Bikes a greater threat than cars, dammit
 

I just moved down to the DC area a month ago from an area without any dedicated bike paths, and am pretty impressed with all the bike paths and bike lanes around my new home. But as the weather improves, more and more novices and plain old knuckleheads are coming out to ride, and I'm seeing a down side to all this.

With a year of riding around my old home, where I rode with the traffic and followed all the traffic laws, and I never had a problem. But in the one month down here on these friggin' lawless bike paths, I've seen to many close calls and a few bike-on-bike accidents. People have no respect for how fast bikes travel!! It's driving me nuts.

Just yesterday, I turn onto a bikepath bridge wide enough for two bikes abreast, and some lady enters from the other end. It was a tight turn for me to get onto the bridge, so I was moving slowly, and she wasn't going that fast either. We we're about 10 yards apart, but she freaking panicked, turn into the side rail of the bridge, and no kindding she came VERY close to going head first right on over. WTF? She had no control, it's dangerous.

Then today, I actually got hit head-on but someone zooming down hill around a turn. I saw her coming along pretty fast, so I moved all the way over to the far right of my lane and I slowed down. As she came around the turn I could see her eyes get big (she was going too fast to make the turn in her own lane and I guess she realized that, but there was still enough room to get by me). Then I saw the rear tire skid a bit, but then she freaking let up off the brake and stopped even trying to turn!! She came right at me, I couldn't believe it. And I was moving too slow to scoot to the side. We both went down on the grass and no one was hurt luckily, but WTF, she had no control of her bike. It pisses me off. My front wheel needed to be replaced, and my rear derailler is bent all out of shape.

As the weather gets warmer I've been noticing more and more people who, frankly, can't control their bikes, and they're riding on these crowded multi-use paths. No one follows any traffic rules, it sucks. Last weekend I passed the immediate aftermath of a bike-on-bike accident, complete with a bloodynose and mucked up front wheel.

Am I being a jack@ss for trying to ride on these paths? I mean, do any of you high milers use these bike paths? Jeez, I just can't believe that other bikes are posing a greater danger than cars!! At least the cars have a degree of predictability about them, and follow the traffic laws!!! Arrg . . .

You have to be very careful in closer to town. Get on the W&OD and head west, once you get past Vienna it starts to get a little better, and west of Herndon is even better. There are some nice loop routes that leave the trail out past Leesburg. You just need to realize what you are dealing with in closer to town. We almost got taken out by a roller blader one day...dude had no idea how to stop.

A biker hitting you is likely to be much slower speed, and much less damaging since most bike riders are softer than the average SUV (getting hit by Lance might hurt). Bike paths are always zoos on the weekends and other busy times, and yeah you're kinda being a jackass, not intentionally so, for expecting them to be rational and safe places given how many people just don't know what they're doing. At least they're getting out there on 2 wheels. In a rational society, bike ed would be as common as driver's ed in the high schools, with courses also available to all ages at the local community centers.

Hehehehe... and everyone here wants to get more people on bikes??!!!

Train 'em and license 'em, I say!

Its funny diggy if you replace all the bike refrence in your story and put cars in it sounds like my drive to work or the super market ehehe

I'm generally anti-facilities, but I have to admit that the Arlington-area bike trails are quite useful. On the way to pick up our cars from the shop over in Falls Church, I can ride nonstop for five miles -- an amazing experience. They return sone of the cycle access that was destroyed when limited access roads (like I066) replaced local roads. They are generally quite OK during rush hour commuting, but turn into madhouses on weekends.

Paul

I think you answered your own question. Are there any rules on bike paths other than "don't hit anyone"? Sounds like you'd be better off and happier out in the streets with the cars. I'm with you, I hate bike paths for all these reasons.

Hehehehe... yourself! I say I am not for culling the cyclist population to consist only of pedantic "trainers" and their certified/licensed disciples.

That may not be Rowan's intent but it is clearly that of the dogma spouting EC/VC education proseltyzers from the US who write of bicylist licensing (dependent on "approved training") schemes.

As someone who lives in a tourist town and whose commute involves a very popular MUP I can say I've seen similar stuff. But once the tourists have arrived I don't use the MUP until they go away again. Mostly it's not individual cyclists that are problematic. It's those rental bikes that seat 5 and the rental delta trikes that are scariest, veering wildly all over, and the sheer volume of people that makes the MUP not useful for getting somewhere expediently. Also, some of these folks must also use the streets to get around, so I take extra care near the tourist area.

You know what's scariest? They now have rental electric cars that look like these silly golf-cart like things, so these people on vacation rent them and ride up and down the streets. Since when do our public roads have to serve double-duty as a playground for tourists?

I do, quite a bit. Usually it is not nearly as bad as what you experienced. I'm not sure which path you had these experiences on; I'd guess the Rock Creek Parkway, which is kind of useless for most commuting unless you happen to work at the National Zoo.

We've got a really good system of trails and off-street paths here. It's a shame we don't have the law enforcement to back them up.

Nope, I seldom use bike paths. Only for some leisurely recovery ride.

I think all these problems are a result of the "bikes are toys" syndrome.

If you think that's bad, you should see the bike path on the beach near L.A.
Talk about distractions, a guy could get a strained neck from all the eye candy. :D

Remember, MUP=Multi-Use Path. They are not for bikes only, and they are not appropriate for race training or fast-fast riding. I use these paths to get to and from work, and sometimes I have to slow way down. If you are training or into fast riding, you'll have a better time out on the country roads of Virginia or Maryland.

You can't do anything about the novices out there, buy you can do something about how you react to them--either lighten up or ride elsewhere. Getting mad is not going to help.

Oh, and welcome to the area. It's a nice place.

The only problems I've had on the trails are the occasional charity walk/runs. Most of my riding involves at least some trail riding, even if it's to get me to the start of another ride. There aren't really road alternatives to some of these trails... for example, if you're heading from Old Town to downtown DC I can't think of a route that even comes close to the Mt Vernon trail.

I think you're approaching the bikes, joggers, walkers, etc all wrong. They're not obstacles to hinder your passage, they're training aids to help improve braking, acceleration, and bike handling skills. :D

I usually avoid MUPs unless it's a low traffic time, such as 2am or winter. As bad as roads are, MUPs are totally nuts when they get busy. People walking on the left, right, or even dead center. Oblivious kids zig zagging left to right across both lanes. Dog walkers with extendo-leashes. 2 abreast strollers. People who apparently learned how to bicycle that same day. Beaters with no brakes.

Motor vehicle traffic seems to "separate the wheat from the chaff" because cyclists you see on the street tend to be a little more competent, although I have certainly seen some notable exceptions.

`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.' :p

Welcome to DC,home of the world's worst mobile community. If you think the trails are bad,try driving the Beltway the night before a holiday,or walking the sidewalks of Georgetown's 'M' street on the weekends.

I try to only do the trails during the week,when most of the horde is packed into the office buildings. I can generally skip out early at least once a week "to do some PT".

I'd love to take a 30-mile ride sometime when no one makes even a minor mistake, especially me :D

Yeah, that's the one where the lady almost went over the bridge! That's also where I saw the person with a bloody nose and a couple of bike tangled up on the side of the path. The one where I got nailed was the Mt Vernon trail. Up near the airport, right across from Crystal City, the path crosses this old, now un-used, automobile access ramp to the airport, and it makes a fairly sharp turn while coming down a moderately steep hill. The other biker didn't make the turn.

I planning to pick up an ADC map of Northern Virginia and then get back on the roads a bit more. I still like the trails, they're a great idea, but I like the predictability of riding on the roads, too.

The MUP that goes from Newport Beach to Seal Beach is a zoo on weekends, heck I nailed a little kid who darted out in front of me once there! He was a little African-American kid, and it was just a week maybe after the riots, as I was picking up my bent bike I did have fleeting thoughts of another riot starting lol. Little kids have this "darting out" instinct like squirrels, and this kid did it. I reacted by bailing off the bike over the handlebars, in effect my center of gravity went around him, like a high jumper's goes *around* the bar, he got the weight of the bike (a reletively light Peugeot Mixte) and fell down and got a little scratch on his chubby tummy, and his mom, a few yards away on the sand, called out to me "Are you all right?" and I replied with "Nevermind me, is HE all right?" because after all, he's a little kid, right? And he went crying to Mom, and after getting venomously spit at by a fellow WASP for leaving my bike lying on the trail, I went and picked up the bike, I ended up with the Blackburn rack a bit bent, and a bruised hip, no big deal.

That MUP has a fairly high accident and even fatality rate per miles traveled. I was having a nice sunny weekend ride but was probably overcooking it at maybe 8-10 MPH, and yeah you get the "ricky racers" on the weekends. Statistically, I'd have been safer going and playing on Harbor Boulevard.

Light a candle against the darkness and start a family cycle training school. Charge half (3/4?) driving instructor rates.

Is safer you wish to become?

Is richer you would like?

Then training you must offer, log hopper

Think about the common sense rules people are taught as peds, look both ways, don't jaywalk, etc. I don't see good bike education being as regimented as car education, in fact if more people get on bikes (the oil crash will help with that) it will be passed on as "folk" wisdom.

(And as far as that goes, while look both ways is good advice, jaywalking is often much safer)

When they all open their wallets and keep your local economy going.

When all's said and done, MUP's in good tourist areas rule. People love regaling in an area with no cars, and will pay a premium for it in bike and hotel rentals.

and the MUPs can be a great place to go fast for us locals at night, in winter, etc.

That was my first guess from your description. I was out there on a weekday a few weeks ago and it was INSANE. The trail is narrow, windy and hilly, and nobody seems to care. I got run off the trail by someone who refused to yield to oncoming traffic while passing. Since Saturday was a beautiful day it must have been ten times worse than any weekday.

That trail gets my vote for the worst in the area. A couple of years ago a cyclist was killed there when he collided with another cyclist, who fled the scene and was never caught. I honestly think you'd be safer riding on the parkway. Certainly there are any number of roads in the area that are safer and more pleasant.

The irony is that novices flock to the trail, which compounds the problem. I can't imagine anyone would go there on a weekend twice. So don't take your experience as representative.

On Sunday I went out on the Capital Crescent, which has a better layout but many of the same problems with crowding and attitude. Surprisingly it was uncrowded and I had a nice ride with my 4-year-old.

Remember, most of the MUP users are recreational cyclists. And, to most of them, a bicycle is a toy, something they ride a few miles a year. Since it is a toy, it is therefore not dangerous, and you do not have to take any precautions when operating said toy.