The Bike Lobby is too powerful in DC...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the ways you can tell someone doesn't really bike is they fall back on this canard about how difficult and vigorous biking is.

E-bikes have certainly made biking less difficult and accessible for more adults. That said, with the way DC seems to design bike lanes, I worry about what happens when some heavier e-bike or cargo bike slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the bike lane from a Metro "bus island" to the curb.

Do you also worry about what happens when some heavier (multi-ton) motor vehicle slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the street from a bus stop? Because bike lanes reduce the opportunities for that to happen.

First of all, bus islands are typically located not right at the crosswalk. Second, motor vehicles (while heavier) tend to stop at traffic signals more than the Charge of the Lycra Brigade does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the ways you can tell someone doesn't really bike is they fall back on this canard about how difficult and vigorous biking is.

E-bikes have certainly made biking less difficult and accessible for more adults. That said, with the way DC seems to design bike lanes, I worry about what happens when some heavier e-bike or cargo bike slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the bike lane from a Metro "bus island" to the curb.

Do you also worry about what happens when some heavier (multi-ton) motor vehicle slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the street from a bus stop? Because bike lanes reduce the opportunities for that to happen.

First of all, bus islands are typically located not right at the crosswalk. Second, motor vehicles (while heavier) tend to stop at traffic signals more than the Charge of the Lycra Brigade does.

LOL - nope - this has actually been studied and you are wrong. But carbrain does that to people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the ways you can tell someone doesn't really bike is they fall back on this canard about how difficult and vigorous biking is.

E-bikes have certainly made biking less difficult and accessible for more adults. That said, with the way DC seems to design bike lanes, I worry about what happens when some heavier e-bike or cargo bike slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the bike lane from a Metro "bus island" to the curb.

Do you also worry about what happens when some heavier (multi-ton) motor vehicle slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the street from a bus stop? Because bike lanes reduce the opportunities for that to happen.

First of all, bus islands are typically located not right at the crosswalk. Second, motor vehicles (while heavier) tend to stop at traffic signals more than the Charge of the Lycra Brigade does.

Here are some things that bus riders do:

Cross the street at intersections
Cross the street between intersections

And here are some things that drivers do:

Hit bus riders crossing the street at intersections
Hit bus riders crossing the street between intersections

Also, you seem to define "bicyclist" as "person wearing a lurid team jersey," which is not the correct definition, and may explain your inability to see bicyclists. The correct definition for bicyclist is "person riding a bike."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of insane how much of our transportation resources have been hijacked by a tiny group of Bernie bros

Males with no kids benefit - anyone with kids is not using the bike lanes in the am and I never had a job that I could show up sweaty wearing biking clothing makes no sense

I (a woman) biked my kids to school regularly for years while en route to my fancy downtown office job. There was a gym onsite, so I could shower and dress there.

My mom biked me around all the time when I was a kid. Great times. I still love cycling to this day. Good for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of insane how much of our transportation resources have been hijacked by a tiny group of Bernie bros

Males with no kids benefit - anyone with kids is not using the bike lanes in the am and I never had a job that I could show up sweaty wearing biking clothing makes no sense

I (a woman) biked my kids to school regularly for years while en route to my fancy downtown office job. There was a gym onsite, so I could shower and dress there.

+1, at many offices, it's very easy to "show up sweaty wearing biking clothing" and then just shower and change before you go upstairs. Does depend on when you have to be in the office vs. when you have to be at school for dropoff, but this idea of PP's that it's completely impossible for (a) parents or (b) specifically moms to bike to work is silly. You also don't have to bike in "biking clothing," though it is often more comfortable.

(At my kid's elementary school in upper NW, drop-off is very dad-heavy, anyway.)

the vast majority of people do NOT have the luxury of a full service gym on-site with shower. Get a grip.

Adding more bike lanes is no different that reducing taxes on the rich. They benefit a very small subset of people.

So, I'd just like to point out that downtown DC is... down hill on Conn Ave. So even in the dead of summer, at about 7 or 8am, it is usually around 70-74 degrees and biking down Conn Ave to DC is super easy and doesn't even result in breaking a sweat. It definitely wouldn't if a person were using an ebike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the ways you can tell someone doesn't really bike is they fall back on this canard about how difficult and vigorous biking is.

E-bikes have certainly made biking less difficult and accessible for more adults. That said, with the way DC seems to design bike lanes, I worry about what happens when some heavier e-bike or cargo bike slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the bike lane from a Metro "bus island" to the curb.

Do you also worry about what happens when some heavier (multi-ton) motor vehicle slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the street from a bus stop? Because bike lanes reduce the opportunities for that to happen.

First of all, bus islands are typically located not right at the crosswalk. Second, motor vehicles (while heavier) tend to stop at traffic signals more than the Charge of the Lycra Brigade does.

Here are some things that bus riders do:

Cross the street at intersections
Cross the street between intersections

And here are some things that drivers do:

Hit bus riders crossing the street at intersections
Hit bus riders crossing the street between intersections

Also, you seem to define "bicyclist" as "person wearing a lurid team jersey," which is not the correct definition, and may explain your inability to see bicyclists. The correct definition for bicyclist is "person riding a bike."

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the ways you can tell someone doesn't really bike is they fall back on this canard about how difficult and vigorous biking is.

E-bikes have certainly made biking less difficult and accessible for more adults. That said, with the way DC seems to design bike lanes, I worry about what happens when some heavier e-bike or cargo bike slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the bike lane from a Metro "bus island" to the curb.

Do you also worry about what happens when some heavier (multi-ton) motor vehicle slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the street from a bus stop? Because bike lanes reduce the opportunities for that to happen.

First of all, bus islands are typically located not right at the crosswalk. Second, motor vehicles (while heavier) tend to stop at traffic signals more than the Charge of the Lycra Brigade does.

Here are some things that bus riders do:

Cross the street at intersections
Cross the street between intersections

And here are some things that drivers do:

Hit bus riders crossing the street at intersections
Hit bus riders crossing the street between intersections

Also, you seem to define "bicyclist" as "person wearing a lurid team jersey," which is not the correct definition, and may explain your inability to see bicyclists. The correct definition for bicyclist is "person riding a bike."

Amazing "lurid/lycra" autocorrect there! Maybe bike commuters should wear all lurid jerseys; we WOULD be much easier to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the ways you can tell someone doesn't really bike is they fall back on this canard about how difficult and vigorous biking is.

E-bikes have certainly made biking less difficult and accessible for more adults. That said, with the way DC seems to design bike lanes, I worry about what happens when some heavier e-bike or cargo bike slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the bike lane from a Metro "bus island" to the curb.

Do you also worry about what happens when some heavier (multi-ton) motor vehicle slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the street from a bus stop? Because bike lanes reduce the opportunities for that to happen.

First of all, bus islands are typically located not right at the crosswalk. Second, motor vehicles (while heavier) tend to stop at traffic signals more than the Charge of the Lycra Brigade does.

Here are some things that bus riders do:

Cross the street at intersections
Cross the street between intersections

And here are some things that drivers do:

Hit bus riders crossing the street at intersections
Hit bus riders crossing the street between intersections

Also, you seem to define "bicyclist" as "person wearing a lurid team jersey," which is not the correct definition, and may explain your inability to see bicyclists. The correct definition for bicyclist is "person riding a bike."

Amazing "lurid/lycra" autocorrect there! Maybe bike commuters should wear all lurid jerseys; we WOULD be much easier to see.

Not an autocorrect. My jeans have lycra. Nobody would describe my jeans as lurid, or me as part of the "Lycra Brigade" when I bike wearing jeans. Also, based on my experience, I'm equally invisible to drivers when I'm wearing lurid hi-vis colors while biking and when I'm wearing regular clothes while biking. Even regular clothes that are black. No difference. I don't understand how I can be invisible, but invisible I apparently am. A bicycle superpower, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the ways you can tell someone doesn't really bike is they fall back on this canard about how difficult and vigorous biking is.

E-bikes have certainly made biking less difficult and accessible for more adults. That said, with the way DC seems to design bike lanes, I worry about what happens when some heavier e-bike or cargo bike slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the bike lane from a Metro "bus island" to the curb.

Do you also worry about what happens when some heavier (multi-ton) motor vehicle slams into an elderly lady who is crossing the street from a bus stop? Because bike lanes reduce the opportunities for that to happen.

First of all, bus islands are typically located not right at the crosswalk. Second, motor vehicles (while heavier) tend to stop at traffic signals more than the Charge of the Lycra Brigade does.

Here are some things that bus riders do:

Cross the street at intersections
Cross the street between intersections

And here are some things that drivers do:

Hit bus riders crossing the street at intersections
Hit bus riders crossing the street between intersections

Also, you seem to define "bicyclist" as "person wearing a lurid team jersey," which is not the correct definition, and may explain your inability to see bicyclists. The correct definition for bicyclist is "person riding a bike."

Amazing "lurid/lycra" autocorrect there! Maybe bike commuters should wear all lurid jerseys; we WOULD be much easier to see.

Not an autocorrect. My jeans have lycra. Nobody would describe my jeans as lurid, or me as part of the "Lycra Brigade" when I bike wearing jeans. Also, based on my experience, I'm equally invisible to drivers when I'm wearing lurid hi-vis colors while biking and when I'm wearing regular clothes while biking. Even regular clothes that are black. No difference. I don't understand how I can be invisible, but invisible I apparently am. A bicycle superpower, I guess.

I guess I was thinking more of definition #2 of "lurid," which really would make for an eye-catching bike jersey:

(of a description) presented in vividly shocking or sensational terms, especially giving explicit details of crimes or sexual matters.

[Anonymous]

Bike lobby at it again on Forest Hills Connection and cross posting on Next Door:

https://www.foresthillsconnection.com/news/opinion-the-connecticut-ave-safety-project-should-not-be-weakened-it-holds-the-promise-of-vision-zero/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bike lobby at it again on Forest Hills Connection and cross posting on Next Door:

https://www.foresthillsconnection.com/news/opinion-the-connecticut-ave-safety-project-should-not-be-weakened-it-holds-the-promise-of-vision-zero/

Yeah, carpet bombing next-door and opeds in the press is only permissible if you wear a yellow shirt! Duh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bike lobby at it again on Forest Hills Connection and cross posting on Next Door:

https://www.foresthillsconnection.com/news/opinion-the-connecticut-ave-safety-project-should-not-be-weakened-it-holds-the-promise-of-vision-zero/

A good article. Thanks for posting.

[Anonymous]

Looks like everyone is joining the lobby these days!!

[Anonymous]

Agreed completely.

[Anonymous]

That reads like a parody.