Tuesday Morning Commute - The American Way of Life

Good morning

• Reminder of the meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Bicycling and Active Transportation. Tomorrow night.
• And the DC BAC Facilities meeting. 
• Another letter asking why cyclists ride on MacArthur Blvd. Dr. Gridlock's response, while briefer than my own, is not bad. 
• More Agenda 21 opposition to bike lanes. 'The Republican National Committee resolution, passed without fanfare on Jan. 13, declared, “The United Nations Agenda 21 plan of radical so-called ‘sustainable development’ views the American way of life of private property ownership, single family homes, private car ownership and individual travel choices, and privately owned farms; all as destructive to the environment.”' I think we'd probably disagree on what defines "individual travel choices". But not all Republicans are against bike facilities. Check out Candace Miller in Michigan on this graphic. "Miller secured a $486,000 earmark in 2006 to help add a 14-foot-wide bike lane to a new bridge over the Clinton River, about 900 feet from her home. "People earmark for all kinds of things," Miller said. "I'm pretty proud of this; I think I did what my people wanted. Should I have told them, 'We can never have this bike path complete because I happen to live by one section of it'? They would have thrown me out of office."
• Demotivational

Comments

[dayglo]

The Republicans are more and more becoming openly paranoid lunatics. It's not the fringe any more.

[Crickey7]

I'm a big Dr. G fan. He was mostly right on here, but it's not correct that it's legal to ride on the ride as long as we obey the traffic laws. It's still legal even if we don't (though we should). Use of the road is not contingent--we just are subject to penalties for infractions. But I'm still wiling to cut him some slack.

[Dave]

If you read Dr G's column in the Express today he outright places some of the blame for Metro being so terrible on riders not complaining enough to their elected officials. I'm done with him.

[washcycle]

Crickey7, I see what you're saying. I think it was just a mistake, but that's unfortunate.