Slow Train

Saw a biker down this evening. I ended up following the fire truck along my normal route and when it stopped I saw the cyclist. This was at 17th & F NW right in front of the Old Executive Office Bldg. It looked like the cyclist was south bound in lane 2 and a car, north bound in its lane 2 tried to do a U-turn and ended up striking the biker.

The car was up over half of the bike. The cyclist was on his back and not moving. But his knees were up so I think that must be a good sign.

As I was leaving the scene the exact same thing almost happened to me! A car going the opposite direction saw that traffic ahead was blocked and tried a quick u-turn right in front of me. It was a close one.

This is such a crappy thing to see. Even when I detoured south around the White House and passed by the Xmas tree where they were singing holiday carols it didn't help my mood much.

If anybody needs an extra reason to be cautious - this is the holiday season and traffic is even more unpredictable.

cc_rider

Worst traffic in the country Something else for DC to be proud of ... I guess.

Since no one was killed it probably won't make the news tonight.

If I remember right, mid-block u-turns are legal in DC.

tomcryar

Good point about being extra cautious this time of year---people are not thinking about the way they drive. Be extra-extra careful around malls and retailers who have mid-week sales, which there is alot of this year..........nobody needs to be injured at christmas, and we can't count on the cars and trucks to watch for us, so we have to be vigilant.

ibikedc

Drivers in Washington are so impatient and frustrated from their awful commutes by the time they get downtown; you can watch behavior worsen as you get closer in.
I hope the cyclist is okay. Last week I had to swerve to evade someone making just the same maneuver.