Obstacles on the tracks

A while back, Bandit tore up the highway in Washington, D.C. (and slapped the name Broadway on it, whatever that's supposed to mean) claiming he’d make it better and more modern than before. The result? A massive multi-lane freeway leading right up to a shopping mall, paired with some so-called bike lane that’s basically just a dent in the sidewalk. They missed the chance to actually build a wider path, but instead, they just kept narrowing the existing one until it's getting tighter by the day. Then they went and planted streetlights right in the middle of the lanes. Most recently, they dropped these MTA barriers everywhere that stick out for no reason and cut the passage in half. I can almost wrap my head around station shelters, but those stainless steel monstrosities make zero sense. Why on earth didn't they just attach them to the shelters and stop eating up the already tiny space? The absolute peak of MTA arrogance is the sidewalk at the intersection of Main Street and the Warehouse District (I think that's the one, across from Zagorski) where they installed such an eyesore that pedestrians can barely squeeze by, let alone cyclists. Where does this end? Are we supposed to grab some saws ourselves and show these arrogant people that sidewalks and bike paths are meant for people, not for hanging advertisements?

Honestly, we just can't catch a break with this route.

And don't even get me started on those traffic lights—they seem to trigger five minutes before the ones for cars. If I actually waited for every single green light, I’d probably spend my entire afternoon just trying to get from Selski to Skorpi.

Jamie Palmer said:Yeah, we seriously have zero luck with this route.

And don't get me started on those lights that turn green five minutes before the cars even get a chance—if I actually waited for every single light to change, it would take me all damn afternoon just to get from Rural to Skorpi...

I've been ignoring those signals since day one. What kind of moron came up with the brilliant idea to sync the pedestrian and bike lights like that? Whoever designed this clearly got their degree from a cereal box.

Dennis Collins38 said:I’ve been ignoring those lights since day one. I mean, seriously, what kind of absolute genius came up with the brilliant idea to sync the pedestrian signal with the bike lane light? The guy who designed this probably got his degree from a clown college—or maybe just a really questionable traffic engineering program somewhere out west.

Yeah, tell me about it. I ignore them too, but the second some guy in an SUV tries to make a turn at the intersection while my light is red, the whole thing turns into a symphony of honking and verbal abuse.

The thing is, he clearly KNOWS that I have just as much right to move as he does in that scenario. Honestly, if we're being technical, he should be the one yielding to me...

Jamie Palmer said:I tend to just tune them out, honestly, but there’s always that one guy—you know the type—who decides he’s the king of the road just because he's making a turn at an intersection while I'm sitting there staring at a red light. Suddenly, it’s like I’ve personally offended his entire lineage, and I’m getting blasted with constant honking and enough verbal abuse to make a sailor blush, all because I'm actually following the damn traffic laws.

Well, he knows perfectly well that I have just as much right to pass through there as he does. Honestly, if anything, he should be the one stepping aside to let me go first.

Yeah, that’s honestly the worst part for me—when the horns start blaring at you, and all I can think about is how much I’d love to just slam that button down and be done with it. 🙄

The traffic sensor over on Hrgović was covered in some kind of weird lacquer for a while, and it kept triggering the lights for pedestrians and cyclists constantly. Unfortunately, those Bandit lackeys from the Department of Transportation scraped it all off. Does anyone actually know what kind of spray they use for this stuff?

Dennis Collins38 said:The traffic sensor over on the corner of Main Street and Hrgović was apparently coated in some weird lacquer for a while—it kept triggering green lights for pedestrians and cyclists when it shouldn't have. Unfortunately, those Bandit lackeys from the Department of Transportation finally scraped it all off. Does anyone actually know what kind of varnish they use for this stuff?

Honestly, you could probably just use a heavy-duty degreaser—or really anything abrasive enough to strip it down—to get rid of whatever mess they left behind.

jadetiger962 said:Yeah, that’s the absolute worst part—when the horn starts blaring at you, but honestly? I’d be perfectly happy if I could just mash that button myself. 🙄

Every driver knows exactly when pedestrians are supposed to be using the crosswalk. So, it feels less like a rule and more like an excuse for people to go hunting for cyclists. That’s what really bugs me—it's easy enough to deal with red or green lights, but this? Not so much.

As for the congestion around town... man, today I was riding from downtown over to Brooklyn, and I swear I could count at least 50 cars, a construction excavator, a massive semi-truck cruising down Main Street, all kinds of delivery vans—not to mention entire fleets of them. Eventually, I get tired of zig-zagging through the chaos, so I just hop out onto the road. And then, predictably, car drivers start throwing insults about my family. Where did everyone's common sense go...?

Jamie Palmer said:You could just vent your frustration by being difficult, or whatever else you do when you're too exhausted to even bother scraping the surface.

Honestly, though, I think it would be much easier to just let people slip through the cracks than to spend all our energy constantly circling back to scrape them clean... not that I’m officially endorsing this kind of Civil Disobedience, mind you—I am a moderator, after all, and I really should be keeping an eye on things like that.🤣

Of course! 😉

Jamie Palmer said:Of course! 😉

I suppose we’re just waiting for someone to actually explain what "easy" even looks like in this context. 😬

Don't get me wrong, I'm asking out of pure curiosity. 🥳 😁

jadetiger962 said:But honestly, it would be easier just to spray-paint the whole thing than to keep driving circles around it and scraping at it... obviously I'm not officially endorsing this kind of Civil Disobedience, especially since I'm a moderator and supposed to be keeping things orderly 🤣

Civil Disobedience is totally legitimate when you're dealing with arrogant idiots. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the Mayor held stock in whatever company handles the traffic lights, which is probably why they installed those over-engineered, overpriced monstrosities in the first place. Actually, if they had any real business sense, they’d just separate the pedestrian crossings from the bike lanes and turn a profit on a whole new set of signals.
Is there an electrician out there with a good heart who can tell me which type of paint actually mimics the resistance of human skin?

As a fallback option, you can always go with physical removal 😍

Maybe the absolute worst obstacle is when you just aren't paying attention and then—BAM—you hit what I call "cyclist tunnel vision"...

And don't even get me started on those red bike lanes—does a certain subset of people actually think they’re meant for walking?! Yesterday, some guy actually had the nerve to call me out, asking what exactly I was supposed to be riding on there?!?! I honestly can't wrap my head around it—I mean, what do they think the rest of the sidewalk is for? Parking cars...?

They wasted a massive amount of cash drawing lines on the sidewalk instead of actually fixing the curbs. And even what they "fixed" is a total disaster. Seriously, people, go take a look at the bike lane transition at the Vukovarska-Miraaskarski intersection, near the southeast corner. The entire lowered section is meant for pedestrians, but the bike lane doesn't just slam right into the curb at full height—it leads you straight into a light pole. Calling this crew incompetent is being too kind. They’re such idiots, I bet their own mothers can't stand them.
The arrows painted on the path on the highway are a special kind of stupidity. Yeah, sure, everyone just drives in whatever direction suits them. Nobody is dumb enough to waste five minutes making two extra trips across the road if they can just go from Selski to Hrgović. The only issue is you never know how you're going to dodge someone coming from the opposite direction. Some people act all high and mighty and stay left, while others seem to forget we drive on the right side here. Those arrows need to be wiped away because traffic behavior is a complete free-for-all anyway.

I assume you aren't talking about this specific kind of obstacle, but pedestrians wandering onto the bike path are driving me absolutely insane. I mean it! They just stroll along, often grouping up four or five people wide, making it impossible to pass on either side. And when I ring my bell? Good grief, the insults start flying—"why are you rushing?" or "use the street." Honestly! 😱

Even on the bike paths at Central Park 😠, even if you manage to find a window where the paths aren't swarmed by walkers, you never know when an elderly lady, a kid, or a dog is going to dart out in front of you. It’s ridiculous.

It’s no wonder I can't stay in shape when I can't even get a decent cardio workout in! 😬

On another note—and I feel a bit awkward starting a whole new thread for this—does anyone here with a cycling computer know exactly how long one loop around Golden Gate Park is? I just knocked out ten laps and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself! 😍

Dennis Collins38 said:Seriously, everyone, take a look at the bike lane transition at the Vukovarska-Miraaskarski intersection—specifically the southeast corner. The entire downhill section has been designated for pedestrians, yet the bike path doesn't just dump you onto the curb at full speed—it aims you directly at a light pole. "Incompetence" feels like an understatement for the crew behind this one.

It’s the exact same nonsense at the entrance to the Walmart parking lot off Vukovarska. I actually snapped a photo because I was convinced no sane person would believe me.

As far as that "direct hit to a light pole" situation goes—there's a perfect example of it on the path between the local playground and the south stands of the stadium.

Jamie Palmer said:It’s the exact same deal at the Walmart parking lot entrance off Vukovarska. I actually snapped a photo because I honestly thought nobody sane would believe me.

As for that "direct hit to a light pole" situation, you can see a perfect example right on the path between the snack stands and the south stands at the stadium.

Is there some specific department at City Hall we can contact to get them to rip out whatever they planted before we end up having to deal with stray kittens and raccoons?

Jamie Palmer said:It’s the exact same mess at the Walmart parking lot entrance off Main Street. I actually snapped a photo because I figured nobody would believe me if I just told them.

As for that "direct hit on a light pole" situation, you can see a perfect example on the path between the snack stands and the south stands at the stadium.

Is there some actual department at City Hall we can contact to get them to rip out whatever they planted before we end up losing more chickens and cats to this?

Dennis Collins38 said:Is there some department at City Hall we can actually reach out to—something that might actually rip up those things they just planted before we end up catching a stray chicken or a kitten in the crossfire?

Well, it’s probably that same black hole where every other complaint in this city goes to die. 🤷

Those paths weren't built for cyclists—not by a long shot—and frankly, the people who mapped them out couldn't tell a bicycle from a unicycle if their lives depended on it. They exist purely as a line item on a political checklist to make the administration look good during election season.