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@Judd 197863 wrote:

Yes. Contributory negligence is dead this year. Scott Surovell introduced it and was the only one that voted for it in committee.

Good heavens, what a backwards state we live in, right alongside Alabama, Maryland and North Carolina. Pathetic.

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So the efforts to fix contributory negligence in Virginia are dead in the water… defeated 14 to 1… am I understanding that correctly?

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Waiting for the boys to catch up.

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@rcannon100 197034 wrote:

This should make Robyn happy

Not necessarily. The dangerous part is crossing Shirlington Road and also 4MR Dr. There is no safe way to get across. Crossing 4MR Drive first is perilous because of the speeding right and left turns. Crossing Shirlington Rd at either location is equally bad. At 4MR Drive and Shirlington Rd the cars do not stop before their turns. If you do cross 4MR Dr. first, you can use the beg button to cross Shirlington Rd. But drivers ignore (or speed up at) the flashing yellow lights (why aren’t they red?) triggered by the beg button, even if they are approaching a red light. It is a terrible set of intersections if you’re not in a 4000 lb tank.

According to the article, we will have a better bridge across Four Mile Run stream. But the bridge is not really the problem. Personally I’m fine on the narrow bridge, even if there are others using it at the same time. I can go super slow and we will all stay alive. It’s crossing the road that’s the real problem. That’s where we can die. And that’s where our kids will get a false sense of security when they press the button, not realizing that the drivers will accelerate rather than stop. It appears there’s been no resolution… I hope I am misunderstanding…

From ArlNow: “The Four Mile Run plan also considered an underpass running beneath the bridge, negating the need for cyclists and other trail users to cross busy Shirlington Road, though that was not discussed at the Transportation Commission meeting.”

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I’m curious about the Bicycle Friendly Laws and Ordinances category. The League rates Arlington “Good.” Yet Virginia (and three other states, AL, NC, and MD) still follow the outdated and often-punitive Contributory Negligence doctrine, and still allow Right-Turns-on-Red with minimal exception. Arlington simply follows the state laws, but if leaders had back-bone I think they would be fighting these issues at the state level. And then there are Arlington-specific rules like the one requiring home builders to install one and sometimes two driveways for cars, with no exception – not even for public bicycle parking. I’m not convinced Arlington’s laws deserve the “Good” rating.

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Back by un-popular demand: the 2020 London Bridge Prize. This is the prize for most crashes during the months of Freezing Saddles. I had hoped the prize would become irrelevant this year ‘cause we’d all stay upright, but based on Strava reports it appears such hopes have been dashed many times over.

The hashtag will be #londonbridge…. obscurerichard has updated the leaderboard using #londonbridge or #fs2020londonbridge, so feel free to use either one.

We also encourage those who go down to record a description of their experiences on this thread: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?9868-W-amp-W-London-Bridge-Pointless-Prize-Log

Happy riding. Be safe!! w&w

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Oh good heavens. Terrifying photos indeed. Praying for the victim of this nightmare.

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Today on my morning run I stopped at 19th and Sycamore and snapped a couple pictures. When I ventured through that intersection two nights ago, I was heading west. Why had I crossed the I-66 on-ramp? Because I was following the Detour signs. The sign for westbound cyclists is on the far side of the ramp. As a vehicular cyclist, that seems reasonable, as I want to ride with traffic – not against it. My destination was up 19th, which becomes Westmoreland. There is nothing telling you to cross on the south side if you are a cyclist heading west. And that would only add intersections to get through amidst a lot of hurried and distracted drivers coming to and from the Metro and surrounding areas. So I simply followed the Detour signs…

I need to get around Banneker several times a day at all different hours. I am grateful for the advice of my route-savvy peers…now I am crossing Roosevelt downstream and taking Columbia. I just worry about ignorant folks (like I was) who actually follow the designated detour route. At the very least, I would move the detour signs and put up a warning about crossing the on-ramp. Or even better, fix the signals so pedestrians and bicycle riders have a designated time to cross. As for me, I will stick with Columbia.

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oh no, so sorry to hear this!! What a miserable first day on the new job. Heal fast. Sending hugs. w&w

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Elite!!!!

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@VikingMariner 194258 wrote:

https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a29762318/why-more-cyclists-are-dying/

What a disturbing, depressing, fascinating article. Thanks for posting, VikingMariner. The author talks about the huge spike in fatality rates among bicycle riders over the past decade. He shows how the increase is in sync with the enormous increase in SUVs (far more lethal than sedans when hitting bicycle riders and pedestrians…victims go underneath rather than onto the hood); the use of smartphones (using apps, watching videos, and texting while driving), and the large increase in car trips (and resulting congestion and road rage). Based on the fatality statistics, he questions whether Sneed’s Law of bicyclist-safety-in-numbers may be outweighed and invalidated when you add SUVs, smartphones and road rage to the equation.

Before we lose all hope, here is last week’s delightful NYT piece about biking in Copenhagen, where 49 percent of trips to school or work are by bike.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/09/world/europe/biking-copenhagen.html

And here is an older piece on Denmark’s bicycle-powered hearse (referenced in the above NYT story):
https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-07-15/how-get-one-final-bicycle-powered-ride-copenhagen

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Yes!
The route into McLean was very straightforward and I especially liked the little detour via Timberly to minimize the time on Lewinsville. After the event, I continued north on Swinks Mill and that’s when I came to the road closure, just south of Georgetown Pike. Bentbike suggested the bridge may have swept away in the July 8 floods. So I didn’t get to try the rest of the route, just retraced my steps, but it’s good to know about those roads for future. I was a little nervous venturing into Cartopia so I used lots of lights and dressed like a freak.

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Huskerdont, Subby, and bentbike33: Thanks so much for your help with these routes. I definitely prefer steep climbs and extra mileage over getting hit, even if by a BMW with good insurance. And I’ve not yet signed up for the optional death and dismemberment plan.
So I guess I will try Great Falls St. and then get on the left side after crossing 123 and continue on Lewinsville (left side “infrastructure”) to Swinks Mill … or if it seems dicey I will cross over and try Timberly, Huntmaster and Bridal Path.
Swinks Mill itself isn’t bad?
And on the way back I’ll keep going north on Swinks Mill, then right/east on Georgetown Pike (shoulder), right on Balls Hill, left on Churchill (crossing 123, becoming Chain Bridge Rd), and then a left on Westmoreland. Sounds safe-ish?
Thanks!
w&w

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Thanks tons, bentbike33. I’m happy to climb hills, but yeah – it’s the cars that scare me on those narrow and windy roads. I will study your options. Based on the Zillow numbers in that neighborhood, I think you’re right that it will be BMWs, Lexus, and Mercedes whipping by me, and maybe a Porsche or two.

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Robert’s Forum name was vern, and that’s what some of us called him. He was our teammate on the Bipolar Beams Team 6 in my first Freezing Saddles, 2015. Ian F was our captain and vern and I were co-cheerleaders. It was an absolute blast. Vern was so kind and thoughtful … and supremely funny. The news is really upsetting.

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