Washcycle has an interesting review of whether or not one can legally ride on the George Washington Memorial Parkway.  It appears that it is not legal legal, but that hasn’t stopped Park Police from claiming otherwise (and occasionally citing people for it).  In the past year or so, I’ve taken to riding on the Parkway between Mt. Vernon and southern Alexandria, and have never been bothered by passing Park Police. I have, however, garnered multiple fingers and honking horns from angry little men. The road is very wide down there, and there’s plenty of room and easy sight-lines for everyone.  I wouldn’t say the same for the portion of the Parkway north of Arlington (that section and Rock Creek Parkway are probably the only roads in DC I’d never ride on).
Update: Allen Muchnick’s comment at the linked Washcycle post brings to light a recently updated set of regulations which appear to ban bikes from all parkways in the capital area. How in the world a cyclist is expected to know about an unposted rule which is contrary to the law in the rest of the state is beyond me.
unacoder
i think cyclists suffer from another form of nimbyism: green transport is great–for other people. so long as it doesn’t appear to interfere with my commute.
MB
There is something about a person on a bike that sends a goodly portion of the driving population into accelerated road rage. One of the “angry little men” I noted above was some guy in his car on the *other* side of the parkway, and at the moment he was blowing his horn and giving me the finger, we were the *only travelers* on that stretch parkway. Nuts.