One of these days there won't be cars parked where there are always cars parked and those drivers who everyday think that they'll be able to drive down the right lane of Massachusetts between Idaho and Wisconsin will be able to do it and they'll be so vindicated and all the other times that they've thought "I know, I'll buzz this cyclist so I can drive in the right lane because I'm sure there are no cars parked there even though there are always cars parked there. Oh drat, there are cars parked there and now I need move back over. Darn." will be replaced by "I know, I'll buzz this cyclist so I can drive in the right lane because I'm sure there are no cars there even though there are always cars parked there, BUT NOT TODAY OMG OMG OMG EVERYTHING'S COMING UP MILHOUSE!!!!"
I normally ride to 22rd to turn right from Massachusetts, but during this ride I decided that I would take 23rd from Sheriden Circle, go past the Romanian Embassy and then behind a church on a one way street that seemed more like a driveway than a street that intersects with 22nd by P. I don't recommend it. There's a yield sign where 23rd meets 22nd and this prompted me to ride on the sidewalk, which I did until the intersection and then when the light turned green, I crossed P. Jayrunning in front of me was an old man and his brown standard poodle.
Another night on the L Street Cycle Track. Something new: a mail truck not parked in the bike lane. Weird, I know.
Only a few problems on L between 22nd and 12th and nothing overly frustrating or that dangerous. Generally speaking, even when a driver turns from the center lane (which I only saw once and was caused by a Metro Access van parked in the left turn lane at a mixing zone), it's a pretty slow turn, made slower because there are almost always people crossing the street for whom drivers generally have to stop. If I had three wishes from a genie and I wanted to be really frivolous with one of them, I'd wish for bike specific traffic signals that operated a leading interval, allowing cyclists to start moving prior to drivers. We have the technology. We just need the policy.
I'm unfamiliar with Energy Kitchen, but I guess there's one coming to L Street. I at least saw the sign at the storefront. Does Energy Kitchen have Energy bathrooms? And what would that even entail?
On 11th I saw a woman who looked like someone I vaguely recognized from faint memories of someone I was sort of acquainted with at college, but who's name I don't know now nor am I sure I ever knew. Ah, memories. It's conceivable that it was her, but it's much more likely it was someone else. I see a lot of people who either are or aren't people I've met.
So, E Street has bike lanes. There's nothing special about them. Just standard issue bike lanes (white paint on ground, pictures of bicycles every so often) and I'm normally ok with riding in standard issue bike lanes, but riding on E always seems a bit more adventurous than it should be. I don't mind it that much- I'm fairly comfortable with the business of biking in traffic- but I doubt it's very comfortable for the people who don't feel as comfortable in traffic who've switched to E from riding on Pennsylvania while the road is being paved. G Street is probably a better option, at least from 15th to 7th. Or riding along the Mall also works. I'm not sure if these alternative routes had been publicized and suggested by DDOT, but consider them suggested by me.
I do a little more head shaking than I probably should. People so some sketchy stuff out there. I watched a lightless cyclist roll a red a nearly find herself on the hood of a turning taxi. If you're going to flout traffic laws (which I must stress that I'm perfectly fine with) at least make yourself visible when do it. A city upon a hill cannot be hidden, but a lightless city cyclist on the Hill certainly can be hit.
Have a great Thanksgiving. I give thanks for all of you who take time out of being bored at work to read this and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday full of wonder and bird meat.
No comments:
Post a Comment