In DC, I've heard it's illegal to honk your car horn except for safety reasons. If true, that's a revenue source for the city far more lucrative than parking violations.
Do all the people who've been behind me at intersections who start honking really want me to run over the pedestrians in the crosswalk to make my turn (oh -- maybe they're off duty DC bus drivers?).
I've started telling cabbies this: First, I give my destination, then I say, "and if you honk for anything other than safety reasons, there will be no tip." So far, it's worked.
Showing posts with label buses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buses. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Buses Behaving Badly Part Two
More from the WaPo on DC's ambassador's of death (a.k.a Metro bus drivers):
Count me as one of those pedestrians who call such practices typical.
The story made me think of a close call I had with a car being driven by a uniformed Metro police officer. I was riding home, pedalling north on 14th street one afternoon, and there's a block under construction where the construction fence protrudes into the bike lane. I moved over to the left, edging into the car lane. I few seconds later I was jolted as something hard struck my elbow. It was from the car's passenger-side mirror striking me because the driver either didn't see me or didn't move over a few inches to avoid hitting me.
We both stopped, and he was cursing at me. He got out of his car -- in his Metro uniform -- and came over and looked at his mirror. He did not once look at me or ask if I was okay. Seeing that his car was undamaged he got back in and sped off. "Don't worry, I'm fine," I called after him.
This was a DC Metro police officer, in uniform, striking a bicyclist and not giving one ounce of concern, except for his car. What does that tell you about the culture of safety among DC Metro employees?
...a reporter rode some of Metrobus's busiest routes for a day and observed drivers speeding, running red lights, talking on cellphones and engaging in many other unsafe practices that some bus riders and pedestrians call typical.
Count me as one of those pedestrians who call such practices typical.
The story made me think of a close call I had with a car being driven by a uniformed Metro police officer. I was riding home, pedalling north on 14th street one afternoon, and there's a block under construction where the construction fence protrudes into the bike lane. I moved over to the left, edging into the car lane. I few seconds later I was jolted as something hard struck my elbow. It was from the car's passenger-side mirror striking me because the driver either didn't see me or didn't move over a few inches to avoid hitting me.
We both stopped, and he was cursing at me. He got out of his car -- in his Metro uniform -- and came over and looked at his mirror. He did not once look at me or ask if I was okay. Seeing that his car was undamaged he got back in and sped off. "Don't worry, I'm fine," I called after him.
This was a DC Metro police officer, in uniform, striking a bicyclist and not giving one ounce of concern, except for his car. What does that tell you about the culture of safety among DC Metro employees?
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