Saturday Morning Ride - Biking the Promenade

Good morning

• One reader writes "DC authorities and development agencies are presenting this Riverwalk as great for biking, but today when I tried to use it I was told by two uniformed policemen from the Navy Yard that it was prohibited to bike along the Navy Yard stretch of the path. I can't see one good reason for this and the excuses I was offered were pretty weak: "water hazard" (as opposed to traffic hazard?) and "this is a base" (only it is outside of the main base and separated by a fence). If the Navy Yard upholds this policy, it will really diminish the use and potential of the Anacostia Riverwalk. It will also severely limit the utility of this recently developed stretch." That it's a base is indeed a weak excuse - people can and do successfully bike on military bases all around the world. I was aware that biking was not allowed on the Navy Yard Promenade, but this is the first I've heard of it being enforced. I'm hopeful that the Navy will waive this rule as they did the closures at certain times, but does anyone have a strategy to make that happen? It would seem especially important with the new bridges (Wetlands and 11th Street) opening soon.
• DC, it's not just for biking anymore.
• There are a lot of options for taking your little ones (or someone else's) on your bicycle with you.
• More data for Capital Bikeshare for March 2012. Trips per bike per day was up at 4.23, which is well above March 2011's 2.44. They also set a record for mileage for a month (187K miles) and likely hit 2 million miles total in early April.
• New York's velodrome will SOoooo much better than ours. "The field house is to be giant — 115,000 square feet near Pier 5, with a 200-meter inclined cycling track with up to 2,500 seats and a 22,000-square-foot infield that can accommodate other sports, including basketball, tennis, volleyball and gymnastics."
• CNN's Sanja Gupta will be doing a story on CNN about cyclist injuries in NYC this Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET. There's a teaser story online now and it has a lot of good stuff in it.
  
  • "There were no legal repercussions for the driver whatsoever, because the NYPD chose not to investigate the hit-and-run," Matson said. "It blows my mind that this is even possible ... people get in worse trouble for double-parking."
  • "Cyclists and pedestrians are being killed and seriously injured all over our city, once every 35 hours in fact," New York City Councilman and Public Safety Committee Chairman Peter Vallone said at a hearing this year. "And the drivers are literally getting away with it."
  • Cyclists who think police are biased against them are fueled by another statistic: In 2011, the NYPD issued 10,415 criminal court summonses to truck operators. During the same year, 34,813 summonses were issued to bicyclists.
• "As a bike partisan myself, I think it’s great that my congressman likes to ride his bike and wants to make riding bikes safer and more convenient. But even after teaching constitutional law for 38 years I can’t pinpoint Congress’ constitutional authority to promote bicycle transportation." It's the same place where they have the power to build highways. 
• Beijing Bicycles seek to reclaim roads from autos. 
• “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” author Stephen R. Covey is recovery from a single-bike crash that has left him in the hospital. "Covey was wearing a helmet but still suffered a head injury."

Comments

[Kolohe]

'"...I can’t pinpoint Congress’ constitutional authority to promote bicycle transportation." It's the same place where they have the power to build highways.'

Just require bicyclists to carry mail on every trip.

(but seriously, the federal government *has* overstepped their authority on the highway thing. But everyone likes the highways and the money, so nobody protests. And there's stuff like South Dakota v Dole, and the general disregard of the 4th amendment on the I-95 corridor)

[Westnorth]

I also just noticed signs in the Yards Park which also say "no bikes." So yes, them's the rules: you must walk your bike between 2nd and 11th St SE.

[antibozo]

Interesting that a dean emeritus at a law school who has taught constitutional law for 38 years would be unaware of the General Welfare Clause.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxing_and_Spending_Clause#General_Welfare_Clause

[Read Scott Martin]

How about these rules: Debbie Rattner and Forest City can explain to their tenants how bicycles are not welcome in their vision for the Yards. Meanwhile there is an alternative: Nationals Park across South Capitol Street Bridge to the East Bank Trail through Anacostia Park, to either 11th Street Bridge or the bridge (now under construction) across the tracks north to Benning.

[Mike]

"I was aware that biking was not allowed on the Navy Yard Promenade, but this is the first I've heard of it being enforced."

Dude - I greatly admire you but - rules are rules - they were enforced and you question it? Why don't you go make an appointment with the base commander. What other rules don't you follow?

If you look at the biking map it goes north of the Navy Yard - always has.

The Riverwalk will get plenty of walkers and runners.

[Purple Eagle]

But the question remains - why is the Riverwalk unsuitable for bikes? Except for the narrow metal bridge near the 11th St end, there is no reason I can see that bikes would not be able to safely traverse the Navy Yard section. Sure, if it becomes as busy as the Georgetown waterfront, bikes could cause a problem, but that's certainly not the case now!

[washcycle]

Mike, I've fixed your comments above to make it more fitting for this blog. It seems you thought you were at the comment section for WTOP.

As for the gist of your question - most cyclists and most people ignore a lot of rules. Like jaywalking and having a bell on their bike. This rule was one of those, primarily because it isn't a good rule or at least the Navy hasn't explained the value of it. Now a bad rule that isn't enforced is only slightly worse than the absence of bad rules. But what no one likes are bad rules that are enforced or good rules that aren't.

[guest]

off topic, but thank you washcycle for the blog. I read every day and I'm always the most informed among my friends because of it

[Michael H.]

Someone tried riding to every CaBi station yesterday, all 151 stations. According to Twitter, he finished. But some of the stations were full so he couldn't check in. Thus, there's no way to verify that he completed the challenge. Interesting way to spend the day.

twitter.com/#!/bikeshare

twitter.com/#!/bicyclebug

[Jim T]

Cyclists who think police are biased against them are fueled by another statistic: In 2011, the NYPD issued 10,415 criminal court summonses to truck operators. During the same year, 34,813 summonses were issued to bicyclists.

Do these figures include parking and no-standing violations? Otherwise I don't follow the concern.

[aflapr]

To get action at the Navy Yard (Naval Support Activity Washington), try writing the command at:
1411 Parsons Ave SE
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20374-5001

Here are the bios, I suggest writing the XO and the Command Master Chief.
http://www.cnic.navy.mil/NSAW/About/Command/Biographies/index.htm

[me]

there is no bias against cyclists?

[Westnorth]

re: bicyclebug's CaBiChallenge. S/he could have used two credit cards. Arrive at a full station with bike, use CC#2 to check out a bike, return bike paid for with CC#1 into newly empty dock.

Or, if you just want to verify that you've visited all the stations, you could just ride your own bike around and print off an unlock code from each station. (I guess that wouldn't work if the printer's down, though.)

Sounds like a fun little summer game.

[Jim T]

@me. Not sure whether you were directing your query to me, but if so, I have no knowledge of traffic enforcement in NYC. My point was that I don't follow how the statistics cited support the theory of bias. Raw numbers mean little without context. If there are 3 times as many cyclists on the road as trucks, then we would expect 3 times as many citations assuming equal propensity to violate and no bias.