Friends: I set out on my bike commute this morning on Edgewood Avenue. (And can I say this parenthetically: Is there any street in Atlanta that is more heavily trafficked by bikes than Edgewood?) Merrily on my way, some cager in a small Toyota compact pulled right into the bike lane and right in front of me as I approached the Krog-Edgewood intersection. For several seconds, gnarly visions of T-boning her Japanese puddle jumper danced through my head. But as higher powers directed me to safety, I quickly swerved and narrowly avoided disaster (and an attendant dust-up and tardiness to the office and glories of my nondescript desk-jockey post…). Caught up in the moment, I braked, cursed loudly, grabbed one of my gloves (it was cold this morning) and threw it to the ground in disgust. These ridiculous histrionics were – no doubt -- meant to get the attention of this cager, and to let her know that her unthinking action had seriously choked my style. Though her windows were – of course – rolled up (does anyone ride with windows rolled down anymore?) she did see my theatrics and she did acknowledge the vehicular “wrong” with the wave of a hand. (It seemed that she was apologizing… but who knows? ... There’s such a communications divide between ambient air two-wheeled commuters and our four-wheeled, encased-in-steel brethren…) All of this fun lasted about seven seconds. After that, she went her way and I went mine. Not much else to report. And there really is nothing to this story, is there? Just a vignette...(When is the bike revolution going to happen in Atlanta when everyone rides bikes to work?) Here’s how I’ll close: Let’s be careful out there. MP
Edgewood Ave. Monday Morning Commuter Vignette
ask gongalong
if you ask gonger, the cars have already started the war with bikers.
Well If you ask me....
...cars don't start wars. People do.
This same argument is brought up in gun control discussions. However, it's not the guns, it's the people using them (at least in my mind.) Similarly, it's not the cars, it's the PEOPLE behind the wheel that cause problems for cylists. Make bicycles on the road something drivers have to deal with everyday, in many places - not just the places that have bike lanes. More cyclists on the road is a start.
But that sucks MP. Not sure how I would have handled it...
agreed.
excuse my lack of attention to semantics.
Our Slavish Love Of Convenience
In our slavish love of convenience (and we -- dear friends -- are all infected with this modern "bug"), we have collectively ceded our landscape to cars (and the industry that manufactures them). I'm no anarchist and I'm not suggesting for a moment that the car industry in inherently "evil." But the whole subject prompts deep thought. (Thought likely best arrived at through walking, by the way, but who has the time? So I ride my geared road bike...) What I sometimes think about is what our world would look like had we not completely ceded our built-up environment to the automotive industry (which supports our love of climate-controlled transporting convenience)? I mean, what would downtown Atlanta look like if there were, say, a) more residential and b) less parking garages? If there were a) less strip malls w/Auto Zones in them and b) more districts that looked like, say, downtown's Farlie-Poplar district? What would our world look like if everything were not built on "car scale"? I assure you this: There would be a whole lot more human interaction going on and there would be far fewer lumpen lemmings driving themselves to middle-aged corpulence and later-in-life decrepitude. We happy band of cyclists are part of a vanguard, folks (and that's good...). Peak Oil offers some hope for a future different than our motoring-fiesta past of the last half century. But, alas, we're years away from this world where bikes are safe in Atlanta, where city blocks are not so extended, and where cars are appropriately regarded as the inefficient and toxic people-movers that they are. Lots to consider: But as a more pleasant digression I offer the emminence that is Tornado Tom Boonan, 2008 Paris-Roubaix champion and general all-around Belgian bad ass. MP
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/apr08/roubaix08/index.php?id=/pho...
going east?
Were you heading East on Edgewood when this happened? Notice that someone removed the city titties to the right of the bike lane on East-bound Edgewood right at Krog. This encourgages cars to cross the bike lane and make the turn too early. In the past, it was a tight turn for large vehicles so they kept hitting the city titties or hitting the cars at the light on Krog.
If you go East on Krog in the afternoon, the cars line up all the way back to the bridge IN THE BIKE LANE!
You would think the population of cabbagetown has doubled.
I have noticed it too.
Are people getting on DeKalb at Krog, or going through the tunnel? I usually make my way through the morass of motorists to get to the intersection and sloooooowly pedal off when the light changes.
about the cars driving in the bike lane
I actually emailed public works a few days ago, the same folks that got the railroad tracks removed on Dekalb, to request some flexible posts to keep the cars out of the bike lane. Sandra Jennings replied and cc'd a bunch of other public works types. Also Rebecca from ABC backed me up and also contacted the AJC writer that wrote the article about Dekalb. He said to keep him updated and if nothing happens he'll make it a 'Take to Task' issue. (I think that's a regular column where people complain about traffic infrastructure problems, etc.)
If you're interested in emailing about this also, contact sjennings@atlantaga.gov.
"East on Krog" -- isn't Krog
"East on Krog" -- isn't Krog north/south? ;-) plus, i don't think there's a bike lane on Krog.
The bike lane on Edgewood,
The bike lane on Edgewood, at Krog.
oops
I meant East on Edgewood!
public works is taking action
After emailing (only) 3 times I got this reply from Nursef Kadir:
We have completed review of your request to install uprights (flexible posts). We observed that some vehicles were pulling into the bike lane while turning right onto Krog Street.
We will proceed with installation of uprights as temporary measure. We are considering this a temporary measure because heavy right turning traffic volume may makes it necessary consider an exclusive right turn lane.
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Sweet- now we just have to make sure they don't remove the bike lane to install a right turn lane. If they do install that I'll request that they 'dot' it straight across.
and only 2 1/2 months later
They're up! There are bollards keeping cars out of the bike lane now. I am thrilled that the City did something so pro-bike (especially after CM) and have a little bit of renewed faith that (like I keep saying) if you contact people and let them know what you (and many more) want, sometimes there are results. :)
I noticed!
I was excited. Then a car almost turned into me turning right onto Krog (the light was green). Frowny face++.
"You would think the
"You would think the population of cabbagetown has doubled."
A lot of the congestion at Krog/Edgewood is due to Blvd still being closed by the Cotton Mill lofts. It's supposed to reopen in the next week or 2, I heard.
I Was Going West (Young Man)
For whatever it's worth, I was going west on Edgewood Ave., and my little mishap happened just after passing the Edgewood-Waddell intersection (just before the Krog-Edgewood intersection). My histrionics were completely in the moment and anyone witnessing them really would have chuckled at the sight of my throwing one of my gloves to the ground in disgust. Silly, but also cathartic (in the moment). MP
Wadell and Spruce
are dangerous intersections on Edgewood. When you are going west it is a slight downhill/flat so your speed is usually up to a good clip, and if it is in the morning, the sun is behind you making it difficult for motorists in front of you to see you. A good section to bike defensively in.