League of Pedestrians

As you know, officials opened a new biking and walking trail on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge yesterday. Funny that ABC 7 should describe the trail as part of an effort "aimed at relieving a major bottleneck." People traveling on two feet (or two tires) aren't usually cited as cause for major traffic delays. But this weekend, there might be something to that: Yesterday, the Race for the Cure prompted street closures near the National Mall, while the Unifest Celebration closed streets in Southeast. Note that those streets in Anacostia remain closed. Note too that Unifest's relationship with traffic is particularly fraught. This year marks the return of the African American cultural parade after taking a year off following a 2007 incident in which a woman high on crack cocaine hurt dozens of people by plowing through the festival with her car. Progressive pedestrians celebrating black culture and raising money for cancer research? Good traffic! Cracked-out demolition derby? Bad, bad traffic.