Monday, May 20, 2013

Happy Bike to Work Day from Metro

From Joseph:

I was riding my bike home on May 17 at 5:50 p.m.  I was on M St. going straight near the Key Bridge. The D5 bus #2387 merged left and almost hit me. 
The driver then looked out his window and began yelling.  He used a lot of profanity. 
He stated that bikes belong on the sidewalk and that I better get out of the road and on the sidewalk or he was going to hit me.  This was while he was still driving. 

Other items:
Two new Metro entrances coming to Pentagon City (Examiner)
Riders ask for better refund policy (GGW)
Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 8:30 AM

Comments (103)

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+27 Vote up Vote down
karah's avatar - Go to profile

karah 81p · 618 weeks ago

Actually, bikes are vehicles. The ones I REALLY hate though are the ones on the sidewalks or who are a pedestrian when convenient but a vehicle when also convenient (running a red light by claiming they can be in the crosswalk). Especially in the central core where it is illegal for them to be on the sidewalk.in the first place.

Since Key Bridge is not part of the core (which ends at 22nd or so) TECHNICALLY they could probably be on the sidewalk in Georgetown but would cause even more issues there. Given how many pedestrians are in the area I would be shocked if there was not an accident. On balance it is probably better to be in the street where *most* drivers obey traffic laws so bicyclists can anticipate what will happen.
13 replies · active 618 weeks ago
+19 Vote up Vote down
NoNo's avatar

NoNo · 618 weeks ago

Typical Metrobus driver.
When metro started to suck very hard on weekends, I started biking on Wisconsin Av to go to work on the weekend.
Then I realized that buses were the greatest danger there... so I decided to use the crescent trail (and an extra 3 miles every commute) just to avoid buses.
And finally I just decided to move out and found a place closer to my work. Now I bike everyday, by chance doesn't cross any bus line, and Metro just lost my $150+ every months.
I wish everybody could have the chance I had to move to a place that doesn't rely on Metro to go to work/dining/shopping.
+16 Vote up Vote down
Ryan's avatar

Ryan · 618 weeks ago

I really think this issue falls down to temper and training. I ride up and down 16th Street to work about every day. The S2 and S9 bus drivers I've encountered are incredibly courteous and seem to look out for bike riders. In the four years I've been riding, I've only had one negative encounter with a particularly sassy obese bus driver who flipped me an acrylic-taloned "bird."
+20 Vote up Vote down
John's avatar

John · 618 weeks ago

Not sure who to side with here. A good amount of bicyclists have no idea what the hell they are doing. They are dangerous as hell. Perfect example, 1st Street and G Street NE, right outside union station, they always blow right through the crosswalk, despite the fact there's a stop sign there. They've almost hit me a couple times. Ridiculous!
15 replies · active 618 weeks ago
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Dave Alturd's avatar

Dave Alturd · 618 weeks ago

I am...so ....confused....does...not....compute.

Clearly this is a rogue driver that has not been given the Public transportation manifesto that we should all work together in destroying anything that is smart.

I will (with my Metro influence) write a letter immediately to the Metro board informing them that they have an undercover AAA rep driving one of their public miracles. It is imperitive that he is removed as soon as possible before he infects Metro culture with his pro driver, AAA, anti-bike bullshit. No bike rider should ever get cursed at no matter what they are doing (even if they are driving slowly in front of a bus or cars holding up tons of traffic). This is just WRONG!

If he is not removed I will protest by going on a fast for 1 month= I will not eat any veggie burgers during that time. That's how you know I'm very serious about this.

Read my blog!: www.imahypocritewhoownsacarinsecret.com
+18 Vote up Vote down
sdf's avatar

sdf · 618 weeks ago

I can see a bus/bike disagreement here, but for the bus driver to lose it like that and more importantly THREATEN the cyclist is just so wrong. Isn't that a crime?
+10 Vote up Vote down
ggs77's avatar

ggs77 · 618 weeks ago

The young man that died last week on U Street was a colleague of mine. A highly experienced cyclist and a great guy too. He was in the right place, doing the right thing, at the wrong time (from what we have been told). I can't joke about bike/bus or bike/car accidents for a while. And the whole thing made me give up my dream of buying a bike and doing some commuting myself (at the age of 50+). He will be sorely missed by many people, and it didn't have to happen. It just did.
+12 Vote up Vote down
Stan Dessel's avatar

Stan Dessel · 618 weeks ago

We'll be happy to find this driver. Please send a DNA sample from the driver directly to me at Metro.

You're welcome!
-6 Vote up Vote down
Bitter Brew's avatar

Bitter Brew · 618 weeks ago

Ridiculous to use this thread to bash bicyclists. The truth is, although many of them are sympathetic to Metro, many casual and casual-commuter cyclists are among those most inconvenienced (not to mention endangered) by the incompetence of Metro. They are a high-income, influential, and well-organized subgroup, whose voices, joined to ours, can make a difference in Unsucking Metro.

Except to the extent that nothing will make a difference.
15 replies · active 618 weeks ago
+11 Vote up Vote down
BMK's avatar

BMK · 618 weeks ago

We have promoted this driver to station supervisor, with a tenure track to chief raccoon keeper in five years. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. ^DS
+9 Vote up Vote down
Charles's avatar

Charles · 618 weeks ago

Well you have all the information on this driver - report it, for all the good that it does. Regardless of what you think about bicyclists in DC, bus drivers should not be yelling at people like that unless they are creating a dangerous situation, and bikes generally do NOT belong on the sidewalks. I was taught from a relatively young age NOT to ride my bike on a sidewalk. The driver is in the wrong here and was very unprofessional. Even though nothing will be done to this driver (probably) and/or he will hide behind a union representative, at least you can say you acted on your complaint rather than just bitched and moaned.

For the record, I don't have a bike anymore but I think riding on sidewalks is a bad idea. I think most bicyclists follow the rules in DC and a few idiots spoil it for everyone else - the ones who expect pedestrians to get out of their way AND then ride right through the red lights.
+6 Vote up Vote down
joseph's avatar

joseph · 618 weeks ago

I was in the "left" lane because parking was permitted in the "right" lane at the time. The bus was pulling out from the "right" lane to go around parked cars after stopping for a pick up.

I wasn't running a red light, stop sign, or violating any other laws. Traffic was moving very slow at the time so it wasn't a big deal at first. I simply moved left so the bus didn't hit me. Then he saw me because I was right next to his window and started opining on how bikes should be on the sidewalk.

For all those complaining about cyclists on the sidewalk... this doesn't make them want to be on the road.
1 reply · active 617 weeks ago
+15 Vote up Vote down
dcn8v's avatar

dcn8v · 618 weeks ago

I think there is a place for bikes on the city streets. They can be an efficient, healthy, and traffic-reducing way to travel. But I also think that bikes must respect the laws: stop lights and stop signs are not optional. I believe wholeheartedly in the bike lanes that were put in downtown. However there seems to be a special breed of bicyclist that thinks they're too good/fast to use these lanes and too awesome/important to heed traffic signals. There are certain areas (i.e. congested downtown DC) where a high rate of speed is inappropriate for any vehicle, four-wheeled or two-wheeled. No one needs to break the land speed record for their respective mode of transportation on 14th Street.
8 replies · active 618 weeks ago
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blue's avatar

blue · 618 weeks ago

After risking my life to try cycling to work for a few months, I eventually gave it up because I got hit on Mass Ave near Dupont Circle. I had no qualms about riding on the sidewalk when necessary. Not willing to forfit my life to comply to the no-bikes-on-sidewalk law.
+18 Vote up Vote down
John's avatar

John · 618 weeks ago

I blame a lot of this bicycle elitist nonsense on Alpert. He's made them feel that they do not need to follow the law, and anyone who gives them crap about it is a "Cyclophobe" Fascist.
5 replies · active 618 weeks ago
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hrh king friday 13's avatar

hrh king friday 13 · 618 weeks ago

I would pay toll rates to watch Metrobus drivers and bicyclists battle each other to the death Thunderdome style.
1 reply · active 618 weeks ago
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Taj's avatar

Taj · 618 weeks ago

For those who like/hate GGW and David Alpert, there's a good exchange on the linked GGW post between him and @FixWMATA. Alpert says he's looking for someone to post more regularly on WMATA -- maybe there's an Unsuck reader who could volunteer...

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