teenage drivers and other drivers that don’t pay attention are really dangerous. The County has some great trails and those are really easy to use but Manassas has a very limited selection of trails so you usually end up riding on the road. People pull up next to you and scream at you, they swerve at you and they think it is funny as all get out. I haven’t had anything thrown at me but it’s a matter of time. The offenders are usually teenagers. My own personal nemesis is a blonde teenage girl over in wellington who drives a blue convertible mini cooper. She screams “sidewalk” at me everytime she sees me. Sooner or later, I’ll get her tag number and turn it over to the PD. They’ll go talk to her but that’s about it. People of all ages talking or texting are a close second. It is very frustrating.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of a legal impediment to this behaviour. It isn’t illegal to pull your car up next to a bike rider and scream at them. That might seem funny when you have 3 thousand pounds of steel around you but when you are on top of 18 pounds of somewhat uncooperative aluminum and carbon, it doesn’t seem so damn funny. It’s easy to wipe out when you only have a quarter of an inch of contact with the road. If someone swerves at you and you can both identify them and get their tag then you can petition the police to file reckless driving charges but the drivers are usually even or past you when it happens.
There needs to be a law that allows for some charge to be leveled against the owner of the vehicle if it is involved in this kind of crap. I’m sure this might draw some critical back and forth but I would remind all of you that the government has no problem with writing the owner of a vehicle a ticket simply by photographing your tag number when you run a red light. Seems that when the governments money is at stake, it’s a negotiable ideal….
This isn’t a new problem. Check this link that Randolph sent me.
August 6, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Andy, Wellington Road has a very nice bike/running trail. I don’t know how many times I have seen people running in the street/curb area of the street. I have seen people riding bikes cut across streets, etc.
I think there is plenty of blame to go around for both drivers and non drivers.
August 6, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Andy, you say the cops won’t do anything? That there ought to be a law?
Well, my friend…as the Good Book says: “seek and ye shall find, ask and it shall be given”. There already is a law – it’s called Virginia Code 46.2 Motor Vehicles!
For instance, under the Code the definition of a bicycle is: “”Bicycle” means a device propelled solely by human power, upon which a person may ride either on or astride a regular seat attached thereto, having two or more wheels in tandem, including children’s bicycles, except a toy vehicle intended for use by young children. For purposes of Chapter 8 (§ 46.2-800 et seq.) of this title, a bicycle shall be a vehicle while operated on the highway.”
And if you go out and take a gander through that part of the Code, you will see all sorts of rules about this form of “nonmotorized vehicle”.
Funny part is, I learned as a kid that sidewalks were for people, the street was for my bicycle, and the minute I hit it, follow the law. Anyone besides me learn the 3 handsignals for stop, right turn, left turn? Growing up in Jacksonville NC, the police would make sure you followed the law…got talked to a couple of times when delivering the local paper as a paperboy for not quite following the rules 🙂
Oh yeah…about them yelling at you? Virginia places that in the same set of laws enacted to help combat road rage. Rules of the Road apply to all vehicles.
Hey, you could do a neat Council thing – based on the Code, pass some local ordinances, right down to issuing licences for bikes. My adult daughter, when she ventures off the street on her bike to go to places like Old Town, has the same problems you get. One annoying thing is if she uses the crosswalks to get across, there are drivers who will honk at her or if making a left turn, not yield to the person in the crosswalk. So I think this would be a great improvement for our City to have some ordinances aligned with the Code. And hey, it fits into the vision of Manassas Next to boot!!!!!
But do go out to the Code and enjoy! The law is on YOUR side!!!!
August 7, 2009 at 7:54 am
“Teenage drivers and other idiots are really dangerous” –
Good luck in a few years Andy.
August 7, 2009 at 8:26 am
COM:
Wellington’s bike trail is very nice but short. I ride between 10-20 miles a day. That’s a lot of loops on the Wellington path! Indeed, there is enough blame to go around but I expect that if you, while driving your car, were treated like I am everyday while riding my bike, you would be outraged.
Yesterday I was riding down Beauregard avenue and I was followed by a car for about 2 blocks. I was going about 15mph. That guy then accelerated around me, someone in the back seat leaned out the window and screamed at me from about a foot away. It scared the hell out of me and I nearly ate the curb because of it. Beauregard Ave is probably 40′ wide and there was always plenty of room to pass…..is that necessary, justified or even proper in ANY cirumstance? I was riding nearly in the gutter…..
Steve: I single out teenage drivers as almost evey case of someone swerving at me or yelling at me involves a teenage driver….
August 7, 2009 at 9:49 am
One of the things we lost when the Parks and Rec. Dept.
was cut back in the budget process, was the point
organization for bike trails. Though small in size,
they had done tremendous work on planning and
advocating for more and improved trails in the
Manassas area. Hopefully, as the economy improves,
we can refocus on this need.
August 7, 2009 at 10:40 am
I’ve actually gotten that plan from Liz and I’m trying to figure out if there is a part of it that we could pick off. It is quite thorough.
August 7, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Andy,
There is not excuse for that, but as I said, for every example you provide there are plenty to point out about the rude bikers. Hmm, We have a 800 acre lake, and no access, I wonder how many miles of bike trails the City could have if only common sense took over?
I know you are frustrated, sort of like we Citizens arewhen we talk to you and the rest of the Council about issues we feel are important, and we do not see the results we like.
August 8, 2009 at 7:28 am
I like my drinking water supply sources safe, thanks.
And thanks for sharing your bike vulnerabilities, Andy. I don’t think about the dangers when Curtis is on freight trains or driving his jeep, but the minute he gets on his bike and treks to the church or the dry cleaners, I worry!
We all – pedestrians, dogs, bikers, car drivers – have to make a better effort to share the space.
Have a peaceful recess!
August 8, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Cindy,
I like my drinking supply safe too. Exactly what does boating and fishing in Lake Manassas have to do with safety of our water?
August 9, 2009 at 8:39 am
Seriously Cindy, what has eliminating boating and fishing on our Lake got to do with your drinking water? I spent my high school years summers paddling the lake by canoe, family picnics on the banks, learned to water ski, catching lots of sunny’s and taking home for a Sunday evening fish fry with family friends, all on Lake Manassas (though I was a Fairfax resident at the time). It’s a shame we have this HUGE resource being blocked from use and the opportunities I had as a youth are not available to MY son short of a long trek to Lake Anna or further. There is simply NO rational argument that can be made that the type of boating and fishing and such that was allowed then (I’m talking late 70’s here) has ANY impact on or is any danger to the City water supply.
August 9, 2009 at 8:44 am
Andy,
Blue mini cooper convertibles surely can’t be that numerous. If this person regularly is your nemesis in this particular area, she must live or at least work close by. Get a tag number, and file a complaint at the magistrate. You need not even involve the police as there is nothing they can do in a misdemeanor traffic offense unless they witness it.
August 9, 2009 at 5:44 pm
DavidB,
Whose property were you on when you had a picnic on the banks of Lake Manassas? And you were able to water ski there in the late 70’s? Behind a trolling motor or what? It sure would be nice to find a way to open the lake to canoes and fishing but I am glad we did not have high speed boats on it. It would have ended up like Lake Anna or Deep Creek Lake, very crowded and not very safe place for our drinking water. And Citizen, how would common sence give us bike trails? Just wondering cuz it would be a wonderful thing to keep our councilman safe!
August 9, 2009 at 9:02 pm
City Boy,
The city could have built a trail around the Lake, or at least a part of it. They expanded the lake by two hundred acres just a few years ago(or somewhere around that number) So clearly the City has a buffer around the lake they own as well, and if feasible could have put a trail as well.
I think the lake is too small to have unlimited size motors, but it could handle 10HP and under.
As far as I know, there is not another public water lake in the State that has been closed to public access since 9/11. I do believe that was just a “handy” excuse to use when it became obvious the City did not want to really allow access. The fact is if someone was intent on putting something in the water(which is of course against the law) why would they concern themselves with following the no trespassing law?
Besides, I bet there are more chemicals introduced to the lake by the golf course to worry about any terrorist threat we have.
Has anyone heard of a public water source in the United States since 09/11/01 that was a target of a terrorist attack?
In any event, the City should work out the details and again allow public access to the lake.
August 9, 2009 at 10:25 pm
@City boy:
No clue whose property we were on. We entered the lake via the City’s boat dock. 2 families with 2 kids each, 4 canoes total. We paddled around to the right from the inlet where the dock was and not far away there was a nice grassy expanse that gently sloped down to the water. There was a barb wire fence at top of the slope so i assume we were on “lake” property?? Its all under water now though.
I don’t remember the HP limit on boats back then. I believe our friend’s Boston Whaler had a 35HP Evinrude, and yes it could easily tow KIDS water skiing. Not blazing fast but who cares, skimming across the water was so fun!
Closing the Lake in the name of terrorism is a lark. Sure the bladder on top of the damn (that makes the Lake bigger) isn’t as resilient as and larger earthen damn, but like others said a terrorist isn’t going to care about signs or fences. I’m not advocating power boats on the Lake, but opening it to people paddled boats for recreation and fishing ought to be done. Heck, charge a small fee of $5 per launch or something, and give City residents either free or a discount. There’s a revenue stream at that Lake that the City could use, and there would be ZERO additional “risk” to the water supply.
If someone’s worried about canoers or paddleboaters encroaching the bladder at the damn, it can be protected!
August 10, 2009 at 8:17 am
If it’s not in recess, the Utility Commission meets this Thursday at 5:30 pm at the Public Works facility off Portner & Breeden. Marc Aveni’s the new council rep on the commission. They are your best source of information on whether the City has properly (and by law) assessed and acted on the all-hazards risks (not just terrorism) to protect all our utilities.
I grew up catching walleye and catfish in the land of a thousand lakes. I feel your pain. But I was also a scout and it was “safety first,” then fun.
What about developers continuing to build homes, etc. in the flood zone below the dam? Now the city has to spend millions to make the dam higher. We’re human, we make decisions good or bad, and then we live with those consequences.
Sorry to have careened your bike thread off course, Andy.
August 10, 2009 at 9:59 am
There are no more safety issues on this lake from any other. There are thousands of examples of public water lakes/rivers etc that are open for boating and fishing. Most if not all do have a HP limit, due to gas/oil concerns, and size of the body of the water.
The development happening around the Lake is from the County, not from the City.
August 11, 2009 at 7:54 am
Andy,
Do what I do when I ride. Wear a shoulder holster with a medium sized semi-auto on your left side, so it is visible to drivers as they come along side. It’s not a threat. Just a little reminder that you don’t mess with a bull, because he has those pointy things on the sides of his head.
June 14, 2010 at 3:16 am
Another Fantastic write up, I will be sure to save this post in my Newsvine account. Have a great evening.