The worst part about inaugurations is having to hear - repeatedly - the old canard about how William Henry Harrison didn't wear a coat at his inauguration, and as a result got sick and died. But, he didn't get sick until 3 weeks after his inauguration - so that wasn't the cause. Still, I guess the story, unlike Harrison, is too good to die.
- Bikes well guarded. But use - at least early - of the bike parking was light.
- CaBi Family Reunion.
- Street closures make for unofficial cyclovia.
- Obama just drives right down the middle of the cycle-track.
- LAB creates a complete set of state bike laws.
- Man allegedly shot by police for biking on the sidewalk.
Appreciate the DDOT folks (or whoever that was) monitoring the 16th and I st bike parking. There was sufficient space there, and felt very secure. However, I think a lot of people realized that the crowds weren't that bad and you could ride up a lot closer to where you wanted to go and still find a place to lock up.
While others stood in like to get into the secure area, we just rode around inside the semi-secure, no gratuitous cars zone -- it should be like that every weekend!
https://vimeo.com/57902733
Posted by: Greenbelt | January 22, 2013 at 09:44 AM
That Penn ave lane will be forever violated until the Bollards are permanent or the edges are curved. Fullstop.
Posted by: read Scott martin | January 22, 2013 at 10:00 AM
See, we don't need bicycle licenses and registration. The police are perfectly capable of apprehending scofflaw cyclists.
Posted by: Crikey7 | January 22, 2013 at 10:11 AM
That's a little misleading. The police attempted to stop him for biking on the sidewalk. He fled, and subsequently appeared to reach into his waistband. They didn't shoot him for biking on the sidewalk.
Posted by: Joe | January 22, 2013 at 12:13 PM
While true Joe - I've never seen police harass anyone for riding on the sidewalk.
Unless there was some sort of city wide crack down on illegal sidewalk riding, it seems to be a case of abusing a little known law to stop an otherwise law abiding citizen.
Posted by: Ben | January 22, 2013 at 12:30 PM
As is often the case in the media, your "shot for riding on the sidwealk" item unfairly jumps from the beginning of the incident to the end.
No, he wasn't shot for that reason, he was shot for appearing to reach for a weapon.
Posted by: dayglo | January 22, 2013 at 02:10 PM
Funny how many people are shot reaching for a weapon that never seems to materialize.
And because the police--the presumptive "good guys" in every such scenario--proffer their version (always self-exculpatory) of events, it goes without question they always tell the truth. Except when they don't. Youtube is ridden with vids suggesting that many times this is not the case. Of course, there isn't always a camera around when you need one, and even when there is, the system often favors its own.
Posted by: BlooEyedDevil | January 22, 2013 at 02:30 PM
Hey! I did that RCP ride from the Lincoln Memorial to Va Ave. too. The soundscape was a little eerie without all the cars, but I bet I could get used to it.
Posted by: tdcjames | January 22, 2013 at 05:29 PM
I used the DDOT bike parking. It was great to know that my bike and helmet were watched over.
The problem I encountered was that I wanted to stay for more of the parade, which was running so late that I only got to see Obama and company roll past before I had to get my bike before it turned into a pumpkin at 5 pm.
Posted by: Tim | January 22, 2013 at 06:09 PM