The way cars, bicyclists and pedestrians share the road in Washington is a touchy subject. A Washington Post columnist recently ignited a furor after he called bicyclists "bullies." Bike riders fired back, saying they are frequent victims of aggressive drivers. Meanwhile, D.C. police are trying to act as referees.
Stand on a downtown D.C. corner during morning rush hour and you will be in the mix: cars, trucks, bicyclists and pedestrians hurrying everywhere. Over the past few days, bicyclists have taken to social media and message boards claiming police are after them for riding on sidewalks, which is illegal downtown.
Turns out the MPD is undertaking a bicycling laws enforcement operation through the end of the month—writing tickets for all kinds of violations.
"I've gotten hit by a couple bikes in the past," says Sean Houton, but he says he's not angry at bicyclists who ride on sidewalks downtown. He says if they had more and safer bike lanes, they wouldn't have to. "More and more bikes are being used and there is not the infrastructure for it, so the city really needs to take a look at it," he says.
D.C. does have about 70 miles of bike lanes, including several downtown. But one bicycle commuter said sometimes it's safer to ride on the sidewalk anyway, and they shouldn't always be punished — "if the road is extremely unsafe and a cyclist is riding on the sidewalk in a way that doesn't endanger pedestrians."
Dangerous or not, it's a $25 fine.
