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It appears that I stand out as a Saddle Guardian.

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@Tim Kelley 118750 wrote:

I think the biggest barrier for people is perception of safety. We need more protected bicycle infrastructure that is good for people ages 8 to 80: protected bike lanes for families and new riders to feel safe using.

My girls have grown up in the Burley-trailer and on their bikes… we do our errands by bike, I commute to work by bike, we even sleep next to our bicycles. The girls “get it” that bicycling is awesome transport and good fun too.

Moreover, we are not a risk-averse family. The girls are gymnasts, their lives filled with flips on the beam and double-flips on the floor and off the bars.

And YET it scares the heck out of me to imagine my girls bicycling around Arlington on their own, as I do, even when they’re older. This is because I know intimately the close calls I’ve had at intersections we all know to be dangerous… Lynn/Lee, Clarendon circle, Shirlington Rd at 4MR Dr., Glebe at 15th, etc.

To me, far more urgent than protected lanes is to fix the handful of truly scary intersections that we know to be a problem. I’m not saying we shouldn’t do the protected lanes and the media as well, but I think that making these nasty intersections safer would hugely change perceptions about bicycling and safety in Arlington.

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I’m late to this party…finally read the article. Agree that it’s silly and superficial.

If we want people to love us bicycle riders, it’s got little to do with what we wear and lots to do with common courtesy, including slowing down and nicely calling/ringing our passes before approaching others – and if anyone likes to go fast to get more exercise, just remember that it makes more muscle to slow/ stop and accelerate again.

As for clothes, I would argue that instead of ditching the spandex or other bike-related gear, to the contrary it’s helpful to be wearing at least some bicycle-riding attire, whether in meetings or in grocery stores, ‘cause this leads to questions and conversations. And it’s as bicycle ambassadors that collectively we can make a difference – those one-on-one conversations that start with “what are those yellow bands around your ankles?” and turn into animated exchanges about safety, routes, money saved (and the vacation upgrades that result ), and so forth. Often people tell me their lives are too busy and complicated to bicycle commute, and then I give them a glimpse of my situation as a single working parent and how the bicycle has actually FIXED my logistical challenges rather than created them.

Even if later the other person has forgotten all that we’ve told them, e.g. about how to get from A to B, I think that they remember our enthusiasm, witnessing us bubble over as we talk about bicycling. And I’d bet that many of them are thinking, “I’ll have what she’s having.” I think these interactions can make a difference.

So why hide the fact that we ride bicycles? I say, go out and flaunt it and share the joy.

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Will this be members-only bike parking…something you have to register and pay for…or will the bike parking be available for anyone who shows up with a bike? Thanks.

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I’ve been telling my Swedish brother about the long-overdue need to fix Lynn/Lee and about dreams to move poles, redirect traffic, build an overpass or an underpass, etc.

So on the topic of tunnels for bicycles, he told me that Stockholm is completing a new commuter-train tunnel running north-south under the whole city. A parallel work tunnel is used in the building process and will be preserved as an emergency evacuation route. The city is now investigating the possibility of making that work-tunnel into a bicycle commuters’ tunnel. If the plan goes through (as seems likely), it would be the longest such bicycle tunnel in the world…

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I’m not sure where Jefferson Drive is… you don’t mean Street?
There is one place on Jefferson St. approaching Columbia Pike where I take the left lane in order to go straight (up the driveway) or turn. Actually that location was one of my worst experiences with “taking the lane,” even though we were stuck at a red light. The angry driver did not like having me in her lane….she felt I needed to be on the sidewalk.
More to your point, there is one location where I always ride on the left of the cars even though there is a bike lane on the right. That’s on 34th St. approaching Key Bridge in DC. The cars bunch up there and barely move. If you stick to the right-side path, it means you end up in the right-turn traffic lane onto M St. OR you do a do-si-do with the cars to get to the other side at last minute. Simply staying on the left feels safest there…with extreme caution in case of dooring.

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Yikes. I’ve been away (not for fun) and largely off-line, and am only now seeing these scary sad sagas. Hugs and get-well wishes to Boomer, Klizotte, and Dickie. Heal fast and kill those bad bugs!!
Rooting for you. w&w

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Hmm. Thanks. Guess I’ve been “a girl” too long to imagine anything else, but the advantages do sound impressive.

Now if you could use it to enter the boys’ room at truck stops then I’d be totally sold. But that might raise eyebrows. Those female lines can be absurdly long.

Sounds like some of the modesty benefits might be reduced in winter, depending on what you wear.

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This thread is totally cracking me up.

But truth is I just don’t get it.

Not asking for any demos, but maybe you can just tell us when one would actually use this thing? I mean, you still have to go into porta potties (hand sanitizer here we come!) or you can just get intimate with a tree? Seems you’d still need to get the shorts/tights out of the way. So I can’t quite figure out the advantage.

In the linked image there’s a lady rock climber. I can imagine how the gadget could be useful on a rock wall… or on a spaceship.

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Did McMenamin get our bicycling questionnaire, or did it only go out to the D’s? Let’s send it to him (Chris?) if we haven’t already. Thanks!

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When the ACPD brought accident records to the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting about 18 months ago, Lee and Lynn was the top location followed by Lee and Fort Myer, but Walter Reed at 4MR Drive was a close third (several of us were concerned ‘cause that’s where Phoenix Bikes was thinking of relocating). Those left turning vehicles can be really dangerous. I hope the cyclist is okay.

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@ian74 117554 wrote:

Man…the symbolism.. running right to you staring into your very soul is blondie in a tank top and yoga pants, she is smirking…SMIRKING.

Hmm… maybe she’s penetrating your soul, but not mine. :+)

Seems odd that her basket is on the back of her bicycle.

But I agree it’s a good read, lycra-clad insects and all.

It’s an interesting point about the explosive growth of running as opposed to cycling. I wonder how we can turn that around. Bicycling has the huge advantage that it gets you places.

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This is a delayed response (these past couple weeks have been chaos), but I wanted to say thx for the really interesting and funny replies on the “other sports” thread. You all deserve Elite from me!

I loved reading the comparisons with skateboarding, ice hockey and other sports. I promise I won’t be pulling any cycling jerseys over Dickie’s head. The ultimate Frisbee sounds incredibly fun… we tossed Frisbees at my work retreat last fall and it was a blast even tho my Frisbee often went in the opposite direction from where I intended. Awesome to travel with your own couch, rcannon100… The skiing and horseback riding sound fun, too, though as noted, it’s easier to just get on your bike and ride. I love lordofthemark’s description of his athletic career and his biking obsession – bravo. And I hope that Rod’s yo-yo expertise will become a non-solitary endeavor for at least a day so we can all see his tricks. I also want to hear more about vicegrip’s wreck diving. I will not be taking up Tim Kelley’s offer for pickup basketball. Speak of uneven playing fields…. :+)

As vvill and others noted, the amazing thing about riding is it gets you where you need to go. So it may be a sport but it’s also reliable transportation that’s ready and waiting when you are. And it turns the commute into a deliciously fun and hedonistic escape amidst the overlapping obligations of boss-care, childcare, and eldercare. I think some of us would have been institutionalized long ago were it not for sports, and the bike builds that into the day, everyday… got to get to work, after all.

Thanks again,
w&w

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To the brunette pony-tailed 50-something woman driving the large black SUV that barreled through her left turn going west from 15th St. N across Glebe… I beg you to look where you’re going when you get the Green, not just at the cars that stop for you on your right. I’d been waiting for my Walk signal on the other side of Glebe, at the crosswalk, and there was absolutely no excuse for you not to see me in my hi-viz shirt, freakishly bright reflective new rain cover, and Bike Arlington yellow ankle bands. You had my life in your hands as you finally slowed your vehicle, barely a foot or two from my bicycle. If you’d killed me you would have been even later to wherever you were blindly rushing.

I just read a NYC report that found that cars’ left-hand turns are three times more likely to cause a deadly crash than right-hand turns, and that driver inattention is the main cause of accidents. Both apply here.

These sorts of experiences remind me that following the rules is sometimes the most dangerous course of action if you’re on a bicycle or on foot. And they make me extra grateful for drivers who are conscientious, like the smiling young blonde who blocked traffic turning onto Whitehurst Freeway this morning so that I could cross safely.

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@Rod Smith 116130 wrote:

Oops I guess I missed it. Next time!

Oh no! So close and yet so far. We were so excited to see you arrive on your bike, and then we never saw you come in. I was watching for you at the main entrance, but I figured you must have slipped in the other entry. Then SteveO went outside looking for you. Darn. We stayed ‘til after 11 a.m.
We were in a booth, and height has never been my forte….

We had a King Cake (not holey but perhaps holy), which fit nicely with the Sleaze Queen.

Many thanks to Rod, komorebi, Arlingtonrider and SteveO for coming by!
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