bycadelic

alright, i fully admit that i may not be the most accomplished cyclist in the world. my ride is a police auction special (courtesy of the ithaca pd, thanks guys!), i can't afford clip-in pedals, and i've never even been to france. however, i do have some small experience with the clusterfuck-on-wheels that is urban bike commuting.

in the ways that matter--traffic laws, number of cars on the road, stupid pedestrians--dc is a lot like boston. while the roads are wider, bike lanes are nonexistent and may in fact be mythical. however, there are two very big differences that i've noticed so far. first, cars seem to be possessed of an almost third-world-esque desire to take up every inch of pavement on the road. three cars across two lanes seems to be a fun game for dc drivers, as is driving as close to the curb as possible.

secondly, dc bikers are a lot stupider than their new england counterparts. maybe it's because i read that dig article that one time, but the rules of biking (to say nothing of the laws) are pretty clear. stay on the right side of the road, obey traffic lights, stay off the sidewalks, use hand signals. pretty simple stuff, really, and yet during my 30 minute ride, i had to twice dodge oncoming bikers in my way and use my disapproving face at riders who were barreling down the sidewalk next to me. i wouldn't normally be upset by little things, but when bikers act stupidly, it makes it less safe for all of us. douchebags.

in the interests of full disclosure, i have on occasion ridden through a (deserted!) red light and used (empty!) sidewalks to get around stupid traffic problems. i do these things knowing full well that they are wrong and the inevitable crushing guilt is punishment enough. i'm pretty sure this morning's crop of morons aren't smart enough to even comprehend guilt, let alone the bike laws.