Sandy Hook Ride on Washington

A group of cyclists who will ride from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT to Washington, DC starting March 9 in memory of the children and teachers killed at the Sandy Hook massacre in December and to express their support for sensible gun control legislation. The riders are due to arrive in DC next Tuesday, March 12 and a contingent of Washington-area cyclists are accompanying them on the final leg of their journey. 

If you would like to ride with them their DC schedule is as follows:

12:00 - Arrive at CaBi station at 12th and Newton St, then proceed to Metropolitan Branch Trail
12:15 - Florida and R streets, NW
12:20 - 15th and P streets, NW
12:30 - White House (Lafayette Park)
12:40 - 14th and D streets NW (Penn. Ave median cycletrack)
12:45-ish -- (possible diversion to take pictures at the Washington Monument etc. if the schedule is running on time)
1PM - Arrive at finish location -- U.S. Capitol -- exact location TBA but probably the West Front 

Comments

[Greenbelt]

Anybody up for a stupid ride? I'm planning to ride up to Baltimore to meet the group, then join them for the ride back to DC. RT about 80 miles. Great way to pad your base training or BAFS miles. Medium pace, departure time 5am, departure location Greenbelt Elementary School. Good lights necessary, it'll be dark most of the way up with the switch to daylight savings time this weekend. -Jeff

[Purple Eagle]

Where will the group cross the beltway on the way to DC? Maybe there is way for people to meet them without going up to Baltimore and back?

[Zach]

Purple Eagle: there will be a meetup at 10 AM at Proteus Bicycles in College Park. The riders will probably arrive around 10:30 and leave Proteus around 11.

[SJE]

The sad thing is that these riders have more to fear from drivers than from guns.

[Think a Little]

SJE-
Anecdotally friends of mine found that while riding in the south that visibly carrying a handgun reduces driver mis-behavior.

[SJE]

US census stats, 2006.
Cause of death

motor vehicle 48k
firearm 13k

i.e. more than 3x.
Motorvehicle is below diabetes (77) and way below heart disease (824).

Wouldn't it be good if there was some invention that could decrease deaths from motor vehicle accidents, diabetes, and heart disease? Surely it would be worth the time and attention of our political class!

[Matthew Graham]

I see what you did there, SJE! Very clever!

[Michael Roy]

Anyone for meeting up in DC and riding to Proteus to meet up with this ride?

@SJE - most recent figures I have seen are something on the order of 32,000 motor vehicle deaths per year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year Quite a reduction since 2006.

[SJE]

That is good news, Michael Roy. Part of the decrease is that the 2007 financial meltdown led to less driving across the board (less deliveries, less employment) and some suggestion of a significant decline in unregistered drivers (e.g. illegal immigrants). So, less death is good, but I question to what extent that is a long term trend.

[Eric_W.]

SJE: not sure where you got your numbers from but they are off by several thousands on vehicle and gun deaths. Not only that, the trend is clear: decreasing in vehicle deaths, increasing in firearms deaths and expected to be crossing by 2015. Check this Bloomberg article on the subject: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-19/american-gun-deaths-to-exceed-traffic-fatalities-by-2015.html

[Think a Little]

Eric_W

Bloomberg is such an unbiased source when it comes to anything guns...

There are about 12k homicides a year with firearms, and about 22k suicides with firearms.

Are you against peoples right to die?

[Anitra]

One or two to remebemr, that is.