ButchA

For anyone in the metro Richmond, VA area.... This happened late yesterday afternoon up by Nuckols Rd & Wyndham Park Dr.

I drive all around that area on my school bus, loaded with middle school kids taking them home, day in and day out every afternoon during the school year. Absolutely tragic... People are just too busy these days to get from point A to point B, and/or are texting or talking on their cell phones to pay attention to a cyclist on the road.

Woman on bike hit, killed in Glen Allen

Maelochs

No way to know why or how this happened. Certainly cannot blame either the driver or the cyclist without Some information, right?

All we know is that this tragic thing happened, and that the driver stopped immediately.

I-Like-To-Bike

Wrong, this is A&S, information or facts are optional when casting blame at favorite boogeyman and straw man arguments like evil motorists, cyclists, or cell phones.

rumrunn6

just learned of a cyclist death when a 50yr old & a 70yr old collided head-on, on a protected bike path. the 70 yr old did not survive. let's hope the rest of the Spring is not so deadly

livedarklions

For those not familiar with it, the Minuteman (where the collision happened) is an extraordinarily busy mix of speeding bicyclists, commuters, slow riders on bikes, kids on bikes, pedestrians, strollers, e-bikes and dogs on leashes. Looks like the accident happened in Lexington, which is one of the two places where the traffic is highest (Arlington/Somerville being the other) . I've slowed my speeds way down on those stretches because I've just seen too many close calls there. I still ride fast on it on the Belmont end of the path, but that's a straight stretch through a swamp, with very light pedestrian traffic and unobstructed views of other bicyclists.

The Lexington and Arlington/Somerville parts are very fun to ride as long as you realize it's going to be slow, and it's all about being out in the fresh air with people. I'm really sad something like that happened there.

rumrunn6

just got me thinking, some sections could be widened. in the same section a cpl years ago I rolled up on an accident & an elderly woman was on the ground. sitting up, but obviously dazed. she was surrounded by ppl including a cyclist so I didn't stop

livedarklions

I'm not sure widening would really do any good in the downtown Lexington and Arlington sections. People are just strolling there because it's really a city park right there. It's never going to be safe to go really fast in that situation, people are just going to spread out to fill the path. There's plenty of stretches on the Minuteman where operation at 20 mph+ is perfectly safe--these just ain't them, and the only way they could be would be to kick the pedestrians off the path. That's not going to happen, nor should it.

We don't know what happened in this accident, but I've sure seen people take close passes at high speed right about there. I've actually chased people down further up-path to yell at them for close-passing toddlers at high speed (I'm not exaggerating). Makes me want to make them eat their Strava when I see that.

rumrunn6

yeah, they should just be cycling like that around toddlers. but I wouldn't take a toddler for a walk on that trail (knowing what I know about how ppl ride it) my pet peeve is this. walkers in both directions (2 abreast) approaching ea other & cyclists doing the same. then a cyclist coming toward me doesn't slow for walkers on their side. instead, they zoom over to my side. whereas, when I approach this situation, I slow down, until it is safe to pass. the other cyclist basically bullies the situation w/o consideration to the other 5 ppl. not sure if I explained clearly

Paul Barnard

Those words are gold. Pedestrians are often in "park" mode when they are on MUPs. They often meander about without a care in the world. I pass with minimal speed disparity.

mr_bill

noimagination

Exactly right, we need to moderate our cycling in accordance with the actual behavior of the other users of the MUP, not in accordance with how we think other users of the MUP should act. It doesn't matter if I think walkers should walk in a predictable manner facing traffic according to the MUP use rules. If they aren't doing so, it is my responsibility to ride my bike so as to avoid colliding with the pedestrian.

Complementarily, I may expect motorists to respect my right to use the road, without regard to whether or not they think I should be there, but I must do my best to be prepared in case the motorist doesn't respect my presence on the road.

I may think it sucks, but the fact is that the world is not designed for my exclusive convenience.

Hey, this riding a bike lark is supposed to be fun. And, walking/riding with your kids with training wheels/rollerblading/etc., etc. on the MUP is supposed to be fun, too.

livedarklions

Agreed.


Even if your riding is of the "not a lark" deadly serious commuting kind, I can't think of a single mode of commuting that doesn't have its slow spots.

I find the speed-up, slow down aspect of MUP riding really good exercise.

livedarklions

It's funny, I think some pedestrians think I sneak up on them at high speed when I've actually been crawling behind them for many seconds waiting for the other lane to clear. I just don't feel a need to disturb them until I think it's safe enough to pass.

rumrunn6

yeah, what are you gonna say? hello, not stalking you, just hanging here until the coast is clear, nice day tho huh? oh by the way your shoe lace is untied, at which point they will likely start flipping you off for interrupting their convo. or worse say: "what" & you'll have to repeat it. but by then the coast is clear, so then what? be rude & just take off saying never mind? or exchange #s w/ your new friends? & let's not forget the older ppl who can't hear as well anymore (me included)

rumrunn6

Wifey kinda cycles like that ...

livedarklions

Yeah, it's not like they get hostile or anything, they just suddenly startle and scurry over when I tell them I'm about to pass. I accelerate fast, so I think they assume I was zipping up to them. The only reason I announce it is I just don't want them to suddenly shift to the left, but I do think some pedestrians hear everything as "get out of my way".

I actually think some of the most fun of the MUPs is seeing people do stuff on them. Sunday, a lady apologized to me because her little boy was trying to learn how to ride a bike and she had to hold him up. I was actually grinning at how adorable the sight was.

JoeyBike

I followed a jogger for 30 seconds on a curvy part of a narrow bike path while he ran a "time trial" line through the curves instead of staying in his lane. From one edge to the other and back again, and again, and again. I didn't feel like yelling or ringing a bell and he had earbuds in anyway. When I finally passed him he freaked the Hell out and screamed at me about calling out until I couldn't hear him anymore, I suggested he "pay attention knucklehead" after he started yelling at me

About 40 minutes later he tracked me down in his SUV at the Lakefront, parked his vehicle in the right lane of a 4-lane state highway and got all up in my face. One thing he accused me of was cussing him and almost hitting him. I calmly explained that "knucklehead" was not a cuss word. When I refused to cower he got back in his car and vanished. I blame steroids - he seemed like the type as he resembled a MMA fighter.

His gripe, of course, was I should have called out. He was right. I suggested he pay attention to the world around him as well, and that INSISTING on my calling out was an admission of guilt that he was going to somehow screw up and cause me to hit him as I passed. If he ran in a consistent manner, in his lane, there would never be a problem, calling out or not. I'm going to startle the dude either way. Would prefer to be past him when that happens.

livedarklions

We've had a variation on this discussion before, and I am completely unsympathetic to your attitude against calling out. I don't find it a problem, I don't think it implies anything other than acknowledging that my bike is quiet, and pedestrians don't have eyes in the backs of their heads. I'd rather risk startling someone than risk punishing them and me because they momentarily got distracted by a butterfly or something on the left side of the path.

I like to ride fast. I think that imposes a responsibility on me to make sure people on a path know I am coming up from behind.

Don't know if your runner was unreasonable or not. I do know I have passed many thousands of runners on paths without ever having a similar incident.

Maelochs

I really don't understand how some folks cannot manage anything as basic as riding a bike.

I used to do a group ride which used part of a local MUP, and sometimes used it for solo rides. In my time I have passed many people and startled more than a few. Never had a bad response, even from people who got scared ... they never got angry.

You guys are doing Something wrong.

Life is hard enough without wanting problems ... and you might claim you don't want problems, but still, you always seem to have them. I really don't want problems, and somehow ... it works out.

Maybe try meditation or something.

Korina

My favorite sentence of that sad story: ' A GMC Acadia was traveling westbound on Nuckols Road when it struck a bicycle that was crossing Nuckols while heading south on Wyndham Park Drive.' So this SUV was driving itself when it collided with a self-riding bicycle? Bad writing, likely in an effort to spare the feelings of the driver.

JoeyBike

Perhaps you live in a civilized land. Some of us do not.

livedarklions

Your comments about how much you resent having to notify pedestrians you're coming up from behind them would suggest to me that the lack of civility issue isn't with the pedestrians.

I sometimes feel a little bad when I startle someone or they misunderstand and think I'm demanding they move over, but I'd rather risk that than make them pay dearly for a momentary mental lapse.

I've never had anyone get mad at me for calling out a pass. I've had a lot of people thank me for doing it. It costs me nothing, and I ain't buying your nonsense about why you shouldn't have to do it.

mr_bill

Yup. It's also possible I've thanked you myself.

-mr. bill

livedarklions

Did you thank a gray haired guy with glasses wearing a yellow shirt and black cargo pants?

Maelochs

I always make a point of thanking myself.