MoCo looking to permit bike commuting on park trails at night

When asked if I break the law when I bike I usually say, "Yes, all winter as I commute home on trails closed at dusk." For those of you in Montgomery County who are scofflaws like me, you may not have to be any more.

The parks department is working on a plan to issue permits for a minimal fee to a growing number of cyclists who are taking to two wheels to save money on fuel and reduce pollution.

The parks department would like to begin the permit program, which may be based on reflective hangtags, around the time that daylight saving time ends during the first week in November, Stookey said.

Hangtags would enable police to identify cyclists in the permit program without stopping them.

Cyclists would bike through the parks at their own risk and the department does not anticipate it will cause any changes in policing, she said.

I wish they could do it without a fee, but I guess someone has to pay for the hangtags. It's not the fix I would make - I would just change the law to exclude the trails and roads from the closure - but it may be progress. Are you going to buy a hangtag if this becomes law? [I break the law in PG county, so it won't help me.] Helmet tip.

At least one reader thinks it represents unneeded bureaucracy

Why create an unending program and the administrative expense that goes with it to solve a problem that does not exist?

My alternative suggestion would be to furlough the county parks department in December and January so they don't have to worry about all those bicyclists riding around in the dark on those short winter days. That makes just as much sense.

This is somewhat timely, since FABB recently wrote about this issue

We were told that we shouldn't be on the trail and that there are "dangerous people out there". This brings up two questions: What dangers are present, and what alternatives do cyclists have to the Trail after dark? To get an answer to the first question we called the Vienna Police. After a long wait we were told that there were no specific dangers but that trail users should be careful.

The answer to the second question, what alternatives are available, is very few. Between Herndon and Vienna, there are almost no roads that are bike-friendly, especially after dark. At the Beltway there are is one that involves riding on Idylwood Rd, not know for being very bike-friendly.

Here's a quick rundown of some local trail darkness rules for the main commuter routes:

CCT - The Trail closes at dark except for commuters. (Tell that to some joggers this winter, I'm sure it will go over well)
MVT - Despite what the Post says, I'd go with this "The Parkway itself remains open 24 hours a day to vehicle traffic."
ATTS - Trails are available for use from sunrise to sunset each day.
W&OD - Closed after dark, but "The dawn-to-dusk curfew is rarely enforced, according to park authority and sheriff's department officials." I think they mean dusk-to-dawn.

Custis and Four Mile - ????? Let's call them open

Photo by sfrikken

Comments

[silverspringtrails]

And what will Parks do with all of those joggers and walkers on the CCT and other park trails after dusk and before dawn? Will only cyclists be required to register while others are not??
This idea of registering cyclists only is half baked, to say the least.

[Randy]

Closing trails after dark is silly to begin with. Trails, like roads, are basic transportation infrastructure, and should remain open to the public at all times.

[anakcu]

It seems that even if a rider has a hang tag but doesn't have a serious set of lights for night riding, they should still be pulled over. It is easy enough to recognize the people who have calculated the risks of night riding and made the appropriate choices to mitigate them without having them also pay a fee.