Those are "sharrows," which may be more dangerous than nothing at all: [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-05/study-sharrows-might-be-more-dangerous-to-cyclists-than-having-no-bike-infrastructure](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-05/study-sharrows-might-be-more-dangerous-to-cyclists-than-having-no-bike-infrastructure)
They're not more dangerous. The study you cited used census data, not actual crash data. Trying to make claims about traffic safety based on census data is ridiculous.
The bane of my existence in Alexandria on Commonwealth Ave, just dips in and out from bike lane to sharrow for miles and wreaks havoc.
My biggest pet peeve is that we have to share the road but cyclists are allowed to make up whatever rules they want at intersections and other merge and stop areas
I just think about it if it were a care lane appearing and disappearing. There would be extra congestion everywhere! The end of a bike lane is a lane merge, but I don't know if they're planned like that.
Try being a biker and having cars freaking out because they don't know how to deal with you sharing the road with them.
The number of cars that attempt to cede their right of way, or pass me right before a stop sign is too damn high!
No. I wouldn't go that far. Most of the issues surrounding bikes and cars are engineering issues. Most roads aren't designed for anything but car throughput and thus roads themselves encourage unsafe driving practices.
That being said, people should definitely have to commute with a bike before bitching about them on a public forum.
Yesterday I saw a guy with two children on a holder on the back of his bicycle sail through a four-way stop with two other cars at the intersection without slowing at all. Interesting choice to not even slow down when the result could be your children turned into paste
When living in Boston, right in front of me as I was waiting to cross while walking, I saw a bike rider try to squeeze between parked cars and a bus and he literally got squeezed, ejected out in front of the bus and the bus stopped just short of running his head over.
When the cycling infrastructure completely changes from sharrow to painted bike lane to “cyclist should use sidewalk” to sharrow again — it is not really the cyclist picking and choosing.
Cyclists aren't allowed to make up their own rules. They're supposed to comply with traffic control devices when riding on roads. The fact that some don't doesn't mean the requirement doesn't apply
Sorry…have you EVER driven? B/c cars (and I’m a “car guy” who races cars) fucking do WHATEVER they want wherever they want to.
Driven on a highway lately? Speed limits, signaling, weaving, multiple lane changes —lawless. Since cars have FAR more damaging energy when they hit someone, maybe focus more on the car drivers doing whatever they want
And YES. There are douchebag cyclists
Douchebag car drivers outnumber them 30:1 and are 150% more dangerous
Just because cyclists don't cause as much damage in a collision doesn't mean they can't be the proximate cause of a collision. Every road user should follow the roles of the road pertaining to right of way, positioning, lane usage, and complying with traffic control devices.
I commuted 5 mile round trip for about ten years. I take the lane when legaly allowed and stop at stop lights. Ill never forget the time I did roll a red and got pulled over by a cop. I was at the midpoint of a steep hill, fully stopped at a light. Some asshole came down the hill fast behind me, slammed his brakes loudly. I turned my head to the side to confirm I had some space behind me, could see the bumper of the car was about a yard behind. Then they started creeping up closer to me as he wants to make a right turn or at least thats what his indicator suggests. I was getting nervous, checked left and right, no traffic for a block in either direction and stepped up on one pedal and rolled through the intersection.... the unmarked cop car turned off his turning indicator, lit up his lights and raced through the same red light to pull me over and give me a stern warning about riding recklessley through a light! Wtf.
Not unrelated, once was waiting at the same intersection a year later going up hill with a friend also on his bike when some other bikers ride through one recognizes my friend and says "who the fuck stops at lights?".
> My biggest pet peeve is that we have to share the road but cyclists are allowed to make up whatever rules they want at intersections and other merge and stop areas
Seems pretty minor compared to the fact that you're sharing the road with people who drive 2-ton vehicles while texting.
>It angers me when one pulls up to the lights and goes right through it.
Many of the inductive detection loops at traffic lights don't pick up the small metallic signatures of bikes.
Edit-And studies have shown cyclists break no more laws, sometimes fewer then drivers [here](https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/01/03/study-cyclists-dont-break-traffic-laws-any-more-than-drivers-do) and [here.](https://electrek.co/2024/01/11/cars-or-bikes-surprising-results-of-study-reveal-who-breaks-more-road-laws/)
Getting hit by a car on a bike can be a serious injury or fatal. The rules don’t punish drivers who hit cyclists so I’m not sorry for riding my bike to keep as much distance between cars and myself as possible. If we had road laws that actually punished drivers for hitting cyclists I’d understand. This can include Idaho stops at four way intersections and taking the full lane as a cyclist.
Virginia law allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. Either way, there's no reason it should bother you, a cyclist blowing through a stop sign is only going to hurt themselves, not you. And you won't be at fault if they fail to yield right of way. Just chill out and focus on driving.
This is prob gonna get downvoted but as a cyclist who tries to exclusively stick to trails and/or bike lanes, I’m often forced into the road temporarily by the ppl who think that bike lanes are a great place to leave their car so they can quickly run into a nearby business, restaurant, etc.. I’m not disagreeing w/ OP here, just saying that both cyclists and drivers do a shitty job at respecting one another
Yup, this is one of the problems with unprotected bike lanes. Create a protected bike lane that is between the curb and parked vehicles and this issue goes away for cyclists.
What's the rule regarding Metrobuses?
Twice as week I ride W+OD through the Fairfax bike lane en route to Clarendon for running club meetups and I often have the buses jutting out into the bike lane at the depot at the Ballston Metro station if not outright parked in it. Last time was Monday, where I decided to walk my bike up on the sidewalk to the intersection near the IHOP, and I shot the bus driver a look and he was just giving me this "what, what did I do wrong?" kind of look in return.
I just don't know if those bus routes have assigned spaces at that depot.
Maybe. Would be funny to do something like the ["just a minute" protest](https://youtu.be/kDboYpYvT2o?si=gu43AurU2itQj2dE), though you'd be saying just a minute all day lol.
Yeah agreed, it’s like drivers think we prefer the road to our own dedicated lane where we won’t get killed by a car? If we’re in the road it’s likely because the bike lane sucks for one of many reasons.
Plenty of cyclists seem to prefer the road. Four Mile Run Dr in Arlington has a bike path, far from the road, it's entire length. Arlington recently took the road from 4 lanes down to 2 lanes, and added a walking path beside the bike path. So, there's a walking path, and a bike path, and cyclists still drive right down the center of the road. Then when they get to the red light at the end of the road, they jump into the crosswalk and continue on like they're a pedestrian. I always try to give cyclists a good amount of space, but shit like that makes me crazy.
Not much of a cyclist here anymore.
Take the lane. It's your right to and most drivers are huge assholes, totally oblivious as to the danger they put you in when the try to pass while remaining in the lane with you. And most of the ones who aren't oblivious are openly hostile, just gleeful about maybe killing you.
Yeah, that's why I take the full lane. If you look like you're conceding that you don't deserve it, people will try to pass without giving you proper berth. Take the full lane, act like a car, and people will pass fully in the next lane.
These are all valid reasons to use roads. I think the image refers more to road cyclists that use roads for their weekend rides instead of bike lanes because their speeds are usually higher and bike lanes are narrow so it's difficult to pass commuters and people running errands.
Outside of rush hours there are many many roads in NoVA that just sit mostly empty anyway because we already gave cars a lot of space so I don't understand why people complain about it. I've lived here for more than 10 years and cyclists Haven't inconvenienced me once.
I'm sometimes a road cyclist and sometimes a commuter/errand-runner with different bikes for each.
There are definitely some places where I do not use the bike lane because I am going too fast and it is not safe for other cyclists, since at 15+ mph it is simply not doable to constantly be weaving around slower cyclists. And then you have to watch for those "parking protected" bike lanes where people will walk out from between cars directly into the bike lane without looking. I am not sure why they don't look. Maybe they don't think people use it. But I don't want to hit them, so I use the travel lane.
It's pretty rare that a car ever gets stuck behind me without somewhere to pass. So many roads here are 2+ lanes per direction.
Oh comeon. You're trying to tell me you haven't had to wait 15sec for an oncoming car to pass before you could safely pass a cyclist in the 10+ years you've lived here.. 😁
I got yelled at by a lady on the trails saying “You should be riding on the road”. She and her husband and dog were taking up the entire width of the trail and refused to move over to let me go by. I had to go off trail to get around them. You just can’t win around here.
I think a lot of those people tend to be uber/grubhub/postmates etc types of drivers. They tend to park almost anywhere to quickly grab orders with their hazards on. I almost never see the bike lanes here blocked by cars.
I think people understand that, and as both a pedestrian and driver I appreciate you using it when you can. The lax enforcement of parking in the bike lanes is definitely a problem that should be addressed. Ultimately, bikes have wound up in this weird grey area where they're inconsistently considered vehicles and it flows down to both enforcement and how a lot of cyclists ride them. Case in point, a concerning number of riders will blow through crosswalks and pedestrian crossings at stoplights because they feel they can selectively ignore road safety and nobody is gonna enforce it anyway
As a cyclist, this actually really bothers me. There are actually a few places where I don't have any choice but to use crosswalks, where a bike path "crosses" through an intersection and it would be awkward to "join the roadway." I will also sometimes take an early start through a red if I know the traffic patterns well enough. But people riding on the sidewalks, and blowing through crosswalks at 15mph are a menace, full stop.
There are a few differences between a 20 pound bike that generally goes 10-20mph and a 2 ton steel cage that rarely goes under 20mph. I know, I know, it's fucking crazy.
Still vehicles, though. We have to follow the laws of the road. If people using the road don't behave consistently, pedestrians don't know what to expect and everything gets more dangerous.
Getting knocked to the ground unexpectedly on concrete sidewalk or road is going to absolutely result in a broken bone or concussion, or more serious problems. And that’s not even considering if the sprockets get caught on flesh, where they will absolutely result in significant cuts
Oh, if you you run down a small dog on a leash that you didn’t see, it’s probably dying from it. Have some respect when you’re riding, you aren’t a pedestrian
When you're riding, you also have to assume every single door is going to open, and every single vehicle is going to back up and every driver is watching TikTok behind the wheel. I avoid roads with cars like the plague, but sometimes you've got no option.
No downvotes for you! It's honestly mutual respect / disrespect. If the drivers respect your dedicated bike lanes, they get the respect of cyclists using them. If drivers disregard the lanes, they'll only get slowed down by your only other option.
And my experience is that when bikes and pedestrians have to share trails cyclists often exhibit the same shitty job respecting pedestrians that drivers often do respecting cyclists on roads.
Dude, you're not gonna get downvoted for that.
We're reasonable people. If there's shit in the way, we get it.
It's when y'all are just cruising 2 feet into the travel lane so we have to pull into oncoming traffic to get around you, or crawl up a hill at 5 MPG
You are in fact supposed to pull into the oncoming lane. A standard width lane doesn't have room for motor vehicle (other than a motorcycle) to safely pass a bicycle in the same lane.
A little bit of paint on the road never prevents cars from entering bike lanes. And being next to a car on a bike makes them practically invisible. The safest option is to make it a protected bike lane. Next safest is for the cyclist to ride in the main lane.
Cyclists being on roads where cars go upwards of 35mph is a disservice to both drivers and cyclists on those roads.
We are getting mad at the wrong people.
At least inside the beltway, there is a pretty good network of "bike routes" which are not on main arterial roads, which can get you most places, even if they are not super direct sometimes. A lot of the times when I encounter impatient motorists, it is people who are cutting through neighborhoods to avoid traffic or stoplights. This is the gamble you take though when you do that shit.
Yeah I’m not condoning angry motorists that terrorize cyclists. I never have issues with cyclists. It’s easy to pass them without causing issues and most cyclists are nice enough to move to the edge of the lane to facilitate the maneuver.
I’ve also cycled a bit but am not a habitual cyclist.
Yeah it's odd to me how a lot of places plan their bike infrastructure as though it HAS to be alongside a road.
Big public park, shall we make the bike path go through it as a safe way to go east to west through this neighborhood? No, give them a paint-only bike lane on the 35mph road that goes around the park instead.
I mean it makes sense. The roads here generally have good visibility, are well paved, and are well spread out. Modern cars have shorter braking distances than those of decades past too. Nearly every road I know in NOVA can support 35mph traffic save for some residential areas where there are too many blind spots and the roads are too thin. Putting those exceptions aside, nearly all roads can handle that kind of traffic.
More bike infrastructure would be great for NOVA. The WOD is a great example of how good it could be. If only they could figure out how to allow foot/bike traffic to cross a road without stopping the flow of traffic, then it’d be perfect. Walking/running/biking lanes would be a good addition alongside a widening of the lanes. Then just copy paste it around the area and boom bike infrastructure. It’ll never happen though.
Falls Church with the separate bike and walking lanes is actually amazing for cyclists (aside from all the intersections). Great model, should be done the whole way down the trail.
Cyclists as in what's being done for sport? I think people who use it as a mode of transportation (getting to work, running errands, etc.s) should have much higher priority since it's based on a need.
I was recently at a transportation museum and saw some cool solutions that other cities have implemented for this. Most popular is a pedestrian & cyclist bridge, at least over the most-trafficked intersections.
One city has built an entire bridge network, like an entire second road system suspended over the actual roads, for pedestrians and cyclists. (It made me think of the Cycling Road in early Pokemon games.)
There was also a picture of a convoluted roundabout that somehow routed bikes and cars away from each other.
Yep there are feasible solutions. One I personally saw recently was some of the bike infrastructure in a park in São Paulo. They had large roads meant for walkers, runners, and cyclists. They managed it by painting the ground to indicate whether the “lane” was a walking, running, or cycling lane. While it absolutely is not a copy paste solution for NOVA, there are interesting ideas that could be useful such as the painted roadway to manage the traffic.
The WOD would not be able to have this since it’s way too small, but increasing the size of it and building different paths like that aren’t impossible (not easy at all either).
True, that's why I dont bike on the road anymore. I use Zwift, way safer than actual roads, and honestly a better experience allaround.
I'm not paid for that ad btw.
They put little separation thingys (like the same height of a parking lot stops that go the entire block) here in downtown Denver and it's been great for cars and bikes alike - all you maniacs in your lifted Raptor SVT's get a gentle reminder to stay out of the bike lane and we don't get run down for the crime of riding a bicycle......
Yeah, this is generally done by cyclists when there are problems with the bike lane (cars parked, walkers, risk of being doored due to bad design, lots of hard right turns across the bike lane (how most cyclists are killed), excessive trash/glass, potholes, etc). They take the full lane when there isn't enough room for you to pass safely.
Bike gutters is the common way vdot like to do it. Like 2 feet on the side of the road with a little paint and zero protection. So they are awful to use. As you have to deal with asphalt and the curb, so constant bumps and debris. Add in zero protection and drivers assuming being in that lane means they don't have to pay as a ton of attention. The bike gutters are so ducking scary
VDOT bike lanes exist purely so they can check off the "Enhances Multimodal Transportation" box for projects. That way they can virtue signal and pretend to be "sustainable"
They are starting to agree that making wide multiuse paths is a good option. Idk why they won't do protected bike lanes on roads. They never give a good reason
I'm an occasional bicyclist, not all the bike lanes in NOVA are safe to use, clear of obstructions, or connected to where I'm going. City ratings does a review of infrastructre; and a general rule of thumb is that a complete network probably requires at least a score of 50. So, let's take a look at what NOVA is like for its bike lanes, to see if we have something where the bike lanes are clear of obstruction, connected to destinations, and easy to use. [https://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org/](https://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org/)
* Alexandria: 37
* Arlington: 53
* Fairfax: 46
* Falls Church: 40
Those aren't great numbers, not terrible but not great. It about matches up with my personal experience, where bike paths can have obstructions, require numerous curb-jumps, or end abruptly. It's certainly better than in the past, but not to a level where I'd consider them adequate for daily errands or trips. I'm not going to judge a bicyclists without more context regarding the state of the "bike path" when we are struggling to even break that 50 point threshold anyplace in NOVA outside of Arlington. If or when we more consistently break that base threshold, then I'll consider complaints about bicyclists cycling in the road when they shouldn't. Until then, well I'm going to withhold judgment since there are so many places that fail bicyclists in the area.
I am quite confused by their map for Alexandria. They to be missing a few straight up bike paths - like backlick run trail. And they have several designated bike routes marked as "high stress." I'm pretty sure they are naively averaging literal interstates into their spatial scores there.
I do think Alexandria is rated oddly, particularly relative to Fairfax and Falls Church. I don't think the City's bikability is below those two jurisdictions. However, there are significant gaps east-to-west, and at least some of the designated bike paths are stressful to use.
I'd personally rate Alexandria at 49 or 50, just short of viability for daily errands and travel. But it is easier for me to point to a formal assessment to make my point than just spitball my own numbers for the area. Fingers crossed for some of the bike paths in the works in Alexandria like Duke Street
A; I'm hopeful that we're approaching the point that there are easy trails no matter the starting or ending points.
East-West is Eisenhower to Backlick or Holmes Run on the south end or Janney's lane to Seminary a bit to the North. Honestly, the south side bike routes are quite good if you ask me, with nice access to Van Dorn and Eisenhower metro stations, as well as nice routes into Old Town (plus the MV trail network) and west Arlington. If I had one wish it would be dry crossings on the northern section of Homes Run, but that is easily bypassed via Chambliss/Lacy.
I guess stress level comes down to experience and confidence somewhat. Almost all of the shared paths are in 25mph areas, and major road crossings all have "no turn on red" signs, so a strong rider on the right bike can typically keep with traffic and deal with the intersections. I can definitely see how that would be more stressful for a less experienced rider on a slow bike though. I am actually quite impressed by people who ride the CBS bikes. Those things weigh a ton.
Duke street will be an interesting project, and I really hope what it does is get us better access to Annandale and E Falls Church. Also, maybe some new development along the route in general.
Bike lanes end at random, sometimes you need to turn left, bikes have the same rights to use roads 35mph or less as cars and MOST IMPORTANTLY "dooring" has an extremely high serious injury and fatality rate and most cyclists are aware of stretches of bike lanes with parallel parking on the right where they've seen people swing car doors into the lane before and will avoid those lanes for their own safety.
Remember that the goal of any trip (via car, bike, foot, etc) is for everyone to reach their destination safely. So prioritize that and kindly fuck off.
When the bike lane isn't a gutter filled with nails, glass and storm drains I'll ride in it. How about you advocate for that separation? It would make your driving lanes better.
We need 'rules of the road' like they have for ships.
Cars yield to -> Motorcycles yield to -> Bikes yield to -> scooters/skateboards yield to -> pedestrians AT ALL TIMES REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCE
The first rule followed should be this. Then other road rules come into play.
I know a version of this exists on the WoD.
This. It’s the reason why many bike lanes which are shared with car lanes say the words cyclists are entitled to use the full lane in signs.
If you ride on the side of the lane, drivers take that as a sign that they can occupy the lane with you which is dangerous. Most see it as I can pass this cyclist in the same lane as them. I can’t tell you how many impatient drivers would rather pass you with mere inches of space rather than just wait 1/10 of a mile for the road to open into two lanes.
Bro let them live. NA Biking infrastructure sucks and its literally a matter of life and death for them to get you to slow down and move over.
Telling them to go use designated, separate bike roads, how about you as a driver avoid roads that bikers could possibly be on?? Oh is that all roads basically???? Oh noooo
We as cyclists are taught to take up the lane because if we don't and instead take up a small portion, cars may try to pass us and in doing so, hit us.
Most bike lanes are a joke, just a bike symbol painted on the road - what does that going to do for us? Our roads should not be so road-centric, we're doing the best we can.
The number of cars on the road at any given time is ten times the number of bikes. If a rider takes a lane it’s usually because they don’t feel safe with car and trucks squeezing them into an empty coffin. Yes there are riders who are jerks but they are wildly outnumbered by the jerks and idiots behind the wheel. I am unapologetic that I will inconvenience you by riding in the lane versus getting killed by you.
It’s actually the safe and correct thing to do. Riding in the side of the lane and allowing drivers to pass you with little room only leads to more accidents. Drivers can wait a few fucking seconds or minutes for the road to open up, they aren’t entitled to the street for themselves.
There’s a reason many shared bike lanes have a sign that says cyclists can occupy the full lane.
Try to ride a bike down the bike lane in Crystal drive just once, and you’ll get it. More than 50% of that lane is blocked by double parked cars on any given evening, but sure, let me swerve in and out of it for two car-length stretches at a time to keep you happy. That’s definitely safe.
Isn't it weird how everyone pays taxes-- people who don't own cars, pedestrians, citizens, non-citizens, the disabled, cyclists, non-cyclists . . . You know, literally everyone who buys things pays taxes that go to the roads-- but only cars are "allowed" to use the whole lane and only cars are "supposed" to be in the road?
Everyone pays for it but only cars are allowed to fully use it . . . Isn't that kinda weird?? Haha!! Kinda weird right??
Oh well guess I'll go on living never considering this concept ever again.
What's crazy is that all the different ways both drivers and non drivers are taxed to pay for car infrastructure doesn't even come close to paying for required maintenance. Roads are surprisingly fragile and expensive. It's even worse in cities, where so many of the vehicles tearing up the roads are from the suburbs and not paying local city taxes.
Because the suburban development model is a incredibly unsustainable and not meant to pay enough tax revenue for our crumbling infrastructure but rich landowners force people to live in cheaper suburb by stopping housing everywhere
This is a dumb post, bad infrastructure and lax enforcement of people blocking bike lanes is to blame. Cyclists don't enjoy dodging cars anymore than you, but try getting through Clarendon without doing it sometime.
I once passed a cyclist *on* the fucking George Washington Parkway by the airport (riding north) where there is a perfectly good bike trail alongside the road. 🤦♂️
Mt Vernon Trail is absolutely not a perfectly good bike trial. It's crowded, narrow, and in terrible condition. I'd never bike on the parkway because drivers are homicidal on that road, but I can't blame people for wanting to get off the trail.
PS I've seen more cars on the Mt Vernon Trail than I've seen cyclists on the parkway 😂
These are the types of bikers that suck. I get that the Mt Vernon Trail can be a bit packed at times, but it’s selfish to go on the road and make traffic go around you instead. It’s dangerous for everybody.
Kinda like PW Forest Park where *half* of Scenic Drive is one-way only because the other lane is for bikes. There are still some bikers insisting on riding in the car lane.
Yep, that's stupid as can be. You *once* passed a cyclist doing that.
Meanwhile I have seen cars and motorcycles on the Mt Vernon trail (same trail you're talking about) in old town 5 or 6 times; I've had my elbow or handlebar hit by cars trying to overtake me in my lane more times than I can count; I've had people yell and throw cans at me while I was riding in lanes marked as bike routes; I've been doored; had a car cut me off twice in two blocks causing me to run into him while I was in a bike lane and he was trying to park, been concussed by a car that ran a red light, etc, etc...
Bikes doing stupid stuff stick out to you bc you're not riding but I promise you there are a lot less cyclists being a danger out there than motorists.
"Perfectly good" Cough. (And it's NOT a bike trail. The Mount Vernon Trail is a shared use Trail, filled with runners and walkers, including young children)
I don't bike on the Parkway. But there are many (documented by NPS) issues with the trail.
And one potential solution to the Memorial Bridge underpass problem IS to take a lane of the parkway to add trail space. Folks who think MVT is perfectly good may in for a surprise.
The stretch of the mt Vernon trail next to the airport is a disaster. You’re literally feet from being ejected onto the highway if a runner suddenly stops to tie their shoes. As a cyclist, no thanks. I’ll go past the pentagon to eads street and join the mt Vernon trail after the airport
A few months ago on Stringfellow Rd (just south of Rt50 in front of Chantilly High school) I saw a biker going uphill on the crappy tiny bike lane when there was a perfectly usable wide footpath next to him. I bike there and that bike lane is barely wide enough for one bike.
So, this is just a rage bait post? You mean to mock folks like this gentleman?
https://preview.redd.it/ynhqozzvg49d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ce5a5143e42a7069e02ab8a0af188c3cc7e1393
Let's not pretend there is a type of cyclists that act as if the rules don't apply to them and everyone should cater to them first. They tend to wear tight spandex suits and ride like their racing everyone else. It's even worse when they ride in their huge groups of 30+ or so.
Blame the lack of protected bike lanes and shit spray painted “bike lanes” in the middle of a normal lane. As a driver and cyclist the piss poor cycling infrastructure is a negative status quo for all parties. I assure you cyclists don’t want to ride in the middle of a normal lane either.
Oftentimes there are cars parked in the bike lanes which obviously makes it impossible to use. If I as a cyclist am forced to use the regular road lanes, then I'm getting in the middle where I am most visible to cars and other vehicles, so I don't have people passing too closely to me or taking rights that risk an accident because they can't see me. I'm not going to risk my safety for the convenience of others.
I find the disproportionate anger towards cyclists ridiculous. Practically every time I am in a traffic jam it is because there are too many CARS. It's only once in a blue moon I actually get stuck a cyclist for more than 30 seconds.
A few years ago, they painted bike lanes on roads in Reston where there previously weren't any. Note that no changes were made to the roadways, only paint.
We never had problems cycling on these roads. Unfortunately, much of the new "bike lanes" are under trees, filled with debris. Unsafe to ride in the bike lanes. We ride where we always did, on the safe portion of the road.
Only difference now is that automobile drivers yell because we aren't in the bike lane.
as someone who solely drives - i'd recommend directing your anger toward whoever makes "bike lanes" dangerous, stop suddenly, and full of cars. part of that blame goes to drivers.
Every bike lane in my area is treated as a parking lane, especially the ones near the Metro stations. Never seen a single ticket on them. So honestly don't blame cyclists being in the road often times. VDOT and the region's developers seem to think painting a bike decal in the shoulder and putting a sign up magically makes the road cyclist friendly.
Same thing but with stop signs, which is fucking crazy to me. I get that you lose momentum and have a tough time getting back up to speed over and over again when there are multiple stop signs but *please* I'm begging you to not just fly through an intersection and end up under my wheels.
I got a dash cam, I'll get away with it. But I would rather just not kill you.
Bike lanes in northern va (presumably most of the US) are a sick joke. Most of the time, there is no physical barrier between vehicles and the bike lane, and frequently are directly adjacent to the parallel parking spots. So, you are constantly worried traffic will hit you, or someone exiting a car will hit you. Parked metal on one side, 40 mph metal on the other side. It’s a literal meat grinder.
First off its not a bike lane if its just a sign saying share the road, second...yes some cyclists are a problem, but, most would stay to the physical bike lanes if uber drivers didn't force bikes into the road by plowing into it without signaling
Yeah I'm not gonna let you run me over, and I have just as much of a right to use the road as you.
Maybe make memes about how much you see and ensure you don't hit me on the road and I'd trust you more not to kill me.
Also, fuck shitheadsteve. That guy makes and shares content that glories in the pain and death of my people. You wanna join him in glorying in the pain and death of your fellow humans just because they *checks notes* use a slower form of transportation and you might need to wait a few seconds or *gasp* minutes?!?
Or you could just change lanes. You don't seem to have a problem doing so when I'm driving my car slower than you want to go. Why should it be different when I'm riding my bike instead?
I still have a hard time getting my head around the idea that bicycles and automobiles share the road instead of bicycles and pedestrians sharing the sidewalk..
When a pedestrian and a bicycle collide, people have bruises. When a bicycle and a car collide, someone is often dead..
Why aren't bicyclists asked to beware of pedestrians like motorists are asked to beware of cyclists?
It just seems like a very dangerous configuration that we currently have..
What’s the deal with cyclists getting pissed when cars pass by them, while riding on the road?
I don’t pass close and wait for a space but they give me the finger and shout.
I'm stricken on this. I do feel like cyclists act like a car or a pedestrian depending on which is more convenient for them at the time. That being said, investing in more infrastructure for them to use would greatly help that and make everyone happy. I like walkable/bikable cities.
Yeah man fuck those bikers. What if I didn’t see them in the middle of the fucking road that Im driving on and somehow not looking at or paying attention to?!?! they could hurt my car!!!!!! Or worse make /me/ late ??? God forbid!! wont anyone think of the drivers !!!!
Vehicles are required to ride in the road and al vehicles have the right to ride in a lane. A bicycle is a vehicle. If you don’t agree, take it up with the lawmakers.
Virginia requires a bicycle to be operated as a motor vehicle when on a roadway. Yet, I rarely see the rider following the rules. They often blow through stop signs, disregard red lights, and fail to signal to include putting their left hand down to signal a stop.
I, however, do follow the rules of the road in my pick up. That means that I NEVER pass a cyclist slowly pedaling in front of me unless the conditions are very safe...and they rarely are. As a result, I'm often in a circumstance where I am going well below the speed limit. It creates a parade behind me, but given the size of my truck, the drivers behind me can't figure out why I am going slow. They get mad and start raging (the NOVA way), often passing me with reckless abandon. This poses little risk to me because I am safe in my truck, but it certainly poses a risk to life and limb to the bicyclist.
Lmao the first 5 seconds of a red light are suggestions in va don’t act like drivers don’t do the same shit. And all drivers everywhere drive the speed limit never over I’m sure.
This is coming from someone who takes their car to the racetrack frequently. Drivers are as big of a problem as bikers
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Ride in the [Bike Lane](https://i.imgur.com/f2EzEsp.jpg) they say.
Ride in [the Bike Lane](https://i.imgur.com/4266P8M.jpg) they say.
Ride in the [Bike Lane they](https://i.imgur.com/k65ns1l.jpg) say.
Ride in the Bike Lane [they say](https://i.imgur.com/FyGZu4z.jpg).
On annandale road we have the car lane then a biking lane then a parking lane the sheer amount of people I’ve seen crossing in the bike lane is astonishing. So i choose not to ride on it. I can cut through the park and it’s far safer
If you are here to encourage any self criticism or self awareness by area cyclists you’re going to have a bad time. These people dig in like a tick when challenged on their ubiquitous mandate to play with their toys wherever they want. You’d have an easier time deprogramming a cult member.
So what do you suggest lmao. This is a systematic problem with the infrastructure. Bike lanes in nova are a joke and half the time there is someone parked in them
In DC there are excellent protected bike lanes - they draw slow cyclists, scooter users (scooters are speed limited), occasional runners, and even electric wheel chair users. It's both safe and proper to for faster cyclists to take the general travel lane to pass. Where there's no protected intersection, they also generally should take the general travel lane to make a left turn.
Half the "bike lanes" in NOVA are just the bike insignia spray painted in the middle of the road.
Those are "sharrows," which may be more dangerous than nothing at all: [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-05/study-sharrows-might-be-more-dangerous-to-cyclists-than-having-no-bike-infrastructure](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-05/study-sharrows-might-be-more-dangerous-to-cyclists-than-having-no-bike-infrastructure)
This, and painted bicycle gutters. If the bicycle lane is a bit of paint and nothing else, its not a bikelane.
They're not more dangerous. The study you cited used census data, not actual crash data. Trying to make claims about traffic safety based on census data is ridiculous.
The bane of my existence in Alexandria on Commonwealth Ave, just dips in and out from bike lane to sharrow for miles and wreaks havoc. My biggest pet peeve is that we have to share the road but cyclists are allowed to make up whatever rules they want at intersections and other merge and stop areas
I just think about it if it were a care lane appearing and disappearing. There would be extra congestion everywhere! The end of a bike lane is a lane merge, but I don't know if they're planned like that.
Try being a biker and having cars freaking out because they don't know how to deal with you sharing the road with them. The number of cars that attempt to cede their right of way, or pass me right before a stop sign is too damn high!
Yeah don't get me wrong plenty of terrible drivers everywhere for sure
People should have to effectively ride a bike before getting a car driving license.
No. I wouldn't go that far. Most of the issues surrounding bikes and cars are engineering issues. Most roads aren't designed for anything but car throughput and thus roads themselves encourage unsafe driving practices. That being said, people should definitely have to commute with a bike before bitching about them on a public forum.
Yesterday I saw a guy with two children on a holder on the back of his bicycle sail through a four-way stop with two other cars at the intersection without slowing at all. Interesting choice to not even slow down when the result could be your children turned into paste
When living in Boston, right in front of me as I was waiting to cross while walking, I saw a bike rider try to squeeze between parked cars and a bus and he literally got squeezed, ejected out in front of the bus and the bus stopped just short of running his head over.
When the cycling infrastructure completely changes from sharrow to painted bike lane to “cyclist should use sidewalk” to sharrow again — it is not really the cyclist picking and choosing.
Cyclists aren't allowed to make up their own rules. They're supposed to comply with traffic control devices when riding on roads. The fact that some don't doesn't mean the requirement doesn't apply
Sorry…have you EVER driven? B/c cars (and I’m a “car guy” who races cars) fucking do WHATEVER they want wherever they want to. Driven on a highway lately? Speed limits, signaling, weaving, multiple lane changes —lawless. Since cars have FAR more damaging energy when they hit someone, maybe focus more on the car drivers doing whatever they want And YES. There are douchebag cyclists Douchebag car drivers outnumber them 30:1 and are 150% more dangerous
Just because cyclists don't cause as much damage in a collision doesn't mean they can't be the proximate cause of a collision. Every road user should follow the roles of the road pertaining to right of way, positioning, lane usage, and complying with traffic control devices.
https://preview.redd.it/hnl0in80d79d1.jpeg?width=250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3975c30b7ebc76d8d4d8bb369ad02cd938f535fb
I commuted 5 mile round trip for about ten years. I take the lane when legaly allowed and stop at stop lights. Ill never forget the time I did roll a red and got pulled over by a cop. I was at the midpoint of a steep hill, fully stopped at a light. Some asshole came down the hill fast behind me, slammed his brakes loudly. I turned my head to the side to confirm I had some space behind me, could see the bumper of the car was about a yard behind. Then they started creeping up closer to me as he wants to make a right turn or at least thats what his indicator suggests. I was getting nervous, checked left and right, no traffic for a block in either direction and stepped up on one pedal and rolled through the intersection.... the unmarked cop car turned off his turning indicator, lit up his lights and raced through the same red light to pull me over and give me a stern warning about riding recklessley through a light! Wtf. Not unrelated, once was waiting at the same intersection a year later going up hill with a friend also on his bike when some other bikers ride through one recognizes my friend and says "who the fuck stops at lights?".
> My biggest pet peeve is that we have to share the road but cyclists are allowed to make up whatever rules they want at intersections and other merge and stop areas Seems pretty minor compared to the fact that you're sharing the road with people who drive 2-ton vehicles while texting.
They really need to remove parking to keep the bike lane consistent. And yes bikes should obey all traffic signs as a car. I do.
It angers me when one pulls up to the lights and goes right through it. Oh so you want to drive on the road with vehicles but follow none of the laws?
>It angers me when one pulls up to the lights and goes right through it. Many of the inductive detection loops at traffic lights don't pick up the small metallic signatures of bikes. Edit-And studies have shown cyclists break no more laws, sometimes fewer then drivers [here](https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/01/03/study-cyclists-dont-break-traffic-laws-any-more-than-drivers-do) and [here.](https://electrek.co/2024/01/11/cars-or-bikes-surprising-results-of-study-reveal-who-breaks-more-road-laws/)
Getting hit by a car on a bike can be a serious injury or fatal. The rules don’t punish drivers who hit cyclists so I’m not sorry for riding my bike to keep as much distance between cars and myself as possible. If we had road laws that actually punished drivers for hitting cyclists I’d understand. This can include Idaho stops at four way intersections and taking the full lane as a cyclist.
Virginia law allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. Either way, there's no reason it should bother you, a cyclist blowing through a stop sign is only going to hurt themselves, not you. And you won't be at fault if they fail to yield right of way. Just chill out and focus on driving.
Those are shared lane markings, not bike lanes.
This is prob gonna get downvoted but as a cyclist who tries to exclusively stick to trails and/or bike lanes, I’m often forced into the road temporarily by the ppl who think that bike lanes are a great place to leave their car so they can quickly run into a nearby business, restaurant, etc.. I’m not disagreeing w/ OP here, just saying that both cyclists and drivers do a shitty job at respecting one another
Yup, this is one of the problems with unprotected bike lanes. Create a protected bike lane that is between the curb and parked vehicles and this issue goes away for cyclists.
Or expand the bike trail network twenty fold so people can use it practically rather than strictly for recreation.
[\*laughs in DC driver\*](https://i.imgur.com/oAWFjaD.jpeg)
DC drivers are the most entitled assholes I have met so far.
Until you get to an intersection and a motorist turns right into you. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k6-AI_X1qE
Even with the protected lane in Columbia Heights, there are too many people sitting or mopeds standing in that lane.
Also if you need to make a left hand turn you need to move all the way over. Some bike lanes are also really really bad and in the door zone
Bike lanes should never be painted in the door zone. They should paint shared lane markings instead.
Ugh that's basically Crystal Drive. Bike lane there is basically a parking lane.
I personally had Wilson blvd + Fairfax dr. drive in mind haha. That one sucks too tho
What's the rule regarding Metrobuses? Twice as week I ride W+OD through the Fairfax bike lane en route to Clarendon for running club meetups and I often have the buses jutting out into the bike lane at the depot at the Ballston Metro station if not outright parked in it. Last time was Monday, where I decided to walk my bike up on the sidewalk to the intersection near the IHOP, and I shot the bus driver a look and he was just giving me this "what, what did I do wrong?" kind of look in return. I just don't know if those bus routes have assigned spaces at that depot.
Are you me? This shit is so frustrating!
I think you mean the door dash/Uber eats parking lane.
Maybe. Would be funny to do something like the ["just a minute" protest](https://youtu.be/kDboYpYvT2o?si=gu43AurU2itQj2dE), though you'd be saying just a minute all day lol.
Yeah agreed, it’s like drivers think we prefer the road to our own dedicated lane where we won’t get killed by a car? If we’re in the road it’s likely because the bike lane sucks for one of many reasons.
Plenty of cyclists seem to prefer the road. Four Mile Run Dr in Arlington has a bike path, far from the road, it's entire length. Arlington recently took the road from 4 lanes down to 2 lanes, and added a walking path beside the bike path. So, there's a walking path, and a bike path, and cyclists still drive right down the center of the road. Then when they get to the red light at the end of the road, they jump into the crosswalk and continue on like they're a pedestrian. I always try to give cyclists a good amount of space, but shit like that makes me crazy.
Not to mention the road debris that gets pushed into bike lanes and not cleaned out.
I see that so often I would think that the bike lane is actually the uber eats lane
Not much of a cyclist here anymore. Take the lane. It's your right to and most drivers are huge assholes, totally oblivious as to the danger they put you in when the try to pass while remaining in the lane with you. And most of the ones who aren't oblivious are openly hostile, just gleeful about maybe killing you.
Yeah, that's why I take the full lane. If you look like you're conceding that you don't deserve it, people will try to pass without giving you proper berth. Take the full lane, act like a car, and people will pass fully in the next lane.
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These are all valid reasons to use roads. I think the image refers more to road cyclists that use roads for their weekend rides instead of bike lanes because their speeds are usually higher and bike lanes are narrow so it's difficult to pass commuters and people running errands. Outside of rush hours there are many many roads in NoVA that just sit mostly empty anyway because we already gave cars a lot of space so I don't understand why people complain about it. I've lived here for more than 10 years and cyclists Haven't inconvenienced me once.
I'm sometimes a road cyclist and sometimes a commuter/errand-runner with different bikes for each. There are definitely some places where I do not use the bike lane because I am going too fast and it is not safe for other cyclists, since at 15+ mph it is simply not doable to constantly be weaving around slower cyclists. And then you have to watch for those "parking protected" bike lanes where people will walk out from between cars directly into the bike lane without looking. I am not sure why they don't look. Maybe they don't think people use it. But I don't want to hit them, so I use the travel lane. It's pretty rare that a car ever gets stuck behind me without somewhere to pass. So many roads here are 2+ lanes per direction.
Oh comeon. You're trying to tell me you haven't had to wait 15sec for an oncoming car to pass before you could safely pass a cyclist in the 10+ years you've lived here.. 😁
Road cyclist are still allowed to use the road and many of the reasons above still apply.
I got yelled at by a lady on the trails saying “You should be riding on the road”. She and her husband and dog were taking up the entire width of the trail and refused to move over to let me go by. I had to go off trail to get around them. You just can’t win around here.
I think a lot of those people tend to be uber/grubhub/postmates etc types of drivers. They tend to park almost anywhere to quickly grab orders with their hazards on. I almost never see the bike lanes here blocked by cars.
I think people understand that, and as both a pedestrian and driver I appreciate you using it when you can. The lax enforcement of parking in the bike lanes is definitely a problem that should be addressed. Ultimately, bikes have wound up in this weird grey area where they're inconsistently considered vehicles and it flows down to both enforcement and how a lot of cyclists ride them. Case in point, a concerning number of riders will blow through crosswalks and pedestrian crossings at stoplights because they feel they can selectively ignore road safety and nobody is gonna enforce it anyway
As a cyclist, this actually really bothers me. There are actually a few places where I don't have any choice but to use crosswalks, where a bike path "crosses" through an intersection and it would be awkward to "join the roadway." I will also sometimes take an early start through a red if I know the traffic patterns well enough. But people riding on the sidewalks, and blowing through crosswalks at 15mph are a menace, full stop.
There are a few differences between a 20 pound bike that generally goes 10-20mph and a 2 ton steel cage that rarely goes under 20mph. I know, I know, it's fucking crazy.
Still vehicles, though. We have to follow the laws of the road. If people using the road don't behave consistently, pedestrians don't know what to expect and everything gets more dangerous.
Getting knocked to the ground unexpectedly on concrete sidewalk or road is going to absolutely result in a broken bone or concussion, or more serious problems. And that’s not even considering if the sprockets get caught on flesh, where they will absolutely result in significant cuts Oh, if you you run down a small dog on a leash that you didn’t see, it’s probably dying from it. Have some respect when you’re riding, you aren’t a pedestrian
Along Greensboro by the Boro, people think the bike lane markings mean "Double Park Here".
Every. Fucking. Morning.
When you're riding, you also have to assume every single door is going to open, and every single vehicle is going to back up and every driver is watching TikTok behind the wheel. I avoid roads with cars like the plague, but sometimes you've got no option.
I’ve basically accepted that I will at some point get doored while riding in a bike lane. With how oblivious ppl can be it just feels unavoidable lol
No downvotes for you! It's honestly mutual respect / disrespect. If the drivers respect your dedicated bike lanes, they get the respect of cyclists using them. If drivers disregard the lanes, they'll only get slowed down by your only other option.
Hope you've seen Casey Neistat's video on this. If not, search his name plus bike lanes. I think it's his most viewed video.
And my experience is that when bikes and pedestrians have to share trails cyclists often exhibit the same shitty job respecting pedestrians that drivers often do respecting cyclists on roads.
Dude, you're not gonna get downvoted for that. We're reasonable people. If there's shit in the way, we get it. It's when y'all are just cruising 2 feet into the travel lane so we have to pull into oncoming traffic to get around you, or crawl up a hill at 5 MPG
bikes are actually 0 MPG because they aren't powered by gasoline ;)
....damnit...valid
In this weather, you would have to drink gallons of water to stay hydrated though :)
gallon of chocolate milk, which is what I'm powered by
You are in fact supposed to pull into the oncoming lane. A standard width lane doesn't have room for motor vehicle (other than a motorcycle) to safely pass a bicycle in the same lane.
A little bit of paint on the road never prevents cars from entering bike lanes. And being next to a car on a bike makes them practically invisible. The safest option is to make it a protected bike lane. Next safest is for the cyclist to ride in the main lane.
Cyclists being on roads where cars go upwards of 35mph is a disservice to both drivers and cyclists on those roads. We are getting mad at the wrong people.
Don’t tell me there are systemic problems I am very smart and want to blame individuals instead!
At least inside the beltway, there is a pretty good network of "bike routes" which are not on main arterial roads, which can get you most places, even if they are not super direct sometimes. A lot of the times when I encounter impatient motorists, it is people who are cutting through neighborhoods to avoid traffic or stoplights. This is the gamble you take though when you do that shit.
Yeah I’m not condoning angry motorists that terrorize cyclists. I never have issues with cyclists. It’s easy to pass them without causing issues and most cyclists are nice enough to move to the edge of the lane to facilitate the maneuver. I’ve also cycled a bit but am not a habitual cyclist.
Yeah it's odd to me how a lot of places plan their bike infrastructure as though it HAS to be alongside a road. Big public park, shall we make the bike path go through it as a safe way to go east to west through this neighborhood? No, give them a paint-only bike lane on the 35mph road that goes around the park instead.
That's basically every road in NoVa now.
I mean it makes sense. The roads here generally have good visibility, are well paved, and are well spread out. Modern cars have shorter braking distances than those of decades past too. Nearly every road I know in NOVA can support 35mph traffic save for some residential areas where there are too many blind spots and the roads are too thin. Putting those exceptions aside, nearly all roads can handle that kind of traffic. More bike infrastructure would be great for NOVA. The WOD is a great example of how good it could be. If only they could figure out how to allow foot/bike traffic to cross a road without stopping the flow of traffic, then it’d be perfect. Walking/running/biking lanes would be a good addition alongside a widening of the lanes. Then just copy paste it around the area and boom bike infrastructure. It’ll never happen though.
The w&od is great for bike riders but absolutely garbage for cyclists
Falls Church with the separate bike and walking lanes is actually amazing for cyclists (aside from all the intersections). Great model, should be done the whole way down the trail.
Cyclists as in what's being done for sport? I think people who use it as a mode of transportation (getting to work, running errands, etc.s) should have much higher priority since it's based on a need.
I was recently at a transportation museum and saw some cool solutions that other cities have implemented for this. Most popular is a pedestrian & cyclist bridge, at least over the most-trafficked intersections. One city has built an entire bridge network, like an entire second road system suspended over the actual roads, for pedestrians and cyclists. (It made me think of the Cycling Road in early Pokemon games.) There was also a picture of a convoluted roundabout that somehow routed bikes and cars away from each other.
Yep there are feasible solutions. One I personally saw recently was some of the bike infrastructure in a park in São Paulo. They had large roads meant for walkers, runners, and cyclists. They managed it by painting the ground to indicate whether the “lane” was a walking, running, or cycling lane. While it absolutely is not a copy paste solution for NOVA, there are interesting ideas that could be useful such as the painted roadway to manage the traffic. The WOD would not be able to have this since it’s way too small, but increasing the size of it and building different paths like that aren’t impossible (not easy at all either).
True, that's why I dont bike on the road anymore. I use Zwift, way safer than actual roads, and honestly a better experience allaround. I'm not paid for that ad btw.
They put little separation thingys (like the same height of a parking lot stops that go the entire block) here in downtown Denver and it's been great for cars and bikes alike - all you maniacs in your lifted Raptor SVT's get a gentle reminder to stay out of the bike lane and we don't get run down for the crime of riding a bicycle......
Yeah, this is generally done by cyclists when there are problems with the bike lane (cars parked, walkers, risk of being doored due to bad design, lots of hard right turns across the bike lane (how most cyclists are killed), excessive trash/glass, potholes, etc). They take the full lane when there isn't enough room for you to pass safely.
Bike gutters is the common way vdot like to do it. Like 2 feet on the side of the road with a little paint and zero protection. So they are awful to use. As you have to deal with asphalt and the curb, so constant bumps and debris. Add in zero protection and drivers assuming being in that lane means they don't have to pay as a ton of attention. The bike gutters are so ducking scary
VDOT bike lanes exist purely so they can check off the "Enhances Multimodal Transportation" box for projects. That way they can virtue signal and pretend to be "sustainable"
They are starting to agree that making wide multiuse paths is a good option. Idk why they won't do protected bike lanes on roads. They never give a good reason
I'm an occasional bicyclist, not all the bike lanes in NOVA are safe to use, clear of obstructions, or connected to where I'm going. City ratings does a review of infrastructre; and a general rule of thumb is that a complete network probably requires at least a score of 50. So, let's take a look at what NOVA is like for its bike lanes, to see if we have something where the bike lanes are clear of obstruction, connected to destinations, and easy to use. [https://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org/](https://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org/) * Alexandria: 37 * Arlington: 53 * Fairfax: 46 * Falls Church: 40 Those aren't great numbers, not terrible but not great. It about matches up with my personal experience, where bike paths can have obstructions, require numerous curb-jumps, or end abruptly. It's certainly better than in the past, but not to a level where I'd consider them adequate for daily errands or trips. I'm not going to judge a bicyclists without more context regarding the state of the "bike path" when we are struggling to even break that 50 point threshold anyplace in NOVA outside of Arlington. If or when we more consistently break that base threshold, then I'll consider complaints about bicyclists cycling in the road when they shouldn't. Until then, well I'm going to withhold judgment since there are so many places that fail bicyclists in the area.
I am quite confused by their map for Alexandria. They to be missing a few straight up bike paths - like backlick run trail. And they have several designated bike routes marked as "high stress." I'm pretty sure they are naively averaging literal interstates into their spatial scores there.
I do think Alexandria is rated oddly, particularly relative to Fairfax and Falls Church. I don't think the City's bikability is below those two jurisdictions. However, there are significant gaps east-to-west, and at least some of the designated bike paths are stressful to use. I'd personally rate Alexandria at 49 or 50, just short of viability for daily errands and travel. But it is easier for me to point to a formal assessment to make my point than just spitball my own numbers for the area. Fingers crossed for some of the bike paths in the works in Alexandria like Duke Street A; I'm hopeful that we're approaching the point that there are easy trails no matter the starting or ending points.
East-West is Eisenhower to Backlick or Holmes Run on the south end or Janney's lane to Seminary a bit to the North. Honestly, the south side bike routes are quite good if you ask me, with nice access to Van Dorn and Eisenhower metro stations, as well as nice routes into Old Town (plus the MV trail network) and west Arlington. If I had one wish it would be dry crossings on the northern section of Homes Run, but that is easily bypassed via Chambliss/Lacy. I guess stress level comes down to experience and confidence somewhat. Almost all of the shared paths are in 25mph areas, and major road crossings all have "no turn on red" signs, so a strong rider on the right bike can typically keep with traffic and deal with the intersections. I can definitely see how that would be more stressful for a less experienced rider on a slow bike though. I am actually quite impressed by people who ride the CBS bikes. Those things weigh a ton. Duke street will be an interesting project, and I really hope what it does is get us better access to Annandale and E Falls Church. Also, maybe some new development along the route in general.
Yes, because most of the bike lanes are just a couple feet of space by the gutter with cars whizzing past you.
Bike lanes end at random, sometimes you need to turn left, bikes have the same rights to use roads 35mph or less as cars and MOST IMPORTANTLY "dooring" has an extremely high serious injury and fatality rate and most cyclists are aware of stretches of bike lanes with parallel parking on the right where they've seen people swing car doors into the lane before and will avoid those lanes for their own safety. Remember that the goal of any trip (via car, bike, foot, etc) is for everyone to reach their destination safely. So prioritize that and kindly fuck off.
I mean sure….AND us drivers can be better about not just driving in the bike lanes
When the bike lane isn't a gutter filled with nails, glass and storm drains I'll ride in it. How about you advocate for that separation? It would make your driving lanes better.
We need 'rules of the road' like they have for ships. Cars yield to -> Motorcycles yield to -> Bikes yield to -> scooters/skateboards yield to -> pedestrians AT ALL TIMES REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCE The first rule followed should be this. Then other road rules come into play. I know a version of this exists on the WoD.
Low effort shit post
I ride in the middle of the lane when it’s clear that riding in the bike lane or side of the lane would be more dangerous.
Ops never spent 30 seconds thinking about things from the biker's perspective
This. It’s the reason why many bike lanes which are shared with car lanes say the words cyclists are entitled to use the full lane in signs. If you ride on the side of the lane, drivers take that as a sign that they can occupy the lane with you which is dangerous. Most see it as I can pass this cyclist in the same lane as them. I can’t tell you how many impatient drivers would rather pass you with mere inches of space rather than just wait 1/10 of a mile for the road to open into two lanes.
Bro let them live. NA Biking infrastructure sucks and its literally a matter of life and death for them to get you to slow down and move over. Telling them to go use designated, separate bike roads, how about you as a driver avoid roads that bikers could possibly be on?? Oh is that all roads basically???? Oh noooo
We as cyclists are taught to take up the lane because if we don't and instead take up a small portion, cars may try to pass us and in doing so, hit us. Most bike lanes are a joke, just a bike symbol painted on the road - what does that going to do for us? Our roads should not be so road-centric, we're doing the best we can.
The number of cars on the road at any given time is ten times the number of bikes. If a rider takes a lane it’s usually because they don’t feel safe with car and trucks squeezing them into an empty coffin. Yes there are riders who are jerks but they are wildly outnumbered by the jerks and idiots behind the wheel. I am unapologetic that I will inconvenience you by riding in the lane versus getting killed by you.
What if I told you it's legal for bikes to travel "in the middle of the fucking road" and if you are all upset about that, that's your problem?
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Gotta get to where I wanna go. Driving is super dangerous too
It’s actually the safe and correct thing to do. Riding in the side of the lane and allowing drivers to pass you with little room only leads to more accidents. Drivers can wait a few fucking seconds or minutes for the road to open up, they aren’t entitled to the street for themselves. There’s a reason many shared bike lanes have a sign that says cyclists can occupy the full lane.
We've allowed cars to dominate and riding a bike on the road (or being a pedestrian) is taking your life into your hands
Try to ride a bike down the bike lane in Crystal drive just once, and you’ll get it. More than 50% of that lane is blocked by double parked cars on any given evening, but sure, let me swerve in and out of it for two car-length stretches at a time to keep you happy. That’s definitely safe.
I’ve never felt closer to death than trying the new “bike lane” on Crystal drive
Isn't it weird how everyone pays taxes-- people who don't own cars, pedestrians, citizens, non-citizens, the disabled, cyclists, non-cyclists . . . You know, literally everyone who buys things pays taxes that go to the roads-- but only cars are "allowed" to use the whole lane and only cars are "supposed" to be in the road? Everyone pays for it but only cars are allowed to fully use it . . . Isn't that kinda weird?? Haha!! Kinda weird right?? Oh well guess I'll go on living never considering this concept ever again.
What's crazy is that all the different ways both drivers and non drivers are taxed to pay for car infrastructure doesn't even come close to paying for required maintenance. Roads are surprisingly fragile and expensive. It's even worse in cities, where so many of the vehicles tearing up the roads are from the suburbs and not paying local city taxes.
Because the suburban development model is a incredibly unsustainable and not meant to pay enough tax revenue for our crumbling infrastructure but rich landowners force people to live in cheaper suburb by stopping housing everywhere
This is a dumb post, bad infrastructure and lax enforcement of people blocking bike lanes is to blame. Cyclists don't enjoy dodging cars anymore than you, but try getting through Clarendon without doing it sometime.
I once passed a cyclist *on* the fucking George Washington Parkway by the airport (riding north) where there is a perfectly good bike trail alongside the road. 🤦♂️
Mt Vernon Trail is absolutely not a perfectly good bike trial. It's crowded, narrow, and in terrible condition. I'd never bike on the parkway because drivers are homicidal on that road, but I can't blame people for wanting to get off the trail. PS I've seen more cars on the Mt Vernon Trail than I've seen cyclists on the parkway 😂
These are the types of bikers that suck. I get that the Mt Vernon Trail can be a bit packed at times, but it’s selfish to go on the road and make traffic go around you instead. It’s dangerous for everybody. Kinda like PW Forest Park where *half* of Scenic Drive is one-way only because the other lane is for bikes. There are still some bikers insisting on riding in the car lane.
Yep, that's stupid as can be. You *once* passed a cyclist doing that. Meanwhile I have seen cars and motorcycles on the Mt Vernon trail (same trail you're talking about) in old town 5 or 6 times; I've had my elbow or handlebar hit by cars trying to overtake me in my lane more times than I can count; I've had people yell and throw cans at me while I was riding in lanes marked as bike routes; I've been doored; had a car cut me off twice in two blocks causing me to run into him while I was in a bike lane and he was trying to park, been concussed by a car that ran a red light, etc, etc... Bikes doing stupid stuff stick out to you bc you're not riding but I promise you there are a lot less cyclists being a danger out there than motorists.
"Perfectly good" Cough. (And it's NOT a bike trail. The Mount Vernon Trail is a shared use Trail, filled with runners and walkers, including young children)
Yeah that path sucks to bike on and is dangerous with so many pedestrians but def wouldn’t bike on the GW parkway either.
I don't bike on the Parkway. But there are many (documented by NPS) issues with the trail. And one potential solution to the Memorial Bridge underpass problem IS to take a lane of the parkway to add trail space. Folks who think MVT is perfectly good may in for a surprise.
The stretch of the mt Vernon trail next to the airport is a disaster. You’re literally feet from being ejected onto the highway if a runner suddenly stops to tie their shoes. As a cyclist, no thanks. I’ll go past the pentagon to eads street and join the mt Vernon trail after the airport
ride the trail once and you'll understand why that person was on the parkway.
A few months ago on Stringfellow Rd (just south of Rt50 in front of Chantilly High school) I saw a biker going uphill on the crappy tiny bike lane when there was a perfectly usable wide footpath next to him. I bike there and that bike lane is barely wide enough for one bike.
So, this is just a rage bait post? You mean to mock folks like this gentleman? https://preview.redd.it/ynhqozzvg49d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ce5a5143e42a7069e02ab8a0af188c3cc7e1393
He's on a trail
“Mom said it’s *my* turn to shit post about how much I hate cyclists!”
Let's not pretend there is a type of cyclists that act as if the rules don't apply to them and everyone should cater to them first. They tend to wear tight spandex suits and ride like their racing everyone else. It's even worse when they ride in their huge groups of 30+ or so.
Let's not pretend there isn't a type of car drivers that act as if the rules don't apply to them and everyone should cater to them first.
Yes, let's use generic stereotypes free of data to inform our decisions on who to dislike and who deserves scorn.
Can someone clarify - Are bicyclists supposed to follow the "don't cross / walk" signs when they are present on a bike path that crosses over a road?
Blame the lack of protected bike lanes and shit spray painted “bike lanes” in the middle of a normal lane. As a driver and cyclist the piss poor cycling infrastructure is a negative status quo for all parties. I assure you cyclists don’t want to ride in the middle of a normal lane either.
I see far more cars driving in the bike lane than I see bikes in the road when a bike lane is available.
Oftentimes there are cars parked in the bike lanes which obviously makes it impossible to use. If I as a cyclist am forced to use the regular road lanes, then I'm getting in the middle where I am most visible to cars and other vehicles, so I don't have people passing too closely to me or taking rights that risk an accident because they can't see me. I'm not going to risk my safety for the convenience of others.
"Oh, you mean delivery driver parking" - MD drivers
I find the disproportionate anger towards cyclists ridiculous. Practically every time I am in a traffic jam it is because there are too many CARS. It's only once in a blue moon I actually get stuck a cyclist for more than 30 seconds.
A few years ago, they painted bike lanes on roads in Reston where there previously weren't any. Note that no changes were made to the roadways, only paint. We never had problems cycling on these roads. Unfortunately, much of the new "bike lanes" are under trees, filled with debris. Unsafe to ride in the bike lanes. We ride where we always did, on the safe portion of the road. Only difference now is that automobile drivers yell because we aren't in the bike lane.
Meanwhile the bike lane is filled with parked cars, signs, road debris, etc
as someone who solely drives - i'd recommend directing your anger toward whoever makes "bike lanes" dangerous, stop suddenly, and full of cars. part of that blame goes to drivers.
Car brain post.
My town hung up biking posters to maybe encourage people to ride their bicycles? There are zero bike lanes here.
Runners too. Sidewalks too cracky, I guess.
Every bike lane in my area is treated as a parking lane, especially the ones near the Metro stations. Never seen a single ticket on them. So honestly don't blame cyclists being in the road often times. VDOT and the region's developers seem to think painting a bike decal in the shoulder and putting a sign up magically makes the road cyclist friendly.
Same thing but with stop signs, which is fucking crazy to me. I get that you lose momentum and have a tough time getting back up to speed over and over again when there are multiple stop signs but *please* I'm begging you to not just fly through an intersection and end up under my wheels. I got a dash cam, I'll get away with it. But I would rather just not kill you.
Bike lanes just disappears in middle of the fkin road. And being half on the road is way more dangerous to cyclist.
Bike lanes in northern va (presumably most of the US) are a sick joke. Most of the time, there is no physical barrier between vehicles and the bike lane, and frequently are directly adjacent to the parallel parking spots. So, you are constantly worried traffic will hit you, or someone exiting a car will hit you. Parked metal on one side, 40 mph metal on the other side. It’s a literal meat grinder.
You saw that video of the two people getting hit by a car at Cap One and now are trying to change the subject lol
Fun fact: cyclists have the right the whole road, period. Anything else is a courtesy to drivers. Safety first, always!
wtf is this shit post. OP do you brush your teeth with both your hands?
First off its not a bike lane if its just a sign saying share the road, second...yes some cyclists are a problem, but, most would stay to the physical bike lanes if uber drivers didn't force bikes into the road by plowing into it without signaling
Yeah I'm not gonna let you run me over, and I have just as much of a right to use the road as you. Maybe make memes about how much you see and ensure you don't hit me on the road and I'd trust you more not to kill me. Also, fuck shitheadsteve. That guy makes and shares content that glories in the pain and death of my people. You wanna join him in glorying in the pain and death of your fellow humans just because they *checks notes* use a slower form of transportation and you might need to wait a few seconds or *gasp* minutes?!?
Or you could just change lanes. You don't seem to have a problem doing so when I'm driving my car slower than you want to go. Why should it be different when I'm riding my bike instead?
You have angered the bicycle boys
They will cry "Well cars do it too!" all day long when you call them out for blowing throw red lights and stop signs
It’s the law get over it
I still have a hard time getting my head around the idea that bicycles and automobiles share the road instead of bicycles and pedestrians sharing the sidewalk.. When a pedestrian and a bicycle collide, people have bruises. When a bicycle and a car collide, someone is often dead.. Why aren't bicyclists asked to beware of pedestrians like motorists are asked to beware of cyclists? It just seems like a very dangerous configuration that we currently have..
Take some balls or sense of entitlement to brazenly back up traffic how they do
What’s the deal with cyclists getting pissed when cars pass by them, while riding on the road? I don’t pass close and wait for a space but they give me the finger and shout.
I'm stricken on this. I do feel like cyclists act like a car or a pedestrian depending on which is more convenient for them at the time. That being said, investing in more infrastructure for them to use would greatly help that and make everyone happy. I like walkable/bikable cities.
I pay the same taxes as cagers imma use the damn road.
Yeah man fuck those bikers. What if I didn’t see them in the middle of the fucking road that Im driving on and somehow not looking at or paying attention to?!?! they could hurt my car!!!!!! Or worse make /me/ late ??? God forbid!! wont anyone think of the drivers !!!!
Vehicles are required to ride in the road and al vehicles have the right to ride in a lane. A bicycle is a vehicle. If you don’t agree, take it up with the lawmakers.
Virginia requires a bicycle to be operated as a motor vehicle when on a roadway. Yet, I rarely see the rider following the rules. They often blow through stop signs, disregard red lights, and fail to signal to include putting their left hand down to signal a stop. I, however, do follow the rules of the road in my pick up. That means that I NEVER pass a cyclist slowly pedaling in front of me unless the conditions are very safe...and they rarely are. As a result, I'm often in a circumstance where I am going well below the speed limit. It creates a parade behind me, but given the size of my truck, the drivers behind me can't figure out why I am going slow. They get mad and start raging (the NOVA way), often passing me with reckless abandon. This poses little risk to me because I am safe in my truck, but it certainly poses a risk to life and limb to the bicyclist.
Don't forget to blow through those stop signs and red lights, because traffic laws apply to everyone but you.
What percentage of drivers drive within the speed limit when trafficis freeflowing? Not 5 mph over,but actually within the speed limit?
Lmao the first 5 seconds of a red light are suggestions in va don’t act like drivers don’t do the same shit. And all drivers everywhere drive the speed limit never over I’m sure. This is coming from someone who takes their car to the racetrack frequently. Drivers are as big of a problem as bikers
But that doesn't automatically give you the right to run them as well
Hypocrisy from drivers in here is hilarious
With their 4 other buddies shoulder to shoulder
Bikes love to emulate cars on the road but avoid all traffic rules it drives me nuts!
*middle of the lane
Fuck that. Won’t find me anywhere near a highway road. I see people just biking on them like it’s nothing. Lot of trust there.
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Ride in the [Bike Lane](https://i.imgur.com/f2EzEsp.jpg) they say. Ride in [the Bike Lane](https://i.imgur.com/4266P8M.jpg) they say. Ride in the [Bike Lane they](https://i.imgur.com/k65ns1l.jpg) say. Ride in the Bike Lane [they say](https://i.imgur.com/FyGZu4z.jpg).
Or they’ll be in the bike lane in the wrong direction bCuZ I cAn SeA BeTuRd
On annandale road we have the car lane then a biking lane then a parking lane the sheer amount of people I’ve seen crossing in the bike lane is astonishing. So i choose not to ride on it. I can cut through the park and it’s far safer
Small, 2 lane road during rush hour? Yes please!
If you are here to encourage any self criticism or self awareness by area cyclists you’re going to have a bad time. These people dig in like a tick when challenged on their ubiquitous mandate to play with their toys wherever they want. You’d have an easier time deprogramming a cult member.
Yeah well my toy hasn’t killed 40,000 Americans each year for 4 generations. So clean up your own backyard….
But you slowed them down for 30 seconds! They have to race to work to do meaningless middle management bullshit!!
Get the law changed to allow bikes to ride on the sidewalks, then.
Fuck that, that's how you hurt pedestrians
So then let's widen all the roads and add legitimate bike lanes as well as enforcement to not use said bike lanes as street parking.
So what do you suggest lmao. This is a systematic problem with the infrastructure. Bike lanes in nova are a joke and half the time there is someone parked in them
Add bike lanes, and also accept that's it not only legal, but proper for bikes to be in general travel lanes
We need proper protected bike lanes and then you’d rarely see a biker on the road.
In DC there are excellent protected bike lanes - they draw slow cyclists, scooter users (scooters are speed limited), occasional runners, and even electric wheel chair users. It's both safe and proper to for faster cyclists to take the general travel lane to pass. Where there's no protected intersection, they also generally should take the general travel lane to make a left turn.