Ride Home 3/14

They, and by they, I mean some combination of DDOT and American University, need to fix the stop light sequencing at Nebraska and New Mexico. The whole intersection is a mess. Drivers coming out of the SIS building garage get their own green light, but they only have the option of turning right. That doesn't really stop people from turning left or going straight. I'm all for banning the left turn, but at least make going straight down New Mexico a viable, legal option. To make it even more confusing, the pedestrian signal isn't timed to the SIS green light, but only to the New Mexico green light. So, there's about 10-15 seconds of time when pedestrians could be crossing the street when they're told not to. When they are told to cross, it's at the same time as cars are trying to turn from New Mexico onto Nebraska. I get that this is a highly parochial complaint, but the stop light does a public relations disservice for the university and the local government.
I have sunburn on my arms and I don't like it all. I went for a longish ride yesterday in a short sleeve shirt and it's been winter so long, and I've been so bundled up, it never even occurred to me to wear sunscreen. I'm normally pretty diligent about it, too. Oh well.
I wonder how much gas is used to pick up high school kids from Duke Ellington. I normally ride from 37th to 34th on R in order to avoid waiting at the interminable light at Reservoir and it's something of a mad house, car-wise. I got student behind two parent pick-ups today. While I was stuck, a baby infant toddler very young girl crawled across her Dad's lap to to say hi. I said hi back. She then said, "I love you." Her mom, who was also in the car, said "awww." I smiled a little and thought about what to say back. I mean, I didn't want to leave her hanging. I went with "I think we need to cool off a little." Dad laughed heartily.
A group of tall, young, fashionably dressed Northern European women walked past me on M street. I think they were some sort of Scandinavian/Nordic. So, there's that.
How many dings is due diligence? I hate to over-ding, because that seems way passive-aggressive, but I also want to give pedestrians fair warning. The worst are couples. Holding hands is romantic, but you know what's really romantic? Being kind to fellow travelers, especially those who are trying to alert you of their presence through the ringing of a nice, little bell. The commuter pedestrians- they know what's up. It's the amblers that you really need to pay attention to.
Took the Custis all the way to Quincy today. Light is still out at Lee Highway and Nash, so I really didn't want to cross that street. Went pretty well. Pushed myself fairly hard for a ride home. I could tell that I had another cyclist on my back wheel pretty much the whole time. When I turned off the trail, I gave him a double ding as an acknowledgment. Is this a thing? It might just be a blatant overuse of my bell.