I've bike commuted in the DC Area for many years. The network of paths allows me to come in from 16 miles away and hardly have any encounters with cars. There is beginning to be enough critical mass of cycle commuters here that drivers no longer react with surprise. That makes it safer for all of us.And its really cool to cruise past all the famous monuments that everyone comes from all over the world to see, and know that you're doing it on your way to work. Another plus for bike commuters in this area is that if bad weather strikes while you're at work, you can use the buses to take your bike home, or leave it at the office and use the Metro and buses to get you back to virtually anywhere you came in from.