Locking up all day in front of the courthouse at 400 Indiana Ave ?

[Riley Casey]

I have jury duty for the first time in years next week and I’m hoping to ride in from Takoma especially since the Red line is toast. I don’t have a problem parking my bike all day around the convention center or Dupont. How are things near the court buildings? I do remember seeing a fair number of skeleton bikes in the racks near the metro entrance, more so than other Metro entrances. Is leaving a bike near the court house for 6-8 hours more dodgy than elsewhere?

Topic

[rcannon100]

There used to be a bike rack in the parking garage. Maybe staff access only?? But hey, ask a guard and see what they say.

[jrenaut]

I don’t want to be responsible for your bike getting stolen, but i think 400 Indiana is 1000 times safer to lock at than near the Convention Center.

[baiskeli]

What a dilemma – courts are where both lots of criminals and lots of cops can be found. Is it the worst place to park a bike or the safest?

[Crickey7]

I’d say it’s way fewer bike thefts than Dupont. Dupont is always at or near the top for bike thefts.

[LhasaCM]

Slight nuance to the thoughts so far: I’d avoid the racks close to the street at 5th and Indiana/D; they are pretty close to the curb, and police vehicles often back into those spots. The one time I parked there, I was about 1 inch away from having who knows what kind of damage caused by a police wagon backing into my locked up front wheel. There are more racks closer to the courthouse entrance without that problem.

Another close by parking option are the racks outside of the main Department of Labor entrance at 3rd and C NW (in view of the front entrance/guards, as well as the roving guard).

[Riley Casey]

Thanks for the tips. I’m thinking about riding the new e bike ( no e-bike hate in this thread plz ). Wonder if the security droids will squawk if I bring in the battery?

[romandc]

I did this last year. I would recommend going around to the East side of Moultrie Courthouse. There are 5 racks that get much less pedestrian traffic and are still in sight of guards inside.

[Mario20136]

Have you looked into locking your bike on 5th NW which is perpendicular to the District Court? I have seen bikes parked and locked on the street. It seems to be safe place to lock your bike.

@Riley Casey 180353 wrote:

I have jury duty for the first time in years next week and I’m hoping to ride in from Takoma especially since the Red line is toast. I don’t have a problem parking my bike all day around the convention center or Dupont. How are things near the court buildings? I do remember seeing a fair number of skeleton bikes in the racks near the metro entrance, more so than other Metro entrances. Is leaving a bike near the court house for 6-8 hours more dodgy than elsewhere?

[Author]

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