Missed connection

[jabberwocky]

@ShawnoftheDread 126439 wrote:

Since our trains don’t seem to be able to be fully automated, with only what’s directly in front of them to worry about, I don’t see how self-driving cars are going to save us.

FWIW, Google has one of the largest self-driving car programs around, and they’ve logged over 1 million miles of automated driving in 2 dozen vehicles without a single at-fault accident. Of the accidents they have been in (wiki says 14), most of them were being rear ended by other drivers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car

I think people will be surprised how quickly we have autonomous cars. The tech is most of the way here.

[creadinger]

I thought this thread was for ranting about incidents and numbskulled users of roads and trails? Not thoughtful discussions about driverless car technology and whether it will in fact be safer for the rest of us.

Anyway, getting REALLY tired of the ninja joggers on the MVT in the vicinity of the airport and especially north of gravelly point where there is no ambient light.

To ninja #1 – Oh you didn’t like it when I beamed you in the eyes with my headlight? Well maybe if you wore something, ANYTHING bright colored or reflective, let alone use a blinky light while running at night I wouldn’t have to illuminate your whole body to see you coming at me.

To ninja #2 – Yep I almost hit you today. I was coming up behind a jogger with a reflective vest and a blinky light which caught my attention, and was difficult to see around. Because of those lights in my eyes when I moved over to pass him, I honestly didn’t see you coming until it was almost too late. Perhaps that was because you were wearing dark clothes…. at night! In the end I had to slam on the brakes because I still hadn’t gotten around the jogger on my side yet when you suddenly appeared. Nice job dude. You deserve everything that’s coming to you.

[scoot]

Me: Pennsylvania Avenue NW, riding in the right lane westbound starting at 17th Street, Sunday at 5:30pm
You: MPD cop driving eastbound on Pennsylvania, between 18th and 17th. Making a sudden U-turn and pulling up in the lane alongside me. Precisely matching my extremely slow speed for 3 blocks. (Granted the signals were red on approach to each intersection, so there was nothing to be gained by going any faster.) Finally running the light at I to make a left onto 21st without activating your lights or siren.

WTF?

[GovernorSilver]

@creadinger 126742 wrote:

I thought this thread was for ranting about incidents and numbskulled users of roads and trails?

Also for being attacked by other forumites who don’t agree with your rant or otherwise misintepret your post.

[gibby]

TO: young woman in yellow jacket on TJ Memorial sidewalk/path about 8a today.

I am completely baffled by your riding behavior and subsequent yelling at me, so I really do hope you read this forum so you can tell me how you felt endangered by my passes, so I don’t do it again.

Perhaps you were wearing ear buds or have a hearing problem, but why would you continue to veer to the left side of the curved sidewalk/path if you did hear me (as you said later) calling- twice – ‘On Your Left’ My speed was about 12-13 mph so no TDF wannabe here. (passing with about 3-4 feet between us)

And then why would you pass me at that first light, which was red, on Maine Ave, only to then have to stop at the next red light, knowing there is a faster cyclist coming behind you when the light changes? So this time as I waited for you to start climbing that little hill, with you riding in the middle/left of the sidewalk/path, and then passed you when there was room (no pedestrians or other cyclists around), you yelled at me for passing too closely (I’m guessing about 4-5 feet between us).???
I did not call out this time, cuz I was a little peeved that you cut in front of me at the red light.

All I can say is, if you feel that uncomfortable about riding near other cyclists and you are going at a slower pace, please stay to the right.

What would have made you feel safer on my passes?

[bentbike33]

ME: Riding west on the “Anacostia River Trail”, a.k.a, the sidewalk on the south side of Maine Ave. SW, around 5:00, slowing as I approached the exit ramp from northbound 14th Street to eastbound Maine Ave between the railroad and 14th street bridges as the east-facing Walk signal counted down the seconds: “69, 68, 67…”

YOU: Coming down the ramp in your red SUV focused like a laser beam on the eastbound Maine Ave. traffic to your left looking to roll through the red light.

ME: Screaming “HEY!” at the top of my lungs to get your attention.

YOU: Slamming the brakes and looking scared to death to see a sidewalk user coming from the other direction. Did not the very bright white Walk signal with the very long red-number countdown shining on your face clue you in that someone just might possibly be approaching from your right, and you should check?

Sometimes I wonder whether “right turn on red” might have been The Beginning of the End of Western Civilization.

[ursus]

@bentbike33 126914 wrote:

ME: Riding west on the “Anacostia River Trail”, a.k.a, the sidewalk on the south side of Maine Ave. SW, around 5:00, slowing as I approached the exit ramp from northbound 14th Street to eastbound Maine Ave between the railroad and 14th street bridges as the east-facing Walk signal counted down the seconds: “69, 68, 67…”

YOU: Coming down the ramp in your red SUV focused like a laser beam on the eastbound Maine Ave. traffic to your left looking to roll through the red light.

ME: Screaming “HEY!” at the top of my lungs to get your attention.

YOU: Slamming the brakes and looking scared to death to see a sidewalk user coming from the other direction. Did not the very bright white Walk signal with the very long red-number countdown shining on your face clue you in that someone just might possibly be approaching from your right, and you should check?

Sometimes I wonder whether “right turn on red” might have been The Beginning of the End of Western Civilization.

Right turn on red is not allowed at that intersection. There are signs both there and earlier on the ramp. (You probably know that.)

Personally, I think that in PM rush hour the waits between green lights for cars coming down that ramp are so long that drivers are prone to do stupid things. It makes sense having it that long based solely on the volume of traffic from the two directions but it still is too long.

Edit: The light is apparently just as long in the AM rush hour.

[bentbike33]

YOU: Jogger clad in your Boss Ninja Suit shoaling me to the left at the red light for the intersection of the eastbound Custis Trail and Ft. Myer Drive.

ME: Following you as we barely jump the light as Ft. Myer Drive traffic had cleared.

YOU: Reaching the other side of Ft. Myer Drive, then after a few paces leaping across the center line from the westbound lane to the eastbound lane.

ME: Also reaching the other side of Ft. Myer Drive, in the eastbound lane of the Custis, hitting the brakes, and ringing and yelling a warning, but perhaps failing to be heard over the roar of the accelerating Harley-Davidson motorcycle on westbound Lee Highway.

YOU: Leaping back into the westbound lane of the Custis and launching into a lengthy, largely unintelligible, curse-laden tirade against me.

ME: Scooting through the IoD while I had the “No Right Turn” light and hoping whatever was going so wrong in your life to produce such an intense level of anger will get better soon. One thing that might help is wearing something reflective and/or a light when you are jogging in your Boss Ninja Suit so cyclists can see you sooner and provide earlier warnings of passes/avoid close calls. I can understand how being passed closely with little warning in the dark can be unnerving, but the good news is there are actions you can take to reduce this source of stress!

Also, if you are going to shoal cyclist at stop lights, you might want to hold whatever line you choose until the cyclists you’ve shoaled have passed.

[Steve O]

@bentbike33 127036 wrote:

Also, if you are going to shoal cyclist at stop lights, you might want to hold whatever line you choose until the cyclists you’ve shoaled have passed.

Either that, or run faster than the cyclist is going.

[wheelswings]

Sorry to hear, bentbike33, not a good way to start the day… and especially precarious at that intersection. It’s asking for trouble to wear a ninja suit and dart back and forth like a squirrel…
I’ve been shoaled by runners as well. I think sometimes they see my small stature, big ol’ bike and girly attire, and they figure they must be faster.

[Emm]

@wheels&wings 127061 wrote:

I’ve been shoaled by runners as well. I think sometimes they see my small stature, big ol’ bike and girly attire, and they figure they must be faster.

Joggers have shoaled me when I’m wearing a jersey/shorts/on a carbon race bike, and I’ve seen them do it to men in similar attire too. Joggers just see empty space, and go run in place there since they want to start jogging as quick as possible once the light turns. I don’t think they are thinking about safety. The same thing generally goes for cyclists who shoal…

[Steve O]

@wheels&wings 127061 wrote:

… and they figure they must be faster.

And they will be wrong.

[bentbike33]

@ursus 126922 wrote:

Right turn on red is not allowed at that intersection. There are signs both there and earlier on the ramp. (You probably know that.)

Actually I did not know until you pointed it out. I’ve never driven down that ramp, and I’ve seen so many cars ignore the signs I figured there was no restriction.

[Drewdane]

First EST evening commute, headed WB on the WOD.

You: Barrelling down the entry path to the WOD at Harrison Street (I think), cutting off the cyclist in front of me to enter the Eastbound lane, with an extremely powerful light blazing.

Me: Seeing you coming, covers my light. As in, totally covers the lens. Full dark.

You: Angry voice: [unintelligible] LOWER YOUR [unintelligible} LIGHT!!

Sir, I don’t know what passes for civil discourse in your apparently brain-damaged little corner of the world, but trust me when I tell you the hearty “F*CK OFF!” I gave you was well deserved.

[Terpfan]

And then there was this guy on Washington St last night:
https://youtu.be/4Bq_CbzAJgI

Pulls out in front of me at a crawl and then speeds up at a whopping 1mph. I swear, some people just suck. This guy is one of those just suck people.

[Author]

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