Bike Lobby and Dishonesty

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:RIP to the two cyclists who died recently. The state department woman was a great person. What a loss. I live in Shaw near whether the other cyclist died. As a mom and a driver, I just hope that parents who think it’s safe and cool to ride with their kids in trailers and baby seats on their bike will think twice. I rode bikes downtown with my kids during the pandemic when the streets were mostly empty, but it’s not safe most of the time, especially at rush hour. One mistake by a car and the unthinkable will happen again. Ok if adults take risks, but please don’t put your kids on the line. Also, I hope all the scooter people will take note. So many near accidents every day.

+1

You have to be insane to allow a child on a bike in Washington D.C. It is really, really dangerous.

Yes, and the whole goal of the nefarious bike lobby is to... make it safer! Those evil bastards.

Good luck with that. Maybe when you're done, you can also figure out a way to make boxing safe, to make football safe and to make assault rifles safe too.

DP but whatever, bike lanes are going to continue to be built and expanded because their positives far outweigh their negatives. Your false equivalences comparing a method of commuting to recreation activities and deadly weapons (a car is much more analogous to an assault rifle in the damage it can do) aren’t winning arguments. You’ve already lost and I’ll keep biking my way to work as more and more lanes get put in for my safe travel

Some things are just inherently really dangerous -- guns, boxing, riding a bike in a major city -- and there's nothing anyone can do about this. Common sense will tell you this. It would be better if cyclists weren't such incredible crybabies and just took responsibility for the risks they choose to run. It's not the government's job to protect you from hurting yourself while doing something stupid.

Pretty much this. It may seem unfair but the best way to not become a bike fatality in the city or nearby burbs is to avoid the streets. Stay on the paths and just realize that you may have to slow down for pedestrians-just as you've been telling the cars on the road to do. Make better choices. No driver wants to be involved in any type of fatality. I'm vociferous in my dislike of bikers because stories like this make me angry. That poor woman had a family and a life to live. Now there is a great big hole where she used to be. Awful and all because of one bad choice.

You dislike bicyclists because sometimes drivers hit them with their cars. Got it.

DP: I dislike bicyclists becomes most times I WANT to him them with their cars. Arrogant pricks who run red lights and endanger themselves and others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RIP to the two cyclists who died recently. The state department woman was a great person. What a loss. I live in Shaw near whether the other cyclist died. As a mom and a driver, I just hope that parents who think it’s safe and cool to ride with their kids in trailers and baby seats on their bike will think twice. I rode bikes downtown with my kids during the pandemic when the streets were mostly empty, but it’s not safe most of the time, especially at rush hour. One mistake by a car and the unthinkable will happen again. Ok if adults take risks, but please don’t put your kids on the line. Also, I hope all the scooter people will take note. So many near accidents every day.

+1

You have to be insane to allow a child on a bike in Washington D.C. It is really, really dangerous.

Yes, and the whole goal of the nefarious bike lobby is to... make it safer! Those evil bastards.

Good luck with that. Maybe when you're done, you can also figure out a way to make boxing safe, to make football safe and to make assault rifles safe too.

DP but whatever, bike lanes are going to continue to be built and expanded because their positives far outweigh their negatives. Your false equivalences comparing a method of commuting to recreation activities and deadly weapons (a car is much more analogous to an assault rifle in the damage it can do) aren’t winning arguments. You’ve already lost and I’ll keep biking my way to work as more and more lanes get put in for my safe travel

Some things are just inherently really dangerous -- guns, boxing, riding a bike in a major city -- and there's nothing anyone can do about this. Common sense will tell you this. It would be better if cyclists weren't such incredible crybabies and just took responsibility for the risks they choose to run. It's not the government's job to protect you from hurting yourself while doing something stupid.

I dunno I moved here from Tokyo where it’s incredibly safe to bike. I defy you to say that’s not a major city. They don’t even have tons of protected bike lanes. They have smaller cars (and trucks) and smaller roads and drivers who are cognizant of and careful around cyclists.

For the moment, Tokyo is a major city. But as its population decreases and it becomes more in the orbit of Korea or China, it will be another "waiting for the other shoe to drop" place like Hong Kong.

Tokyo is a city. Korea and China are countries.

Tokyo's population is almost 14 million people. DC is 800,000.

What were you trying to say?

This is what I am trying to say.

For the moment, Tokyo is a major city. As you pointed out its current population is 14 million but that population is expected to decline significantly by the middle of the Century when Japan's current population of 125 million people is expected to fall to 100 million people.
China, to a great extent, and South Korea, to a lesser extent, will try to exploit that falling population by moving on it.

Then Tokyo will be like the former British colony, Hong Kong, waiting for the other shoe to drop -- i.e, a Chinese takeover.

And because of this, there will be fewer bikers? Seriously, how is this relevant to this thread?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RIP to the two cyclists who died recently. The state department woman was a great person. What a loss. I live in Shaw near whether the other cyclist died. As a mom and a driver, I just hope that parents who think it’s safe and cool to ride with their kids in trailers and baby seats on their bike will think twice. I rode bikes downtown with my kids during the pandemic when the streets were mostly empty, but it’s not safe most of the time, especially at rush hour. One mistake by a car and the unthinkable will happen again. Ok if adults take risks, but please don’t put your kids on the line. Also, I hope all the scooter people will take note. So many near accidents every day.

+1

You have to be insane to allow a child on a bike in Washington D.C. It is really, really dangerous.

Yes, and the whole goal of the nefarious bike lobby is to... make it safer! Those evil bastards.

Good luck with that. Maybe when you're done, you can also figure out a way to make boxing safe, to make football safe and to make assault rifles safe too.

DP but whatever, bike lanes are going to continue to be built and expanded because their positives far outweigh their negatives. Your false equivalences comparing a method of commuting to recreation activities and deadly weapons (a car is much more analogous to an assault rifle in the damage it can do) aren’t winning arguments. You’ve already lost and I’ll keep biking my way to work as more and more lanes get put in for my safe travel

Some things are just inherently really dangerous -- guns, boxing, riding a bike in a major city -- and there's nothing anyone can do about this. Common sense will tell you this. It would be better if cyclists weren't such incredible crybabies and just took responsibility for the risks they choose to run. It's not the government's job to protect you from hurting yourself while doing something stupid.

I dunno I moved here from Tokyo where it’s incredibly safe to bike. I defy you to say that’s not a major city. They don’t even have tons of protected bike lanes. They have smaller cars (and trucks) and smaller roads and drivers who are cognizant of and careful around cyclists.

For the moment, Tokyo is a major city. But as its population decreases and it becomes more in the orbit of Korea or China, it will be another "waiting for the other shoe to drop" place like Hong Kong.

Tokyo is a city. Korea and China are countries.

Tokyo's population is almost 14 million people. DC is 800,000.

What were you trying to say?

This is what I am trying to say.

For the moment, Tokyo is a major city. As you pointed out its current population is 14 million but that population is expected to decline significantly by the middle of the Century when Japan's current population of 125 million people is expected to fall to 100 million people.
China, to a great extent, and South Korea, to a lesser extent, will try to exploit that falling population by moving on it.

Then Tokyo will be like the former British colony, Hong Kong, waiting for the other shoe to drop -- i.e, a Chinese takeover.

Oooookay. And you think that will result in fewer people biking in Tokyo? I hate to break it to you but Chinese cities have pretty epic amounts of bikers too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RIP to the two cyclists who died recently. The state department woman was a great person. What a loss. I live in Shaw near whether the other cyclist died. As a mom and a driver, I just hope that parents who think it’s safe and cool to ride with their kids in trailers and baby seats on their bike will think twice. I rode bikes downtown with my kids during the pandemic when the streets were mostly empty, but it’s not safe most of the time, especially at rush hour. One mistake by a car and the unthinkable will happen again. Ok if adults take risks, but please don’t put your kids on the line. Also, I hope all the scooter people will take note. So many near accidents every day.

+1

You have to be insane to allow a child on a bike in Washington D.C. It is really, really dangerous.

Yes, and the whole goal of the nefarious bike lobby is to... make it safer! Those evil bastards.

Good luck with that. Maybe when you're done, you can also figure out a way to make boxing safe, to make football safe and to make assault rifles safe too.

DP but whatever, bike lanes are going to continue to be built and expanded because their positives far outweigh their negatives. Your false equivalences comparing a method of commuting to recreation activities and deadly weapons (a car is much more analogous to an assault rifle in the damage it can do) aren’t winning arguments. You’ve already lost and I’ll keep biking my way to work as more and more lanes get put in for my safe travel

Some things are just inherently really dangerous -- guns, boxing, riding a bike in a major city -- and there's nothing anyone can do about this. Common sense will tell you this. It would be better if cyclists weren't such incredible crybabies and just took responsibility for the risks they choose to run. It's not the government's job to protect you from hurting yourself while doing something stupid.

I dunno I moved here from Tokyo where it’s incredibly safe to bike. I defy you to say that’s not a major city. They don’t even have tons of protected bike lanes. They have smaller cars (and trucks) and smaller roads and drivers who are cognizant of and careful around cyclists.

For the moment, Tokyo is a major city. But as its population decreases and it becomes more in the orbit of Korea or China, it will be another "waiting for the other shoe to drop" place like Hong Kong.

Tokyo is a city. Korea and China are countries.

Tokyo's population is almost 14 million people. DC is 800,000.

What were you trying to say?

This is what I am trying to say.

For the moment, Tokyo is a major city. As you pointed out its current population is 14 million but that population is expected to decline significantly by the middle of the Century when Japan's current population of 125 million people is expected to fall to 100 million people.
China, to a great extent, and South Korea, to a lesser extent, will try to exploit that falling population by moving on it.

Then Tokyo will be like the former British colony, Hong Kong, waiting for the other shoe to drop -- i.e, a Chinese takeover.

This thread is about biking in DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RIP to the two cyclists who died recently. The state department woman was a great person. What a loss. I live in Shaw near whether the other cyclist died. As a mom and a driver, I just hope that parents who think it’s safe and cool to ride with their kids in trailers and baby seats on their bike will think twice. I rode bikes downtown with my kids during the pandemic when the streets were mostly empty, but it’s not safe most of the time, especially at rush hour. One mistake by a car and the unthinkable will happen again. Ok if adults take risks, but please don’t put your kids on the line. Also, I hope all the scooter people will take note. So many near accidents every day.

+1

You have to be insane to allow a child on a bike in Washington D.C. It is really, really dangerous.

Yes, and the whole goal of the nefarious bike lobby is to... make it safer! Those evil bastards.

Good luck with that. Maybe when you're done, you can also figure out a way to make boxing safe, to make football safe and to make assault rifles safe too.

DP but whatever, bike lanes are going to continue to be built and expanded because their positives far outweigh their negatives. Your false equivalences comparing a method of commuting to recreation activities and deadly weapons (a car is much more analogous to an assault rifle in the damage it can do) aren’t winning arguments. You’ve already lost and I’ll keep biking my way to work as more and more lanes get put in for my safe travel

Some things are just inherently really dangerous -- guns, boxing, riding a bike in a major city -- and there's nothing anyone can do about this. Common sense will tell you this. It would be better if cyclists weren't such incredible crybabies and just took responsibility for the risks they choose to run. It's not the government's job to protect you from hurting yourself while doing something stupid.

Pretty much this. It may seem unfair but the best way to not become a bike fatality in the city or nearby burbs is to avoid the streets. Stay on the paths and just realize that you may have to slow down for pedestrians-just as you've been telling the cars on the road to do. Make better choices. No driver wants to be involved in any type of fatality. I'm vociferous in my dislike of bikers because stories like this make me angry. That poor woman had a family and a life to live. Now there is a great big hole where she used to be. Awful and all because of one bad choice.

You dislike bicyclists because sometimes drivers hit them with their cars. Got it.

DP: I dislike bicyclists becomes most times I WANT to him them with their cars. Arrogant pricks who run red lights and endanger themselves and others.

You should! Then, you can spend 10 - 20 years in a place where you won't see any more of us

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RIP to the two cyclists who died recently. The state department woman was a great person. What a loss. I live in Shaw near whether the other cyclist died. As a mom and a driver, I just hope that parents who think it’s safe and cool to ride with their kids in trailers and baby seats on their bike will think twice. I rode bikes downtown with my kids during the pandemic when the streets were mostly empty, but it’s not safe most of the time, especially at rush hour. One mistake by a car and the unthinkable will happen again. Ok if adults take risks, but please don’t put your kids on the line. Also, I hope all the scooter people will take note. So many near accidents every day.

+1

You have to be insane to allow a child on a bike in Washington D.C. It is really, really dangerous.

Yes, and the whole goal of the nefarious bike lobby is to... make it safer! Those evil bastards.

Good luck with that. Maybe when you're done, you can also figure out a way to make boxing safe, to make football safe and to make assault rifles safe too.

DP but whatever, bike lanes are going to continue to be built and expanded because their positives far outweigh their negatives. Your false equivalences comparing a method of commuting to recreation activities and deadly weapons (a car is much more analogous to an assault rifle in the damage it can do) aren’t winning arguments. You’ve already lost and I’ll keep biking my way to work as more and more lanes get put in for my safe travel

Some things are just inherently really dangerous -- guns, boxing, riding a bike in a major city -- and there's nothing anyone can do about this. Common sense will tell you this. It would be better if cyclists weren't such incredible crybabies and just took responsibility for the risks they choose to run. It's not the government's job to protect you from hurting yourself while doing something stupid.

Pretty much this. It may seem unfair but the best way to not become a bike fatality in the city or nearby burbs is to avoid the streets. Stay on the paths and just realize that you may have to slow down for pedestrians-just as you've been telling the cars on the road to do. Make better choices. No driver wants to be involved in any type of fatality. I'm vociferous in my dislike of bikers because stories like this make me angry. That poor woman had a family and a life to live. Now there is a great big hole where she used to be. Awful and all because of one bad choice.

You dislike bicyclists because sometimes drivers hit them with their cars. Got it.

Yes I think cyclists getting hit by cars is bad. Do you feel differently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RIP to the two cyclists who died recently. The state department woman was a great person. What a loss. I live in Shaw near whether the other cyclist died. As a mom and a driver, I just hope that parents who think it’s safe and cool to ride with their kids in trailers and baby seats on their bike will think twice. I rode bikes downtown with my kids during the pandemic when the streets were mostly empty, but it’s not safe most of the time, especially at rush hour. One mistake by a car and the unthinkable will happen again. Ok if adults take risks, but please don’t put your kids on the line. Also, I hope all the scooter people will take note. So many near accidents every day.

+1

You have to be insane to allow a child on a bike in Washington D.C. It is really, really dangerous.

Yes, and the whole goal of the nefarious bike lobby is to... make it safer! Those evil bastards.

Good luck with that. Maybe when you're done, you can also figure out a way to make boxing safe, to make football safe and to make assault rifles safe too.

DP but whatever, bike lanes are going to continue to be built and expanded because their positives far outweigh their negatives. Your false equivalences comparing a method of commuting to recreation activities and deadly weapons (a car is much more analogous to an assault rifle in the damage it can do) aren’t winning arguments. You’ve already lost and I’ll keep biking my way to work as more and more lanes get put in for my safe travel

Some things are just inherently really dangerous -- guns, boxing, riding a bike in a major city -- and there's nothing anyone can do about this. Common sense will tell you this. It would be better if cyclists weren't such incredible crybabies and just took responsibility for the risks they choose to run. It's not the government's job to protect you from hurting yourself while doing something stupid.

Pretty much this. It may seem unfair but the best way to not become a bike fatality in the city or nearby burbs is to avoid the streets. Stay on the paths and just realize that you may have to slow down for pedestrians-just as you've been telling the cars on the road to do. Make better choices. No driver wants to be involved in any type of fatality. I'm vociferous in my dislike of bikers because stories like this make me angry. That poor woman had a family and a life to live. Now there is a great big hole where she used to be. Awful and all because of one bad choice.

You don't have to hit submit just because you typed, you know.

?

[Anonymous]

Within the next 5 years, I predict just about all cars and cyclists will have cameras recording everything. That will likely/hopefully help curb a lot of the bad behavior on behalf of cars and cyclists alike, both of which are egregious daily offenders. I think in DC the move toward all the bike lanes has exacerbated car traffic, creating more aggressive, frustrated drivers. At the same time, cyclists feel more empowered and emboldened and I witness lots of dickery on their part too every day. Then throw in all the road construction, double parked Amazon and other delivery trucks, and it's basically the wild west out there today. But when it's between a car and a cyclist, the car wins. I mean the cyclist might be in the right, so the cyclist had his point...but then again, he's dead. At least he had his point. These deaths will no doubt continue.

In DC, I blame the mayor. I'm not sure what's going on this summer but the number of road construction projects and shut down roads is just absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the police report: https://mpdc.dc.gov/release/traffic-fatality-intersection-21st-street-and-i-street-northwest

"The preliminary investigation revealed, at approximately 8:09 am, a driver operating a Mack truck was traveling southbound in the 900 block of 21st Street, NW, which is a one-way travel lane. A bicyclist was also travelling southbound in the same block and on the right side of the Mack truck. At the intersection of 21st Street and I Street NW, the Mack truck began to make a right hand turn onto I Street NW. The bicyclist attempted to ride ahead of the Mack truck and was struck by the front passenger side of the truck, causing significant injuries."

It's the bolded part of the police report that gives me pause, because it PRESUMES right of way for the truck and essentially assigns blame to the cyclist for riding ahead. But she wasn't "riding ahead" - she was continuing straight in the lane where she had been traveling. Also, since the cyclist is dead, she cannot tell her version of what happened. And it is in the cops' interest to blame the dead person because that is the path of least resistance for them to close out the file.

It is a tragedy that this cyclist died. It is a tragedy that TWO CYCLISTS have been killed on DC streets in the past week. It is a tragedy that this city will not enforce traffic laws or implement infrastructure to keep cyclists and pedestrians safe.

Enforcing the laws would be a good start, and cost nothing. Are DC cops allowed to enforce the laws any more?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Huh? If there's a bike lane on a block a bicyclist is on then why don't they have to use it?

They might need to turn in a way the bike lane isn't condusive to. They might be in a mood. Their might be a car parked in the bike lane, blocking it.

Then why are we spending money to build them if the very people that demand them don't use them because they might be "in a mood"?

The entire bike lane project is a boondoggle. The city has spend BILLIONS on bike infrastructure -- infrastructure that's maybe used by a 1,000 people. The cost per user is astronomical and indefensible. It would be cheaper to pay every biker in D.C. $100,000 to just take the bus.

Spot on!

but they didn’t so I’ll keep using the bike lanes.

Good for you. Somebody should. Hope you do so even when you are "in a mood". When the very people the bike lanes were built for don't use them it shows how pointless they are.

In the meantime we should pass a law that all cyclists must use bike lanes and paths if there is one available. That would increase safety, reduce congestion and show whether they are useful or not.

Can we also have a law that cars can’t park in bike lanes? The amount of time drivers yell at me for being in the road when I have to swerve in and out of delivery drivers and people just chilling with their hazards is awful

To be clear, that IS the law, so I'd settle for just enforcing it, but obviously we can't have that, people could complain if they got tickets.

Imagine that.