‘Slow Streets’ is stupid

[Anonymous]

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Your white entitlement is showing.

The issue here is that riding a bike on DC streets is extremely dangerous and it's not up to everyone else to ensure that this extremely dangerous thing you and a tiny number of your friends want to do doesn't get you killed.

If you dont want brain damage, don't become a boxer. And if you don't want to become road kill, stay off DC streets.

No, the issue here is that "transportation" covers a lot of different modes, including bikes. And as such, when we have limited space for transportation, then there needs to be enough space for those different modes to use that space in a rational and safe manner. Dedicating all of that space to cars makes it harder for buses, pedestrians, scooters and bikes. Since buses carry more people than cars, they should be prioritized. Since neither pedestrians nor cyclists generate exhaust fumes or much wear and tear, they should be prioritized.

Sorry, the single occupancy vehicle will sill have some space, but not as much as it did in the 1950's. It just isn't rational or efficient. The Europeans and Asians learned this a few decades ago. It is about time the Americans caught on.

The craziest thing about all of this is that hardly anyone in DC even rides bikes. How many people ride their bicycles ever day? 250? 500? Let's be extremely generous and call it 1,000. There are 350,000 cars registered in DC. There's surely tens of thousands more than aren't registered. Roads should be reserved for cars since that's how the overwhelmingly majority of people in Washington choose to travel.

In 2018 about 5% of DC commuters were bike commuters.

Your own eyes will tell you that's a big overestimate.

Seems about accurate to me on average.

Pfft. There is no street corner anywhere in DC where, if you stood there and counted the people going by via all forms of transportation, from foot to car, that five out of 100 would be on a bike. You'd be lucky if you saw two out of every 100 people on a bike.

Standing on a street corner is not how you would study this. The number is from the American Community Survey from the Census bureau.

The American Community Survey is just that -- a survey, and people say all kinds of things in surveys. There is no way on Earth that five percent are on bikes. Believe your eyes. Go on any street you want, at any time of day -- your pick. Count up the people you see and how they are moving. The number of people on bikes is probably more like 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent.

You mean go on a street and run a survey? I see. You are very smart.

The American Community Survey is based on interviews. I know you're not going to believe this, but sometimes people say one thing and do another. If five percent of all commuters are actually on bikes that should be apparent when you go outside and look at people on the streets.

Yes if you saw how everyone commuted you would know how everyone commuted. Or you could take an appropriate sample and....

But do you really think 5% bike commuters means wherever you go 1 out 20 people will be on a bike?

Obviously, we're talking about averages so things will vary. But I don't think there's any street anywhere in DC, at any time of day, that you would observe five bicyclists out of every 100 people. I think it would be more like one bicyclist out of every two or three thousand people. Which of course means that if the five percent statistic isn't BS, you would have to see much more than five percent on bikes elsewhere in the city to make the math work out.

Things will vary even if there are random samples, which you aren't doing. Number one, you're going on a street. That already is taking out transit commuters. Many walkers too. The bolded part I agree with. You probably have no idea why. As your next sentence shows.

Except I'm letting you pick the location -- any single spot in DC, at any time of the day. You will pick the one most likely to have bicyclists there, and I'm saying even there, in your best case scenario, you will not be able to produce five percent on bikes. Which means your five percent average for the rest of the city is impossible.

DP. You really have no idea what you're talking about, dude. I guess if you commute to L'Enfant Plaza via 395 you might be surprised that lots of people bike to work, but go hang out at 15th and L during rush hour after people have returned to in-person work. There's far more than one cyclist for every 20 cars, and it's not even close.

The comparison is between the number of people on bikes to the number of people moving around in other ways. The denominator in this fraction is the total number of people walking, in cars, riding buses and taking the subway.

[Anonymous]

You won't see people taking the subway at 15ht and L either so I guess surveys are wrong.

[Anonymous]

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Your white entitlement is showing.

The issue here is that riding a bike on DC streets is extremely dangerous and it's not up to everyone else to ensure that this extremely dangerous thing you and a tiny number of your friends want to do doesn't get you killed.

If you dont want brain damage, don't become a boxer. And if you don't want to become road kill, stay off DC streets.

+1

It is only dangerous because 1) our infrastructure makes it dangerous and 2) entitled drivers threaten cyclists by hitting them and/or driving aggressively around them.

This just seems delusional. Also, I love how, when something bad happens to bicyclists, it's ALWAYS someone else's fault. The answer is never: That person was doing something really stupid.

I think that is obvious, but you *clearly* don’t go out drinking with people who bike in DC.

I barely know anyone who bikes in DC, but I don't hang out with white twentysomethings, which probably explains that.

I guess I started in my twenties, but now I’m forty. And I have no problem criticizing fellow bicyclists for doing stupid stuff. The big difference: when they do stupid stuff they put themselves at risk. When you do something stupid in your car you put everyone at risk. And believe me, I see all the stupid stuff you all are doing while driving.

It's no secret that bicyclists are quick to criticize people in cars. But, I mean, do you even stop at stop signs? Bicyclists seem to believe traffic rules are for other people.

It's a common refrain that cyclists only put themselves at risk, however it is just not true.

"Woman struck by bicyclist in downtown DC dies of injuries"
https://wtop.com/dc/2017/03/woman-dies-bike-hits-downtown-dc/

And if you read their forums, like the Bike Arlington forum, you will read a lot of egregious and frankly sociopathic comments from cyclists blaming pedestrians for when they are hit by bicycles on trails or sidewalks.

Probably no better example of entitled sociopaths that think everyone should kowtow them than cyclists.

Tens of millions and more have been spent on commuter bike paths in our region and you can stand there all day and maybe count a dozen cyclists. These "investments" fail basic cost benefit analysis, but no cost can be spared for entitled white guys.

The fact is that the majority of people that ride bikes for commuting or other purposes in this and any city are poor black and brown people. But look where the money is being spent and look at who gets harassed by police and who does not.

The cycling lobby in this area is self-serving and promotes policy that is ultimately racist. So, so, so little introspection from these people.

[Anonymous]

Cyclist maimed on Porter below CT Ave.

Two Pedstrians killed on Hains Point


*fun weekend*

DC HAS TO DO SOMETHING

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cyclist maimed on Porter below CT Ave.

Two Pedstrians killed on Hains Point


*fun weekend*

DC HAS TO DO SOMETHING

they need to ban cars on Hains Point or at least create protected bike and pedestrian lanes and a ton of speed bumps.

[Anonymous]

ANC's up and down Connecticut Avenue have resoundingly supported the end of reversible lanes and the addition of bike lanes.

It is a NEW world!

[Anonymous]

Why are cyclist even allowed on roadways if they can't follow traffic signals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are cyclist even allowed on roadways if they can't follow traffic signals.

This is a question I ask myself regularly, while driving, about drivers.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Why are cyclist even allowed on roadways if they can't follow traffic signals.

This is a question I ask myself regularly, while driving, about drivers.

Yep. My condo overlooks a four-way stop, and if I got a nickel for each time a car blew through the stop sign, I could buy up the whole damn block. Shoot, if I only got a nickel for each time there were two cars at the stop sign going the same direction and the second one followed the first one without even tapping its brakes, I could still buy up half the block.

The rage directed at cyclists is misplaced. One cyclist killed a pedestrian in DC in the past decade. There were 37 car perpetrated traffic fatalities in 2020 alone, even when there was so much less driving on account of the pandemic. People foaming at the mouth about cyclists need to get a grip. Cyclists are not the problem. They are.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Why are cyclist even allowed on roadways if they can't follow traffic signals.

This is a question I ask myself regularly, while driving, about drivers.

Yep. My condo overlooks a four-way stop, and if I got a nickel for each time a car blew through the stop sign, I could buy up the whole damn block. Shoot, if I only got a nickel for each time there were two cars at the stop sign going the same direction and the second one followed the first one without even tapping its brakes, I could still buy up half the block.

The rage directed at cyclists is misplaced. One cyclist killed a pedestrian in DC in the past decade. There were 37 car perpetrated traffic fatalities in 2020 alone, even when there was so much less driving on account of the pandemic. People foaming at the mouth about cyclists need to get a grip. Cyclists are not the problem. They are.

UGH this. As a driver, not knowing if the person at a four way stop actually understands the rules or is going to try to scoot by with the person in front of them is awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are cyclist even allowed on roadways if they can't follow traffic signals.

This is a question I ask myself regularly, while driving, about drivers.

Yep. My condo overlooks a four-way stop, and if I got a nickel for each time a car blew through the stop sign, I could buy up the whole damn block. Shoot, if I only got a nickel for each time there were two cars at the stop sign going the same direction and the second one followed the first one without even tapping its brakes, I could still buy up half the block.

The rage directed at cyclists is misplaced. One cyclist killed a pedestrian in DC in the past decade. There were 37 car perpetrated traffic fatalities in 2020 alone, even when there was so much less driving on account of the pandemic. People foaming at the mouth about cyclists need to get a grip. Cyclists are not the problem. They are.

Even cyclists hate cyclists. Everyone hates them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are cyclist even allowed on roadways if they can't follow traffic signals.

This is a question I ask myself regularly, while driving, about drivers.

Yep. My condo overlooks a four-way stop, and if I got a nickel for each time a car blew through the stop sign, I could buy up the whole damn block. Shoot, if I only got a nickel for each time there were two cars at the stop sign going the same direction and the second one followed the first one without even tapping its brakes, I could still buy up half the block.

The rage directed at cyclists is misplaced. One cyclist killed a pedestrian in DC in the past decade. There were 37 car perpetrated traffic fatalities in 2020 alone, even when there was so much less driving on account of the pandemic. People foaming at the mouth about cyclists need to get a grip. Cyclists are not the problem. They are.

Well, there are 350,000 cars in DC. How many people in DC ride bicycles on a regular basis? 200? 300? Of course, there are going to be more accidents with cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are cyclist even allowed on roadways if they can't follow traffic signals.

This is a question I ask myself regularly, while driving, about drivers.

Yep. My condo overlooks a four-way stop, and if I got a nickel for each time a car blew through the stop sign, I could buy up the whole damn block. Shoot, if I only got a nickel for each time there were two cars at the stop sign going the same direction and the second one followed the first one without even tapping its brakes, I could still buy up half the block.

The rage directed at cyclists is misplaced. One cyclist killed a pedestrian in DC in the past decade. There were 37 car perpetrated traffic fatalities in 2020 alone, even when there was so much less driving on account of the pandemic. People foaming at the mouth about cyclists need to get a grip. Cyclists are not the problem. They are.

Well, there are 350,000 cars in DC. How many people in DC ride bicycles on a regular basis? 200? 300? Of course, there are going to be more accidents with cars.

I don't know if you're being facetious or grasping at straws, but neither one is a good look.

Four percent of workers in DC commute by bicycle, so 15,435 would be a lower-bound estimate of people riding bicycles on a regular basis: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=commute&g=0400000US11&tid=ACSST1Y2019.S0801&hidePreview=true

Drivers still kill people at a significantly higher rate. Using our lower-bound estimate from above, cyclists would have needed to kill 14 people over the past decade in order to kill at the same rate as drivers over the past decade. Instead, cyclists killed one.

[Anonymous]

If you are on your bike and see a guy getting really close to you, wave! It's me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are on your bike and see a guy getting really close to you, wave! It's me!

Nice!! I love a good joke about vehicular manslaughter!