Comments on: Cyclist struck by van at intersection of Prospect and 33rd

By: bicycle commuter

bicycle commuter — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 01:13:11 +0000

If I had a dime for every vehicle (including Police) that I witness blowing through stop signs, interfering with the right-of-way of pedestrians and bicyclists, I would be a rich woman. I see egregious acts of indifference from motorists every day on to bicycle riders-but hey we only count transgressions when cyclists perform them, don’t we?

By: @Tom Nast

@Tom Nast — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:29:40 +0000

It’s ironic that you call GU students smug, when your comments reek of snobbery and a holier-than-thou attitude. You must feel like such a big person to hide behind your computer and attack other people.

The entire District is full of cyclists, many who disregard rules. There are also many drivers who simply don’t know what to do when they see a cyclist in their lane. Blaming the entire issue on GU students is foolish and narrowminded because the issue is NOT exclusive to GU students. I see it constantly in Brookland, Columbia Heights, Rosslyn, and Dupont Circle with cyclists. Coming up with productive solutions to solve the problem, instead of being petty and attacking commenters on a blog (as well as victims of accidents because you don’t like their school affiliation) might be the better road to take.

By: Tom Nast

Tom Nast — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:00:03 +0000

The problem here, well-illustrated by your comment, is the smug, compulsive narcissism of GU students, which leads them to bleat dishonestly in the face of obvious facts. The area around GU has all sorts of cyclists, but nearly all of the 20-year olds riding bikes within four or five blocks of the campus go to GU. (Unless they’re some undergrad’s PA on his/her way back to the cheap seats.)

The problem is completely out of control, and asinine exercises in denial and distraction — such as yours — merely illustrate the difficulty in getting anyone to address it honestly. Fortunately, it’s not my problem — it’s theirs. They’re the ones who are going to be lying in the street, bleeding, broken, or worse.

Good luck in the traffic, kid. Someone with his head as far up his own ass as you will always have trouble in the crosswalks.

By: @Tom Nast

@Tom Nast — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:44:57 +0000

Every day, I walk through Burleith and Georgetown (and all of D.C., really), and see some resident, non-GU student blasting through intersections without even slowing or looking for oncoming traffic. In fact, I was nearly hit by a cyclist yesterday while I was in the crosswalk on 35th.

The point? It doesn’t just apply to GU cyclists. It applies to everyone. And Webster’s ought to put a picture of you beside the definition of STUPID.

Have a nice day :).

By: Tom Nast

Tom Nast — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:52:00 +0000

I drive through that intersection two, three, four times a day — and have for thirty years.

EVERY DAY I seem some GU student blasting through that intersection (or one nearby) without even slowing or looking for oncoming traffic.

This was NEVER true ten years ago.

Webster’s ought to put a picture of a GU cyclist beside the definition of STUPID.

(No, they don’t deserve to be hit. But they do cause themselves to be hit.)

By: alucho

alucho — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:22:44 +0000

Seriously? Blame the Victim? If the accounts are true, the driver of the super shuttle is also a victim. This person was just doing their job, when some cyclist, with obvious disrespect for the law, runs the stop sign and quickly sours this person’s day. This person might not have physical injuries, but the mental anguish that he/she struck a person on a bike might weigh pretty heavy on their mind (even if it wasn’t their fault).

some people really need to get a grip.

By: Hoya

Hoya — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:20:01 +0000

Uh, maybe blaming the victim is appropriate in this case if it was, you know, the victim’s fault.

By: Steven

Steven — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:08:52 +0000

I certainly don’t mean to blame the victim, but if I had a dime for every time I saw a bicyclist ride through a stop sign or a red light, I’d be a rich man.

By: The Morning Metropolitan «

The Morning Metropolitan « — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:02:12 +0000

[...] Biker struck on Prospect St. [...]

By: as unusual

as unusual — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:25:16 +0000

way to blame the victim, witnesses who have no ulterior motive to say bicyclist rode through the stop sign