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Law-breaking, wasting public funds and an elected official who's increasingly unpopular -- the story had everything you would want in an exposé. So when WTOP's Mark Segraves reported Monday that D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty used a police escort and clogged up area roads on his daily bike ride, everyone jumped on it. Including us.
But in the ensuing rancor, local cyclists were left seething at what they perceived as a hit-job not on Fenty, but on them. A regional cycling email list jumped to life as a number of cyclists criticized the WTOP report for being needlessly biased against them and for not proving that Fenty and his group actually caused any traffic tie-ups, as Segraves claimed. And while many agreed that it looked bad for Fenty to ride with a police escort and have his bikes transported to and from races in an official vehicle, many felt that the report didn't live up to its billing.
In direct conversations and in a discussion on the email list of the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association, a number of area cyclists pointed out that while Fenty should not have been riding on the Clara Barton Parkway as he's seen doing, little else displayed in the WTOP video was notably dangerous or illegal.
In one segment of the video, Segraves shows a car honking its horn at Fenty's group as they rode two-abreast on MacArthur Boulevard in Maryland -- which is legal. (The annoyed driver, on the other hand, illegally passed them on a double yellow line.) In two other segments, Segraves claims that Fenty is blowing through red lights, but, as cyclist Brian Hennessey points out, "Fenty doesn't actually go through a single red light. His police escort does."
Some cyclists also noted that for the "several months" that WTOP tailed Fenty on his rides (which have never been much of a secret), the cited examples of law-breaking or disrupting area traffic are somewhat thin. (Segraves also admits he shot segments of the video while himself driving an automobile, which is arguably more dangerous.)
Mark Plotz, a Program Manager for the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, agreed that while Fenty shouldn't use an official vehicle to get his bike to and from races, the traffic angle in the WTOP story didn't seem justified. "He is riding at mid-day, when traffic volume is lowest. If they weren't rolling lights and signs, traffic would be tied up even longer," he pointed out. (WashCycle has some additional thoughts worth reading.)
And it wasn't just the article's message that provoked snickers amongst many cyclists, but so too the messenger. "The target demographic for WTOP is the commuter crowd, most of whom are married to their automobile-centric lifestyle and who rue the fact that bicycles share 'their' road space," said Rudi Riet, who leads rides with local cyclists. "This story just adds fuel to the fire."
Plotz also criticized WTOP's perceived bias against cyclists. "WTOP is throwing red meat to its audience with this bicycling story. It's audience is listening to WTOP while in their cars, driving to and from work. Whenever it does a story on bicycling or pedestrians, the tenor of the article is rarely unbiased, and the hateful comments the readers make are astonishing. WTOP's audience has the windshield perspective on the streets," he said.
Ironically, the WTOP story and the ensuing furor it has caused may end up causing more danger on area roads, not less. One local racer who attended a popular noon ride at Hains Point today complained that his group was chased by a media truck.
"Almost got killed by a truck chasing and filming the noon pack at Hains," the cyclist wrote. "WTF? The local news media has got to drop this shit with Fenty. There were only like 2 dc velo [Fenty's team] riders in the group anyways."
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Wow! This is some serious stuff tha WTOP is hammering home. "Oh, look, did you see that?" Amazing.
I think even a basket of adorable puppies could somehow provoke anger among local cyclists.
You have to remember...it's always about them.
Everytime a car hits a cyclist a cute puppy is born.
Boy, you're just trying like heck to get a cyclist/pedestrian/driver flame war going today, aren't you?
Third such post today.
You Lycra-ginas are all the same.
Just got my lycra in a bind, apparently.
Heh. If you wear wool, all that hostility just wisks away... and doesn't smell.
"...shows a car honking its horn at Fenty's group as they rode two-abreast on MacArthur Boulevard in Maryland -- which is legal."
As someone who quotes Maryland cycling law to angry Maryland motorists at least once a week, while I slow their commute by observing traffic lights (sweet revenge) it is not legal in Maryland to ride two abreast if the flow of traffic is impeded:
True, but the video shows the car honk and then pass on a double yellow, which is still illegal. When I ride on MacArthur in a group we tend to try to let cars pass, but it can take a little bit to single up. This car didn't really seem to give Fenty's group a chance.
Oh, yes, I totally agree that the motorist was a total jerkface, and it was amusing listening to the reporter feigning sympathy for the driver's plight. After all, was all that rage worth the 5 seconds that were taken out of his day; but the riders abreast impeding the flow of traffic was in conflict with Maryland state law. Granted, Maryland is one of five states with the most dangerous and outdated cycling laws, but still illegal. The fact that the driver also broke the law doesn't make riding abreast and impeding traffic legal.
On a 2-lane road with a narrow shoulder, such as MacArthur Blvd, it's impossible to pass a bicyclist without crossing the double yellow lane. The car waited for the other side is clear to pass; it's the only safe way as far as I can see.
AH, we were overdue for an Austermuhling!
I had no idea that WTOP tailed Fenty day in and day out. Seems ridiculously silly, but I suppose that's his prerogative.
Also, I would not describe the (predictable) reactions of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, the Racing Association, and a local leader of bicycle rides as a "rancor" or "furor." More like hyper-sensitive analysis of a rather silly piece of journalism. I didn't see this piece as reflecting badly on you guys, and I definitely have the windshield perspective. But that's just me.
I will award you some credit for giving representation to a minority viewpoint, though!
is it sweeps week for WTOP? time to drive up ratings so you can charge higher ad prices for the next 6 months?
Everyone who listens to (or reads) WTOP, and every cyclist (either one or two abreast), should meet tomorrow right before sunset in the Zoo's Lion exhibit with a bottle each of A1 sauce and Jack Daniels. Actually, make that two bottles of Jack Daniels and hold the A1 sauce.
Only if we can see cougars...
There's a Jack Daniels Steak Sauce that's phenomenal... I'll bring extra!
Mixing Jack Daniels with anything is a sin.
but, but... ginger ale? Dag!
Oooh, and let's have the cute boys dress up in little deer costumes!
Fenty rides for a portion of the time on the Clara Barton Parkway. It is illegal for bikes to use the parkway, except with a permit from the NPS/Park Police. See: http://www.thewashcycle.com/2008/10/biking-on-the-1.html
Yeah, I made that point in the post.
Ironically, there's less interference for cars when cyclists hit Clara Barton instead of MacArthur. And on weekend mornings, there's very little traffic on Clara Barton anyhow.
But yes, it's still illegal. But if his escort was a cop, could they have assumed that they had an implicit permit? Hmmmm.
Oh yes. I just wanted to make it clear that he just "shouldn't" have been riding on the Clara Barton but that it is, in fact, illegal. And really, I don't think the National Park Service cares if he has a DC police escort; he's riding in Maryland and on Park Service property, both of which are outside the MPD's jurisdiction.
Implicit permit? C'mon Martin, what the fuck is that argument doing in here?! You're talking about the mayor - he has a police escort virtually everywhere he goes. Fenty's a pompous ass and you know it. Don't try making up bogus (and weak) legal principles just to defend the cycluminati.
Ha. I wasn't. There was implicit sarcasm there.
Of course they're upset, didn't you know that cyclists never break laws? Obviously the footage was fabricated.
That's not the point. It was the headline that screamed that Fenty and his group were clogging traffic, which the video doesn't much prove. And what I heard is that this only gives justification to people who don't believe that cyclists belong on roads.
I ride and I'll admit that I break laws here and there. We all do. Of course, that's a discussion we've had a million times here at DCist and will likely have a million times more...
FLAME WAR IS A GO!
"FLAME WAR IS A GO!"
LOL!
I've been cut off both in my car and on my bike by Fenty and his SUV brigade before. That was only a few months after he took office and when he technically lost my vote, long before his reign of shame. Anyway, for me, it's hardly a stretch to imagine similar bad behavior from his escorted training group.
You know really enjoys riding two abreast on the Parkway?
Molly
People listen to WTOP? What is on there that isn't a commercial? Segraves is really reaching. I didn't realize he was putting together audition footage for his TMZ interview. Would Segraves have a story if Fenty's police escort was also on bicycle? On Segway?
Cyclists sure are an angry bunch. Unlike motorists, it seems like they have road rage ALL the time.
Only Lycra wearers and fixie riders. It has something to do with the bent over posture and narrow saddles.
Transportation cyclists are like fat grandmas that like to bake.
Why all the hate for cyclist? Why, my day would be lacking in basic human contact were it not for The occasionally cyclist barreling down the sidewalk taking time out of his day to bark “On your Left!!!!!!!!!” at me.
And, of course, my life would be terribly dull were it not for the charming cyclists who blow through redlights like Kevin Bacon in Quicksilver and come barreling at pedestrians legally crossing in the crosswalk. In their defense, though, they say "Sorry, bro," which more than makes up for the potentially catastrophic collisions.
And they're paragons of civic responsibility. I mean, sure, they ignore lights, regualrly fail to yield right of way, and seem generally to hold contempt for anyone not in plum smugglers or sporting one rolled up pant leg, but, should be so careless as to slip your car 1/8 of an inch into their bike lane, they will politely pound on your vehicle to make sure you adhere to the rules of the road -- who said citizen policing is dead?!
I frequently chuckle at the idea of the Utopian cyclist society. Replace every car with about 1.25 bicycles and imagine them all adhering to the traffic laws the way that the typical cyclist now does.
Exactly, the cyclists get a contraflow lane on 15th, and most of them go the wrong way on it.
tell them to trun around
You just made my day.
Very poor example, Jamie. If there is one universal constant in the world it is that wherever cycling infrastructure is plentiful, and laws are written with cyclists in mind, bicyclists are actually observant of the law. Wherever there is no consideration for cyclists in the infrastructure, and the traffic laws are not written in consideration of bicyclists, bicyclists are typically a lawless bunch. You can always go to Copenhagen, where 37% to 50% of daily trips are made by bicycle, and see thousands of bicycles waiting patiently at red lights. Why? Because of the infrastructure. Here, it is like Cairo, because from the cyclist perspective it might as well be Cairo. If you want cyclist to observe laws and to stay out of your way, support the building of massive bicycle infrastructure networks within urban areas.
I want to agree with you. But where I'm struggling here is the idea that because our infrastructure does not support cyclists as well as Copenhagen, it's somehow justifiable for them to run red lights. Doesn't that fact make it even less safe to do so?
"If we want cyclists to observe laws then support building infrastructure"
So... basically you think we should reward people who ignore laws? Why does the current situation make it impossible many cyclists to stop for red lights like all other users of the road?
"If you want cyclist to observe laws and to stay out of your way, support the building of massive bicycle infrastructure networks within urban areas."
Of course!! Rather than, say, adhering to common sense, basic human decency, and, oh yeah, the law, invest millions upon millions in infrastructure for inconsiderate douches.
Let's also create drunk driving and speeding corridors, so people who break those laws also have the valuable infrastructure they need.
I'll 2nd the Copenhagen reference. EXCELLENT example of how to make it work. It's pretty impressive to see.
Replace "cyclist" in your argument with "walker," "driver" or "Segway user" and you've got a counter-argument. That's the problem. We're all somewhat at fault in these situations.
I don't want to say Fenty was without fault here, but the WTOP story too aggressively played up the fiction that he and his group we're creating massive traffic pile-ups. It's just not true.
No need to bring the Segway users into this.
Which of those other than cyclists travel in the roadways and run red lights? If you replace "cyclist" with "driver" you actually have the status quo, where typical drivers don't drive up to red lights and then proceed at will.
I'm with you on the criticism of the article, I was just using this as an opportunity to start a flame war.
Most drivers angry at cyclist miss a key point: If drivers run a red light (which they do all the time just like cyclists) they can kill a cyclist, but if cyclists run a red (again they do it all of the time) they are likely to die if they get into an accident with a car. Both sides break the law frequently, without consequence, but when an accident happens 99% it is the cyclist who gets the severe injury/death part of the equation.
"local cyclists were left seething..."
So what else is new?
Can't fight the Seether. I can't see her til I'm foaming at the mouth.
Can't fight the Seether. I can't see her til I'm foaming at the mouth.
Well, if you need help finding the Seether, here's a clue: the Seether's Louise.
"in the ensuing rancor"
Always makes me think about the Star Wars monster.
Question:
What percentage of WTOP's market share listens to them while wishing they were anywhere else but stuck in traffic on the way to work?
Answer:
The other 50%, who wishes they weren't stuck in traffic on the way home.
Seriously, is there any question why they wasted their time with this "story"?
My god - a confluence of petty municipal muckracking AND mild cyclist law-flouting - it's like Austermuhle catnip.
There is a frickin BIKE LANE for Christ's sake, on MacArthur. Why not use it and not tie up traffic for the 15 effing minutes it takes for a car to follow your lycra loving ass the entire length of that stretch. 5 seconds my left foot. You drive that stretch at 25 mph and tell me it takes 5 seconds.
Ya know, I even got my car windshield punched when I dared to tell one of those effing bikeriders to use the damn bike lane. Thats why it's there! USE IT!
"There is a frickin BIKE LANE for Christ's sake, on MacArthur. Why not use it and not tie up traffic for the 15 effing minutes it takes for a car to follow your lycra loving ass the entire length of that stretch."
If you ever look into the rules regarding multi-use paths in the state of Maryland (and the bike lane along MccArthur counts as one), the speed limit on said paths is 15 miles per hour. This is done primarily for safety reasons, keeping the (theoretical) maximum closing speed between trail users at 30 mph.
Most enthusiast-level cyclists and above easily break 15 mph on MacArthur, so unless they want to ride slowly (as well as deal with the detritus that accumulates on the path: glass, rocks, etc.), they are completely in the right to ride in the regular travel lane. That said, they should obey the basic traffic laws when in the travel lane: ride single file where possible, don't impede traffic. On the hill featured in the video (next to Old Angler's Inn), the single-file of the paceline is broken up as riders of different climbing ability re-shuffle the order of things. This happens on almost any hill, and usually sorts itself out rather quickly. The video singles out the section where this "selection" takes place - I'm willing to venture a guess that the single file was restored about 100 yards after the point where the car passed the group (illegally).
And qbubbles: the speed limit on most of MacArthur is 35 mph. I've seen numerous occasions where motorists average 45-50 mph on the road, so unless you, as a motorist, are willing to play by the same rules, quit your bitching.
Just my $0.02 - YMMV.
bubbles i am a cyclist and still agree 100% with what youre saying. use what was given to you, you know? you dont see me taking my fucking car and deciding to drive in the median of rt 301 just because its rush hour and i see an opening.
if cars arent allowed to hog shit up, then neither should bicyclists. if bicyclists want the same privileges as a car on a street/blvd/highway, well then guess what: with those privileges comes alot of shit that other drivers deal with: tailgating, honking, finger flicking and all around hateful bashing of what youre operating.
bikes get the f out of the road!
imo, cyclists shouldnt be in the road. roads were put on the earth for CARS. sidewalks for PEDESTRIANS. until cyclists are required to carry a license for operation on a highway, i will continue to blare my horn at them until they get the f* out of the way.
And we have a WTOP listener!
hell no you dont, you have a cyclist that never disobeyed the law by traveling in a lane that was clearly NOT marked for a bicycle, who never rode against the flow of traffic, who never ran a red light even without traffic, and who has never zoomed by pedestrians on a sidewalk or locked my bike up on a non-designated bike pole. you all bend the rules to act in your favor, when you forget that all that shit isnt necessarily 'ok' just because your top speed isnt 120mph.
Simmer down now. You do notice how very few people pull the "righteous indignation" stunt anymore when it comes to this issue, right? Not worth the energy.
and might i mention: i follow the rules and i am pissed because THESE people dont, and they fuck over people like me who dont decide what rules are okay to bend and what rules arent. i am someone who obeys ALL legalities of riding a bicycle, yet i still will get hollered at because there are dipshits in this world who want to take up traffic on a street that shouldnt have bicyclists on it in the first place.
And the bikes go where exactly?
if the road is LEGAL for bikes to ride on (example macarthur blvd) then OBEY the fucking legalities of riding on the road. dont take up the whole damn lane.
Again, you don't need to get all screamy-angry about this.
well im sorry but i missed caps lock day.
iAManugget: are you aware that paved roads were brought into existence because of the bicycle, not because of the automobile? Concrete and other hardened paving surfaces were put into place to allow cyclists safe travel along roads that were suffering at the hands of the then new automobile.
Or are you trying to be overtly sarcastic? If so, you fail miserably.
Roads are constructed to ease transport and dictate transport pathways. With some exception, their intended user is not specific: they treat all comers as equals, be they cyclists, motorists, horse-powered wagons, etc.
songfta: you forget that we live in a modern world. are you telling me that the reason we have the 95/495/395 exchange was to aide those bicyclists who are trying to commute from work? no. we have certain roads not because of bicycles, but specifically because of cars. those roads are the roads im talking about.
do we have 2 feet pathways up u street to ease the congestion of bicycles on the sidewalks? no. im talking about those sidewalks that dont have room for the bicycles.
Can't believe I'm getting into this...
No one in their right mind would ride a bike on 495, 395, 295, 66, 270, etc. No one.
Roads other than those listed above are for transit, and in a world that cannot afford to have a billion extra cars, are meant to be shared.
Riding on sidewalks is annoying for sure, and next time it happens you can quietly ask the cyclist to ride on the road. But remember, it's only really illegal to ride your bike on a sidewalk in downtown D.C. Everywhere else it's legal, though I still think it sucks.
I hope your zero-tolerance policy for cycling rules extends to your walking and driving. Cyclists do their fair share of law-breaking, but we all know that there's more than enough blame to go around.
Done.
you can argue this all you want, but the bottom line is the overwhelming majority of cyclists think they have wings and halos and can do whatever the fuck they want, because cops dont care and most of them arent thinking about the people they are being rude to. you can be the great defender of bicycling, but you still forget i myself am a cyclist and i feel this way. what does that tell you: it should tell you that i am tired of being thrown into the generalization that cyclists are dipshits who take the law into their own hands and mold it to how they want it. you all need to universally start following the rules if you dont want to have these arguments.
I can't help but reach back and think about two recent South Park episodes that poke fun at the Whale Wars show on Discovery and the annoyances of motorcyclists. The "hardcore" whale patrol are generally weak human beings much like cyclists in their daily headbutting with motorists. And as for the other episode, any vehicle on two wheels that ride in packs are getting a bad rap these days.
Critical Mass is a bold step in the right direction. I would love to see that sort of social movement and show that cyclists have more cojones and stop being made fun of for wearing Lycra..
You'll notice how I've steered clear of the legal adherence of either party.
"the overwhelming majority of cyclists think they have wings and halos and can do whatever the fuck they want"
And your support for that notion? I can say that the overwhelming majority of cyclists are conscientious riders, or that the overwhelming majority of Maryland drivers are idiots, or that the overwhelming majority of people on M Street in Georgetown on a Friday night are douchebags. If I actually believe any of those things to be true, it's because of my own biases and careful subconscious selection of my own anecdotal observations. But that doesn't make it so.
Of course, if someone actually studied the actual comparative law breaking/abiding habits of bikers, motorists, & pedestrians, no one would really have a high horse to climb up on in these debates.
We take note of the things that inconvenience us: two roomates who each generally do all of their own dishes within a timely amount of time may both think, and complain to friends, that their roommate never does the dishes because there have been enough times in their memory where they saw dirty dishes in the sink that hadn't been done yet, and there was that one time that they did the roommate's dishes.
Same thing here: we remember the time that the bike cut us off, or the pedestrian thoughtlessly stepped out into traffic, or the driver changed lanes without looking, and that's the memory we have, not the thousands of bikes, pedestrians, and cars that we see following the rules and inconveniencing no one every day.
Simmer down, or we'll be thinking we think we have two wings in a halo because you are part of the curve that life grades everyone on. :)
And they ask me why I drink ... what a hot mess topic!!!
I drink to make all you look better. And to fill that lonely hole in my heart since Murder She Wrote was cancelled.
what would mario lopez do?
I have this fantasy that I am walking legally across the street burrito or big gulp in hand, when a cyclist blasts through a red light almost hitting me. I then throw the burrito or other messy food/drink at the cyclists face. In reality, the cyclist would be long gone ready to terrorize the pedestrian at the next intersection, but in this day dream I have enough time to get a clear shot. Sometimes I substitute vehicles instead of bicycles and bricks instead of burritos. Anyway, after the throw, there's an AFV worthy moment when the cyclist loses control and skids.
In my version it's a harpoon.
I have a fantasy too, but it involves Pam Anderson and bucket of fried chicken skin.
I totally picked the wrong post for the comment clusterfuck o'the day. That will teach me to pick it too early. Martin, you need to give me a heads up as to when you're going to be posting your SOLID GOLD posts.
i am excited that this post may beat good ole molly's post
I rode a bike on 395 once. first week in DC. CRAZY.
In conclusion: all you haters can suck my balls.
crazy stupid. You should ride your bike into the lion cage.
Am I the only person who is more pissed off that he's not working vs. being a bike rider? Get back to work, Fenty!
(Although it would be sort of awesome if he participated in the tweed ride.)
He has the outfit.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/files/2009/03/fenty.jpg
You know who else rode a bike, blocked traffic, was a priveleged jerk, and wore Lycra? That's right. Hitler.
Actually, Hitler and the Nazi party tried to ban cyclists from German/Austrian roads and wanted to build a completely separated bike path network. Cyclists pushed back... and won... against Hitler! So you see, demanding that bicycles don't belong in the road, from an accurate historical viewpoint, actually makes you like Hitler.
And yes, vehicular cycling advocates actually do accuse infrastructure advocates of being like Hitler... like, all the time.
Cyclists were cultural heros in pre and post war Europe. Likely Hitler was trying to bring them under his thumb, as Musollini tried to do with Masi, before Masi was killed.
I think the Nazi concern wasn't pre-Lycra clad tour racers, but the annoying everyday riders that were obstructing their Nazi command cars. After all, the master race should be cruising in Mercedes, not peddling like the weak and effete jew loving Dutch.
Nah, it was Goebbels crypto-homophobic envy over how well cyclists of the day filled out their lederhosen.
Little known fact..... Goebbels invented Lycra, and the banana bike seat. Under his biking supply company GoebbelsGear.
I've heard he pioneered the gunmetal gray with red and black trim colourway.
You can never have too many Godwin's Law references in a day.
looks to me like the cars are passing just fine.
and they have a police escort so they aren't actually breaking any traffic laws.
this is just some lame excuse for a paparazzi video.
so lame, WTOP. what is this, a tabloid now?
Who cares?
"you can argue this all you want, but the bottom line is the overwhelming majority of cyclists think they have wings and halos and can do whatever the fuck they want"
I'm not really going to engage this petulant child, other than to say that if you truly have this attitude (as opposed to just trolling) you're probably going to want to stay in the exurban wastelands from now on. I think you're going to find city driving to be a bit frustrating in the coming few decades.
That's because cyclist behavior isn't going to change, and their numbers and consequent political muscle are only going to increase.
Enjoy!
Heh.