Saturday self-serving shoveling

 

Oh look, it's a major bike commuter route in #bikedc. #MVT #visionzeroFAIL pic.twitter.com/s3GtCyapwd

— Lizbon Gravity (@lizbon) January 26, 2016

My scoutmaster liked to tell the story of Col. George A. Taylor, the U.S. Army officer who arrived on Omaha Beach in a later wave. Finding a group of shell-shocked men, he yelled at them "There are two kinds of people who are staying on this beach: those who are dead and those who are going to die. Now let’s get the hell out of here." Which was my scoutmaster's way of saying that in the end, you usually have to get up off your ass and save yourself. To that end I am informally organizing a region-wide bike facility dig out. 

Here's how it will work. At 10:30am on Saturday morning I'm going to take my shovel to a bad spot on my bike commute (specifically the western approach to the north bike/ped lane on the Sousa Bridge. The path along the bridge is clear, but this approach, oddly, is not) and I'm going to spend 30 minutes digging it out. I'm inviting anyone who wants to put a dent in their bike commute to go out to their "bad spot" at the same time. Maybe you'll find someone else there with a shovel too. Maybe you can work together. Maybe you'll become friends and compete together on The Amazing Race (if that show is still on TV). Maybe you want to organize a more formal dig out of a facility - like the unplowed Mount Vernon Trail above. If so, let me know and I'll advertise it here. Or just leave in the comments the place you plan to go to and when and maybe things will organize more organically.

Maybe your bike commute has zero ice and lots of unicorns riding rainbows, but you're a swell person and you like shoveling snow so you would go to a more formally organized dig if you just knew where to go. Look to the comments I say.

[Technically I believe it is illegal to do work for the government for free, but I'm a rebel and yes, I am inciting other to break the law. That's how I roll, which is why I'm a perfect partner for your Amazing Race team.]

By the way, I'm not saying "Stop complaining and do something." I'm saying "keep complaining and do something." Perhaps with shame-inducing photos which you post to Twitter or snapblog or instaface or whatever it is the kids are using these days. Maybe include a witty hashtag like #lawbreakingshoveling or something. 

For his bravery at Omaha, Taylor earned the Distinguished Service Cross. For your service, you will earn a cup of hot cocoa, (which you will have to provide). 

Comments

[darren]

i sometimes shovel the MVT connector from Crystal City when it snows. i'll be there Saturday morn.

[Moose]

It's actually not illegal for normal citizens to do work for the government for free; it's illegal for the government to ask its own employees to work overtime for free. That's a common misunderstanding of the "voluntary services prohibition" in 31 USC 1342 (and something only someone in DC would know or appreciate). :)

[ACyclistInThePortCity]

It is definitely illegal for an agency to request it or accept it, unless it is for a purpose allowed by Congress (which I guess is how NPS volunteers like SCA work) Because otherwise you could give money or services to Ollie North to get around Congress's power of the purse. Of course when you shovel, WashCycle, it will only be your form of exercising in the park, and will not provide money or goods that NPS can use.

[DE]

One little spur leading to the SE side of Key Bridge from the intersection of doom. I've been riding in the road to avoid it, but if it's still there this weekend, I'll take a shovel out there.

Arlington plowed snow across the Custis along Lee Highway at Ft. Meyer. It was clear yesterday, and now there are big snow boulders in the trail. This caused pedestrians and cyclists to go out into Lee Highway. I expect they will fix this today, but it was a real boneheaded move to eff up what they had already cleared.

[SJE]

First day back at work, driving down Rock Creek Drive. NPS hasnt even touched the walk/ped path.

[Crickey7]

"driving down Rock Creek Drive . . ."

For penance, say 4 Hail Marys and shovel 25 linear feet of path.

[bobco85]

Funny coincidence that you mentioned this; I just went yesterday and bought a snow shovel (I live in an apartment) to do this very thing in Alexandria! However, I will likely focus first on intersections that have piles of snow blocking curb cuts before turning my attention to the trails.

[Zack Rules]

Hum, maybe I will do this tomorrow on MVT if OPM delays us again, great idea! I would have thought the snow would have melted by now though.

[Jeffb]

Next Wednesday's forecast is for a high of 72 with rain.

[T]

So we only like 10,000 of us on the MVT...in seriousness, what if we rented a bobcat? Is that really illegal? I would chip in $50 toward it and be willing to drive for a while. I mean, that's the odd part. NPS says oh it's so hard for us to do. Yet, I see the Bobcats moving snow over a city block in a few minutes. So sure, it would be a 24hour slog to do a long trail like MVT, but with shifts, it wouldn't be bad. And actual vehicle rentals are well under $1k.

[SJE]

I'd rather chip in for a bobcat. I did a number on my back shovelling my own house and a car space.

BUT: I can imagine a stink if we did that, with threats of impounding the vehicles, and complaints that we might or did damage the trail.

[contrarian]

Best shovel for this has a narrow, flat blade. All we need is a strip slightly wider than a bicycle tire. Once some pavement is showing the sun will do a lot of the work.

[Bumble]

A number of years ago I found an innovative bicycle-powered snow plow here:
http://pbar.fnal.gov/organizationalchart/peterson/snowplow_files/Bike_Plow.html

I suspect this would be a lot easier than shoveling.