Fenty Uses (misuses?) police escort on training rides

You've probably seen this already (I've had trouble blogging as my computer is being fixed and I had to spend about three hours getting my wife's computer to go fast enough to run typepad) but WTOP did an expose on Mayor Fenty's use of police escorts on training rides. This article leaves me disagreeing with everyone involved.

First the mayor.

On every ride WTOP witnessed, Fenty and his teammates were seen running red lights and stop signs as the officers used their flashing lights to block oncoming traffic.

At times, the police officers were seen riding [motorcycles] on sidewalks and bike lanes as well as driving into oncoming traffic trying to keep pace with the mayor.

I think that sirens and the ignoring of traffic laws by the police should be reserved for actual emergencies, and preparing for a triathlon is not an emergency. There is no reason why Fenty can't wait for the light to change. If he wants to institute the Idaho stop I'm right there with him, but since he actually can change the law and he hasn't tried to, that makes him something of a hypocrite. But in the video you only see this one time and a second time where the group started through on a green arrow/yellow arrow with the cop going on a green light, but no turn arrow.

Fenty and his team have also taken rides along the Clara Barton Parkway in Bethesda, where the speed limit is 50 miles per hour.

Sgt. David Schlosser, public information officer for the U.S. Park Police, says bicycles are not permitted on the Clara Barton Parkway.

What's up with that? There are plenty of great placed to ride without having to go on one of the 10 roads in the area where cycling is illegal. [Is the Clara Barton Parkway in Bethesda? Seems too far south].

And this looks bad too.

The mayor also uses U.S. Department of Homeland Security vehicles to transport his bike to races and other events.

According to records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the mayor's security detail has signed out two Government Services Administration SUVs that are meant for emergency use 25 times in the past two years. Of those 25 dates, 14 coincide with triathlons or other events the mayor participating in.

Again, not an emergency. Nice to see those Homeland Security investments paying off.

Chief Lanier defends the practice of transporting the mayor's bike.

"If the detail travels with the mayor and the mayor is going to a biking event, I don't think there's anything wrong with the officers putting the bike in the vehicle they're going to protect the mayor in on an event," Lanier says.

Fair enough, but why is the detail using vehicles meant for emergency use to travel with the Mayor?

And finally,

Several sources familiar with the mayor's detail tell WTOP the security officers regularly use District funds to transport the bike by plane and charge it to the detail's expense reports.

If the Mayor is traveling he can pay to ship his own bike, unless it's a critical element of District work. If he were an equestrian would he expect us to pay to ship his horse?

And from WTOP,

Documents obtained by the police union through a Freedom of Information Act request show officers from the Special Events Branch are routinely detailed for the "mayor's bike ride," racking up hundreds of man hours - many of which officers spend waiting for the mayor.

On multiple occasions, WTOP witnessed uniformed officers waiting for one to two hours for the mayor's cycling team to arrive for their training rides. 

"These motorcycle officers have other responsibilities They should be out performing police functions in the city and instead, are performing these functions for the mayor," Baumann says.

If the city has decided that the mayor needs a security detail, then man hours are going to be racked up and officers redirected. The Mayor likes to go outside for exercise, that is not a bad thing. If they don't like it, change the law and tell him he can't have a security detail. And yes, when you are on the bottom of the totem pole, you sit around and wait for the top guy. The top guy does not wait for you.

Fenty's cycling has a major impact on traffic. The teammates generally ride three or four abreast, taking up one or more lanes of traffic.

Several times, traffic along Rock Creek Parkway, MacArthur Boulevard, and other major roads became snarled as cars stalled behind the caravan of bikes. 

A few days later they had moved their training ride to Bethesda, where more than 20 cyclists - along with a D.C. Police escort - tied up traffic along Goldsboro Road, MacArthur Boulevard and other major roadways.

I don't know if I buy that it's a "major impact on traffic", in many of these cases there is another lane available and the Mayor rides pretty fast. Stalled usually means stopped. Unless the Mayor is doing some of that new zero mph training I've been hearing about traffic wasn't stalled. The video does not show traffic tied up (but it shows one impatient, horn-honking driver willing to put the lives of cyclists at risk, and another who uses a hashmarked shoulder to pass them - both without mention from WTOP). In the video, Seagraves mentions that the ride brought traffic to a crawl, though you see it flowing pretty normally in the left hand lane, followed by a shot of the group riding with no one else around.

Finally, there's AAA

AAA spokesman Lon Anderson says he's "disappointed" to hear the mayor is having such a negative impact on traffic.

"It's really sad to hear that we have an elected official that is doing things that are significantly deteriorating traffic for those that use the roads," Anderson tells WTOP.

Right, those that use the roads. Like cars. But not cyclists. They don't use the road.

So, yes, some careless and even arrogant use of public assets, but as far as deteriorating traffic, it's not like he's driving a tractor into Constitution Gardens or anything.

Comments

[Joe]

WTOP does it again. First bicycles getting in the way on beach drive now this. Of course they will hide behind the idea that miss use of tax funds is the main story but then then why state so strongly that he and his team are clogging the roads not obeying the law?

As for the law, why is it ok for motor vehicles to contantly egnore the law. A stop sign is a stop sign not a yield. A right turn on red is a stop not a yield. The speed limit is a max. not a min. 70mph the norm. in a 55mph on 495? Cyclists are no worse at disobeying the law than anyone else.

These stories just set up more bias against cyclists. When I first moved here I was shocked at how much cyclists disobey the laws, now I understand it's just the norm here, what ever the mode of movement.

[j]

Yes, the WTOP story (especially the video, and the way it is being reported on TV news), and AAA give a typical car-focus. They misrepresent what is even on the video, and they act like cars have a right to go as fast as they want whenever they want (It's not stalling traffic when you bike at the speed limit, which Fenty was likely doing ont hat section of Rock Creek Pkway, and MacArthur).

It's not just WTOP that sets up more bias against cyclists. It's the mayor himself, not just by misusing public funds and creating animus among drivers (Clara Barton Parkway?!), but by failing to call for better biking laws & facilities, or for stricter enforcement of speeding and other violations by drivers.

Great that he's a competitive cyclist. Too bad he doesnt seem to care very much about the rest of us.

[brian]

If you look, Fenty didn't go through redlights the cop did and they're allowed through reds. It's their job to protect Fenty. If this were a cavalcade of SUVs with the governors of VA or MD, there'd not be a peep about this.

[Chris]

Fenty has the authority to instruct his police escort not to run red lights. He chose not to. While I agree that this sets up more bias (and takes advantage of existing bias) towards cyclists, I think the story should be taken in the larger context - there's been a lot of scrutiny in the media of Adrian Fenty's somewhat imperial style and use of public resources in a somewhat questionable (though perhaps not illegal) way. In other words, I think people shouldn't immediately jump to the notion that this is mostly about anti-cycling bias. I, for one, don't want to be put in a position as a cyclist in defending Fenty's questionable use of public resources.

[thm]

OK, so where's the video that shows the shocking scandal? I watched the one linked on this page and I really wonder what the big deal is. I mean, I saw lots of cyclists on roads that had little car traffic, or cyclists on multi-lane roads where the motor traffic volume was light enough so that all the motor vehicles could easily use the other lane.

One thing missing was any mention of what the speed limits were or how fast the cyclists were going. I wouldn't be surprised if the answers to both are 25mph--I wouldn't be surprised if the real objection is that cars can't speed. Of course when such a large fraction of the vehicles are bicycles then their speed determines the prevailing speed, really.

[SJE]

My concern is that the imperious behavior of Mayor Fenty reflects poorly on all cyclists.

[Richard Layman]

Regarding SJE's point, this is what concerns me, although not his behavior vis-a-vis bicyclists as much as his behavior re bicycling and citizens. Like Pres. Bush, who mountain biked, I wonder if his commitment to bicycling and promotion of walking and bicycling extends beyond his own personal interest.

[Froggie]

IMO, this story has just as much (if not more) to do with Fenty's apparent abuse of power as it does about bicycling...

[Tom]

Why does Fenty need security at a triathlon? I don't think the other self-absorbed athletes are going to know or even care who he is.

[Tom]

I just watched the video. What bothers me most is cameraman seemed to be filming the peloton while driving a car.

[SJE]

To clarify my earlier point: while I agree that Fenty's behavior re biking and citizens is a bit imperious, my concern is the connection that is implied by the WTOP story.

They start by pointing to Fenty as someone who misuses his office and resources, and provide examples, and then continue to talk about his bike riding as if this is exactly part of the same problem. i.e. bike riders who take the lane and hold up traffic are just as arrogant and inconsiderate as the Mayor.

[Phil Lepano]

There is the ever-burgenoning meme within DC media that Mayor Fenty is arrogant and out of touch.

This, I believe, is a stretch. The Mayor needs to be protected and he should have a police escort, no matter what type of vehicle he is using. I think traffic is pretty bad in this town, no matter what type of travel mode you are using.

Go for it Mayor, go to as many races as you can and bring home some hardware. (Although, you should pay for your own bike transport).

[Contrarian]

Like many poorly-reported stories, this tries to conflate and muddle three distinct storylines:

1. Abuse of security detail/mayoral travel. Every DC mayor I've ever known has had travel and security detail scandals. When Marion Barry was mayor they seemed a weekly occurence, but they also touched Williams and Kelly. I seem to remember Anthony Williams getting heat for having his detail run sirens when he was late for a tennis match. Now it's Fenty's turn.

2. The scofflaw cyclist. It's a recurring theme: a camera crew goes out to get footage of the mayhem caused by cyclists on the streets, and finds that actually it's harder than they thought to find cyclists breaking actual laws and causing actual problems. So rather than change the story to fit the facts, they change the facts to fit the story.

3. Peloton riding. People who ride in a group like that are problematic from an advocacy standpoint. I have nothing against a group that want to ride to the same destination at the same time -- people in cars do that all the time. But putting your desire to keep the group together above others' desire to use the road is something I can't get behind.

[Eric_W.]

Thanks for pointing out this "report".

I second the observation made earlier that there might be some sanctions in order for the filming driver. That must be worse than being on a cell phone or texting.

Otherwise, the US has a love affair with giving officials security details whether they need it or not (most clearly do not). That the police union guy is complaining about down time for officers is hilarious since most of the DC police I ever see is on downtime, idling their cars.

Oh, and a bicyclist rolls through a stop sign? Wow! Stop the presses!

[Chris]

For me, the controversy of the story is the fact it seems it's inappropriate for Fenty to use the security detail in such a flaunting way.

For instance, is it appropriate to use the security detail as an escort on roads where cyclists (like it or not) are specifically not allowed?

More to the point, is it a smart idea as a public official who is under public scrutiny to do so? The total lack of judgment on Fenty's part is remarkable to me.

Also, when I look at the video, it seems as though they come to a stop at the intersection leaving West Potomac Park to head unto Rock Creek Parkway, and then continue when the police escort lets them through a red light. That seems unnecessary and out-of-line, and doesn't really look good. He has the power to instruct his police escort not to do this; and he chose not to. It makes him look arrogant and, once again, fits neatly into the narrative that the media has been developing.

[guez]

Contrarian,

Really? It's hard to find cyclists breaking "actual" laws?!? Please. We can debate whether stop sign laws are a good idea, but surely you would not dispute that they are "actual laws" that many cyclists routinely break.

As for "creating actual problems," that's a rather more complex issue... Though all a film crew would really have to do is show up at Critical Mass, now that I think of it...

[washcycle]

@Chris. While they only show Fenty running one light (early, with the police escort) they mention that they see him do it every day, which I don't doubt.

@Many. I too worry that this makes cyclists look bad, even though this is only one, rather unique group of cyclists. Not many cyclists have police escorts - not even John Kerry - so this isn't exactly indicative of how we all behave

@Tom. I thought of the same thing last night after I went to bed. Him driving and filming is more dangerous than running lights with a police escort.

@Contarian, I struggle with the Peloton issue. What is the alternative, that a group of cyclists ride single file in the center of the lane? I think that leaves drivers worse off. But I do think they should remain in one lane, unless they are changing lanes for some reason.

I do think that the Mayor and the Police should be held to a higher standard, so this isn't just a "cyclist ran a stop sign" story. It's "the chief law maker/enforcer broke the law" story. Call that a double standard if you'd like, but the people who make and enforce the law have a greater duty to follow it, IMO. Just last night I saw five bicycle mounted officers riding down my street after dark and none of them had lights on. And they were riding on the left hand side of a two-way street. I mean, they do have training right? They were not, I will note, responding to an emergency, or if so it was the slowest response I've ever seen.

@guez, does Critical Mass still cause trouble in DC? I haven't heard or seen anything like that in a while.

[Nancy]

Tom, you said what I was thinking. It is far more dangerous for a driver of a 3,000 lb vehicle to be operating a camera while driving than anything the mayor did while biking.

Watching the video, I saw no outrageous cyclist behavior, and certainly no traffic jams. All the news reports about this have been severely biased against cyclists being on the roads at all. Local Fox 5 news even had the gall to say there were perfectly good trails, like the Mount Vernon Trail [!] to ride on, so why do bikers need to use the road? A reporter on another channel asked why Fenty didn't ride on the path in Rock Creek Park instead of the road. Fenty just sidestepped the question and didn't say, "well, basically, the path is a piece of crap."

Also, the Clara Barton Parkway does NOT have signs saying bikes are not allowed, so it is hard to know that bikes are not allowed. I don't blame the mayor or anyone else for biking there.

[Contrarian]

@Contarian, I struggle with the Peloton issue. What is the alternative, that a group of cyclists ride single file in the center of the lane? I think that leaves drivers worse off. But I do think they should remain in one lane, unless they are changing lanes for some reason.
I have no problem with people riding in large groups, I think I said that. The problem is when they violoate other road users' right of way to keep the group together. In the video the narrator says that Fenty's group is running a red light. They weren't really, but they were turning left when opposing traffic was present and had right of way.

I do think that the Mayor and the Police should be held to a higher standard, so this isn't just a "cyclist ran a stop sign" story. It's "the chief law maker/enforcer broke the law" story.

By the standard of people traveling with police escort everything I saw in the video was pretty tame. Much worse stuff goes on everyday in motorcades in DC. By the standards of cyclists, again, pretty tame. Even by the standards of motorists there wasn't much there. Funny how the narrator didn't mention that the Clara Barton is also closed to commercial vehicles, like the white van with ladder racks riding alongside the cyclists -- or the WTOP van!

What annoyed me about the video was the unspoken assumption that riding a bike on a road was some kind of crime against civilization and we should all be aghast that our taxpayers' dollars are going to support it.

[washcycle]

OK, I understand now. I agree, if the group gets split up by a light and you want to stay together, you should not then run the light. You should safely pull over and wait for the ones who missed the light. That's how we do it on WAGBRAD.

[Michael]

I can't comment on the mayor's training rides but I've raced in two events with the mayor this fall, the Nation's Triathlon and the Bike for the Heart time trial race. I didn't see an overwhelming security detail at either event. I don't see how the security people could even follow him. I saw him right after he finished the swim. No security there.

At the bike time trial, he gladly posed for pictures with spectators even though he was preparing to race in the time trial. (Each of us started separately at one-minute intervals.)

I'd say the only item about the WTOP "expose" that surprises me is riding on the Clara Barton Parkway. Other than that, I'd much rather have a fit mayor who promotes health and fitness than a crack-smoking race-baiter like Marion Barry in the mayor's office. Mayor Fenty is involved with many of the triathlon, bike and running races in the area. Thousands of people participate and charities receive hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars a year from those races.

[City Paper Contrarian]

Just a note -- the poster here calling themselves "Contrarian" is not the same as the one posting to the City Paper site. Someone hijacked my nom de plume.

Dude what are you thinking...

[Contrarian]

I've been contrarian my whole life...

[Washcycle]

Whew. I saw Contrarian had posted there and I almost considered calling him out for cheating on me.