Arlington National Cemetery Banning Bikes

[kcb203]

Perhaps this is too nuanced, but I think it’s OK and respectful to ride through calmly, either just passing through, enjoying the tranquility, or visiting a grave. I would not want to see people doing hill repeats or going full throttle through there.

[dasgeh]

Noone noticed this was the morning poll on ARLNow? https://www.arlnow.com/2016/07/15/morning-poll-biking-in-arlington-national-cemetery/

[JorgeGortex]

My grandparents are buried in ANC, and I’ve been to visit by car and foot over the years. My opinion is that there is no disrespect in riding through the cemetery as long you are quietly moving through, and not “training” as another in the forum said. If you see a burial in progress, or procession, or someone mourning, take an extra moment to slow down, or alter your route. Otherwise, enjoy the space, reflect on the lives and sacrifices of those interred, and go along your way. A cemetery is more for the living than the deceased anyway… it is a place for us to visit, remember, and reflect. Something far more easily done under our own power than in a loud, polluting, tour bus.

JorgeGortex

[Arlington cyclist]

Because of the mysterious workings of the military mind, cyclists can only travel on one road and in only one direction (downhill towards D.C.) in Arlington National Cemetery. A cemetery superintendent who was forced to retire because of a scandal involving lost graves/gravestones initiated this ridiculous policy. Later superintendents have not changed it.

Nobody can understand or justify this senseless policy. Pedestrians can use the same route and travel both ways. However, cyclists can’t.

If cyclists want to visit Arlington House (a National Park Service property that the Cemetery surrounds), they need to enter through Fort Myer, visit the mansion, and then leave the Cemetery by cycling down to the bottom of the hill. Unlike pedestrians, they can’t return directly to Fort Myer. They need to travel down the hill and then cycle up the hill outside of the Cemetery.

[Steve O]

@Arlington cyclist 143192 wrote:

Because of the mysterious workings of the military mind, cyclists can only travel on one road and in only one direction (downhill towards D.C.) in Arlington National Cemetery.

Nobody can understand or justify this senseless policy. Pedestrians can use the same route and travel both ways. However, cyclists can’t.

If cyclists want to visit Arlington House (a National Park Service property that the Cemetery surrounds), they need to enter through Fort Myer, visit the mansion, and then leave the Cemetery by cycling down to the bottom of the hill. Unlike pedestrians, they can’t return directly to Fort Myer. They need to travel down the hill and then cycle up the hill outside of the Cemetery.

Before 9/11 I used to commute both ways through the cemetery. I don’t know if the policy back then did not allow for uphill riding, but the guards never stopped me.

There is a sort of understandable logic, however.
In order to enter the top of the cemetery, one has to pass through some sort of ridiculous security gantlet to pass through the fort first.
But someone riding up the hill can ride into the fort without going through any security. Someone could do this on foot as well, but people on foot in the cemetery are probably not commuters passing through.

So the policy is likely a collaboration between ANC and Ft. Myer, not a unilateral decision of ANC.

[DrP]

One thing the bike ban seems to ignore is that sometimes people visiting loved ones in the cemetery prefer to go via bicycle. A friend went with a pass and flowers to visit grandpa on Father’s Day. No issue getting into the cemetery, but upon leaving the grave and still inside the cemetery, the cops on segways told my friend that biking was not allowed except on certain roads, despite the pass. My friend is still fuming over this.

We have discussed the tour buses of people being far less disrespectful than people on bicycles, especially visiting graves, but also just viewing the cemetery. Cops on segways did not seem overly respectful either. Perhaps they should be on foot or horseback.

I have passed a link to the start of this thread to my friend with an encouragement to comment to the appropriate group to not have all bikes banned.

[dasgeh]

@Steve O 143220 wrote:

But someone riding up the hill can ride into the fort without going through any security. Someone could do this on foot as well, but people on foot in the cemetery are probably not commuters passing through.

This is not true. There is a staffed gate at the top of the hill, and no one (on foot, bike, car) can enter Fort Myer from ANC without permission from the people at the gate. I don’t know who is allowed on these days with the new access policy, but I imagine it’s similar to the gate at the corner of Meade and Marshall. You can’t get onto Fort Myer from any entrance without going through this security.

Oh, and back in the day when this was my commute, I would sometimes run home, walking through the cemetery. So some of the people walking through the cemetery are commuters.

[elbows]

Saw a sign this morning that effective (shoot – foggy on the date but something like) Oct 28 bikes are banned in ANC. Crap. Guess I’ll be back to my unpleasant/slightly scary morning route.

[Steve O]

@elbows 147240 wrote:

Saw a sign this morning that effective (shoot – foggy on the date but something like) Oct 28 bikes are banned in ANC. Crap. Guess I’ll be back to my unpleasant/slightly scary morning route.

But presumably not banned from the fort, so you could still go through the fort and around the Rosslyn side and take the 110 trail to Memorial Drive. Longer, but not scarier.

Are bikes banned? Or is the riding of bikes banned? I’d be interested to see if one could walk their bike through. Not that that is a viable option for commuting, but if one can push a stroller through the cemetery you would think one could push a bike through.

[OneEighth]

Write to your elected representatives. If you have links to anyone on Appropriations, even better.

[Steve O]

Here is the official response to the comments received. Thirteen of the fourteen comments were in regards to the new bicycle policy.

Thirteen comments addressed the updated restrictions for operating bicycles within the cemetery. Arguments were made for opening the cemetery to bicycles for riders’ convenience as a thruway between Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall/Memorial Drive, as an environmentally friendly method for seeing the cemetery, as a more neighborly approach to surrounding Arlington residents, as a better method for visiting distant gravesites, and for the health benefits to be gained from riding bicycles in the cemetery. Several commenters argued that bicycles do not impact the decorum of the cemetery.

The Army disagrees with and rejects these comments for several reasons related to the nature of cemetery operations, decorum, security, and safety.

The cemetery is not intended to serve as a shortcut route for bicyclists commuting to and from other locations. Rather, as an operational cemetery conducting up to 30 funerals a day and hosting official visits from visiting dignitaries on its narrow roads, the primary purpose of these roads are to facilitate funeral processions, military units, official vehicles to include their escorts, and cemetery equipment and vehicles operating in the daily care of the cemetery.
Additionally, while the Army assumes that most riders bear no malice of intent to demonstrate disrespect or violate decorum or decency, bicyclists traversing the cemetery grounds, even at the posted speed limit, can and do impact the decorum of funeral processions and services, which can number up to 30 per day, as cyclists pass along or across these procession routes. These funeral processions include not just the families and mourners, but include caissons drawn by horses, military bands, and military escort elements all travelling at a walking pace. For these services, bus tour operators and vehicles are forced to stop because there is simply not enough room to pass. This ensures proper decorum. Likewise, visitors on foot typically stop and yield to the processions also as a sign of respect. Previous trial periods with bicyclists in the cemetery showed bicyclists did not typically stop for these processions. The cemetery does not have the requisite staff to monitor and enforce this behavior for bicyclists.

There are legitimate safety concerns with bicyclists mixing with pedestrians. Although they are moving under their own power, bicyclists move at a rate typically 10 times faster than most walking paces. Bicyclists passing the 4 million visitors walking along these roads or in open air tour buses pose risks to themselves, pedestrians, and bus passengers. Additionally, bicyclists riding in and around the cemetery are travelling at higher speeds than the funeral processions. Since there are no bike paths on the cemetery grounds, mixing bicyclists with these processions also constitutes a safety hazard.

The comment arguing for public convenience is not supported on its merits. The current route used in the cemetery is 1.2 miles from South Post Chapel to Hwy 110 at Memorial Drive. There is an equally convenient 1.3 mile route around the cemetery from the South Post Chapel along McNair Road, Marshall Road and out the Wright Gate to the bike path along Highway 110 which can bring a rider to the same point on Memorial Drive—a greater distance of only one-tenth of one mile. For those desiring to visit their loved one’s grave by bicycle, the new rule still accommodates this ability with no substantive change from current policy. Guests desiring to visit a loved one’s grave can still obtain a temporary pass at the Welcome Center just as they do now, and with that pass, ride their bicycles to and from the gravesite.

The Army also notes that tour buses and cars are not allowed free reign to enter the cemetery. For security purposes, they are restricted in where they can go within the cemetery. Moreover, for the same security reasons, they cannot enter without first obtaining a pass from the Welcome Center. With the changes in the new rule, the Army is simply imposing the same security restriction on bicyclists as they do on motorists and tour buses who desire to drive into the cemetery.
Commenters also expressed support for expanding bicycle use and for installing bike racks to accommodate cyclists. The Army notes that there are already bike racks at the Welcome Center for those coming to Arlington via bicycle. On most days there is ample space available on these bike racks.

Another commenter stated that the Army is incorrect in its claim that the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) does not apply because the proposed rule would completely ban the ongoing activity of bicycle transportation though the cemetery. The Army believes the commenter’s facts are wrong. The rule does not completely ban bicyclists. In fact, it retains the current practice for those wishing to visit a gravesite on bicycle to obtain a pass at the Welcome Center in order to do so. The only substantive change is to not allow transit via the Meigs/Sherman/Schley Drives through the cemetery. However, the Army believes the alternate McNair/Marshall/Hwy 110 bike path route described above still allows the same bicyclists the means to reach Memorial Drive at a negligibly increased distance by bicycle. Therefore, the rule does not significantly alter ongoing activities. The Army determined that implementing the new rule does not individually or cumulatively have any significant environmental consequences. Consequently, the Army’s proposed actions are categorically excluded recreational and law enforcement activities and do not require an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement under Army Regulation 200-2

[KLizotte]

Well, if some bad apple cyclists did cut through some funeral processions, we did shoot ourselves in the foot. The other arguments offered one can quibble with.

[Judd]

@KLizotte 147261 wrote:

Well, if some bad apple cyclists did cut through some funeral processions, we did shoot ourselves in the foot. The other arguments offer one can quibble with.

I have no doubt that multiple asshats did this.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Steve O]

@KLizotte 147261 wrote:

Well, if some bad apple cyclists did cut through some funeral processions, we did shoot ourselves in the foot. The other arguments offer one can quibble with.

I would be amazingly surprised if there have not been incidents of drivers–cars, buses–who have cut people off, sped down a hill, rolled a stop sign, ignored the ROW of people on foot and any number of other things. Probably not a lot, but likely as many or more times than however many times a person on a bike has done something they don’t like. But I don’t see them banning cars and buses.

Also, if they in fact did that, I hardly think every driver would say, “we shot ourselves in the foot.” Bad behavior is reflective on the individual who commits it, not on the class of people, nor the mode of transport, with whom that person is associated.

[KLizotte]

@Steve O 147282 wrote:

I would be amazingly surprised if there have not been incidents of drivers–cars, buses–who have cut people off, sped down a hill, rolled a stop sign, ignored the ROW of people on foot and any number of other things. Probably not a lot, but likely as many or more times than however many times a person on a bike has done something they don’t like. But I don’t see them banning cars and buses.

Also, if they in fact did that, I hardly think every driver would say, “we shot ourselves in the foot.” Bad behavior is reflective on the individual who commits it, not on the class of people, nor the mode of transport, with whom that person is associated.

True, but cyclists are a minority and tend to get noticed more; either because we look different (helmets, spandex) or simply ride a different kind of vehicle than most. For better or worse, people categorize (and stigmatize) outliers into one group. Ignoring that seemingly immutable law of nature is naive and can work against us. Unless the majority of people are biking, cyclists will always be the minority and held to a different standard of conduct. I’ll jaywalk without much concern but won’t do the same on a bike because I know it will be viewed differently by those around me. Same person but different lenses.

C’est la vie.

[Author]

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