Politicycle: Mayor Fenty in hot water over riding habits

November 10, 11:22 PMBicycle Transportation ExaminerAdam Voiland

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  Adrian Fenty                                                        (Credit: Qwadzilla)

WTOP footage of Mayor Adrian Fenty riding on Clara Barton Parkway, a road where bicycles are not permitted and the speed limit is 50 miles per hour, has put the Mayor's riding habits under the spotlight. 

Among Fenty's other transgressions, as alleged by the WTOP reporting: the misuse of security details, running red lights, and blocking traffic. They're fairly serious claims and could become a political liability for a mayor who's never been shy about his appreciation for lycra and a good training ride, particularly if he doesn't come up with a more compelling response to the questions about his riding habits than the evasive no comment that he offered to WTOP and NBC reporters when they ambushed him recently about the topic (see the second video below).

AS DCist has pointed out, there's certainly an anti-cycling bias in WTOP's reporting on the topic, presumably because the news and traffic station caters largely to automobile commuters. Though it's clear WTOP spent months shadowing Fenty, we don't hear what percentage of the time the Mayor or his teammates ran lights, rode on prohibited roads, or slowed traffic. And, other than riding on Clara Barton Parkway (which lacks visible signage informing cyclists that riding there isn't permitted) there was little that Fenty's group did that was illegal, though there's certainly an argument that some of his group's choices weren't particularly thoughtful or considerate, as the WashCycle has pointed out. (Then again, that's not saying much since inconsiderate behavior is rampant among all stripes of DC commuters be they motorists, cyclists, or pedestrians).

Unsurprisingly, the news has kindled the ongoing vitriol between cyclists and motorists that often flares up on comment boards after traffic accidents.  More interesting, however, is the rift that Fenty's incident exposes between various tiers of riders in the DC area, which a snippity item from Why I Hate DC helps illustrate: 

If he wants to go for a little bike ride on the weekends, I don't care, and he can even take a cop if he wants. Here's a better idea for the work week: How about you commute to work using your bicycle, which you love so much? You can even have a police motorcade for your bike if you do that. How about you check out the bike lanes DDOT has been installing? How about you set an example for people who might want to try bicycle commuting? Do something useful with your hobby. Because it is a hobby. You are not a full time, professional cyclist. A few years ago a group of people decided to hire you for a job.

There's a certain breed of weekend warrior (or in Fenty's case weekday warrior) performance cyclist who's primary concern is riding fast. These riders tend to have very expensive bikes, wear lycra and helmets, and favor vehicular cycling, the concept that bicyclists should be treated just like cars in almost all situations. Such riders routinely drive long distances with their bike in tow simply to get to a race or training area.  And, especially with the protection of a peloton, they're apt to venture into challenging riding conditions, sometimes even highways, as Fenty's group did.  In DC, you might find them on one of the intense "goon rides" that local bike shops in the area sponsor. 

Commuting cyclists (the category which I would include put myself in) tend to have a very different relationship with their bikes.  Many don't own cars, so they often consider their bikes their primary form of transportation.  They often have racks and pannier bags, and you're much more apt to see them cycling to the grocery store or to the train station on a folding bike as you are to find them training on expensive carbon fiber-bikes at Hains Point Park.  These commuting cyclists are more often female, less apt to wear a helmet, and (I think) more apt to contribute to bicycle advocacy organizations like WABA. They tend to ride on bicycles lanes when possible, and many believe that additional infrastructure is needed to make cycling safer (in contrast to the vehicular cyclists who, in many cases, believe the infrastructure actually makes cyclists less safe).

Fenty falls squarely in the first category, which I think helps explain why he's been rather reticent about speaking up about many of the cycling advocacy issues that it seems like he'd be the first to raise.  He could, as the WashCycle points out, use his bully pulpit to educate the city about the Idaho Stop. Or he could lean on the District Department of Transportation to improve the intersection where Alice Swanson, a commuter, was killed. He could push harder to ensure that the region secures a robust bike-sharing program that would make cycling a more viable form of transportation. 

Yet in all of these cases, as well as many others, the Mayor has dragged his feet. It's not clear why, though  I suspect, at least in part, it's because he's a performance cyclist at heart. If that is the case, he certainly wouldn't be the first vehicular cyclist to scoff at attempts to broaden the appeal of cycling beyond the elites. With any luck, the current situation will serve as a wake up call for the Mayor. Competitive cycling is a wonderful thing--and by all means he should spend as much time as he possibly can pushing the limits of endurance on the saddle--but not if doing so perpetuates the myth of the scofflaw cyclist.

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