stairs, to all things more substantial let’s share where these gems are located! This can include items built by jurisdictions, business, or even private residents- but must be publicly accessible.

Take a picture & document what it is, and where it’s located & post to this thread. Winner will be determined by the most unique entries.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m happy to see someone else taking on the mission of a FS infrastructure prize.

[lordofthemark]

@SusanG1693 203655 wrote:

#BikeInfrastructure
I use this ramp on a regular basis….after years of seeing it from my car on the beltway!
Eisenhower Ave Connector – Clermont Drive ramp in the Winslow Hills, Alexandria section of Fairfax County

Sent from my SM-G975U1 using Tapatalk

Just so you guys know some of us (most of us? all of us?) refer to that spot as “the Gates of Mordor”

[Author]

Posts