[rcannon100]

@jnva 22007 wrote:

I thought pedestrians have the right of way on a multiuser path – why do you want them to move? This is the problem I have with this situation. I have a hard time believing this 80 year old woman was ignoring the cyclists warnings. If you as a cyclist can not stop in time to avoid hitting a pedestrian on a mup, then you are going too fast.

Unfortunately it is a problem of location. Where the incident probably happened, it is extremely hilly, and curvy, with no side to the paths. There is essentially no opportunity for evasion.

And unfortunately, the terrain is so rugged at this point, even the smallest nudge can cause someone to fall over.

No, pedestrians dont have the right of way as you are suggesting. It is a multiple user path. It is for everyone. Bikes are suppose to yield to pedestrians, but the concept of yield always assumes that the other party is acting in a predictable manner. Bicyclists yield to pedestrians; pedestrians must walk on the right and not block the path. Pedestrians must not do unpredictable turns. This is the same on the road – cars are suppose to yield to pedestrians, but pedestrians have a duty to ensure the road / crosswalk is clear and safe before entering. “right of way” is no the same as “always has the right”

In this case we can assume that the cyclists did everything by the book. We can assume a reasonable speed, signalling, use of bell, and passing as far on the left as possible. In this situation, when the pedestrian – as described in the reports – turns and hooks left to look at the oncoming bicycle – there is nothing that the bicyclists can do…. at any speed.

These are shared paths. Everyone that uses them needs to be familiar with the rules. Pedestrians as well as cyclists. There is nothing in any description that has suggested that this cyclists did anything wrong, nor was the cyclists receive a traffic citation.

That does not in any way overcome the tragedy of this situation.

[rcannon100]

OW!!!!!!

When I was young and stupid (now I am old and stupid), I went mountain biking on a pacific beach. You know how the waves lick against the sand, and create sort of small vertical walls. We always have fun standing on top of these things and crumbling down. Well, I was having fun hopping them. I hopped a particularly tall one, landed on the wet firm sand below, and the front tire stuck. Didnt budge. The rest of the bike however kept coming – over the handlebars I went.

I went into an Ultimate Frisbee tuck (frisbee players are very good at falling down). This was good. I missed my head. Landed flat on my shoulder. Crunch. Wet sand has the consistency of cement.

They say your shoulder is the most painful bone to break. I enjoyed the hour long coastal highway drive back to civilization. I can still see where my clavicle busted.

Take your time. Tighten that figure 8 brace. Heal well. You will be glad you did in 50 years.

[rcannon100]

Makes me realize what a weird position cyclists are in since we don’t carry insurance like drivers do for personal injury.

We are in a bad situation regardless. It becomes a he said / she said situation. This is why I use a contour camera on my handlebars always (and am seriously thinking about mounting it on my car dashboard). If and when it happens, photographic evidence is about the best thing to quell abusive claims.

If you are in an accident – there is a WABA form you can carry, not a bad idea
* Get the name of the police officers
* Get the names of the witnesses
* Take lots of photographs, even after the fact
* Go home and write down exactly what happened
* Get medically checked out

Consider hiring an attorney if merited.

If you witness an accident, try to give your name as a witness.

Two years ago I was hit by a car at Lincoln circle. Fortunately I was not seriously hurt. I took lots of pictures. I had a police report and a witness. And fortunately SPOKES gave me an itemized estimate of what it would cost to repair my bike. GEICO, the driver’s insurance, was surprisingly easy to work with, and with the above evidence, paid for my new bike.

It is really unfortunate that this happened. Take a moment and think through what you would do if you are in an accident…. and prepare.

[rcannon100]

ARLCO Police Just Released this Statement

Elderly Female Dies After Being Struck By Bicyclist
No Charges Brought Against Bicyclist During Tragic Accident
June 12, 2012
MEDIA CONTACT: Dustin Sternbeck, 703.228.4331

June 12, 2012

ARLINGTON, Va. – A 80 year old Arlington resident was pronounced dead late yesterday afternoon at Fairfax Hospital after being struck by a bicyclist.

The Arlington County Emergency Communications Center received the initial 9-1-1 report at 7:11 a.m. on June 11, 2012, regarding a collision between a bicyclist and pedestrian on the Four Mile Run Bike Path in the area of the 4900 block of Columbia Pike. The victim sustained significant head trauma after falling backwards, striking the back of her head on the pavement. The 62 year old bicyclist remained on scene and received treatment for a minor knee injury. He did not require transport to a hospital.

According to a witness and the bicyclist, the 62 year old man was heading downhill on his Next Powerclimber bike when he saw the victim ahead of him and attempted to warn her by yelling “to your left” and ringing a bell. This is when the 80 year old woman stepped to her left and turned around to be struck head-on, causing her to fall backwards to the ground.

Ita Lapina, 80, of Arlington, VA, succumbed to the injuries she sustained during the June 11 incident. She was pronounced dead at the hospital at 6:20 p.m.

For information related to bicycle and pedestrian safety, please visit the Prevention and Safety section on the Arlington County Police Department homepage at http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/Police/PoliceMain.aspx External link.

[rcannon100]

And please call your passes further back. If someone is going to turn and say “what?” when you have signaled further back, you will have more time to react. If the sequence is (a) signal (b) unanticipated response from pedestrian (c) collision, then you are calling too close. You call needs to far enough back that when the pedestrian “reacts,” you can respond appropriately.

Note that the article describes the incident as on 4MR, not W&OD, and on a hill. If that is accurate, I know that spot. Very dangerous and hard to maneuver. I was using 4MR to bypass the traffic lights on W&OD, but have since decided that it puts me too close to pedestrians.

This is very sad news.

[rcannon100]

I think you misread my statement.

I did read it upsidedown. And I do defer to your meticulous methodology

[rcannon100]

Oh yes please stop.

Yes, this goes back to the jaywalking thread. But in this case we are talking about children from a very young age to teenagers (and I am not sure which are dumber (I have two teenagers)). Small critters will do the most erratic, unpredictable things. Everyone where a bus stops needs to stop. Those kids are my neighbors.

I think a slow roll up to the stopped bus area isnt a problem, just once you get to that stopped bus, if its still flashing – then “None Shall Pass.”

[rcannon100]

Dismal: CCT is the highest???? Can I check your methodology???

Have to say, during commute hours I have almost no trouble on the MVT. The Muggles are obvious (tourists, and joggers from GTown) and you take care around them. During, er, “recreational hours” – yeah, the MVT is a different creature that I generally try to avoid.

Today on the MVT I came upon two cyclists pulled over on the boardwalk on the Roosevelt. One had found a rather large turtle on the boardwalk and was carrying it to safety. 😮

[rcannon100]

Always have been. Always will be.

This is not entirely true.

A first issue is faulty infrastructure. We have a transportation infrastructure that is crap (take the GW Parkway crossings). Where the infrastructure is crap, it leads people to solve the problem themselves. This in and of itself can be bad, but then people start solving the situation in conflicting ways.

Route 50 is a good example. There are large populations on either side that well like each other. ArlCo has solved the problem some. There is a good bridge at TJ. There is a good bridge at 7Corners. Where the accident took place, I dont have sufficient facts, but the pedestrian could have gone under Route 50 on Washington. Washington is on the slate for major improvements, including a bike path.

ArlCo is very good about it. But not perfect. Other places are simply atrocious and it is no surprise to see people jaywaking.

Second, it is a cultural thing. Apparently the jaywaying / accident rate over in Wheaton is way off the chart. And this is reportedly with cops out ticketing and educating people.

Finally it is an enforcement thing. Traffic enforcement has changed dramatically over the last 30 years. If I read it correctly, in Arlington, although Arlington has seen tremendous growth in 20 years, the police force has not expanded. There is a big “well duh” problem.

* Infrastructure (we can change it)
* Culture (it is changeable)
* Enforcement (it can be improved)

It is massively unfortunate. I must say, I use these incidents regularly as “teaching moments.”

[rcannon100]

It’s 8.15 pm. The sun is going down. Spent the day exploring why the garden drain was not draining (turns out the garden drain pipes have probably not existed for 20 years… nothing but mud). Do I give up on NatBikCha? Do I give up my 20 points per day on a bike?? HELL NO! Drag the carcass onto the bike. Forget my helmet (oops) and forget my glasses (oops). And put in 2 long painful mournful terrible despicable atrocious miles! #IWillNotBeDropped #WellMaybeNextWeek

[rcannon100]

@TwoWheelsDC 21651 wrote:

Would definitely prevent this:

OH THAT’s BAD.

I saw some Japanese tourists trapped inside the new temporary fences, walking in the NB GW Parkway, trying to figure out like test mice how to get out of the maze that they had found themselves in.

[rcannon100]

From a comment on WASHCYCLE

I would encourage anyone who believes that these bollards are unnecessary and potential dangerous to contact VDOT – Mr. Garrett Moore

Garrett.Moore@VDOT.Virginia.gov

I’ve already written numerous emails explaining that all they’ve really done is provided a predictable location for bicycle accidents, and thus have actually made the path LESS safe than it was before.

There’s a lot more detail here, but if anyone is really interested in sending VDOT a message, email me @ Cricket2308@hotmail.com and I can provide you some of the issues I raised and the responsed I received.

[rcannon100]

You’re less likely to be immediately ignored if you’re not using a form letter. Point and click advocacy is easy, but the recipients know how little effort it takes and weight it appropriately.

From an agency point of view, YIP. We get 1000s of pro forma messages, created by JOE CAUSE, sent out to their 1000000 supporters, 10% of which gets bounced back to us verbatim with clarity that the person sending it unlikely understands what the issue even is. In terms of influence, the ranking is just about….

* Meeting
* Face to Face encounter
* Call
* Publicity (blogs, news articles, TV coverage, UBoob videos)
* Messages (emails, tweets, FB)
* Writing a message inside a cave in Nevada where no one will see it for 1000 years
* Form letters

[rcannon100]

Again, if you are startling people with you calls, please try calling your passes further back.

[rcannon100]

personal pain points

In my experience, getting citizens to share their direct first hand experience with how government decisions impact their lives is immeasurably valuable.

The people who get the big picture, they are called lobbiest. Mash the play button, spit out the same old mubble jumble. Yawn.

[Author]

Posts