Bike vs. Car. Again.

I witnessed an accident this morning. A cyclist was coming east bound in the crosswalk (with the light) across 24th street at Lincoln Circle. A car in northbound lane of 24th ran the light and blocked the crosswalk...and stopped because of traffic in front of him. The cyclist, a young woman, frustrated by being cut off, slapped the hood of the guy's car. Bad move. But wait...there's more.

The driver, enraged, gets out of his car and starts running toward the cyclist. Crap, I thought, he's going to attack her. Except he forgot one thing: to put his car in "park."

So he steps for the cyclist and his car keeps going down 24th street without him, edging over into the left lane (maybe it thought the cyclist was going to hit it again). In doing so, it nearly pinned the cyclist and the driver against another car. Fortunately the hothead driver was able to get back in and put the thing in park (not before howling in pain).

Luckily no one was really hurt, though I expect the car driver to have some nasty bruises.

I called 911 and filed a statement with the police once they got there and sorted things out. As I was leaving the car driver came to me and introduced himself (one wouldn't think that after you've almost crushed a cyclist under the wheels of your car that you'd turn it into a networking opportunity, but this is Washington). I politely told him to share the road...to which he began explaining to me it was the cyclists' fault.

Sensing that my work there was finished, I remounted my bike and made it (safely) to work.

First, Let's Kill All the Cyclists

Sorry to keep on this cycling meme, but it's dominated my thoughts these days. Especially after reading this comment from someone on DCist on the thread about the Ghost Bike for Alice Swanson:

It's my position as a driver that until no individual on a bicycle ever breaks a traffic law, no driver should no driver should ever be held responsible for running down any cyclist at any time.

Cyclists should always me mindful of the fact that when I'm making a right-hand turn, or opening my door into traffic, checking my side view mirror is a somewhat difficult thing to remember to do. And if I end up killing you, well, you're engaging in extremely risky behavior.

You might think this is some crackpot but unfortunately this mentality comes through in the way a lot of people in DC drive around cyclists (and DC Metrobus drivers are not exempt!).

Personal Example: I was in the bike lane northbound on 14th Street. One block the bike lane was partially blocked by construction, forcing me to move left closer to traffic. Sure enough, my elbow was grazed by a passing car. The driver stopped (a uniformed Metro security officer) and while swearing at me checked his mirror, never once asking if I was injured (I was not). See, like the commenter above, this driver felt that it was my fault because I was on his road. I deserved to be hit, and woe unto me if I caused any damage to his precious car.

It's pretty obvious what happened to Ms. Swanson...she was in the bike lane heading west on R street, continuing straight across Connecticut. The garbage truck, also on R street heading west, made a right turn unto 20th, running into Swanson in the intersection. Cyclists call this a right hook. And, this morning, it nearly happened to me in the same intersection. I stopped at the stop sign there and the car next to turned in front of me, cutting me off. the driver never checked the bike lane...she was talking on her cell phone.

But damn me anyway for being there on my bike...

Bicycles vs. Cars

Tragedy in Dupont Circle in DC this morning as a young 22 year old cyclist is run over by a garbage truck and dies.

It was a beautiful day in DC this morning, clear, not too humid yet, and a gentle breeze. A perfect morning for riding. I know exactly how that young woman must have felt as she started out on her ride, starting the day with that free, flying sensation that you can often get from cycling. A day full of promise ending with such tragic finality. As I bike almost everyday near where this happened I'm filled with a "there but for the grace of God go I" feeling. I've had my near-misses on the streets of DC and in fact had one in Dupont Circle yesterday when I misjudged the proximity of a following car and I swerved to avoid a pothole in my path. The driver was accelerating and nearly hit me.

Had he hit me you could argue that it was my fault for swerving out into the middle of the lane (a good reason many cyclists ride in the middle of the lane is to avoid having to swerve suddenly to avoid an opening car door or in my case a pothole). But had he hit me, many would argue he was justified.

The comments in the WaPo article about this morning's accident make it clear that many drivers see them selves as four-wheeled vigilantes set on bringing cyclists to justice under their SUVs. These commenters curse cyclists for breaking the laws when it's clear that many of them don't even know the law when it comes to bikes on the road. And as one commenter put it:

You see why sharing the road with cyclists isn't a great idea? People die! Get off the roads!

Yes, cyclists do run red lights and that's wrong - but that doesn't give you drivers the right to kill them. And we have the same rights -- and responsibilities -- that you gas guzzlers do.