[Lincolnparkdc] Bike lane or sidewalk/crosswalk makes a difference in our assessment here

[Brett Reynolds]

Exactly right, Jessica. Not only do cars not generally end up stopped at
the precise point of collision, Newtonian physics will tell you that a bike
and rider weighing a combined total of 200 pounds are even less likely to
stay in the place where they are hit by a 3,000 pound vehicle. (A still
photo of my own worst bike accident would show a bike in a ditch, from
which you could not safely deduce that that's where I had been riding.)

I am not sure what the goal of such litigation and speculation is in this
forum, but it certainly risks distracting our energies and any chance of
productive discussion away from focusing on making our streets and
sidewalks safer for all of our neighbors.

Brett


On Fri, Sep 10, 2021 at 1:25 PM Jessica Gardner <
jgardner at washingtonanalysis.com> wrote:

> Cars generally do not stop in the exact spot where the collision
> occurred.  Also, when the car hit the bike, it would make sense that it was
> propelled forward  somewhat. Margaret posted a still photo so it is hard to
> tell from that exactly what happened, but the photo seems to back up what
> the eye witnesses reported:  “Taking my daughter to school this morning
> on my bike I witnessed a reckless driver crash his Prius into a man on a
> bike at Kentucky Ave and East Capitol SE, the same street where advisory
> bike lanes were just finished I was riding north on Kentucky toward
> Lincoln Park when a Prius driver came flying past me. He then approached
> the right-only intersection at the park, barely slowing down at the stop
> sign. The cyclist was going west using the crosswalk when the he got
> clipped by the turning car. Everyone seemed to be ok, thank God it was just
> a sedan and not an SUV. I immediately started screaming obscenities at the
> driver even though I was just a witness. The cyclist blamed himself for
> using that route even though it was not the slightest bit his fault. I was
> so spooked because it could have been us, with my babies on board. The
> driver was clearly racing to get his kid to school and trying to bypass the
> light at 13th and Mass.”
>
>
>
> I am a very cautious driver and I have to admit that when I am trying to
> make that right turn, I **always** have to remind myself to look right
> for anyone in crosswalk.  Drivers are very focused on the oncoming traffic
> to the left.  I’d be very interested in anything we could do to make these
> crosswalks safer.  This is the exact spot where my son was hit while
> walking across the street (IN the crosswalk) a few years back though he was
> crossing East Capitol not Kentucky.
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* lincolnparkdc <lincolnparkdc-bounces at lincolnparkdc.info> *On
> Behalf Of *John Hirschmann
> *Sent:* Friday, September 10, 2021 12:56 PM
> *To:* lincolnparkdc at lincolnparkdc.info
> *Cc:* Will Handsfield <William.Handsfield2 at dc.gov>; Corey Holman <
> 6b06 at anc.dc.gov>; Charles Allen <callen at dccouncil.us>
> *Subject:* Re: [Lincolnparkdc] Bike lane or sidewalk/crosswalk makes a
> difference in our assessment here
>
>
>
> (Tim
>
>
>
> I suggest you study the picture Margaret posted      It appears the
> accident occurred in the street, north of the crosswalk and NOT in the
> crosswalk.
>
>
>
> It also appears the bicyclists struck the car, not vice-versa.  The front
> of the bike struck the rear of the car.
>
>
>
> As a driver going north on Kentucky, you expect (except for pedestrians)
> that traffic is approaching from your left and that is where your primary
> focus is to make sure you safely enter the intersection.
>
>
>
> John
>
> John F Hirschmann
>
> hirschj154 at gmail.com
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>
>
> On Sep 10, 2021, at 12:31, Tim Dube <timothydube at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 
>
> All this hand wringing about the cyclist seems unfair. According to the
> first-hand account, the bike was using the *sidewalk and entering the
> crosswalk.* If that's true, then that's not "wrong way down a one-way
> street" or "wrong way in the bike lane." At that point the cyclist is in a
> legally protected zone. Cars have to stop for bikes in crosswalks even if
> it's right next to a bike lane. Kids use sidewalks and crosswalks because
> it's safer. Just because it's an adult (I presume) doesn't mean cars get to
> crunch you.
>
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