Cycling Tragedy, and Moving Forward

This week has not been a good one for cyclists. A commuter was killed in an accident with a security vehicle realted to the nuclear summit that took place earlier this week. In New York, three cyclists were struck and one killed in separate incidents.

My sympathies go out to the victim and her family. I don't know anything about the circumstances of this accident, but it is my hope that as they emerge, we will take to heart the factors surrounding the security measures that may have led to the accident and do better next time.

I'm not writing today to make any judgments about what happened here since, like almost everyone else, I don't know.

But I do want to say something about life in the city. A lot of you probably think I hate all things cycling. That is not true. I hate bad cyclists. I also hate bad drivers, and bad people.

I hate bad things.

So when I say something about cyclists, I really don't mean all cyclists. I'm just talking about the bad ones that I saw. The problem is, I see a lot of bad cyclists. I also see a lot of bad drivers, and just plain bad people. I tend to single out the cyclists, though, because as a proportion of the number of cyclists out there, there are really quite a lot of bad ones.

There's a great blog called Bike Snob NYC written by a daily bike commuter in New York city. Today, he addressed the accidents in his blog, and his comments perfectly align with my opinion on the whole bicycle versus automobile thing.

...while we undoubtedly need safer drivers, we also cannot drive people's cars for them, and so the most important thing by far is to operate the vehicle over which we do have complete control as expertly as possible.

This is not to imply in any way that any of these victims were at fault. However, from what I do see on a daily basis, there are a lot of riders who seem to want to completely outsource responsibility for their own well-being to the world at large.

My problem with the conduct of many cyclists is the attiude that because they are more vulnerable than cars, that they no longer bear any responsibility for their own safety.

Every time I get into a debate about a bike vs. car situation, some cyclist will just say that since drivers are surrounded by 2,500 tons of steel and cyclists are not, that it is, necessarily, up to the driver to ensure the safety of everyone else on the road.

This is, quite simply, an unacceptable mindset for a class of road users to live with. It recuses them of any responsibility for their own actions. It does not account for all things that might make it impossible for a driver to be aware 100% of the time that a cyclist (or pedestrian, or roller-blader, to be fair) may be crossing their path.

Everyone should drive with the utmost of care. Bad drivers should be dealt with harshly, and it is a failing of our local police department that traffic laws are enforced rarely (and, mostly, though automated cameras that really have no bearing on pedestrian and bicycle safety). But cyclists and pedestrians cannot expect to ride or walk anwhere they want without accounting for cars that can kill them in the road. Apart from the obvious, which is that some people are just bad drivers and may hit you no matter how righteous you are, bicyles are small, move much more erratically, and can be legally (or illegally) present in places that cars cannot.

If you ride on a sidewalk through a green light, and a car happens to be turning right at the same time, how would you have expected him to see you? Even if he did everything right, a cyclist could still be cut off through no fault of the driver. There might have been no way for the car to see him if he was obstructed by parked cars, or simply didn't look well outside the roadway for something approaching much faster than a pedestrian. Neither person, technically, would have violated the law. But only the cyclist could have prevented the accident in that situation.

The right to use the road comes with responsbility as well. Many cyclists I see in DC do not operate with the goal of being as predictable and visible to other road users as possible. To fail to act this way is to place a disproportionate burden of ensuring their safety on other road users.

All road users need to accept an equal share of this reponsibility. Drivers need to use greater care and accept that cyclists have a right to be there. They need to learn new driving habits when bike lanes are present. They need to be cautious at intersections.

But cyclists need to accept that drivers, too, are humans. They can only be looking in one direction at any given time. If a driver looks right, then left, then goes forward, and a cyclist comes from his right at 15 MPH, the cyclist may not be seen. As much as cars need to be wary of bikes and pedestrains in the roadway, cyclists need to share that burden and aware that cars they are approaching may not have been able to see them.

The debate rages on in blogs every time there is an incident. I am as guilty as anyone of fanning the flames, and I am going to do my best in the future to avoid divisive rhetoric. It's time to stop the vitriole. Its time for everyone to accept their responsibilities as road users if we want a safer city with better transportation options for all.

Bad Biker of the Day

You know, this is really altogether too easy, but if this is what it takes to convince people that running red lights on a bike both commonplace and unsafe, then so be it.

On my way back from having my truck inspected (which is worthy of another post, actually, since things have changed down there) I drove about four miles from the Half Street inspection station back home to Columbia Heights. Downtown, a cyclist ran a red light in heavy traffic two cars ahead of me. Naturally, since this was on my mind, I pulled out my camera, ready for the next one.

That didn't take long. Below, joker cutting me off at 13th and Florida.



Once home, I also snapped a picture of one of my neighbors who, for reasons that completely escape me, parks their bike crossways to the sidewalk. It's here often, blocking a good chunk of the sidewalk, and actually sticking into the street.

While I would never dream of purposely hitting their bike while parking, it is certainly an inconvenience to both people parking and pedestrians, and sooner or later someone's going to hit them accidentally. I can't think of any rational reason why they don't just park sideways in the treebox so it doesn't block anything. Or alternatively, in their ample front yard, which features a chain-link fence. Yet every day it's like this.

Another person parks their bike to a light pole on the sidewalk near my house. It's white. I call it the "ghost bike." But they always park parallel to the road, so there's no problem. I like the ghost rider.



One other thought I had related to cyclists who argue that red-light running only endagers themselves.

Though I strongly disagree with that premise in the first place, I assume that you likewise don't think people should adhere to applicable seatbelt and helmet laws?

There are consequences to putting yourself in harm's way that extend beyond your own, apparently not that valuable, life.

Marriage Counseling for Cyclists and Drivers

It is no secret that I have occasionaly been irritated by the conduct of a cyclist. From time to time. I have no particular vendetta against cyclists as a class of people. I actually own a pretty damn nice bike which I love to ride. I'm not going to say I'm a hardcore cyclist or anything, but I have plenty of personal experience as a city roadway user from the perspective of a cyclist as well as a driver. I have yelled at jerkwad drivers from my bike before.

So occasionally, I get into a debate over the conduct of cyclists on the road. The crux of the matter is that bicycles are smaller and more nimble than cars. As a result, they are capable of going places cars cannot. At the same time, they cannot go as fast as cars can. They are also more vulnerable.

So you have, on the one hand, some drivers who get very irritated when they have to drive 15 MPH until they can safely pass a cyclist ahead of them, or when a bicycle passes a line of cars at a 4-way stop sign, and/or goes out of turn. Then, on the other hand, you have cyclists who get very irritated when drivers decide to pass them without waiting until it's safe, or make a right turn without ensuring that there's not a bicycle next to them.

These are just a few of the issues that relate to the complexities of integrating two very different types of vehicle traffic into a single roadway. Obviously, some adjustment is required on the part of all parties to make this a happy, joyous union that will last a lifetime, produce many lovely children, and involve annual cookouts.

The central point of my problem with the way bicyclists use the roadways is that they run red lights. Often. Anyone who says otherwise is quite simply, living in an Egyptian river. You can try to convice yourself that it is only a handful of scofflaw cyclists who pull up to a red light and breeze through after glancing both ways, but you know you are lying to yourself.

Now, once you dismiss those stoic, deluded souls who absolutely insist that this never happens (despite my seeing ten out of ten people in a row do it on my one outing with a "video camera"), we get to the actual debate. The argument that is worth having. There are a few recurring points that cyclists make in this debate that bear discussion.

Reasons it's OK for cyclists to run red lights

• Cars break laws all the time
  
• I am only endangering myself
  
• Cars run stop signs
  
• Cars speed
  
• Cars hate bikes
  
• Cars kill
  
• Cars break laws too
  
• Cars suck
  

I think it's pretty obvious why these are bad reasons to excuse red-light running for bikes. But for others, it seems, this is not so obvious. So to help clear up the mystery surrounding why it might not be OK for cyclists to run red lights, even though cars speed, I have created a visual aid. Let's look at it without further ado!



Cars speed, run stop signs, generally break traffic laws on a regular basis.

This is true. Both cars and bicycles break traffic laws on a regular basis. However, there is one thing that cars do not do on a regular basis. And this is run red lights.

Why is this important? Because the essence of this long, happy marriage of cars and cyclists in the road is predictability. In a real marriage, if one member of a nice, suburban yuppie couple came home from their job at Ernst & Young with a purple mohawk, or became a Scientologist, or decided to start smoking crack, there would undoubtedly be a major problem. Running a red light is a violation of those wedding vows, and the basic trust that all road users put in each other. Speeding, on the other hand, is more like your husband eating too many cheeseburgers and being a few pounds overweight. Ideally nobody would do it, but it's not going to cause any fights. Or kill you as quickly as smoking crack.

So when people drive in a manner that is predictable, accidents rarely happen, and the marriage works. Accidents are a result of someone doing something that is not expected. This includes: suddenly changing lanes, stopping suddenly, cutting you off, or generally being where you are not supposed to be. And for the Ernst & Young guy, that includes tattoo parlors and whorehouses.

The difference between red-light running and speeding is that one of them results in you being where you are absolutely not supposed to be, and one of them does not.

Driving in roadways with two (or more) lanes and cars driving at varying speeds is normal. We learn to do this in driving school. We learn to look in our side and rearview mirrors before changing lanes to ensure nobody's coming up on us. It's part of life. When someone is exceeding the speed limit by 5 or 10 MPH, the dynamics of the overall situation do not change. The same techniques you use to drive safely every day still work fine, even if there are people speeding.

But this is not true of red light running. Quite simply, nobody should be crossing in front of you when you have a green light. Even if there's enough space for someone to cross, you do not expect them to be there. A driver may react suddenly because of this.

I'm only endangering myself.

Several points.

1. If you do something that causes others to react, you can easily cause collateral damage.

2. A motorcycle, scooter, segway or small car could reasonably make the same argument.

3. Suicide is illegal too.

So what?

Frankly, I am amazed that this bears explanation. I am amazed that cyclists would continue to assert that running red lights is just fine for them (but not for cars.)

The reality is quite simple.

Bicycles run red lights because they can get away with it. They are a tiny minority of road users. They are not licensed, and most cops wouldn't bother to stop them.

If 1 out of 100 cars runs a red light, after looking both ways, would it cause a disaster? Absolutely not. That is why, right now, cyclists running red lights is not disastrous.

But what if every other vehicle was a bicycle? Would it be OK for them to run red lights as often as they do now? What if every other car ran a red light? Would that be OK? Everyone speeds a little bit and it rarely results in accidents. But if everyone ran red lights, even a little bit, the system would crumble.

At the end of the day, cyclists break every single traffic law that they are capable of breaking. Most don't stop for red lights. They don't signal. They don't stop for stop signs. They are frequently in a place where they should not be in the roadway.

The only law they do not break on a regular basis is speeding - but that's only beacause they physically can't do it. If a typical cyclist could ride 45 MPH on 16th Street, can anyone seriously deny that they wouldn't?

So yeah, cars aren't exactly the Mother Theresas of the road as far as adhering to the lettter of the law. But the vast majority of drivers act in a reasonably predictable manner. They wait their turn at 4-way stop signs. They stay on their side of the road. They don't go the wrong way down 1-way streets. And they stop at red lights.

Pointing out that cars don't adhere to the letter of some traffic laws does not justify routinely ignoring others. The system works because most road users act in a predictable manner. A lot of cylists do not. If their numbers were as great as cars and they acted the same way, the system would not work.

Would The Law-Abiding Cyclist Please Come Forward?

I have, against my better judgment, engaged in debates with members of DC's cycling community on local blogs. From time to time. These discussions are usually sparked by an accident between a cyclist and a car, and generally without any solid details on the actual circumstances surrounding said accident, a bunch of people will immediately rail against the driver. They will call for inquisitions, hangings, and protests. The assumption is, without exception, that the motorist is at fault.

The problem is, cyclists break laws all the time. But in the course of these discussions, these avid defenders of the impossibility of a cyclist being at fault in an accident refuse to admit this. Rather, they claim that the cyclist-scofflaws are the "exception," the bad eggs that give the vast majority if the cycling community a bad name.

Anyone who leaves their house more than once a year knows this is, simply, a crock. The reality is quite the opposite: cyclists who actually stop at stop signs and red lights are the exception.

Today, I spent about 15 minutes at the corner of 14th and Park in Columbia Heights taking videos of cyclists.

Not a single cyclist waited for the light to change before proceeding.

NOT. ONE. CYCLIST.

The reason I chose this intersection is because it's unquestionably not safe. There is construction going on. It's a complex intersection where Kenyon, Park, and 14th all converge in a mayhem of traffic lights. There is tons of pedestrian traffic. I also included one shot I took last week in Adams Morgan, where I was initially inspired to conduct this little video collage by the shocking frequency of light-runners I saw.

Spend two minutes watching the video as every single cyclist blows through the light, despite the presence of construction equipment, cars coming from all angles, pedestrian traffic, and cops directing traffic. I apologize for the awful quality. Cell phone video technology leaves a lot to be desired. But even so you can clearly see all the cyclists ignoring the light while pedestrians wait on the corner.

In a couple of the shots, you will see traffic coming northbound (on my side of the street) while a cyclist goes south. They are still running the light - those cars are coming from Park Road. You can't easily tell in the crappy video but the light is always red when you see a cyclist crossing Park.

Also note pedestrians rarely cross against the light while every cyclist does, and further that there's actually a traffic cop standing on the opposite corner of 14th and Park throughout the whole time.

So, cyclists, would you care to explain how these people are merely the rare exceptions to an otherwise law-abiding group of citizens? Would you like to explain why even the pedestrians generally saw fit to wait for the lights to change at an intersection that is clearly unsafe, but not one cyclist did?

Sorry suckers. Credibility: gone.

How To Lose Friends And Entrench Enemies

The title of today's post is the entirety of a short comment on Greater Greater Washington by crin. I thought it was particularly fitting because of two things that happened in the last 24 hours. One is the subject of the blog post that inspired that comment, and the other is last night's Presidential address to congress on health care.

First, the local news. Alice Swanson was killed last summer while cycling near Dupont Circle. There was much controversy surrounding this tragic accident, in part because the driver of the truck that hit her was not found to be negligent and not charged. I don't want to debate this here, but rather discuss the events of yesterday related to this.

Picture from Greater Greater Washington post above

Following her death a "ghost bike" was erected at the spot of the accident to memorialize her. The memorial remained in place for more than a year, and was removed recently (probably by the Department of Public Works). Those responsible for the memorial were outraged because they were not notified of its removal. My personal opinion is that while it would have been nice for DC to somehow let them know, this isn't exactly cause for outrage. The memorial was on public space, it was not permitted, and not legal. It was allowed to remain for more than a year, far longer than any other such citizen-installed memorial I've heard of. It served its purpose, and DPW even installed a sign at the intersection warning drivers to watch for cyclists.

Last night, 22 (that's right, twenty-two) ghost bikes were installed around the location in an act of civil disobedience in response to the removal. From Alice Swanson Rides Again:

Twenty-two bicycles have been placed around the intersection of Connecticut Avenue, 20th Street, and R Street (the original site of the ghost bike), one for each year of Alice’s life. Hopefully, this will get Mayor Fenty’s attention...

We hope this forces the city government to see public space as something for public use. But the one thing we’re not hoping for is for the Mayor’s office to put the bike back. We put it back. And if it leaves again, we’ll put it back again. And again. And again. And this time, the ghost bike stays.

So basically, they are retaliating against the city for what amounts to them doing their job. The problem is, this no longer has anything to do with Alice Swanson's memory. It has to do with revenge, and spite, and an eye for an eye. And more likely than not, publicity for the self-described anarchist who did this. This kind of behavior has no place when it comes to the whole point of the original ghost bike: to memorialize a tragic death.

This has gone too far. If all the time and energy being put into this act of civil disobedience went into having a permanent, tasteful, non-sidewalk-obstructing memorial, we'd probably have one by now. But instead, we have what amounts to junk tied to every other light post in Dupont Circle. But worse, it creates a rift between the ones who care most about this memorial, and the very people whom they need on their side to get a legitimate, permanent one: the city government.

What makes this all the more hypocritical is that this is a very heavily traveled area by pedestrians. In the picture above, the very first bike you see is blocking almost half of the entrance to the crosswalk. This is at a minimum a nuisance - I am sure everyone's been waiting to cross a street at busy times and had difficulty not bumping into people under normal circumstances. This makes it that much worse. In the worst case it could even be a safety problem if someone walked into it because they weren't looking down. I'm not trying to say that it's a hazard akin to an open manhole, but considering the other kinds of things that people walk into regularly, it's unquestionably a possible hazard.

Enough is enough. If you want a real memorial, do it legitimately. If the effort that went into this project -- "weeks Dumpster-diving, as well as wailing on Freecycle and Craigslist" -- had been put towards a productive purpose such as working with the government on a permanent memorial, we might very well have had one by now.

This is public space, remember? Like the road - we all must share it. And it is clear that this action will not help your cause. This will certainly serve to annoy DPW who must now deal with all the new ghost bikes, and it has clearly annoyed the majority of people commenting on the story.


... And, the national news. Last night, during President Obama's speech, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) yelled out "You lie!" while the President was speaking, in regard to his statement that illegal aliens would not be covered by his proposal. Let us forget for a moment the incredible hypocrisy in one politician calling another one a liar. The pot and the kettle immediately come to mind. There is not a single politican on earth who can say they've never bent the truth. And while it may be hard to quantify who's worse, anyone who's listened to Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh for more than 8 seconds should know that Republicans wrote the book on bending the truth. But I'll be the first to admit that every Democrat probably owns a signed copy of the same book.

It's not about lies. There are plenty to go around. It's about respect. To stand up in a congressional address and interrupt the President of The United States in the middle of a speech to the entire free world on the most important issue facing us today and call him a liar?

That is unforgivable. John McCain said it best when asked by Larry King afterwards what he thought:

"Totally disrespectful, no place for it in that setting or any other and he should apologize immediately."

This was the act of a single individual, but what he said reflects upon all Republicans. Sadly, it a bellweather that Obama will have a really hard time getting everyone to move beyond the rhetoric, the name calling, the bickering, and work to create legislation instead of continuing to do nothing. He'd barely been on the stage for 15 minutes, imploring the lawmakers of this country to find a way to stop using this legislation as a political tool while the goal becomes ever more elusive, to work together, and he's called a liar in the rudest possible fashion.

Joe Wilson is symbolic of the problem. He's not the only one, he's just the one who couldn't even keep his composure long enough to listen to the leader of the free world tell him what he was trying to achieve. Unfortunately, he didn't just embarass himself. He embarassed our entire leadership. It's hard to have a lot of faith in a governing body that can't even be nice for a half-hour when the President is speaking.

New Virus Causes Loss Of Self-Preservation Instinct, Apparently Affects Only Cyclists.

I've posted three facebook updates in the last week complaining about reckless cyclists. Then, probably not coincidentally, POP posted about cyclists being ticketed for running red lights. 147 comments and counting. And so this blog post was born.

I drive to work most days, and I walk around my neighborhood a great deal. I have always tried to be courteous and respectful to cyclists when I am driving, if for no other reason, than because I am also a cyclist, and I strongly believe that biking is good for the environment and should be a bigger part of the city's transportation infrastructure.

There have always been vendettas between drivers and cyclists. Some drivers are complete jerks and can't stand having to wait 30 seconds until it's safe to pass someone on a bike. Then there's the infamous bike couriers downtown - few have spent much time around K street without having the crap scared out of them as a courier blows by them without warning, inches away from a trip to the emergency room. But these are generally the exceptions. I've rarely felt like it's really unsafe to bike in the city, and most drivers, while maybe not as courteous as they could be, are reasonably cautious around cyclists.

But something is changing around here and I'm not sure why. I have noticed more and more cyclists completely ignoring the law, and beyond that, acting in a manner that is hazardous to themselves and to others on the road. This used to be the exception. Now it is becoming commonplace. It is one thing for a cyclist to go through a red light when no cars are coming, or ride up ahead of a line of stopped cars. I am not taking a hard line that people on bikes should sit there like cars, even though it's the law. I mean, as pedestrians we do the same thing. It is illegal, but if there are no cars coming, it's reasonably safe.

I'm not talking about technical violations of the law when the coast is clear. I'm talking about absolutely reckless, selfish, arrogant, aggressive riding. Lately, a day has not gone by that I haven't witnessed one or more incidents where a cyclist seriously endagered his or her own life, as well as the safety of others on the road.

This week alone I saw the following on my very brief 15-minute drive to work:

Biker riding the wrong way on my narrow, one way street. This happens all the time, and I understand it, because when you drive, you have to go two blocks north to enter the right way. But if you must break the law then get your ass out of the middle of the road when a car is coming! And when you turn the corner onto a one-way street, going the wrong way, where no vehicle should ever be, please have the courtesy to stop and at least wait a second to see if a car is coming before you turn the corner. Believe me, while I am not looking forward to getting a close look at your face on my windshield any more than you are, in that game of chicken YOU WILL LOSE.

Biker crossing a complex light-controlled intersection (14th and Arkansas) against the light in heavy traffic. Here's the thing about running red lights. I really can't see you if you enter an intersection from a diagonal road, at 7 o'clock behind me, when you have a red light and nobody should be coming from there. You didn't seem to notice how close to death you came when I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting your stupid ass. Believe me, I noticed. Yes, those are my skidmarks on 14th Street that saved your life.

Tailgating. It's not just for drivers anymore! 9:30 AM Sunday morning. Me: In my pickup truck on Columbia Road between 11th and 14th. You: In my blind spot. I barely noticed you because you were 8 inches behind my rear bumper on the right, pacing me exactly. Believe me, some small part of me thought about slamming on the brakes. I am not that guy, though. I didn't do it. But if I hadn't noticed you, I could easily have done that in reaction to traffic or for any other reason. Result from this hypothetical scenario? You, in the bed of my pickup truck. Me, driving you directly to Howard University Hospital.

Failing to yield to pedestrians. I am pretty good about stopping when I see someone trying to cross the street at a crosswalk. Traffic during rush hour on 13th, 14th and 16th Streets is very heavy and I know how they feel. On 16th Street or Georgia Avenue, I'll even straddle the lanes so some jackass behind me can't blow around me while you are crossing. So when I saw this petrified looking old man trying to cross 14th Street this morning, I stopped and gave him the nod to go ahead - I would wait for him. Too bad the bicyclist didn't show him the same courtesy. The cars behind me were perfectly content to wait while he crossed. The cyclist, on the other hand, ensured that this guy had to change his underpants when he got home. He whizzed right past the stopped cars (apparently, it didn't occur to him that there was a reason we were all stopped) and came within inches of the poor pedestrian.

16th Street. I know it's allowed. I know you can ride on any road you want. But are you f*?@king stupid? Why on earth would anyone, ever, ride a bike on 16th Street north of Arkansas? It's a bleeding highway. The traffic in rush hour is insane. And there are many, many alternatives that are not out of your way at all. Hello? 14th Street with bike lane? 13th Street? Beach Drive? The fricking bike trail in Rock Creek Park? How about the 10-foot wide sidewalk on 16th street if you just have to be there? Jesus. Seriously. There is just no good excuse to ride a bicycle in the road on 16th Street during rush hour. Trust me: you WILL DIE if you do this on any regular basis. And while it may not technically be your fault, you will be just as dead. Just give it up and use one of the many, many safer routes.

This is all in the last 7 days. One day I counted five different "busy intersection red light" offenders of the sort I described above. So what the hell is going on? It's really gotten to the point where I am starting to instictively go on high alert every time I so much as see a cyclist, because I am fully expecting them to do something mind-bogglingly stupid. And while I have no problem with stupid people killing themselves, generally, I really would prefer not to waste a half-day with cops and insurance companies if I run over a biker who crossed against the light in front of me. Okay - that's a little harsh, but I am trying to make a point here. I will say it again, bikers. In this game of chicken you will always lose. Please - for your own safety, the safety of pedestrians, and for the sanity of people like me who are having their nerves jangled daily by this idiocy, start acting a little more responsibly.

Steal My Bike

I'm just wondering why go to all the trouble of carting around a U-lock, if you don't even lock your bike to the convenient parking meter? I was tempted to move it a few feet away just to make a point.

Bike to Work Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Bike to Work Day according to WABA, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Despite my historically suspicious relationship with WABA, I think I'm going to do it unless we are in the middle of another monsoon, the likes of which seem to soak us about two or three times a week this spring. My backyard, incidentally, resembles something between the field at RFK Stadium after a truck and tractor pull, and a pig sty. I nearly had to tow my car out of the sludge on Monday.

Back to the biking. With gas topping $4 per gallon, and the warranty several years since expired on my car, I had been thinking it's pretty lame (and expensive) to be driving to work every day. And seeing as I work for an environmental consulting firm - that is, my job is actually to get people to burn fewer fossil fuels, among other things - it's downright hypocritical. Oh, did I mention that I live three blocks from the metro, and my office (three stops away) is also three blocks from the metro?

The problem is, I like driving. My awesome commute is exactly five miles, from Columbia Heights to Silver Spring. It's a reverse commute, so traffic is never too bad. Most of the drive is on 16th Street, which I can say, without hyperbole, is the closest thing to the Autobahn in the United States of America. I am pretty sure I've made it in less than 10 minutes before. While racing cars on the way to work at 75 mph, before my first cup of coffee, with a hangover, probably isn't the smartest thing to do, it sure is a good way to get the adrenaline flowing.

Umm... did I really say that? Yeah, just kidding... so.... anyway, back to the biking again. I have a great bike that I bought while I was living in Gettysburg a couple years ago (see early entries in this blog for some reminiscing of that). I have hardly used it since being back in DC, despite the fact that it's a perfect city bike. It's a Specialized Tricross, which is a so-called "cyclocross" bicycle. This is a sport in which I am sure I will never participate, but the upshot of the design is that it's basically a road bike but with bigger and stronger forks that can accommodate wider tires than a typical road bike. And put up with a good deal more abuse, which means I don't need to worry about busting a wheel on one of DC's 9,333,452 potholes. But it weighs hardly more than a good road bike, so it's not like riding a mountain bike around paved roads, which feels like riding through jello compared to being on a road bike.

Finally, I'm going to run a marathon in the fall. To this end I'll probably be running at least 5 times a week. Seems awfully stupid to drive 5 miles to work and back, and then run around for 5 miles. I should just be running to work and metroing home, or biking one way and running the other. I haven't figured out the logistics, but I'm sure there's some sensible way to end up with the bike at the right end of my commute on the days I run one way or the other.

So where was I? Oh yeah, biking to work. I figure this is as good a time as any to get on this program. I personally find WABA to be a rather pompous, narrow-minded organization based on debates I have had in the past over road use in DC. And the average DC bicyclist obeys about as many laws of the road as a Cannonball Run participant. I've nearly been in more accidents with cyclists running stop signs and red lights than I can count. And I have always enjoyed the third-finger salute I've received from those spandex-wearing, shaved-legged snobs when calling them out on it with their own "Share the Road" refrain. So I do this not out of solidarity for DC's cyclist culture, which I think does itself a horrible disservice by being both self-righteous and above the law. But I do it because it's downright practical.

Let's hope it sticks. I'll be the one on 14th Street cursing at you for cutting me off tomorrow morning.