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...

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=428&sid=1807568

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.

Reminds me of Warren Beatty's millionaire incarnation in this movie:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...encanwait1.jpg

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.

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.

guess he should move his strings to make his city more bike friendly, and maybe be an example...i dont like his mafia style...

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... :P

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.

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.

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.

Hamburgers.
 

You're just trying to start an argument to show how smart you are.

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.......

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.

He does have the right to the road, however not parkway's where bikes are prohibited.

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.

Perhaps a couple of cops on bikes riding with the team would be a better idea? Those guys like to keep in shape, too.

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.

I smoke and eat greasy food.

You do as you wish.

Thanks.

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?

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.

If he did this while he commuted, i would back him much more.

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.

** 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.

I think it was a radio station trying to do video. Failed on all counts.