May 2, 2008
America's Stupidest Bike Lane Found in Silver Spring, Md.
Not very many media outlets have really mastered the art of producing web video, but Slate's team of online video producers tend to stand out from the pack (see their Larry Craig arrest report reenactment for further evidence). Via Matthew Yglesias, we get this truly funny report on the stupidest bike lines in America (and elsewhere in the world). Slate ended up giving the top honors to a 20-ft. stretch of bike lane they found in Silver Spring, Md., that literally goes nowhere. Have you guys ever seen this supposed "bike path"?
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I ride by that "bike lane" every morning! I felt so proud.
(It's about a block away from the entrance to the Silver Spring Whole Foods.)
That was precious.
They should have scoured the US for a single bike lane that wasn't a stupid idea.
That is not nearly the stupidest bike lane in the area. The stupidest is stupid not because of its shortness, but because of its long path to exactly nowhere.
The trail I'm talking about starts just NW of the Lincoln Memorial, follows a paved trail up onto the south shoulder of the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge (which is kind of scary to ride on, given the low-rise barrier between traffic and sidewalk), and then dumps you off on the other side of the Potomac River, right in the confluence of several highways, leaving you absolutely nowhere to go. You have to turn around and go back. It's ridiculous.
Just for fun, I mapped it for you.
I used to ride this path every day, It is pretty stupid, but I can offer some history on it.
First, it isn't really a bike lane, it's a bike route - there are no specific lane markings, but cyclists are encouraged to take this route to avoid busy Wayne Ave. It's one block long, and the route then takes a right turn and continues towards Georgia Ave. The fact that it goes the wrong way on a one-way street? Well, yes, that caused a lot of honking when I used it.
The history - when the route first opened, there was a bike lane the entire length of the block, marked off with those concrete tire stoppers they use in parking lots. It was completely physically separated from automotive traffic.
The first winter put an end to this. The snowplows knocked the barriers all over the place, and the barriers were removed in the spring. All that remained were the two signs (there's one at the other end of the street directing you to turn right), and that stub of a bike lane. And international recognition on the Internet. Makes me proud.
looks like you broke it...slate isn't letting the video be viewed from here anymore..