Arlington National Cemetery Banning Bikes

I don’t know why these would require Congressional approval. In fact, I’m pretty sure they don’t.

But everyone who thinks this is a bad idea should comment. It’s easy: click here, then click on “Comment Now!” on the right. Then type what you would like in the box. You don’t have to add your name and contact info, but you are welcome to.

What should you type? Up to you, but here’s what I wrote (you should change the first paragraph and the part about “I personally”, so the Army won’t treat these as 1 form letter):

I am writing to comment specifically on the proposed ban on bicycle transportation through Army National Military Cemeteries in section 553.33(c)( of the proposed rules.
The Army should not close off the Army National Military Cemeteries to the people riding bicycles through the Cemeteries. Doing so would close off the Cemeteries from the communities in which they are located. Closing off the Cemeteries would run counter to the intent of 10 USC 446 and would not “fully honor the service and sacrifices of the deceased members of the armed forces buried or inurned in the Cemeteries”.
As a resident of Arlington County, Virginia, I am proud to be a neighbor of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). A glance at any map of Arlington County makes it clear that ANC is an important part of the County – not only does ANC constitute a significant portion of the total area of Arlington County, ANC sits at a Gateway between most of Arlington County and the District of Columbia. Surrounding ANC are high-volume, high-speed freeways.
Most people that need to get from DC to the heart of Arlington County must contend with ANC. When people use transit, they travel underneath ANC. When people drive, they travel around ANC. But for people walking and biking, we can’t go over it, we can’t go around it, so we must go through it, as the children’s rhyme instructs.
ANC must take its role as a part of Arlington County seriously. It must be a good neighbor. Recognizing that ANC is part of the fabric of Arlington County, a place that actively encourages people to travel by foot and bike, ANC must play the part of the good neighbor, and allow bicycling on designated routes.
Allowing bicycling on designated routes does not run counter to the “standards of decorum and decency”. In fact, allowing bicycling on designated routes would further honor the dead of the Armed Forces. I personally commuted through ANC daily for a number of years. The stunningly beautiful ride past the gravestones of our nation’s heroes served as a daily reminder to me of the sacrifices upon with our freedoms are based. On two wheels, wind lapping against my skin, I was able to interact with the cemetery in a much more personal, consistent manner than most. The cemetery was not an abstract hill off in the distance as I gazed across the Potomac, but a real, tangible part of my life.
The Army should not close off the Army National Military Cemeteries to the daily lives of its neighbors. As noted In fact, making access more difficult would run counter to the intent of 10 USC 446 and would not “fully honor the service and sacrifices of the deceased members of the armed forces buried or inurned in the Cemeteries”.
The Army implicitly recognizes that the public should have access to the Army National Military Cemeteries, in that people walking are welcome to transverse the cemeteries on foot. A person riding a bicycle through a cemetery is in many ways similar to a person walking through a cemetery: that person is exposed to the elements and able to use all of their senses to interact with their environment. A person on a bicycle, like a person walking, is moving primarily under their own power.
As a matter of administrative law, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is insufficient on its face with respect to this provision, as it does not provide any explanation or rationale for this provision. Moreover, the claim that the National Environmental Policy Act does not apply because the proposed rule would not significantly alter ongoing activities is incorrect, as the proposed rule would complete ban the ongoing activity of bicycle transportation through the Army National Military Cemeteries. Finally, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking does not include any cost-benefit analysis of the proposed ban on bicycle transportation through the Cemeteries, and thus is in violation of Executive Orders 13563 and 12866.

I will comment. My grandparents are in the Columbarium section. I’m not stopping each time to get a special pass and I find it offensive that they would act to ban cyclists, yet continue to drive those tour buses through. Thanks for flagging it.

@mstone 142392 wrote:

We’ve kinda lost our grip on death. 100 years ago it would have been common to picnic in a graveyard as a sign of respect and remembrance, now it’s disrespectful almost to be there at all. I suspect people were more conscious of the deceased in the old traditions than they are when the cemetery is walled away and a place to avoid.

Lots of cemeteries in the Kyiv area include “picnic” tables at grave sites. Also the big tradition for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead/All Souls Day) to take the deceased’s favorite foods to share in the graveyard. Some people are starting to get awfully stuffy and excessive in what they think is “respectful” of the dead.

@consularrider 142393 wrote:

Lots of cemeteries in the Kyiv area include “picnic” tables at grave sites. Also the big tradition for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead/All Souls Day) to take the deceased’s favorite foods to share in the graveyard. Some people are starting to get awfully stuffy and excessive in what they think is “respectful” of the dead.

Congressional Cemetery is an active dog park that *encourages* owners to let their dogs off-leash to run around and even has annual dog days, with food trucks, pet vendors, and dog “games”, like a carnival…in the cemetery. This is how cemeteries should be (not necessarily dog parks, but certainly places for public enjoyment).

I have to confess that I just assumed bikes were already banned in ANC, given that the entrance at Marshall Drive has at least two “no bikes” signs.

@ShawnoftheDread 142398 wrote:

There’s a cemetery in Hollywood that has weekly concerts.

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I have been to several movies at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery – blankets on a lawn with the movie projected on the mausoleum.

The whole idea behind the Forest Lawn chain of cemeteries in southern California was to make the cemetery a place to relax with the departed, enjoy life, perhaps fall in love and get married there (they have chapels that can also be used for weddings). And lots of artwork – statues, murals, stained glass, etc. to be enjoyed and not necessarily related to death. A stained glass copy of Michelangelo’s Last Supper can be viewed several times a day.

@KLizotte 142396 wrote:

On this one I’m gonna defer to the opinions and preferences of those in active/retired military and who have loved ones buried there. Seems like the least that I can do.

I’m a vet & have friends buried in ANC. Unless you’re mountain biking between the headstones, I fail to see how riding a bike through is somehow disrespectful.

I find the ‘loud pipes save lives’ motorcycle crowd more disrespectful than any bicycle rider.

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@TwoWheelsDC 142399 wrote:

I have to confess that I just assumed bikes were already banned in ANC, given that the entrance at Marshall Drive has at least two “no bikes” signs.

I believe the only “official” open route was downhill from the entrance by the chapel to the main entrance on Memorial Drive.