Harry Jaffe writes a column in the Washington Examiner, and his articles frequently take unnecessary jabs at people who depend on automobiles in Washington, DC for transportation. He advocates a mandatory Car-free DC day in the following article, but he needs a serious reality check.
Car-free D.C. in your future?
Cyclists require no licensing to demonstrate knowledge road rules, carry no insurance, pay no gasoline tax to fund upkeep, and carry no visible vehicle identification. If a cyclists pops from the curb into oncoming traffic (quite commonly happens), a driver may have to make a split second decision between hitting the cyclist or the car in the next lane. In the latter scenario, the cyclist can pedal away unidentified and bear no liability. Nonetheless, DC has elevated cyclists to having the same privileges of the road as motorists.
Mandatory car-free day would effectively become work-from-home day for many. As for me, I can't take Metro every day, and it becomes I-can't-get-to-class day since I leave work for night school in Montgomery County some days.
Don't get me wrong. I like the bike lanes and use them regularly myself. However, Harry Jaffe should recognize that cyclists are getting a free ride and already have it pretty good.
