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@Brendan von Buckingham 96711 wrote:

Second paragraph–sadly–is wishful thinking. Driver will use the “I didn’t see the red light because of the sun” defense and nothing of great consequence will be further done.

Yet 99.9% of the drivers manage to obey these signals, even when their visibility is so compromised. I share your cynicism about the likely legal outcome. Perhaps the victim will have some opportunity for civil recourse. In any case, I’ll never be convinced that it’s acceptable for a 21st-century civilization to externalize motorists’ risks and liabilities to the extent ours does.

If this woman had been hit by an unintentional discharge from a firearm, would society be so quick to write it off as an “unfortunate accident”? Each year more Americans are killed by cars than guns (although the gap is narrowing). Call me naive (and yes I know I’m preaching to the choir here), but a culture change is needed whereby folks are held just as accountable for negligent and reckless behavior with their automobiles as they would be with any other deadly weapon.

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@dasgeh 96683 wrote:

My understanding is that there is a project to upgrade this exact signal (50 & Irving), but I’m not 100% sure it will change the lights for 50.

Interesting. Any idea what the upgrade would consist of?

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@rcannon100 96670 wrote:

“Dont blame the victim” taken to its completion means we would never do anything to mitigate risks. We would not have seatbelts. We would not have airbags. We would not wear helmets. We would not wear bike lights.

And I would ride the right lane of Route 50 to Glebe when heading to Ballston 😮 Choosing to instead cross at Irving is just another example of risk mitigation.

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@arlrider 96635 wrote:

But also thumbs down to ARLnow for closing the story talking about traffic impacts. Talk about trivializing the value of a human life.

I disagree. It’s part of the story and shouldn’t be withheld. If anything, the fact that it’s only buried at the end of the article says exactly the opposite.

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@dasgeh 96653 wrote:

I thought “don’t blame the victim” went without saying, but apparently I was wrong.

Not crossing at grade is not that simple. From this intersection, finding a grade-separated option involves a mile detour for those who can’t take the pedestrian bridge: bridge at Glebe or tunnel at 27. Neither is a good option — riding on Glebe or the substandard sidewalk along Glebe or crossing entrance/exit ramps on the 27 trail. As others have pointed out – there are other ways to mitigate the risk of crossing at a traffic light — for example waiting until the first line of cars coming at you has stopped.

I agree that victim blaming is unacceptable, but I don’t think folks are out of line for suggesting alternatives here. It is good to be aware of all options; each individual has a different risk/reward equation.

The pedestrian bridge is certainly an option for me, but I doubt I’ll use it much for the reasons Dickie mentioned. On my road bike I’ve taken Glebe, though that feels far safer downhill (southbound) when I can ride at close to the automobile speeds. So I will probably continue to cross here, but will definitely be more cautious in the future though.

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I passed through this intersection around 6:15pm, shortly after the collision. I was riding a CaBi heading northbound on Irving crossing 50. When I went through, fire trucks and/or ambulance were blocking the two leftmost westbound lanes of Arlington Blvd, and one lane was squeezing past on the right during the green phase for route 50. All the emergency action was perhaps 50 feet west of the intersection. I saw and heard police just then arriving from the west as I crossed the intersection on the Irving green phase. I did not realize that a cyclist had been involved until seeing this news report. Based on bobco85’s description, I’m guessing he passed through a little while after I did.

Sunshine was a major factor at that hour yesterday, and it would have significantly compromised a westbound driver’s view, especially of the traffic signal itself. I remember thinking to myself that I should minimize my exposure to westbound vehicles, and avoid relying on any driver facing that direction to see me. That’s no excuse though. If you can’t see well enough to obey a traffic signal, you’re driving too fast!

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Many thanks again to bobco85, Rod Smith, and others for an awesome ride last Saturday! My 70-mile total for the day was a personal high (previous was 50), and I might not have stuck it out to the finish without your support. It was an honor and a thrill to ride with you guys. I’ll have to upload some pics in a few days (when I get my camera back from my folks).

I was surprised to have mostly avoided sunburn; those neon green sleeves kept me cool and will pay for themselves in sunscreen savings.

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Thanks for the info. I’m planning to give this a try with my road bike. Looks like the short bit on the Towpath is the only dicey spot surface-wise.

Do you know if I need to pack water/food for the entire day, or will there be stops to top off a bottle along the way (before DC Brau at least)?

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Thank you for organizing this event, Kathy! It was fun to meet and chat with you and the other attendees.

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This sounds like fun! Is it too late for a lurker to RSVP? I can’t get there by 5, but definitely before 6.

I’m a noob part-time commuter (16 miles each way, only 3x/month so far) plus weekend recreational rider. I’ve learned a ton from scanning this forum over the past several months, and look forward to meeting some of you.

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@Geoff 90391 wrote:

That’s what I expect also. 45 people is too many people, in too little time, for any meaningful hands-on.

REI does have hands-on sessions. If memory serves, there will be an all-day session, run by one of their mechanics, for maximum 8 attendees on Saturday 7/26. Registrants will bring their own bikes and will pay $150 for the class.

Ah that makes sense. Explains the price tag too. Should at least be a good intro to this type of maintenance though.

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Thanks for posting this! I also just registered.

Does anyone know what is the usual format for this type of class? Is it hands-on for all or is it just a demo? Do I need to bring a bike? Is it held in the parking lot? I can’t imagine they can accommodate that many people anywhere inside the store.

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