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Posts can range from "I saw police activity around 1:30 am on my block--what was that about?" to "I heard gunshots" to "I heard the corner grocery was robbed, any arrests or description of the suspects available?". Posts that are almost immediately followed by a response from someone at the local police department, which usually go something like, "We were arresting someone on your street, that's why you heard all the fuss", or "Yup, those were gunshots. Police Investigating.", or "No suspects as of yet, but your local grocer was pretty shaken up--maybe bring him a cup of coffee and see how he's doing."
The other day, there was a post on this newsgroup with the title: "Cyclist Struck". The OP went on to talk about how this seems to happen on a daily basis, and what can MPD and citizens do so that bicycles and cars can learn to play nice together. (not REALLY sure this kind of thing happens on a daily basis, but...).
This post was followed by a dozen or so of my neighbors chiming in, with such enlightened comments as "Cyclists belong on the sidewalk", to "It is usually the cyclists fault that the car slammed into them" to "Bicyclists are reckless", to my personal favorite, "Cyclists sometimes ride directly in front of me instead of staying on the side of the road where they belong."
I should've just let all this nonsense go. But no, I had to go and write a 5000 word rebuttal on the subject, asserting a cyclist's legal right to the road here in our nation's capital, and of their rights to ride in the CENTER of any lane narrower than 11 feet (which is almost 90% of traffic lanes here in DC) if they feel like it, and, basically that motorists should ride a bike and then they would understand why cyclists occasionally run red lights and split lanes, as it is usually the SAFEST THING WE CAN DO TO AVOID GETTING HIT BY SOME JOKER DRIVING HIS SUV WHILE DRINKING COFFEE, EATING A TACO AND SEXTING HIS MISTRESS ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I may have signed it: "Take that, anti-bicycling dorks!"
I hit send and triumphantly awaited a response. Let them TRY and contradict me, I told myself! I had charts and graphs at the ready to support my assertions, highway accident statistics from 1990-2010 to cite, as well as the president of Trek bicycles on hold, should I need his counsel.
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| This is my version of courteous, online debate. I am a doofus. |
About an hour later, someone from the MPD simply posted this link:
http://www.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/On+Your+Street/Bicycles+and+Pedestrians/Bicycles/DC+Common+Enforcement+Errors+Involving+Bicyclists
Which pretty much made all my points, without the added trouble of making the poster look like an irrational prick. So you know...I feel much shame.
Wow, you did post! I tuned out that rant b/c I read this post and it made me a little stabby: "The District has set very dangerous standards creating the need for drivers to watch for cyclist, but lacking the necessity for the cyclist to have to be cautious and law abiding themselves. Cyclist are allowed to believe that
ReplyDeletethey rule the road."
Your response was not NOT irrational. Proof, other reader(s?):
"...Cyclists should abide by the rules of the road. According to DC Law, bicycles are considered vehicles, with all the rights and responsibilities of any other vehicle on the road. This means stopping at red lights, signaling, etc...
"This also means that cyclists have a legal right to the entire road. Motorists should remember that cyclists usually ride to the right of the lane (where most bike lanes are located) as a courtesy to faster moving traffic, and not because they are legally required to do so. If a cyclist pulls into the middle of the lane in order to avoid parked cars, they are not intruding--they actually legally "own" that entire lane lateral to their position. Additionally, cyclists can legally ignore the bike lane if they don't feel 'safe' riding in them, and just ride right down the middle of the road.
"My personal opinion is that bike lanes were created as a courtesy to drivers, who understandably get impatient sitting behind a vehicle going 25 mph slower than most motorists would like to go. They have certainly not proven to be any safer for cyclists, as they put riders both in the "door zone" (opening doors from parked cars) and in the path of cars trying to make a right hand turn."
Now go register to vote, you sleaze!
I tried to print out that doc so I could have a copy w/ me as I rode (with a helmet on) around town. Of course it wouldn't print. So close, DC, so close...
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