Beware: Open season on cyclists at the Intersection of Doom

[baiskeli]

I got hit there this morning at about 8:30. I was going eastbound and had the white walk signal. It was white when I arrived, so I was moving when I entered. The car that hit me had blocked the intersection and waited for several pedestrians to cross then pulled forward and hit me on my right side. I went down. There were several cyclist witnesses. The driver stopped and apologized and admitted fault--that she had been in the intersection after it turned red for her and then entered the crosswalk and hit me while I had the white walk signal.

Sorry to hear that.

You were legally and morally not at fault. I say that because, just to play the game of "what I would do with the benefit of both hindsight and lots of time to think about it," I think I would want to let the car continue through the intersection and get out of my way even though she had already violated my right-of-way. In essence, it was too late - she had already pulled through - so yielding to her would clean up the mess she made and restore order. For safety's sake, it would be best to wave her through and get her out of your way instead of crossing in front of a driver desperate to get out of the situation and get out of the way of cars honking at her. Yielding despite having the right-of-way is usually a bad idea, but in this situation it might have been best. But again, that's just me, and with lots of time to think about what to do after the fact, so I don't blame you at all for simply proceeding on a green light as was your right to do - no victim-blaming here. Of course, if you waved her through you might also have endangered other cyclists or pedestrians who weren't going to yield though, so maybe I'm all wrong.

[dasgeh]

Sorry to hear that.

You were legally and morally not at fault. I say that because, just to play the game of "what I would do with the benefit of both hindsight and lots of time to think about it," I think I would want to let the car continue through the intersection and get out of my way even though she had already violated my right-of-way. In essence, it was too late - she had already pulled through - so yielding to her would clean up the mess she made and restore order. For safety's sake, it would be best to wave her through and get her out of your way instead of crossing in front of a driver desperate to get out of the situation and get out of the way of cars honking at her. Yielding despite having the right-of-way is usually a bad idea, but in this situation it might have been best. But again, that's just me, and with lots of time to think about what to do after the fact, so I don't blame you at all for simply proceeding on a green light as was your right to do - no victim-blaming here. Of course, if you waved her through you might also have endangered other cyclists or pedestrians who weren't going to yield though, so maybe I'm all wrong.

But if you do this, and there are other people crossing, you are putting them at risk. They have the right of way, so they may be going. The driver may see you stopping, and start going, hitting the other people. Also, at this intersection, people crossing only get 10 seconds of protected crossing. By waving the car through, you'd be stranding yourself and others in the crosswalk while the drivers have a green light to turn. Please don't do this.

[dasgeh]

My go-to move to deal with the IOD's ever more frequent box-blockers is to swing out behind them during the LPI (at least if they are more than halfway to the Key Bridge side of Lee Hwy) on the theory they are less likely to back over me than run me down in the crosswalk as they attempt to avoid the wrath of the Lee Hwy drivers.

Just so you know, ACPD has ticketed a cyclist who was hit when crossing out of the crosswalk because the crosswalk was blocked (not here - at the Weenie Beanie). Technically, the law says you have to cross in the crosswalk.

[huskerdont]

Technically, the law says you have to cross in the crosswalk.

Fine. I'll do like I did in my 20s in Rossyln and pick the bike up and carry it walking over the hood of the BMW in the crosswalk when he was so close to the car in front of him that I couldn't squeeze through.

Actually, no I won't. I'm older and calmer-ish and I'll just go around, law bedamned. When laws don't fit reality...

[Steve O]

Fine. I'll do like I did in my 20s in Rossyln and pick the bike up and carry it walking over the hood of the BMW in the crosswalk when he was so close to the car in front of him that I couldn't squeeze through.

I cannot tell you how many times I have fantasized about doing this.

<bowing down> I am not worthy </end bow>

[drevil]

I cannot tell you how many times I have fantasized about doing this.

<bowing down> I am not worthy </end bow>

[Sunyata]

Where is my ELITE button!?

[huskerdont]

Even though it was the early 90s, I can still remember the look on the lawyer-type's face, but it's just not worth getting that worked up at this point if I can help it. I find the casual middle-digit salute to be much less stressful.

Today at the intersection of doom, I *could* have made the signal, but the person in front of me was dithering and I didn't feel it was safe to pass. So, the flashing-no-walkie hand started, and she went anyway as I stopped. The two lanes of cars mercifully yielded to her even though they no longer had the right-turn prohibition. Then another cyclist passed me and went through with maybe 2 seconds on the countdown, and they also yielded to him. I was cringing for their safety.

Since most people don't know that the flashing hand means don't enter the intersection, and they probably also don't realize that when the flashing starts, motorists no longer have the right-turn prohibition, it's a situation set up for accidents. It's a little better than before the prohibition, but it really needs improvement.

[Brett L.]

That is one of the most satisfying videos I have seen in a long long time!

[dasgeh]

Even though it was the early 90s, I can still remember the look on the lawyer-type's face, but it's just not worth getting that worked up at this point if I can help it. I find the casual middle-digit salute to be much less stressful.

Today at the intersection of doom, I *could* have made the signal, but the person in front of me was dithering and I didn't feel it was safe to pass. So, the flashing-no-walkie hand started, and she went anyway as I stopped. The two lanes of cars mercifully yielded to her even though they no longer had the right-turn prohibition. Then another cyclist passed me and went through with maybe 2 seconds on the countdown, and they also yielded to him. I was cringing for their safety.

Since most people don't know that the flashing hand means don't enter the intersection, and they probably also don't realize that when the flashing starts, motorists no longer have the right-turn prohibition, it's a situation set up for accidents. It's a little better than before the prohibition, but it really needs improvement.

This was exactly my morning at the IoD. Exactly.