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Politics, open government, and safe streets. And the constant incursion of cycling.

Category: DC Page 16 of 26

The Myth of the Scofflaw Cyclist

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On July 15, 2008

In Cycling, DC, Virginia

WashCycle has a fantastic post up about the “Myth of the Scofflaw Cyclist”:

In fact after Alice Swanson’s death, many comments on the post, DCist and elsewhere mentioned that something like this was bound to happen because of the illegal manner in which most cyclists ride. Despite the fact that there seems to be no indication that she did anything illegal.

Which leads to what I call “The Myth of the Scofflaw Cyclist”.

Now then, I’m not trying to claim that cyclists don’t break the law. Let me state clearly and upfront, they do. What I’m saying is that there is nothing unique about the frequency with which cyclists as a class break the law when compared with drivers or pedestrians. And even if cyclists broke the law more flagrantly, that would not negate the need to share the road.

And then he goes on to knock down pretty much every piece of the scofflaw myth, fact by fact.  Very well done.

Murky Coffee: Meta Petty

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On July 14, 2008

In DC, Distribution, Society, Virginia

This isn’t particularly noteworthy, other than it reminded me just how ubiquitous blogs have become (or – really – how ubiquitous they’ve become in a very narrow segment of society). Fuck You And Your Precious Coffee Policy This guy stopped in Murky Coffee (which is just down the street from me), the barista played to stereotype, and he wrote about it.  This other guy overheard the conversation between the first guy and the barista, and wrote about it, too. And then Boing Boing wrote about the first guy writing about it (which is where I first heard about it).  And now I’m writing about all three of them writing about it.  And using a picture that someone else took of the result of the conversation between the first guy and the barista.

All that effort, and none of us have contributed anything useful to the world, I’m afraid.

(FWIW, I’d trade Murky Coffee for the old junk shop that used to be there in a heartbeat.  And Murky Coffee should take that dollar bill down from the bulletin board and use it to pay their unpaid DC taxes.)

Update: Murky Coffee owner Nick Cho gets in on the clown bandwagon.

Photo: Tom Bridge

Honoring Alice Swanson’s Memory: Share the Road

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On July 10, 2008

In Cycling, DC, Personal

Corner of 20th and R St., where Alice Swanson was struck and killed

As sad as the death of Alice Swanson has been, the level of genuine interest in understanding what happened so that a repeat occurrance can be avoided has been very encouraging. As I posted yesterday, it’s appearing that the driver (in a large garbage truck) failed to see her in the bike lane next to him, and turned right into her, across her path.  This is a situation that I think most of us who have used bike lanes have encountered.  The solution I’ve arrived at – beyond the hypervigilance any rider should have – is to move to take the lane before any intersection.  This puts you squarely in view of the driver behind you while barring the possibility of there being a vehicle next to you in a position to come across in front of you.

There are many different situations that require different tactics, of course.  Yesterday, I linked to Dave Zabriske’s Yield to Life foundation, and they have some excellent tips – both for cyclists *and* motorists.  As many have suggested, there’s also a role for larger education campaigns aimed at both groups.  But in the end, I think it’s primarily a cultural issue – we simply have to be more aware of others.  There’s no special societal prescription for that, I’m afraid.  But whatever the path to it is, I bet it starts with each of us.

Recommended resources:

Bicycle Safe – Some excellent situational analysis, recommending smart tactics.  Worth a quick look.

Lane Control video – A very informative video illustrating the benefits of taking the lane (from Cyclistview.com)  I learned a few things from it.  About 10 minutes.

Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute – Helmets aren’t a guarantee, but they’re a damn smart hedge.

Related posts:

Photo couresty Ryan Dudek

The Facts of Alice Swanson’s Death

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On July 9, 2008

In Cycling, DC

Like a lot of people, I just can’t let this one go.  There was a lot of speculation yesterday about exactly what happened that caused the garbage truck to run Alice Swanson over at the intersection of 20th and R St.  Many of us ride through there as a parallel option to Connecticut, know that there’s a bike lane there, and assumed she was in it.  Other people thought she might have been riding on the sidewalk, and into the crosswalk.  Well, this is what we’ve learned today:

The accident took place at 7:40 a.m. in the 1900 block of R Street NW, just north of Dupont Circle. Police said Swanson was riding in or next to a designated bike lane. She and the truck driver were traveling west on R Street when the truck driver turned right onto 20th Street, hitting her, police said.

Swanson was trapped beneath the truck, police said. An officer in the uniformed division of the Secret Service who was nearby pulled her out and unsuccessfully tried to revive her.  [Emphasis supplied]

And what of the driver?

No charges had been filed in the incident as of last night.

Maybe they’re waiting for her to tell her side of the story?

Photo courtesty of The Middle East Institute

Update: More here and here.

Update II:  Please see Honoring Alice Swanson’s Memory: Share the Road.

DC Cyclist Killed

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On July 8, 2008

In Cycling, DC

Alice Swanson\'s Bike

Something just very sad about this.

Update: And by this, I mean the death of 22 year old Alice Swanson.  That’s her bike being carried away.

While I will always support education and enforcement campaigns aimed at improving driver/cyclist/pedestrian safety on our streets, I can’t say that I put a lot of stock in their effectiveness.  What *is* effective, however, is the change that comes when the importance of yielding is personalized for someone.  I suspect you’re a lot more aware of cyclists on the road when you know one.  It doesn’t mean it’s any less annoying when a messenger pulls an idiot move in front of you.  But it does mean you’re more likely to see – and therefore not kill – him.  And that’s the important part.  Yield to life.

– photo courtesy WABA

Update II: More about Alice:

A 2007 Amherst graduate, Swanson was fluent in Spanish and Arabic.

She recently completed an internship program at The Middle East Institute, a think tank based in Washington. The institute called Swanson “a true spirit of friendship” in a memorial statement on its website.

Her co-workers and résumé paint a picture of a bright, young woman who loved international affairs and travel.

She founded a chapter of the Progressive Student Alliance at Amherst in 2003. In 2005 she taught English to African refugees in Cairo.

[ . . . ]

Swanson was working for the International Research and Exchanges Board, a nonprofit that promotes worldwide education, at the time of her death.

An American Fourth of July

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On July 4, 2008

In DC, Personal, Society

So, around 9p, we hear the fireworks start popping off.  While there was no particular interest in being part of the crowds this year, we’re only a few miles from the Mall and the sky above the house was changing colors in time with the booms.  So, on a lark, we jump into the car to head down Wilson Blvd. until we can see the pretty colors.  The best place for that turns out to be (unsurprisingly) the parking lot of the former Taco Bell/Bardo property.  So we pull in (along with maybe a dozen other cars) to the empty-about-to-be-bulldozed lot.  We take in – along with families, new couples, old marrieds, and pretty much a cross section of Arlington – a celebration of American independence.

And then someone yells “Tow truck!”

Yep, some sorry son of a bitch came in and towed a family’s car (still posted from the old Taco Bell days).  Despite the guy running along side the car and pleading, the truck took the car.  So the rest of us spent the next 10 minutes with one eye on the fireworks, and another on the parking lot.  One kind soul blocked off one entrance with her car (she could see the fireworks from it) so we didn’t have to worry about that one.  I kept my eye on the other, and am glad I didn’t have to find out if my plan for that one worked.

And while I was annoyed, it struck me that I was standing in the middle of America.  None of us could afford a view of the Mall from our homes.  We were just trying to take a few minutes to be a part of the common experience.  But to do it, we had to head someowhere less than ideal, and worry a bit about some asshole that was so selfish he’d ruin it for the rest of us so he could put another dollar in his pocket.

But we did it.  The kids next to me – moving between Spanish and English – were jazzed.  The family over there – talking about how the son really only knew a few words of Farsi – was quietly enjoying itself.  The Arlington old-hands behind us were annoyed that the Odyssey condo building had ruined yet another view from the formerly all-seeing hill in Courthouse.

And we were all Americans.

I love my city.

Heading to the Mall? Take Your Bike

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On July 3, 2008

In Cycling, DC

One of the worst things about July 4th on the Mall is leaving the Mall when it’s done. DC likes to use the exodus as an opportunity to experiment with its emergency evacuation traffic plans, so if you drive you’ll never know quite where you’re going to end up. And honestly, the Metro isn’t exactly head and shoulders above driving (consider that you’ll be packed in – shoulder to shoulder if you’re lucky, shoulder to head if you’re not – next to people who’ve spent alllll daay on the Mall.) So what to do? Ride down.

If you need help finding a path, Bike Washington has an excellent map of commuting trails (if you’re coming from VA, I’d suggest using the Roosevelt or 14th St. bridges – Memorial will be overrun with people). And what to do once you’re there? WashCycle tells us that :

WABA will be offering two free valet bike parking locations as a way to encourage more people to ride their bikes to the fireworks. The bike valets will be located at 15th and Independence Ave SW and on the south side of the Lincoln Memorial. Both valets will be in operation from 2pm to 10pm.

If you’re not really feeling the insanity of the Mall, but want to see the fireworks up close, ride over to the Iwo Jima Memorial (grab a space on the lawn by the Netherlands Carillon). You won’t be the only one there, but it’s much more manageable. Enjoy the day.

You Have An Individual Right to Bear Arms in the United States

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On June 26, 2008

In DC, Law, Society

So says the U.S. Supreme Court, 5-4.

Brace yourselves.

Majority opinion and dissent here. (PDF)

Held:
1. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a
firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for
traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.
Pp. 2–53.
(a) The Amendment’s prefatory clause announces a purpose, but
does not limit or expand the scope of the second part, the operative
clause.

[ . . . ]

2. Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited.
It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any
manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, concealed
weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment
or state analogues. The Court’s opinion should not be taken to cast
doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by
felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms
in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or
laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of
arms. Miller’s holding that the sorts of weapons protected are those
“in common use at the time” finds support in the historical tradition
of prohibiting the carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons.
Pp. 54–56.

And there go the triggerlock laws:

Similarly, the requirement that any lawful firearm in the
home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock makes it impossible
for citizens to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and
is hence unconstitutional.

Mayor Fenty says his office “has a Plan B.”  Umkay.  It’ll be interesting.

Scotusblog

By

On June 26, 2008

In DC, Law

I’ve got to admit – it’s been a while since I’ve followed Supreme Court cases for the sake of themselves.  For the most part, my interest with the Supreme Court has been limited to FCC-related issues (and the occasional 4th Amendment case).  So I’ve not been on the law blogs for years.  But this DC v. Heller case has interested me for a while, and I’ve been edging back into the law blogs (believe me, this will not turn into one).  I’m *really* impressed by Scotusblog, which seems to be a joint project between the lawyers at Akin Gump and Howe & Russell.  It’s easy to read, well laid out, and everything you want to know is right there.  I know it’s a bit of a late recommendation, given that this is the last day of the term, but if you ever get interested in a case pending before the Supreme Court, go to Scotusblog.

(I’m following the “live blog” there right now, and they’ve got a little survey going on, asking who the viewership is, in real time.  95% are there because of Heller.   (Oh, look. Davis v. FEC was reversed and remanded – there goes the Millionaire Amendment, for the moment)  18% are lawyers.  16% are law students.  65% are NRA members.  27% own 2 or more guns.  Fascinating stuff.)

DC Gun Ban Case (Heller) Decided Tomorrow

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On June 25, 2008

In DC, Law

Looks like DC v. Heller will be amongst the very last set of cases to be announced.  According to Scotusblog, there’s some thought that there may be no majority opinion, but a plurality decision.  Just what we need.  I’ve described my mixed feelings about both positions (collective v. individual right to bear arms) here before, but I thought that – no matter which way the Court went – we’d at least get some settling of the issue, and the states could react appropriately (and with confidence).

We’ll see.

(Update: and so we see – there is an individual right to bear arms.  More here.)

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