Connecticut Avenue bike lane officially dead

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When are the bike zealots going to stop fighting the last war? It’s like watching Japanese soldiers stranded on Pacific islands at the end of WWII. Give it a rest already.

Given the resistance on this project and K-Street, and the general budget situation, its time to step back from "prestige" routes, and focus efforts on more local efforts. Build out routes to schools and parks, and other amenities and build your user base.

Focus on quality of the routes over quantity. Create separated routes that people will actually want to ride on. There is only so much demand for a route that's inches from speeding trucks and buses.

WABA successfully lobbied to kill important transit investment on K Street. They are now calling the mayor a murderer because she’s instituting a road diet on a major arterial that will improve pedestrian safety.

It is safe to say that these folks have lost the plot and lost credibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the bike lobby lost the room early on when they used what was originally called the “Connecticut Avenue NW Reversible Lane Safety and Operations Study” as a Trojan horse to turn this into primarily a bike lane project. During COVID they stacked meetings with WABA members, many from outside Ward 3, to give the appearance of a public process. Many neighbors were not paying attention and struggling to educate their kids remotely.

I don't know about the "bike lobby" trope, but what I do know is that people like me are your friends and neighbors who simply want a safer way to get up and down the corridor. Referring to people like me as a"lobby" is really dehumanizing and insulating, though I guess that is why you do it.

GGW and WABA engage in all manor of politics. They are very much a lobbying group.

The worst is, they are lobbying groups that get DC taxpayer subsidies to push their special interest agendas.

The special interest in this case is cleaning up bike paths and teaching children how to ride bikes.

"Teaching children how to ride bikes."

WABA charges the city (the taxpayer) $1,000 per kid to rent bikes from them for bike lessons at school that no one asked for.

[Anonymous]

Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When are the bike zealots going to stop fighting the last war? It’s like watching Japanese soldiers stranded on Pacific islands at the end of WWII. Give it a rest already.

Given the resistance on this project and K-Street, and the general budget situation, its time to step back from "prestige" routes, and focus efforts on more local efforts. Build out routes to schools and parks, and other amenities and build your user base.

Focus on quality of the routes over quantity. Create separated routes that people will actually want to ride on. There is only so much demand for a route that's inches from speeding trucks and buses.

Except people need to ride where things are. Yes, safe routes to schools are important. So are safe routes to stores, churches etc as well. Having meandering routes that do go where people need to ride just wastes effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

Which is why bike lanes are needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

You can play with a gun all day long and not hurt anyone, provided you just follow a few very simple rules.

You can also ride on Connecticut Ave and dramatically reduce the danger to yourself just by following a few very simple rules, too:

1) Stop at red lights and wait for them to turn green.

2) Don’t pass cars making right turns on the car’s right side.

3) Don’t shoal past traffic waiting at red lights.

4) Don’t do Idaho stops at stop signs. STOP at stop signs.





Do just those four things and your odds go up tremendously. It might never be as safe as playing with a gun, but it’ll be much safer than the way most cyclists ride normally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

You can play with a gun all day long and not hurt anyone, provided you just follow a few very simple rules.

You can also ride on Connecticut Ave and dramatically reduce the danger to yourself just by following a few very simple rules, too:

1) Stop at red lights and wait for them to turn green.

2) Don’t pass cars making right turns on the car’s right side.

3) Don’t shoal past traffic waiting at red lights.

4) Don’t do Idaho stops at stop signs. STOP at stop signs.





Do just those four things and your odds go up tremendously. It might never be as safe as playing with a gun, but it’ll be much safer than the way most cyclists ride normally.

maybe you should stop talking about things you know nothing about

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

You can play with a gun all day long and not hurt anyone, provided you just follow a few very simple rules.

You can also ride on Connecticut Ave and dramatically reduce the danger to yourself just by following a few very simple rules, too:

1) Stop at red lights and wait for them to turn green.

2) Don’t pass cars making right turns on the car’s right side.

3) Don’t shoal past traffic waiting at red lights.

4) Don’t do Idaho stops at stop signs. STOP at stop signs.





Do just those four things and your odds go up tremendously. It might never be as safe as playing with a gun, but it’ll be much safer than the way most cyclists ride normally.

maybe you should stop talking about things you know nothing about

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

Which is why bike lanes are needed.

Riding a bike on a busy city street is inherently dangerous, and it's not everyone else's job to prevent you from getting hurt doing something dangerous that you chose to do.

We don't spend billions of dollars trying to prevent gun enthusiasts from shooting themselves in face.

You could just not do the dangerous thing or, if you insist on doing it, you could stop being such an entitled, whiny b*t*h and take responsibility for the danger you freely chose to assume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

You can play with a gun all day long and not hurt anyone, provided you just follow a few very simple rules.

You can also ride on Connecticut Ave and dramatically reduce the danger to yourself just by following a few very simple rules, too:

1) Stop at red lights and wait for them to turn green.

2) Don’t pass cars making right turns on the car’s right side.

3) Don’t shoal past traffic waiting at red lights.

4) Don’t do Idaho stops at stop signs. STOP at stop signs.





Do just those four things and your odds go up tremendously. It might never be as safe as playing with a gun, but it’ll be much safer than the way most cyclists ride normally.

5. Learn the how Idaho stops work. If *anyone* else at an intersection has the right of way, the bicyclist must stop at the stop sign.

6. Stop putting small children on bikes

7. If you insist on riding your bike at night, wear a reflective vest

8. Wear a friggin' helmet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

You can play with a gun all day long and not hurt anyone, provided you just follow a few very simple rules.

You can also ride on Connecticut Ave and dramatically reduce the danger to yourself just by following a few very simple rules, too:

1) Stop at red lights and wait for them to turn green.

2) Don’t pass cars making right turns on the car’s right side.

3) Don’t shoal past traffic waiting at red lights.

4) Don’t do Idaho stops at stop signs. STOP at stop signs.





Do just those four things and your odds go up tremendously. It might never be as safe as playing with a gun, but it’ll be much safer than the way most cyclists ride normally.

maybe you should stop talking about things you know nothing about

Maybe you are clueless

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

You can play with a gun all day long and not hurt anyone, provided you just follow a few very simple rules.

You can also ride on Connecticut Ave and dramatically reduce the danger to yourself just by following a few very simple rules, too:

1) Stop at red lights and wait for them to turn green.

2) Don’t pass cars making right turns on the car’s right side.

3) Don’t shoal past traffic waiting at red lights.

4) Don’t do Idaho stops at stop signs. STOP at stop signs.





Do just those four things and your odds go up tremendously. It might never be as safe as playing with a gun, but it’ll be much safer than the way most cyclists ride normally.

Please show me where there are any stop signs on Connecticut Avenue in DC.

Now, what about riding in a lane, how long do you think a cyclist can do that without being passed too close or without being harassed by someone driving a car?

And I will share a hint with you...as someone who both rides and drives, when I am driving on a residential road that has no-passing yellow lines, I am routinely and insafely passed by cars, who go into the oncoming lanes. That is illegal too. Where is your admonition for that? I also get yelled at when I come to a complete stop on my bike by the people driving behind me. Where is your adminition for that?

Can't have it both ways. Either everyone follows the rules of the road and has more patience, or else rules get bent so as to relieve stress. Cyclists are told that Idaho stops are legal (which they are in DC, so your 4th point is moot) so as to make it easier for the cars stuck behind them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Riding a bike on Connecticut avenue seems a bit like playing with a gun. You can totally do it! It is your right! But don't be surprised when something happens that you didnt anticipate and you are in a catastrophic accident.

Which is why bike lanes are needed.

Riding a bike on a busy city street is inherently dangerous, and it's not everyone else's job to prevent you from getting hurt doing something dangerous that you chose to do.

We don't spend billions of dollars trying to prevent gun enthusiasts from shooting themselves in face.

You could just not do the dangerous thing or, if you insist on doing it, you could stop being such an entitled, whiny b*t*h and take responsibility for the danger you freely chose to assume.

1) it shouldn;t be inherently dangerous
2) as a taxpayer, I have every legal and fiduciary right to ride on a street, even a busy one (but not a designated highway, where it is, in fact, illegal)
3) Gun enthusists shooting themselves in the face is self-inflicted. A driver in a car mowing me down when I am riding legally on a street is assault and possibly murder.
4) I am doing what I am legally entitled to do, and you are the one whining about it. Maybe ask yourself why?

[Anonymous]

Fiduciary?

Yes, you are entitled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fiduciary?

Yes, you are entitled.

I pay as much in taxes as you do, ergo, I have every right to use the same roads as you do, get it?