In DC, if you commit an infraction (of any kind, doesn't have to be a bicycle) and you can't produce ID, you will be detained until your identity can be established. Different places have different policies.

It's not NECESSARILY safe. But, it might be perfectly safe, for example, if there were no cars for miles around or if the only cars were on the main route and not on the perpendicular route. I can imagine dozens of other scenarios where this would be a safe maneuver and others have posted some examples. I can also imagine it being dangerous, but only to the same extent any u-turn can be.

My real point is that roads aren't properly set up for bicycle traffic and that sucks. As a result people come up with ways to make it work better and I say go for it, if you can do it safelu. for example, most of the time on one-way streets, it's much safer to ride on the left (due to opening doors, right turners, etc.) but the basic bike laws say you should stay right. I don't care what the law says, because left is safer. (in fact, now many of the bike lanes in NYC on one-way streets are now on the left and I believe there is a provision that allows you to deviate from the bike laws where the law puts you in a more hazardous position that if you do otherwise, but that's just a backup.)

I do this sometimes. As far as I know, it's legal here. I don't think it's any more inherently dangerous than changing lanes or something.

Also, I think it's legal to ride on sidewalks here (other than State St and the Cap Square) so another related trick I sometimes use is: On corners that say no right turn on red, if the light is red and I'm turning right, I ride across the corner of the sidewalk so that I'm not turning right, rather I'm leaving the road and then entering it again on a different street.

Also, the annoying lights on the capital square frequently turn all red, while the walk signals go all white. In those cases, I exit the roadway, and proceed through the cross streets on foot in the crosswalk.

I only do these things when they are clearly safe. And I'm not a lawyer, but as far as I can tell, I am following the law in excruciating detail.

In summary, I think the right turn fakey and similar tricks are valuable knowledge for cyclists, but every situation should be examined to ensure safety before proceeding.

Well, it's a federal district and the center of our government's administration. I'm pretty sure it's the exception rather than the rule. ;)

yeah, that move is shifty but there's also a variation where you turn toward the traffic: the cars can be out of your way quicker than if you turned with them. Works best with one way streets.
I think that move is sometimes called a cutback or switch..

I agree with Recursive. I do the right-turn fakey sometimes and have lost no sleep about it except for the times when I have cut through a (stopped) line of traffic to do my u-turn before their light has turned green. Then, I am careful to make eye contact and get permission to squeeze through. As long as I ask in this manner, however, I have never had a problem or even been yelled at for doing it.

I can't find the law, but in California I do believe you are. When I started riding again I went out and got a state ID. I keep it in my seat bag, that way I don't have to swap my driver's license from my wallet to jersey each time I ride.

The National ID Card is about consolidating information, and sharing information, between states.