Joy and Rage on Two Wheels: A Q&A With DC’s Bike Booster

  • 📰 washingtonian
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 82 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 36%
  • Publisher: 68%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

WABA’s Elizabeth Kiker on bike lanes and other issues.

. She lives in Northern Virginia and—naturally—pedals her way to work. I met up with her at WABA’s Adams Morgan office, which is equipped with a heavily used wall-mounted bike rack. And, of course, I was obligated to travel to the interview on a bicycle—my preferred mode of transport these days. That meant a somewhat harrowing, bike-lane-free trip down Connecticut Avenue from my home.

Parking is definitely a big part of it, but opponents also talk about how it’s going to push traffic onto the side streets and it’s going to slow everything down and all this other stuff that’s thrown out there.Then, of course, there are people who, due to age or disabilities or other reasons, can’t bike or walk and do need a place to park. But it seems like that’s being factored into the plans.The reality is that Connecticut Avenue doesn’t seem like it’s working for today’s needs.

I think so much of the resistance is because it’s taking so long. If it just got done, I believe people would realize it’s not a big deal. I feel like so much good has happened in the last 15 years. I started working in biking [advocacy] in 2005, and biking around DC was night-and-day. Have you been biking here for a long time?Think of when you were a kid: Now it’s so much better, and it will get so much better. In the last 15 years, there has been so much investment and so much moving forward. It just needs to continue and accelerate. And then if there’s something that’s wrong, we can tweak it. If it needs to change, okay.

Yeah, that’s why I started biking again as an adult. You can make all these arguments about how it’s more reliable than the Metro and . . . .The flip side is I do get mad on my bike all the time when other people do obnoxious things, like drivers who illegally block lanes.There is also this thing where, when I’m driving, I’ve been annoyed by people on bikes. And when I’m a pedestrian and a bike flies by, it’s unnerving. You only see things from your point of view at that moment.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 74. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Two people dead, two others hurt in two incidents in Dallas Co.A man found shot in his vehicle in Dallas Co. And Selma Police continue to investigate a deadly weekend shooting.
Source: ALNewsNetwork - 🏆 583. / 51 Read more »

Two networks, two realities, one big problemNational news coverage from the two largest broadcast outlets, CNN and Fox News, not only reflects growing political polarization in America, but in a recent publication, researchers at Virginia Tech have shown that partisan and inflammatory broadcast coverage has increased over time and can exacerbate growing divides in the new public square of social media.
Source: physorg_com - 🏆 388. / 55 Read more »

Two young children, two adults dead in possible NYC murder-suicideOfficers found all four in an Upper West Side Apartment after responding to a request for a wellness check, police said.
Source: NBCNewsHealth - 🏆 707. / 51 Read more »

Two adults, two young children found fatally stabbed inside New York City apartmentPolice say four people have been found stabbed to death inside a New York City apartment
Source: sdut - 🏆 5. / 95 Read more »

Two adults, two young children found fatally stabbed inside New York City apartmentPolice say four people have been found stabbed to death inside a New York City apartment. The dead include two adults, a 3-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »

Community encouraged to 'Get on the Bus' and watch historical Civil Rights reenactmentThe Civil Rights Museum on Wheels was parked at Zion Church on Clarissa Street Sunday.
Source: 13WHAM - 🏆 256. / 63 Read more »