Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

Awww... Mayor of DC in the hot seat :)

Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

Awww... Mayor of DC in the hot seat :)

Old 11-10-09, 06:08 AM
  #1  
Older than dirt
Thread Starter
 
CCrew's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Winchester, VA
Posts: 5,342

Bikes: Too darn many.. latest count is 11

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Awww... Mayor of DC in the hot seat :)

He's a serious cyclist, but I think his ass is going to be in a wringer this time...

https://www.wtop.com/?nid=428&sid=1807568
CCrew is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 06:15 AM
  #2  
Kid A
 
TurbineBlade's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 1,778
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
He's not super-popular with folks I work with at DC government as is. I don't think this will harm or help him at this point.
TurbineBlade is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 06:21 AM
  #3  
Primate
 
Metzinger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: gone
Posts: 2,579

Bikes: Concorde Columbus SL, Rocky Mountain Edge, Sparta stadfiets

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
Reminds me of Warren Beatty's millionaire incarnation in this movie:
Metzinger is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 06:29 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
BigDaddyPete's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Pittsfield, MA
Posts: 633

Bikes: Motobecane Fantom Cross 2008 Schwinn Super Sport 1972 SS. Surly Pacer Rando bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
The parkway stuff is stupid, but I'm still a little jealous. As for the red lights, what I saw was a team moving though a green light that changed as they went through.
BigDaddyPete is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 06:37 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
exile's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Binghamton, NY
Posts: 2,896

Bikes: Workcycles FR8, 2016 Jamis Coda Comp, 2008 Surly Long Haul Trucker

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
Ooh, ooh, can I get one too? I don't like the way some of those squirrels are looking at me on my commute. And don't get me started about traffic, they always seem to be on the road when I am.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for a police escort, but this seems to be a bit much. Ever think some of those people out are actually trying to go somewhere within a timely manner, let's say lunch.
exile is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 06:55 AM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
echotraveler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,805
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
guess he should move his strings to make his city more bike friendly, and maybe be an example...i dont like his mafia style...
echotraveler is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 06:56 AM
  #7  
Older than dirt
Thread Starter
 
CCrew's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Winchester, VA
Posts: 5,342

Bikes: Too darn many.. latest count is 11

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
More I think about it, DC will re-elect a Mayor that got caught (on film!) smoking crack with a hooker, so maybe this isn't so bad...
CCrew is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 07:18 AM
  #8  
34x25 FTW!
 
oboeguy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 6,013

Bikes: Kona Jake, Scott CR1, Dahon SpeedPro

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Fenty's cycling has a major impact on traffic. The teammates generally ride three or four abreast, taking up one or more lanes of traffic.
This stuff always cracks me up. Guess what? they ARE traffic. What about all those dopey cars snarling traffic? Do people who write this stuff read it?

It sounds like the mayor is pushing it a bit. I get having a security detail but to abuse privileges to go on big highways sounds like stretch to me.
oboeguy is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 07:18 AM
  #9  
roadie/commuter
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Chevy Chase MD/Carlsbad CA
Posts: 6

Bikes: Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra Bianchi San Jose

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'm not this guys biggest fan, since he has an imperious style, but I don't care much for the tone of the WTOP coverage on bicycles riding on public roads. Excepting the Clara Barton Parkway, which is posted as off-limits to cyclists, a "peloton"of cyclists is entitled to ride two abreast on DC's public roads, and to take the lane. Automobiles in the DC/MD/VA region think they are entitled to the roads exclusively, and they aren't! I don't know that the Mayor should be using security to block traffic, but to an extent, that's the nature of life in DC - some official motorcade is always blocking traffic.
usmcmarathonman is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 07:33 AM
  #10  
Administrator
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Delaware shore
Posts: 13,569

Bikes: Cervelo C5, Guru Photon, Waterford, Specialized CX

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1102 Post(s)
Liked 2,135 Times in 1,440 Posts
Why doesn't WTOP show the mess the President makes with traffic when he wants a hamburger? At least the mayor is doing something healthy. We have a President that smokes and eats greasy food for the world to see.
StanSeven is online now  
Old 11-10-09, 07:49 AM
  #11  
all-weather commuter
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 315
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Hamburgers.

Originally Posted by StanSeven
Why doesn't WTOP show the mess the President makes with traffic when he wants a hamburger? At least the mayor is doing something healthy. We have a President that smokes and eats greasy food for the world to see.
You're just trying to start an argument to show how smart you are.
RobertFrapples is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 08:03 AM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Eastern Iowa
Posts: 502

Bikes: surly cross check

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by StanSeven
Why doesn't WTOP show the mess the President makes with traffic when he wants a hamburger? At least the mayor is doing something healthy. We have a President that smokes and eats greasy food for the world to see.
he has a point though doesn't he? what is the difference between the president going out for a burger with a huge security detail that blocks traffic and runs red lights and stops signs and the mayor doing the same thing.

Think about it from a security standpoint.... a guy on a bike sitting at a red light, if some constituent has been particularly disgruntled lately it wouldn't take much to take the mayor out. You don't get much more vulnerable than sitting on a bike in the middle of DC traffic at midday. Maybe the police officers suggested that they run red lights? maybe the trained professionals are doing their job and keeping the mayor safe.

There are times I feel like I need to be protected from jerk off motorists, and I am not an unpopular mayor.......
ryanwood is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 08:03 AM
  #13  
You gonna eat that?
 
Doohickie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Fort Worth, Texas Church of Hopeful Uncertainty
Posts: 14,723

Bikes: 1966 Raleigh DL-1 Tourist, 1973 Schwinn Varsity, 1983 Raleigh Marathon, 1994 Nishiki Sport XRS

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 164 Post(s)
Liked 67 Times in 44 Posts
I was underwhelmed by the video. So.... he rides with his friends ON THE ROAD! OMG! Get over it, people. The police escort seems to be a bit much, but frankly I have no clue how normal it is for a big-city mayor to have police traveling with him around town. Does he have a limo & driver? If so, his riding expends about the same level of manpower as taking a ride in his limo.

And even if it is a "training ride", he's still getting out on the city streets. As we all know, you see a city in a different light when you ride as opposed to driving.
__________________
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.


Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
Doohickie is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 08:44 AM
  #14  
Administrator
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Delaware shore
Posts: 13,569

Bikes: Cervelo C5, Guru Photon, Waterford, Specialized CX

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1102 Post(s)
Liked 2,135 Times in 1,440 Posts
Originally Posted by Doohickie
I was underwhelmed by the video. So.... he rides with his friends ON THE ROAD! OMG! Get over it, people. The police escort seems to be a bit much, but frankly I have no clue how normal it is for a big-city mayor to have police traveling with him around town. Does he have a limo & driver? If so, his riding expends about the same level of manpower as taking a ride in his limo.

And even if it is a "training ride", he's still getting out on the city streets. As we all know, you see a city in a different light when you ride as opposed to driving.
He's supposed to have a driver but he drives himself places. I like this guy.
StanSeven is online now  
Old 11-10-09, 09:01 AM
  #15  
mslanh01
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Mentioned: Post(s)
Tagged: Thread(s)
Quoted: Post(s)
He does have the right to the road, however not parkway's where bikes are prohibited.
 
Old 11-10-09, 09:56 AM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
closetbiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 9,630
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
Liked 18 Times in 6 Posts
I guess people get upset when a cop is around because then they can't do what they want to, to the cyclists when cops aren't there.
closetbiker is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 10:36 AM
  #17  
down in the drops
 
TheLifeOfBryan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Wilmington, NC
Posts: 216

Bikes: Miele Doral, Bianchi Boardwalk, Cannondale R300

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Perhaps a couple of cops on bikes riding with the team would be a better idea? Those guys like to keep in shape, too.
TheLifeOfBryan is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 10:41 AM
  #18  
Fresh Garbage
 
hairnet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 13,198

Bikes: N+1

Mentioned: 21 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 352 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 17 Posts
One of our council men does something similar. I once came across the ride and followed it for a little while. Yes, there was a police escort but they didn't let them run reds and stuff. It was pretty stupid to have four or five cops escort this thing. Sure they were able to take a lane to be safe, but the cops took the next lane over and made the ride take up way more space than it needed to. I don't see why there can't just be one cop following from behind.

Last edited by hairnet; 11-10-09 at 11:04 AM.
hairnet is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 12:00 PM
  #19  
Barbieri Telefonico
 
huhenio's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posts: 3,522

Bikes: Crappy but operational secondhand Motobecane Messenger

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by StanSeven
Why doesn't WTOP show the mess the President makes with traffic when he wants a hamburger? At least the mayor is doing something healthy. We have a President that smokes and eats greasy food for the world to see.

I smoke and eat greasy food.

You do as you wish.

Thanks.
__________________
Giving Haircuts Over The Phone
huhenio is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 01:54 PM
  #20  
Pedaling fool
 
ShinyBiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 767

Bikes: 07 Schwinn Voyageur GSD, Next Avalon, 2007 Dahon Yeah

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
The driver mindset is prevalent even here, lol. Wouldn't it be great if the mayor was a semipro go cart driver and he would be inconveniencing all of us bicyclists by blocking our roads and bike lanes?
ShinyBiker is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 02:43 PM
  #21  
Cycle Year Round
 
CB HI's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Honolulu, HI
Posts: 13,644
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1316 Post(s)
Liked 92 Times in 59 Posts
Originally Posted by mslanh01
He does have the right to the road, however not parkway's where bikes are prohibited.
The Clara Barton Parkway, what a joke, it is a nice 2 lane road and they call it a Parkway and ban cyclist. Pure BS and I hope the mayor's riding on it gets the ban lifted. Do you guys really think that cyclist should be banned on most non-residential roads, because if you accept this ban, that is what will eventually happen.

When I worked at the Pentagon, I use to ride through Rock Creek Park, and riding on the road there is now banned. For what, speeding motorist to have a cut through and not be delayed by park users. By the way, I could ride through the park faster than the motorist sitting in their own self produced traffic jam. Boy, did that really piss them off.
CB HI is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 03:23 PM
  #22  
Senior Member
 
newbeat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Fairfax, VA
Posts: 149

Bikes: Surly Crosscheck, Schwinn Traveler, Trek Antelope

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
If he did this while he commuted, i would back him much more.
newbeat is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 03:27 PM
  #23  
Senior Member
 
caloso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times in 1,417 Posts
This gives me a good idea. I'm going to invite Kevin Johnson to join my race team and he can host some training rides with a SacPD moto escort.
caloso is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 05:17 PM
  #24  
Senior Member
 
Hot Potato's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Western Chicagoland
Posts: 1,824
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
** Hum. The video on Mayor Barry was far more damning.

I saw a club ride behaving responsibly. Traffic "crawling" because they couldn't do 50 mph on demand? I hope this guy was an intern for the media, and not actually getting paid for that crap.
Hot Potato is offline  
Old 11-10-09, 07:32 PM
  #25  
Cycle Year Round
 
CB HI's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Honolulu, HI
Posts: 13,644
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1316 Post(s)
Liked 92 Times in 59 Posts
I think it was a radio station trying to do video. Failed on all counts.
CB HI is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.