Besides the usual dangers of wiping out, getting hit by a car or being laughed at because of your Lycra there are many other new and downright scary dangers of biking in the DC area.
Attacks at 11th Street NE, that I wrote about before, continue,
I wasn't paying too much attention to him when suddenly he turned around and struck me with his elbow. I tried to maintain a balance on my bike with grocery bags hanging, when next thing I know I was jumped by around five kids from all directions who started throwing punches and mercilessly kicking me in my head and ribs.
City paper picked up the story here.
The grassy knoll on the corner of 11th Street and Florida Avenue NW might be the best spot in the city to throw rocks at passing bicycles. The hilltop yields plenty of stones weighty enough to hold a trajectory. A wrought-iron gate separates the knoll from the bike lane in case an aggrieved cyclist gets it into her head to chase a pack of kids. Balconies on the back of the building make for perfect hunting stands—one slide of a glass door and you’re safely inside. Buildings, blind walls, and a stairwell provide cover for the stone-casters lying in wait. And the usual presence of a gaggle of children makes ID’ing a particular arm next to impossible.
There was some response from the police
Third District Lt. Bart Dykes "I will instruct PSA 304 officers to give this location special attention during these [after school] hours. Housing Police agreed to do the same."
And that's where we stand on that. Someone once said that vandalism was the dumbest crime, because you didn't benefit from it. This is human vandalism and so much dumber.
But that's not the only dangerous area, two men were robbed of their bikes at the Braddock Metro Station
Before giving his bike to the assailants, the 40-year-old man was punched in the face and knocked to the ground. The 18-year-old was not injured, police said.
And then there are the people who've decided they just don't like cyclists, (though admittedly, some of us bike in an unlawful manner)
On a more serious note, I have a question. What the hell is wrong with the bikers on the campus? Half of the biking population has no clue about the basic functions of a bicycle (i.e. pedaling, steering, braking), which is chaotic in itself and has caused massive denting and scratching to the side panel of my car. The other half is a bunch of schizoid crackpots who race uncontrollably through the campus with no consideration for anyone or anything around them. I have deftly avoided far too many accidents with these two-wheeled guerrilla terrorists. Bikers admit their biggest fear is slamming into a car door that opens right before them. I am not ashamed to admit I would pay money to see this happen.
And a response
Yes, pedestrians can be negligent and cyclists can be dangerous. But everyone has a right to cross the street safely. And perhaps the author mistook cyclists who realize it is infinitely safer to be assertive when interacting with motorists for “kamikaze bicyclists.”
So let's all be careful out there. Unfortunately, people are out to get you.
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