[notmarian]

@BTC_DC 142045 wrote:

Actually sounds like a relatively long commute if Gravelly Point is just your midpoint going to College Park. ~30 miles each way?

Less than that on distance–~22 miles (Gravelly is actually between mile 7 and 8 for me), so not really a super lengthy commute, but yeah, maybe longer than average around this area (I work with folks riding in from Germantown and Annapolis, which seems like a long haul with some big hills). But, I can travel much faster on open, largely residential roads in the District and in Maryland than I can on the trails (at least going in–coming home is different), so it’s usually ~40m to Gravelly via W&OD, FMR, MVT, then another 45 or so once I go over the 14th St. Bridge, if I hit the lights just right. I’ve thought about bypassing MVT taking Eads or the secret road up through Crystal City, but that doesn’t get me around this particular grief point, and I’m not a huge fan of that trail connection.

I was wondering when this thread was going to end up a physics argument!

[notmarian]

@EasyRider 142025 wrote:

Agree. Slow ’em down and ride defensively is about all you can do. That northbound downhill to Gravelly Point is a problem area. There’s also a dirt path down to the water near that blind curve that fishermen use. You should assume that someone could step out onto the MVT from the bushes without warning.

I get all that logic about slow speeds, and I do slow down through that area because there are so many crappy sections, but my worst injury (my knee was described as “bone pulp” by my surgeons) was when I was traveling about 7mph, so I emphatically disagree that slow collisions won’t matter much. Being struck by someone going 22mph still risks a bag of hurt.

[notmarian]

I’d also say maybe “NO TAILGATING” signs would be great there, as well. I have had these three incidents in the last month or so, all headed northbound:

I end up in the middle of a chain of cyclists coming off the second flyover, including some who are following very, very closely on each other. I’m on centerpull brakes–I like a lot of space between me and anything in front of me–and if I leave space between me and the cyclist in front of me, someone decides to try and jump me, comes back into my lane while I’m occupying it, and forces me into a near-collision with the fence.

I am in the middle of a chain of cyclists, and even if I am signaling that I am braking for pedestrians ahead of the blind spot into Gravelly, I get rear-ended by the person riding right on my rear wheel.

I am in the middle of a chain of cyclists, someone has passed me and come in very close, and then grabs a fistful of brake without signaling in the blind spot because there is oncoming traffic. I’ve had nowhere to go but into the oncoming lane, even hitting my own brakes pretty hard.

Am I the one that sucks? What should I be doing differently? I call, ring, and hand signal passes, check my corners, and ride pretty slow, and I feel like I end up in really dangerous situations there. My commute is pretty short–just to College Park–but an accident here at the midpoint of my commute is pretty scary to think about.

[notmarian]

I came through after EMTs were on the scene as well, and certainly hope the cyclist recovers quickly. I noticed several bikes off in the grass in the area (including a sweet looking Rivendell) and assumed more than one cyclist was involved, but perhaps not. That’s the third accident I’ve seen in that area in about a year.

[notmarian]

@DCAKen 135331 wrote:

By chance was this rider wearing tights with yellow accents at the bottom? If so, he was unhappy with me as I stopped for the signs on Union Street. He rang his bell as he rode up behind me at the first stop sign and as he sped on by, seemed to be muttering something over his shoulder at me. I just smiled and complemented him on his stopping abilities.

He was! I had no idea he had a bell–he sure didn’t employ it either time he passed me, nor did he seem to use it to warn anyone for the time I was behind him on Four Mile.

Hey, at least it wasn’t just me.

[notmarian]

Me: lady rider out for a relaxing ride on Four Mile Run and MVT through Old Town before the rain on a Sunday morning.

You: overweight Caucasian middle aged male squeezed into a bib on a fancy road bike who buzzed me first just past the Shirlington Rd. crossing without calling the pass, then encountered me again northbound on the on-road section of MVT coming up from Old Town, where you proceeded to unleash a slew of profanity on me. I was taking the lane instead of risking the door lane, and slowing for 4 way stops behind a white Suburban, and apparently this was my crime against you that entitled you to calling me a “f’ing a-hole” and what sounded a lot like “f’ing c-word” (But may also have been punk, I was mainly trying not to listen to you). My response: “I’m sorry, I’m not the one screaming at strangers on the trail.” I hope your fragile masculinity keeps you warm at night.

This is the sort of harassment that makes it hard for me to tell my girlfriends that bike commuting is a better way to go than dealing with creeps on the metro. This was unusual, but I get followed pretty frequently (have had one come all the way up to my house, and I was close to calling the cops but my neighbors also helped shoo the guy onwards), and a decent amount of run-of-mill catcalling or “friendliness.” It’s just tiring sometimes, and while I’ve met a LOT of great fellow commuters and gotten help on a couple occasions, it’s also pretty intimidating to encounter stuff like this.

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