Resolve to Ride Responsibly: not only is it alliterative, but it sounds well, downright civil. What could be wrong with an effort that asks riders to follow the rules of the road? Plenty, according to some cyclists who make it clear that this effort by WABA grinds their gears. If you check the WABA website, you'll see what I mean. The upshot; some cyclists argue that since motorized vehicles can do the most damage, and since motorists clearly have scofflaw issues of their own (from unpaid tickets--see my colleague Mark Segraves' pieces on parking tickets in DC, or Darci Marchese's story on red light cameras) there's no reason for cyclists to have to make this kind of a resolution.
That's obviously not the view of the folks who took part in the ride. I caught up with them in front of the White House before they took off for the second leg of their ride. Hear what they had to say, and discuss among yourselves. Or shoot me those comments here.
And pay close attention to the last comment on this story and see if you agree.
I actually agree there is a lot of respect for bicyclists in DC. Despite the occasional intrusion into the bike lane, I'm continually impressed how drivers yield to me as a daily bike commuter and I feel quite safe.
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