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.