Dismount and walk your bike - Glen Echo

[Anonymous]

In the past 2 weeks I have witnessed 3 near-accidents as cyclists pretending to be Lance Armstrong refuse to follow the multiple signs that instruct them to dismount and walk their bikes in the crosswalk. Why are they refusing to do this? Would that rather be roadkill than lose literally 1 minute of their commute time in the morning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the past 2 weeks I have witnessed 3 near-accidents as cyclists pretending to be Lance Armstrong refuse to follow the multiple signs that instruct them to dismount and walk their bikes in the crosswalk. Why are they refusing to do this? Would that rather be roadkill than lose literally 1 minute of their commute time in the morning?

I don't know which intersection you are talking about, and have never ridden in Glen Echo.

But I know nobody is trying to Lance Armstrong. He hasn't been in the Tour de France since 2010.

I wouldn't mind being Geraint Thomas though.

[Anonymous]

In that general area there are a ton of cyclists who have no problem slowing you down but expecting you to be respectful of them only for them to blow through stop signs and break the rules of the road when it serves them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In that general area there are a ton of cyclists who have no problem slowing you down but expecting you to be respectful of them only for them to blow through stop signs and break the rules of the road when it serves them.

True. So obnoxious.

[Anonymous]

Do you mean the intersection of a MacArthur and the entry into the Clara Barton? It’s a bit scary how they blow through there. I got yelled at by a cyclist who was behaving in just the manner you described. I posted about it a few weeks ago. I’m with you 100%. They’re going to cause an accident, and between a ton or so of metal and a dude on a bike, guess who’s going to fare better?

[Anonymous]

Apparently they attach their feet to their pedals and don’t want to take the effort to undo the connection. I learned this from the bicyclist who crashed into my car which was legally stopped at a stop light as he was almost run over by another bicyclist.

They should have license plates so they can be ticketed by red light cameras.

[Anonymous]

If you are talking about the one lane bridge, yes, cyclists regularly ride right over it instead of walking their bikes over the pedestrian pathway. All of the worst entitled me-first cyclist behavior comes out on MacArthur Blvd. Sorry cyclists, I support your cause but your behavior makes it really hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently they attach their feet to their pedals and don’t want to take the effort to undo the connection. I learned this from the bicyclist who crashed into my car which was legally stopped at a stop light as he was almost run over by another bicyclist.

They should have license plates so they can be ticketed by red light cameras.

This happened to me as well. Jerk.

[Anonymous]

Why would you attach your feet to the pedals of a bike in an urban area? That sounds so dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you attach your feet to the pedals of a bike in an urban area? That sounds so dangerous.

That’s what professional competitive bike riders do. Same with wearing those brightly colored Lycra outfits in emblazoned with sponsorship logos, and riding in packs down scenic byways impeding traffic, just like they are in a real cycling race!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently they attach their feet to their pedals and don’t want to take the effort to undo the connection. I learned this from the bicyclist who crashed into my car which was legally stopped at a stop light as he was almost run over by another bicyclist.

They should have license plates so they can be ticketed by red light cameras.

You know, I've known cyclists with those lock-in shoes, and never made the connection with why they don't want to stop. And in my experience (YMMV) the obnoxious cyclists on the paths are largely those with the lock-in shoes. If you want to ride around with those shoes and ride like a grande prix racer, you need to find a closed circuit course, and -- bikes with lock-in shoes should be banned from public paths if those riders continue to menace other people on the paths, and ride through crosswalks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you attach your feet to the pedals of a bike in an urban area? That sounds so dangerous.

1. You can go faster - plenty of places in this area where you don't need to unclip for a long stretch
2. It makes it easier to lift your pedal into the optimal position when you are stopped. Also helpful
3. Some bikes come with the pedals set for that, and if you want to ride flat pedals you need to change them - which a recreationl rider new to bike commuting might not have done yet

4. Its not that hard to unclip. Lots of riders who ride clipped in manage to unclip regularly. But in most of those places it not necessary to dismount and walk the bike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you attach your feet to the pedals of a bike in an urban area? That sounds so dangerous.

That’s what professional competitive bike riders do. Same with wearing those brightly colored Lycra outfits in emblazoned with sponsorship logos, and riding in packs down scenic byways impeding traffic, just like they are in a real cycling race!

people wear the lycra because its more aerodynamic, breathes better, and usually is high visibility. It is quite functional.

And of course they have the right to ride on scenic byways, and they ARE traffic.

[Anonymous]

meanwhile this happened

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2019/05/police-searching-for-suv-for-bicycle-crash/

Three experienced riders, members of the Potomac Pedalers bicycle club, were close to completing a 38-mile ride through Montgomery County, when they were allegedly harassed by an aggressive driver who yelled obscenities, forcing one of the women off the road and into a ditch.

The injured woman, a 20-year cyclist companion, is in critical but stable condition.

“We were riding at a safe distance in a straight line,” said Willy Aladro, who was riding third behind two women cyclists. “He honked and swerved and attacked with his car … it was very aggressive … this was intentional, this was not an accident.”

Montgomery County police said they are investigating the crash as a hit and run and are looking for a gold/silver mid-sized SUV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently they attach their feet to their pedals and don’t want to take the effort to undo the connection. I learned this from the bicyclist who crashed into my car which was legally stopped at a stop light as he was almost run over by another bicyclist.

They should have license plates so they can be ticketed by red light cameras.

You know, I've known cyclists with those lock-in shoes, and never made the connection with why they don't want to stop. And in my experience (YMMV) the obnoxious cyclists on the paths are largely those with the lock-in shoes. If you want to ride around with those shoes and ride like a grande prix racer, you need to find a closed circuit course, and -- bikes with lock-in shoes should be banned from public paths if those riders continue to menace other people on the paths, and ride through crosswalks.

Can we then ban the vehicles responsible for 35,000 plus deaths on collisions a year (3500 of those to pedestrians) which also pollute the air (causing lung cancer, cardio vascular disease, etc) and which are a main contributor to global warming?