July 16, 2008
Council Decision on Bike Lane Fines, Vacations Delayed
The D.C. Council was supposed to be on recess starting today, but they couldn't quite get through their packed legislative session Tuesday, so they'll be coming back for more on Thursday. Hopefully Carol Schwartz can stand being away from Rehoboth for a couple more days.
One of the items they did get to on Tuesday was an amendment introduced by Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) that would establish a $75 fine for drivers who block bicycle lanes. Greater Greater Washington has the rundown on how Harry Thomas, Jr. (Ward 5) and Chairman Vincent Gray put the kibosh on the plan, at least for now, by expressing skepticism that an additional fine for blocking bike lanes was needed beyond the amount already levied against people caught double parking. Wells withdrew the amendment and plans to reintroduce it in September. Maybe Gray and Thomas should take a look at MyBikeLane.com between now and then.
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There's probably not much that can be done about idiots double-parking in a bike lane short of equipping bikes with surface-to-surface missiles. Double parking seems to be ingrained in DC drivers just as much as driving slow in the left lane is for Marylanders and turning from any lane for Virginians. What particularly irks me is double parking that blocks an available, legal space.
There is an easy, non-legislative way to get vehicles to stop driving in bike lanes, though: put those flimsy plastic divider posts at strategic points on the stripes between the bike lanes and the vehicles lanes. This might be particularly helpful near intersections to keep garbage trucks from running over bicyclists.
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double-parking blocks a lane of cars and traps someone parked in a parking spot
blocking a bike lane traps a parked car and forces cyclists to go swerve (sometimes unexpected, even if hand signals) into a lane of traffic
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as a cyclist, it's the having to sweve out into the main traffic lane (and risk getting crushed by passing traffic and/or doored by the double-parker) that really pisses me off.
can we at least get the council to pass a law that lets us throw eggs at these cars as we go past? car drivers could throw eggs at double parkers as well, just so we can all show solidarity on this one.
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A buddy of mine used to carry pennies in his pocket to throw at asshole drivers who tried to run him over. I look up to him.
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IMGoph -- I'm all for your egg toss idea, but only if it works both ways - motorists and pedestrians get to toss eggs at cyclists who do stupid and dangerous things, like weave in and out of traffic, cut off peds. and cars, run red lights, etc., etc., etc.
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skeptic: sure, i say go for it.
but i'll bet you $100 that it's a hell of a lot easier for me to hit a conversion van sitting still with an egg than it is for you to hit me, a moving target on a bike, with one.
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What a snipe at Carol Schwartz!
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IMGoph, its easy, you just lead them a little more.
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You'd figure the Council would take a break from their busy schedule of raping and eating babies to pass some meaningful legislation. Unfortunately, herein lies the real reason behind their continued support of the gun ban. Hopefully, all parties can arrange an amicable agreement. I suggest a prayer breakfast at my new favorite eatery, Junkpunchers: An American Brasserie. First round of iced espressos are on me.
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While I'd love to have extra fines for people who block bike lanes since they risk my life when I have to pedal around them, it would actually require the MPD to ticket someone every once in a while, which as it stands now, never seems to happen. I can't tell you how often I see cops sitting in parked cars just half a block from a car parked in a bike lane/in front of a fire hydrant/running a red light/blocking a side street without doing anything about it.
Maybe if officers received $5 for every ticket they issued (only counting those that don't get challenged and tossed) they'd be more willing to do so. Though I don't think they ought to be incentivized for doing their job properly in the first place.
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Brake fluid + squirt gun + car paint = instant gratification.
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Yes! Eggs for everyone!
I'm sure the city council will come to agreement only to find they accidentally wrote that all double parkers should be immediately booted instead of towed, leaving streets riddled with the shells of bombed-out double-parked cars covered in what is now assuredly fried eggs.
NB - as a friend of mine once found out (while in in jail for removing a boot) that all you need to do is deflate the tire and it comes right off. Too bad tire fires never go out mwahaha
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So when is Parking Wars coming to D.C.?
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I recommend cycling with one of these:
http://www.batondefense.com/ASPBC.html
Essentially it's a U-Lock, only collapsible...oh, and you can't lock anything with it.
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CUT THE CRAP! WHEN DO WE GET THE FREAKING GUNS!?!?!?
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If only we could just mail in pictures of offending vehicles to get someone ticketed.
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When asshole bicyclists obey all the traffic laws, then I'll be fine with extra tickets for cars. Since when is it legal to run red lights on a bike? Or pass in between stopped cars at a light? Either obey the all the same laws as cars riding in the streets, or don't ride your damn bike.
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I'm glad that they are doing something about the bike lanes.
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What y'all need to do is pay some bikers from San Francisco's Critical Mass rides to pay a visit to DC. Many of them are not shy about kicking cars, yelling at drivers, throwing things. Not quite the Hells Angels at Altamont, but nasty in their own way.
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you tell 'em, fuckregistering! and the opposite argument doesn't apply at all, right?
hooray logic! we'll show those other douchebags, right? right??!?
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When asshole bicyclists obey all the traffic laws, then I'll be fine with extra tickets for cars. Since when is it legal to run red lights on a bike? Or pass in between stopped cars at a light? Either obey the all the same laws as cars riding in the streets, or don't ride your damn bike.
Feel better?
Let me try: "ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!"
Wow, that is nice!
Oh shoot, is that the time? Well, I'm off to get on my bike and go break some traffic laws and inconvenience some suburban pecker-head with anger management issues.
Talk to y'all later!
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I'm a cyclist, and I have to agree with Gray and the fool from Ward 5, I don't think we need an extra fine, just more enforcement of the current laws on double parking. If these people would actually get ticketed for the existing violation, perhaps it would decrease the incidence of blocking the lanes. Adding another fine, without any increase in enforcement (because, really, is MPD suddenly going to get a fire under their butts simply because yet another infraction was added to their authorities? I think not), is merely pissing in the wind and will do nothing to actually help cyclist and other drivers stay safer.
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I third IMGoph's idea, and, as a representative of the People's Ovo-lacto Organization for Pelting Ye Hapless, Evil, and Arrogrant Drivers, I say it's high time for an alliance between pedestrians and bicyclists. Together we can discipline lawless drivers, improve our throwing arms, and defeat Jim Graham's egg-labelling bill!
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cminus: are we going to convene a meeting of POOPYHEAD and write up a manifesto? because i think i found a perfect venue at which to do so. there's this great restaurant called junkpunchers: an american brasserie, and i hear they have a large meeting space in the back...
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And people complain about the smell of the gingko tree pods, just wait until this new egg throwing legislation goes into effect it'll really smell like a swamp. Mmm nothing like the smell of rotten eggs on a warm August morning to get the creative juices flowing.
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Hey ibc, I'm an urban peckerhead with a car. And guess what, just because you're 'saving the Earth' doesn't give you the right to inconvenience people (who are using roads to *gasp* DRIVE on) by breaking actual laws. Funny how you want extra fines for cars breaking laws, but bicycle hippies should be exempt, right?
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fuck registering. oh, fuck it. fuck it. just fuck it. oh yeah.
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And guess what, just because you're 'saving the Earth' doesn't give you the right to inconvenience people (who are using roads to *gasp* DRIVE on) by breaking actual laws. Funny how you want extra fines for cars breaking laws, but bicycle hippies should be exempt, right?
Oh, Heavens. Have I offended you, Myrtle?
Heh, "Bicycle Hippie"
Good one.
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Honestly, as bikers, all we really can ask of drivers is to look out for us, not throw muffins in our faces, and not yell racial slurs at us out their windows (fat chance that will ever stop). I run red lights all day and swerve in and out of cars at will, so I don't get mad at a driver for parking in the bike lane.
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wow, ibc got yelled at, but not me? i'm depressed...
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I don't get mad at a driver for parking in the bike lane
Heck I'm never in the bike lane anyway. That's a good place to get doored.
And IMGoph, you should get a clown avatar. Everybody hate some clown.
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ibc: i would say homsar is one hell of a clown
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"I was raised by a cup of coffee..."
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"Since when is it legal to run red lights on a bike? Or pass in between stopped cars at a light? Either obey the all the same laws as cars riding in the streets, or don't ride your damn bike."
It's hilarious how many times this argument gets posted as if it's the first time.
You're a real visionary!
Everyone needs to chill.....
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thank you so much, flapjack for that line! glad to know someone out there is a homsar fan!
"pshooo! think i won the powerball!"