[Zack]

@huskerdont 149536 wrote:

Used the new Nite Ize spoke lights on the fixie this morning in the dark rainish. I can only assume they were nicely visible. They look dim just sitting there when not spinning, and from above you can’t really tell. I may need to get a pic or video taken.

I have Wheel Brightz and love them. Very bright and I only just replaced the batteries after about a year. People really like seeing them too, they get a lot of compliments.

Anyone else brave the rain this morning? When rain is forecast for both AM and PM commute, I usually wimp out for the Metro but it was just so warm, even the downpour at National didn’t depress my mood!

[Zack]

@huskerdont 148944 wrote:

Oh, that’s an awesome bit o’ chainsuck and chainring break. Glad you were okay and that you like walking.

I’ve put a rear derailleur into the spokes before (resulting in miles of walking out of the woods), and below is a pic of my most recent chainring break, so while you may feel like you’re the only one, you’re not. Bike abusers unite!

I did that too two years ago, new wheel, new derailleur and new chain!

[Zack]

@TwoWheelsDC 148302 wrote:

Mostly delightful, except for the blinkies on the CCT:

Neat, amazing to see so many people biking!

This topic and bright bike headlights came up in a discussion at work the other day. Yes, blinkies are annoying and probably unnecessary on trails. During the day, I use a Light & Motion on slow flash but usually turn it off on the trail as a courtesy and to save juice. If I got a blinkie, I don’t see any use for it on the trail. In the dark, I have my headlight on full blast but try to angle it down a little and away from oncoming bikes. I have a new Hotshot 150 tail light that I leave on while on the trail which is probably a little blinding for some folks. But it is also a stretch to try to turn off or switch to a steady red mode, more of an effort than a headlight.

My view is that while I do feel a little bad about blinding some people, I would much rather be seen by other cyclists and see hazards such as joggers. I have half heard a few people gripe about it as they speed by but I would much rather avoid the ninja-like jogger with no reflective clothing.

[Zack]

@Emm 147619 wrote:

Did my good deed of the day and stopped and helped a woman who had a flat. 2 of her coworkers then stopped (seriously, the CRS has an awesome presence on the MVT!), but out of the 4 of us, I was the only one who had all the tools to fix a flat (spare tube, patch kit, tire levers and and C02 cartridge). Kinda shocked me how many people don’t carry flat fixing tools with them, but maybe I’m just paranoid because I got a flat and then had to walk my bike a few miles on one of my first rides in DC. It was nice having their help though–I am perfectly capable of fixing a flat, but they were able to speed up a few steps that always take me longer, and one of them had a small pump, which I prefer for finishing filling the tube up over a C02 cartridge since there’s less of a risk on bursting the tube.

If I get a flat tire on the way home when I no longer have a spare tube I will seriously cry though–we had to use my spare tube since we couldn’t figure out where the hole in her tube was for patching. Luckily I have plenty more spares at home.

Question though–my C02 cartidge is now half used. Do I just let out the rest of the C02? I have a spare one or 2 cartridges at home so I can easily replace it, but right now it’s just sitting half used in my bag…

Be careful letting it out or don’t bother. I untwisted a half full canister from my trigger and it exploded very loudly out of my hand halfway across Wheel Nutz.

[Zack]

Anyone ever lose a tail light? Got to my work rack to find mine had fallen off. Retracted my route only to find it crushed

[Zack]

@Tim Kelley 146935 wrote:

This guy? http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?10285-Bikes-May-Use-Full-Lane

Yep! Feel free to download your own. I just replaced mine with a larger 11×17 version. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0VMd9gdykZVSUlmd0ExTmdrN2M/view?usp=sharing

There is also some evidence which suggests that it actually works too.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0136973

[Zack]

@chris_s 146635 wrote:

That was not the monsoon that I was promised.

No kidding, I took Metro and regretted it because of the lack of steady rain. It took about the same amount time it takes to ride and shower too

[Zack]

@chris_s 146590 wrote:

Confirmed: Warm rain is some of my favorite weather for biking.

I am glad someone else enjoyed it too! It is nice not to have so many joggers out although it could get a little wet/T-stormy on my way home.

[Zack]

@Steve O 146398 wrote:

In recent discussions about the red light cameras in DC, I learned that the fine for running a red light in DC on a bicycle is $25 while it is $150 for a driver.

Does anyone know if there are different fines in VA like in DC? Maybe the $94 is wrong.

No unlike DC, VA does not have separate fines for bicycling. To break it down, the fine is only $30 but court costs are $64

[Zack]

@barbielwc 146382 wrote:

I received a ticket on Commonwealth Ave this morning. There was no one around except the cop behind me which I didn’t turn around to see. I enjoyed the other cyclist giving him shit about the stop and him parking his motorcycle in the bike lane while writing me a ticket. I should have taken a picture of all the room on the side he could have parked in but I was in disbelieve he was actual giving me a ticket. Thanks $94 gone.

If you don’t mind me asking, how fast were you going? Did you slow down noticeably? Or did the officer ticket you for not completely stopping?

There is a certain irony of APD breaking the law while conducting a campaign ostensibly for safety. On Tuesday, a motorcycle officer was parked in the sidewalk at Del Ray Ave and Commonwealth, a blatant violation of Sec. 10-4-10. It is an image issue that they don’t seem to care about.

[Zack]

Feel free to do a click call connect for this location again for APD and include that anecdote about the jogger.

[Zack]

@LeprosyStudyGroup 146339 wrote:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12470[/ATTACH]

I *volunteered to count* for BPAC this past weekend at the intersection where Commonwealth goes under the train tracks at the King St. Metro.

Here’s a picture of my form from Saturday. Take a look at the red circled area. I decided to amuse myself by counting the number of southwest bound vehicles that failed to come to a complete stop at the stop sign during a random 15 minute period (yeah it gets boring counting peds). 23 cars didn’t stop during that 15 minutes. Only two cars drove through the stop sign at speed though (I guess between 15-25 MPH) – they were both Taxis.

I didn’t notice if any of the 6 bikers didn’t stop, and I would lend them the assumption that they made sure whatever they did wouldn’t lead to their immediate deaths.

Lucky you! I counted there last time and can confirm that many of the right turning drivers just glide right through the stop sign. I think I will do a click call connect for this location. Unfortunately, the Cameron St Complete Street project leaves all THREE traffic lanes alone here, ostensibly because removing one might impact the level of service at the intersection.

[Zack]

Oh and I used click call connect to report the midblock crosswalk on Braddock Rd in front of 7 Eleven. While the eastbound drivers (1 lane) are very good at stopping, the westbound drivers (2 lanes) are not. Later that day, I had a very nice conservation with Sgt Seckler’s new deputy and they plan to send someone out to take a look.

[Zack]

@scorchedearth 146296 wrote:

I submitted the bane of my existence which happens to be an intersection near my apartment where I regularly am nearly run over by people driving who can’t be bothered to yield the right of way. I’ll continue to do so in order to draw attention to these issues. If anything happens, I’ll be sure to post an update.

Lots of people complained about those bumps. I would like it fixed too but in the city’s mind, it is. They had the contractor (or someone) come back and reduce the speed bump height (they were 6″ too tall). I have asked for flexiposts here. But the maintenance folks delayed those for the Van Dorn St lanes for at least a year.

[Zack]

APD just kicked off a dedicated enforcement effort for at least 60 days targeting cyclists, pedestrians and drivers equally. They plan to reassess at 60 days and may extend it 30 more. According to the head of the motors unit, officers are looking to warn or ticket cyclists who do not slow down for stop signs. They are not looking for a complete stop with a foot down but do want to see cyclists slow down, yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and cars entering the intersection or stopped first. APD does understand about clips and does not expect those cyclists to completely stop so long as they yield to pedestrians and cars with the right of way. Expect motorcycle officers along the Old Town/Union St corridor as well as Del Ray/Commonwealth corridor although they do want to cover the entire city.

On Monday morning, I saw one officer on sitting a motorcycle at E Del Ray Ave and Commonwealth. I slowed down with another cyclist for that stop sign and the officer did not move. A lot of the officers do not particularly like ticketing cyclists but if a cyclist is rude or defensive, they are more likely to write a ticket than a warning.

While I appreciate that APD appears to understand that nuance between a stop and complete stop, I am not sure targeting pedestrians, cyclists and drivers equally is the best policy, especially given that one group is the predominant cause of injuries and death. APD operates on a complaints driven model and the majority of an unknown number of complaints do eminent from the Union St corridor.

[Author]

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