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NYS DOT’s recent Rt 376 repaving projects improved the road surface, but the infractructure seems to be crumbling apace, as we spotted on a recent walk across the bridge over Wappinger Creek:
Red Oaks Mill bridge – dangling concrete
The ragged edge of the deck shows other slivers have fallen into the creek.
My arms aren’t long enough to get a closer view:
Red Oaks Mill bridge – dangling concrete – detail
The concrete roadway is developing potholes in the right hand southbound lane, so the upper surface has begun crumbling, too.
I think the bridge dates to the mid-1990s, based on the aerial photo history from Dutchess GIS, so it’s a bit over twenty years old. Nothing lasts.
We’re approaching the Vassar Main gate roundabout on Raymond Avenue. I’m signaling for the middle of the lane, which involves extending my left arm straight out and pointing downward:
Raymond Avenue – Passing at Main Gate 1 rear – 2017-08-31
Evidently, the driver figures he can get past us into the roundabout, missing my hand by maybe a foot:
Raymond Avenue – Passing at Main Gate 2 – 2017-08-31
Six seconds later, we’re all stopped, because the planter in the middle of the roundabout is designed to hide the oncoming traffic and make you slow down:
Raymond Avenue – Passing at Main Gate 1 – 2017-08-31
I’m getting more assertive about moving leftward before we enter the approach, but obviously I’m not quite far enough over.
A silver Honda Accord Civic (NY HLS-3678) passed me on Raymond, just before the Vassar Main Gate roundabout, with about as much clearance as one might expect:
Raymond – Passing 2017-08-30 – 1
I noodled along Raymond at 18 mph and the car pulled ahead at the usual 30 to 40 mph. Just after the College Avenue roundabout, the car pulled off to the right, as if to park, but continued rolling slowly and I gave it plenty of clearance:
Raymond – Passing 2017-08-30 – 2
The car immediately pulled out into the lane, directly in front of the Escalade that’s been following me at a courteous distance since the Main Gate roundabout, and pulled up close behind me, which immediately put me at DEFCON 3. Basically, drivers get exactly one bite at my apple; anyone who deliberately passes me a second time is likely up to no good.
As always, I signal and take the lane going into the Collegeview Avenue roundabout, still at 18-ish mph, whereupon the driver lays on the horn rather heavily. Apparently, he intended to accelerate past me into the roundabout, but I got in the way:
Raymond – Passing 2017-08-30 – 2r
I’m now cranking 20 mph. A block later, the car passes me, rather closely this time:
Raymond – Passing 2017-08-30 – 3
Maybe this is a friendly wave, but the horn thing suggests otherwise and, in any event, it’s hard to tell in real time running:
Raymond – Passing 2017-08-30 – 4
At this point, I presume he’s gesturing me to GTFO the road:
Raymond – Passing 2017-08-30 – 5
And we part company:
Raymond – Passing 2017-08-30 – 6
Raymond Avenue would be a lot more bicycle-friendly without some of the drivers …
I’ve been carrying shears to deal with the most egregious offenses, because some sport inch-long thorns:
Rt 376 – SB at Walker – Thorns – 2017-07-09
Unlike the NYSDOT Wappingers (a.k.a. Dutchess South) Residency , their Poughkeepsie (a.k.a. Dutchess North) Residency has no compunction about defoliation around road signs:
I sent a note to their email contact and got the usual autoresponder message, but may have a side channel through the Dutchess County Planning Department to their Bicycle Coordinator. We shall see.
When we get to the end of Overocker Road, we occupy the entire left-and-straight lane, because we’re turning left onto Burnett Blvd and there’s no room for another vehicle beside us:
Burnett at Rt 55 – Right pass – 2017-05-23 – 1
I’m towing a trailer of groceries.
On Burnett Blvd, we take the left side of the right lane (marked for left-and-right turns), because we’re turning left onto Rt 55, don’t want to get right-hooked by right-on-red traffic, and will be on the right side of the right lane of Rt 55 when we’re through the turn.
Without turn signals, it’s not clear whether the car following us from Overocker will turn left or right, but the driver is snuggling up next to Mary:
Burnett at Rt 55 – Right pass – 2017-05-23 – 2
The driver’s window is sliding downward. Fortunately, we started moving before any comments were made. Perhaps he was going tell us we’re riding cool bikes?
Ah-ha! The driver is turning left and intending to pass me on the right while we’re in the intersection:
I’m moving rightward across the turning lane to end up on the right side of the Rt 55 lane, while not riding across the steel manhole cover at the car’s front wheel:
Burnett at Rt 55 – Right pass – 2017-05-23 – 4
Mary doesn’t accelerate nearly as hard as I do; those pictures are one second apart.
I’m un-leaning from the turn into Rt 55, with the trailer still on my left and the driver accelerating toward me:
Most of the time, our rides aren’t this interesting, but I have plenty of examples showing how NYS DOT’s road designs ignore cyclists. The Burnett intersection signals still give us four seconds to clear the intersection.
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 