Thanks to a money-saving congressional mandate it will now be harder to bike commute through Fort Myer. From ARLNow
JBMHH's Wright Gate, at Marshall Drive and Meade Street, will now close to visitors at 6:00 p.m., seven days a week. (It still opens at 5:00 a.m.) Previously, visitors were allowed to use the gate until11:00 p.m.
Now, only Department of Defense ID card holders will be able to access the gate through 11:00 p.m.
Additionally, two JBMHH gate are now officially, permanently closed:
Henry Gate, at Route 50 and N. Pershing Drive, and the Henderson Hall Annex Gate, on Southgate Road.
Currently, only two gates are open 24/7 to visitors and DoD personnel:
the Henderson Hall Main Gate at the intersection of S. Orme Street and Southgate Road, and the Hatfield Gate, at Washington Blvd and 2nd Street S.
The changes are expected to impact bike commuters, who sometimes commute through Wright Gate and JBMHH as a safer, less traffic-filled way to get home at night.
JBMHH personnel say the changes were necessitated by a money-saving congressional mandate, which required the base to use military police or federal civilian security guards at installation gates. Previously, the gates were patrolled by private security guards.
"This action has resulted in fewer personnel to man the gates," said JBMHH spokeswoman Leah Rubalcaba.
As retired military,I have to say I support this. I lived in the dorms on Ft Myer back in the '90's,and was never really happy with the level of security for the base. Since 911,I seriously can't believe they haven't tightened things up all that much.
Yeah,it sucks for some cyclists who would cut through there,but it's a military base;way too many people with no business being there just wandering around.
Posted by: dynaryder | February 12, 2013 at 08:15 PM
dynarider - but this isn't a security measure. It's a budget measure. Maybe Arlington County can come up with the money to keep the gate staffed longer.
Furthermore, our country is well served by an open government and that includes military installations. I think recent history shows that the biggest threat to military on bases is other members of the military. If there really is a security issue, you could require bike commuters to apply for a pass that requires some sort of background check.
Posted by: washcycle | February 12, 2013 at 10:01 PM
Dynaryder, as someone who grew up on military bases around the planet in the 80s and 90s, I say - give me a break. Anyone can roll onto Ft. Myer with a simple ID and a perhaps a bit of security hassle. This is nothing more than a change of convenience for the base, at much cost to the communities around it.
Posted by: MB | February 13, 2013 at 12:05 AM
In a democratic society the army is the people. When the army starts fearing the people you have a serious problem.
Posted by: Brendan | February 13, 2013 at 01:22 PM
@wash: if you don't live/work on a military base,or have business there,you shouldn't be there. You can't just walk into the Pentagon.
@MB: my point,they need to upgrade security. I've been to bases where you can't just cut through.
@Brendan: huh? If what you're talking about was true,then military bases shouldn't even have fences.
Posted by: dynaryder | February 13, 2013 at 08:18 PM
We used to go to the movie theater at the Air Force base where we lived. We could just ride our bike on without being stopped. I remember show times were always in military time.
As for your point. If the military wants to be dicks, that can be their position, but historically it has not been. The Pentagon is not as large as a military base. The White House is technically a National Park and I can't walk in there either, so I suppose Rock Creek Park should be shut down right?
Posted by: washcycle | February 13, 2013 at 09:04 PM
Wash: what part of being secure is being a dick? Back in the 90's,we had crime on Myer that wasn't caused by troops stationed/living there. We had a peeping tom caught at the dorm,it was a civvie with no connection to the base. Myer doesn't have a flightline or any secret squirrel stuff,but that doesn't mean anyone should just be able to wander about.
How does the White House even compare to RCP? Common now.
Posted by: dynaryder | February 14, 2013 at 07:16 PM
what part of being secure is being a dick?
The part that makes a publicly owned facility into a gated community. If there is a legitimate security threat that requires closing the base off that's fine, but inconveniencing people just to avoid the messiness of daily life that the rest of us deal with is dickish.
Clearly Ft. Myer doesn't feel there is a legitimate security threat because they're allowing people to access the roads for a large block of the day. So if they were to completely close themselves off now - in the absence of any threat - that would be a dick move.
Somehow this base has remained open to the public since it's founding even in times of war and with the very high level personnel that lives there even under the imminent threat of peeping Toms. I think they can continue to handle the risk presented by your average citizen - just like those of us without armed guards somehow do.
Posted by: washcycle | February 14, 2013 at 08:04 PM
How does the Fort Myer even compare to the Pentagon?
Posted by: washcycle | February 14, 2013 at 08:09 PM