No Bike DC for 2013 – So Roll Your Own

[PotomacCyclist]

The message on the official website reads as though Bike DC is gone for good! It sounds very similar to the tone and message from the Washington DC Triathlon when those organizers shut down that event permanently because of the frustration over dealing with the National Park Service and other area agencies.

http://www.bikedc.net/

“Unfortunately Bike DC will not be held this year. The restrictions and road blocks to getting permits from the National Park Service and some DC agencies have made it impracticable to continue this event.

Thank you so much for your support of Bike DC during these past several years.”

[Drewdane]

@Drewdane 46473 wrote:

To whom can we express our disappointment and request that this excellent event be reinstated in 2014?

I ask again: Who can we contact about this?

[PotomacCyclist]

When the Washington DC Triathlon was canceled (permanently) because of NPS permitting issues, I wrote to my Congressman, explaining what I perceived to be the arbitrary and unfair actions of NPS in the matter. A couple weeks later, I received a lengthy but unsatisfactory response.

We’re still learning about the details of the Bike DC problem. A recent article seems to lay the blame at both the DC Mayor’s Special Events Task Group and NPS. So there are plenty of people to contact: the Mayor’s office, local media, Congressional representatives, Senators (since NPS is a federal agency), and others who may have influence with the Mayor and NPS. I think WABA will probably contact some of these people but it can help to have many individuals sending separate non-form-letter emails too. No guarantees that any of this will work, but it’s worth the effort to try.

[Mark Blacknell]

The DCist article got the essential points of the issue. WABA will, indeed, be asking for your support in solving this issue for the future – but the exact mechanics of that solution are still being worked out. WABA just wanted to let everyone know, as soon as it did, that Bike DC wouldn’t be happening in 2013. I fully expect we’ll be able to get it sorted for next year. WABA and the Bike DC event promoter aren’t exactly new to the challenges of bike events in DC and are keenly aware of where the logjams occurred this year.

(Finally, I’d like to note that while both Bike DC and the DC Tri had issues with the byzantine nature of event permitting in DC, the similarities – in my view – end there.)

[consularrider]

I did a version of BikeDC on closed roads this morning, the Rock n’Roll Marathon (about the same distance as Bike DC). For the second year I was a cycle route marshal riding with the lead runners on the full marathon route. Finished at about 2:50 with the third place runner.

[Rod Smith]

Thats the way to do it. Congrats on the podium position!

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 46544 wrote:

Not having to deal with VDOT for road closures would probably make things a lot easier. That cuts out Fairfax and Lee Highway…

Ok, how about this: http://goo.gl/maps/8PrTH (ignore the blip in Bluemont that goes off of Wilson – I can’t seem to get rid of that)

I’m trying to route it through lots of retail. This touches Clarendon, Ballston, Wilson West of Ballston and Westover. I’d probably start/end in Clarendon or Ballston. If you encourage people to ride clockwise, you could keep the other lanes in the other direction open. Of course, Lee Hwy is a good alternative to Washington Blvd and 50 to Wilson Blvd, especially if we did this on a Sunday morning, when traffic is light.

[consularrider]

@dasgeh 46679 wrote:

Ok, how about this: http://goo.gl/maps/8PrTH (ignore the blip in Bluemont that goes off of Wilson – I can’t seem to get rid of that)

I’m trying to route it through lots of retail. This touches Clarendon, Ballston, Wilson West of Ballston and Westover. I’d probably start/end in Clarendon or Ballston. If you encourage people to ride clockwise, you could keep the other lanes in the other direction open. Of course, Lee Hwy is a good alternative to Washington Blvd and 50 to Wilson Blvd, especially if we did this on a Sunday morning, when traffic is light.

You missed the opportunity for the mountain climb on Montana!

[Dickie]

@consularrider 46613 wrote:

I did a version of BikeDC on closed roads this morning, the Rock n’Roll Marathon (about the same distance as Bike DC). For the second year I was a cycle route marshal riding with the lead runners on the full marathon route. Finished at about 2:50 with the third place runner.

Living in Rosslyn I am amazed at how many times the roads are closed for the multitudes of Marathons that take place over the course of the year, and yet our one event gets cancelled. It makes me want to cycle through the marathon as payment for all those runners using the bike lanes to train.

[Terpfan]

I’m with the flash mob-esque notion. They can cancel the official version, but doesn’t stop anyone from doing it anyway. If enough folks do, then they will have all sorts of fun on their hands and maybe will think a little more before being a pain next year. Better yet would be to loop it to somewhere that inconveniences the Mayor and NPS. The safety factor largely becomes null if enough folks do it (herd mentality). I saw a guy going up the GWP outside OT late yesterday afternoon and it was a light rain–so no reason we couldn’t all do it.

[Steve]

@Terpfan 46722 wrote:

I saw a guy going up the GWP outside OT late yesterday afternoon and it was a light rain–so no reason we couldn’t all do it.

I’m fairly sure it is illegal now to ride any part of the GWP, so while you could probably do parts of it safely, you could also be easily ticketed.

I think just going out and doing it lends itself to turning into a Critical Mass type ride, which has had some good and some bad consequences. The mob mentality can lead to a lot of scofflaw cycling, which goes against a lot of what makes Bike DC so important. Again, just my opinion. I would love if we could somehow set up a Bike Arlington ride in place of this, or even just a local ride with lots of folks if we can find a way to keep it legal.

[KLizotte]

@Steve 46726 wrote:

I’m fairly sure it is illegal now to ride any part of the GWP, so while you could probably do parts of it safely, you could also be easily ticketed.

I think just going out and doing it lends itself to turning into a Critical Mass type ride, which has had some good and some bad consequences. The mob mentality can lead to a lot of scofflaw cycling, which goes against a lot of what makes Bike DC so important. Again, just my opinion. I would love if we could somehow set up a Bike Arlington ride in place of this, or even just a local ride with lots of folks if we can find a way to keep it legal.

Yeah, I noticed during yesterday’s Vasa ride that the hoard of cyclists going through Georgetown to the CCT blew right thru the stop signs en masse. I’m on the fence as to whether that was appropriate behavior. Are we, as a large group, one big vehicle or many??

[Tim Kelley]

@KLizotte 46738 wrote:

I’m on the fence as to whether that was appropriate behavior. Are we as a large group one big vehicle or many??

LCI class teaches you that you are each individuals. Every single person should stop at the stop sign. Riiight.

[Terpfan]

@Steve 46726 wrote:

I’m fairly sure it is illegal now to ride any part of the GWP, so while you could probably do parts of it safely, you could also be easily ticketed.

I think just going out and doing it lends itself to turning into a Critical Mass type ride, which has had some good and some bad consequences. The mob mentality can lead to a lot of scofflaw cycling, which goes against a lot of what makes Bike DC so important. Again, just my opinion. I would love if we could somehow set up a Bike Arlington ride in place of this, or even just a local ride with lots of folks if we can find a way to keep it legal.

For some reason I thought it was “legal,” but frownded upon. I guess it depends on how they classify the roadway.

The mob mentality can have tons of scofflaw riders. Alternatively, it doesn’t appear like the ride will occur outside of that context. And maybe the scofflaw isn’t the worse because the city takes note or it doesn’t and people did the ride they wanted to do anyway.

[Tim Kelley]

@Terpfan 46745 wrote:

For some reason I thought it was “legal,” but frownded upon. I guess it depends on how they classify the roadway.

http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/08/the-national-park-service-is-not-inspiring-confidence-lately–12585.html

[Author]

Posts