Dr Gridlock
by Ron Shaffer
Washington Post, October 14, 1993
[Note: Dr Gridlock is not a real doctor but he playsone in his car]
In August, reader Guy Francis Stark, of Gibson Island, Md., complainedthat he had been knocked down twice by bicycle messengers on District sidewalks,and he asked for more protection. Dr. Gridlock noted there were laws onthe books to protect pedestrians from bike couriers but they apparentlywere not being enforced. I asked you readers how widespread the problemwas. There was a deluge of mail. Here are some responses:
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I was a victim of a bicycle messenger's "bowling ball" approach,as you so aptly described it in your Aug. 26 column. While walking acrossK Street at 17th Street NW, with a green WALK sign, I was hit full forceby this messenger who was running a red light. I went flying and landedon my head.
Witnesses told me that he got up, attempted to help me up until someonetold him to wait until the ambulance came, then picked up his bicycle andleft. Two men in business suits ran after him, flagged down a patrol car,began a chase and lost him.
In the meantime, I was rushed to the George Washington Hospital emergencyroom. I have never been more frightened. There was blood everywhere, andI truly thought that I was at risk of losing my life. After several hoursof tests, poking and prodding, I was fortunate enough to get away witha few stitches and a night in the hospital for observation.
As a student, I only had an insurance policy with a $3,000 cap. Thebills keep coming. I am going to have to pay at least $2,000 out of mypocket. I still suffer from headaches, dizziness and panic nightmares.I dream that he is coming straight for me and I can't get out of the way.
I went to a neurologist for a follow-up exam. He says the good newsis my reflexes are normal. The bad news is that I should not still be sodizzy. He recommends a CAT scan. There is no way to have this test sincemy insurance won't cover it.
The police have forwarded my report to the hit-and-run squad. The detectivethere tells me they receive 70 to 80 hit-and-run reports every day, andthere are only two detectives to follow through. I asked him what he thoughtthe chances were that we would catch this guy. He said, "None."I had three witnesses who gave their names to police and two who gave metheir cards.
It is still difficult to walk across the street. When I see a messengerzoom past, my heart pounds. If there is ANYTHING I can do to help thiscommunity see that the laws are enforced, as you described in your column,I would be happy to do so.
Thank you for the opportunity to vent my frustration.
LAURA E. BAYNE
Arlington
A Call for Bicycle ID Tags
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
On Aug. 9, I was hit and badly hurt by a hit-and-run bicycle messenger.I started to cross Pennsylvania Avenue, at 19th Street NW, on a WALK signal.Suddenly I received a powerful blow from behind. A bicycle messenger hadcome down Pennsylvania Avenue at great speed, crossing 19th Street againsta red light. I never saw him.
I stumbled, trying to maintain my balance. The messenger fell to theground, on top of his bicycle. He immediately got back on his feet, andwe stood there for two seconds, staring at each other. We never exchangeda word. He was holding in his hand a menacing, black U-shaped bicycle lock,which he brandished like a weapon to dissuade me, should I have any intentionof trying to detain him. Before I could do anything, he mounted his bicycle,and within five seconds, he was out of sight. Many onlookers were watching,but nobody offered to help.
In considerable pain, I made it to my office. My right leg was gashedand badly swollen. I had bruises on my back, left arm and other parts ofthe body. Since then, I have been to see doctors six times, lost over twoweeks of work, taken heavy doses of antibiotics and suffered in other ways.
I discussed with the security adviser where I work whether to reportthe incident to the D.C. police, and his advice was not to waste time,as it would lead to nothing. Accidents involving pedestrians hit by bicyclesapparently are given low priority by the police.
I wish the D.C. authorities saw fit to enforce the existing laws requiringcommercial bicyclists to display, from the rear, identification numbers.Without such identification, bicycle messengers are free to terrorize pedestriansand to avoid responsibility for their actions.
LUIS LANDAU
Washington
At the Mercy of Two-Wheelers
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I am a retiree who walks daily. To me, the cyclists are a menace onthe streets.
I go out of my way to enter the K Street area (in particular) as closeas possible to my destinations.
I constantly and nervously watch for the cyclists.
I wear pantsuits so a skirt isn't swished into a passing bike.
I have shouted to riders who responded, "Watch where YOU are going."
Why are we at their mercy?
I am aware of injuries sustained by friends and others and have experiencedfrightening incidents with bicyclists zooming into the sidewalks, reversingdirections, running red lights and zig-zagging between cars.
Why does the District of Columbia continue to ignore the problem; whyare the bicyclists allowed to continue to disregard the law? We are attheir mercy.
ALICE-MARIE PALLUTH
Washington
Scarring Experience at 17th and L Streets
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
On Jan. 11, as I was about to cross the street at 17th and L streetsNW, I was felled by a courier.
Dropped to the sidewalk by the maniac, I only heard a "damn,"uttered before I went black with dizziness for about 15 to 20 seconds.As I staggered to a standing position, I saw my unknown assailant careenthrough the morning crowd.
I agree that professional bicycle operators should be required to sportracing numbers, especially since too many of them behave as if they areon the Indianapolis Speedway.
If my attacker had worn one -- even though he was racing away from me-- I would have been able to read his number and report the lunatic.
As it was, I lost one earring, one pair of pantyhose and one sick dayto the menace. I also had three large bruises, a pounding headache, persistentdizziness and a lasting scar as testimony to the grief caused by anotherreckless driver.
JANA LA SORTE
Washington
Bike Collision Sets Her Back a Month
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
Two months ago, I was knocked flat by a speeding bicyclist when I wasin a crosswalk with the walk signal. No broken bones, but I did suffersevere bruises, scrapes, a large lump on my head and a bad back, whichkept me out of work for nearly a month.
The crosswalks and sidewalks in the business district are very dangerousfor pedestrians because the bicyclists are ruling the roads.
BARBARA LOCKE
Alexandria
Action From D.C. Sorely Needed
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
On Aug. 16 at 5:15 p.m., as I was crossing on a WALK signal at 18thand L streets NW, a bicycle messenger ran a red light, hit me and knockedme down in the street. Since I work downtown, I am familiar with the hazardsthese messengers create.
They weave in and out of pedestrians, ride the sidewalks, go the wrongway on one-way streets, run traffic lights, hang on to cars, etc. All ofthese actions are prohibited by D.C. municipal regulations.
The District of Columbia should initiate some action to require thebicyclists to be responsible for their behavior; that is, require licenseplates, clothing/signs with the name of their employer; require them tostop and give some identification after accidents, etc.
J.M. SHINE
Wheaton
Bring Back the Bike Bells
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I'm one of the pedestrians who feels threatened in the central businessdistrict. I'm down there several days a week, a senior citizen coming infrom Maryland via the subway, pursuing several volunteer jobs and variederrands and luncheon dates on foot.
Bikes make no noise. One can't hear them coming from behind. Whateverhappened to the neat little bells mounted on the handlebars, back in thepre-multigear bike days, that one pushed with one's thumb? I don't understandwhy some audible signal isn't feasible or available.
C.H. FARQUHAR
Mitchellville
Apply the Rules of the Road
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I concur 100 percent with the complaints in your column. In the FoggyBottom and K Street NW area, the bicyclists come tearing down ON the sidewalksand zip past us so close you can feel the blast of air. Never have I seenany one of them being removed from sidewalks by police.
Recently I saw a cyclist go THROUGH a red light, hit and knock downa woman and then continue on. This was on Independence Avenue. Passersbypicked her up, and she was off to the hospital in a cab.
Obviously, bicyclists in D.C. haven't any idea they are subject to therules that apply to motor vehicles. All citizens would be grateful if thelaw was applied to bicyclists too.
ANNE MISKIEWICZ
Washington
Ticket More Bicycle Messengers
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
Your Aug. 26 article on "barreling bicyclists" was certainlyworthwhile. As a resident of the Dupont Circle area, I am very aware ofthe problem. As a pedestrian walking on the sidewalks, I have three orfour close calls a week of nearly being hit by bicyclists, mostly, butnot always, by couriers.
The city of Washington is very, very effective in handing out parkingtickets but almost totally ineffective in curtailing illegal bicyclistswho cause physical harm to pedestrians. So much for priorities!
WILLIAM M. WOOD
Washington
Red Lights Mean 'Stop' for Cyclists Too
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I work at a federal agency in the Federal Triangle, and I am confrontedwith cyclists on the sidewalks almost daily. I've yet to be struck by one,but I've been forced to move QUICKLY to avoid one MANY TIMES.
I've often been tempted to carry a baton or cheap umbrella to stickin their spokes when they almost run me down, but I decided the cyclistwould probably BEAT ME TO DEATH.
You should also mention that they ALL ignore red lights. Crossing theintersection with a WALK sign is dangerous when there's a cyclist anywherearound. Why can't they be ticketed for running red lights?
JOEL WALKER KING
Alexandria
AND NOW HERE ARE SOME VIEWS FROM BICYCLE MESSENGERS:
Ride a Mile in Our Shoes
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
Unless your readers have ever been a courier and dealt with the pedestrianand automobile traffic, they shouldn't complain.
While I admit that sometimes it takes riding down a sidewalk to bypassa traffic jam, we are just doing our job. In three years of inhaling automobileand bus exhaust, avoiding kamikaze cab drivers and the rain, snow and humidity,I only had one minor accident with a pedestrian.
Though I agree that the laws set up to regulate the commercial biketraffic downtown and ensure pedestrian safety are rarely enforced, thepolice realize it would be almost futile to issue a ticket to every bicyclemessenger who rides on the sidewalk. Bicycle commuters, skaters and runnersand joggers are just as likely to cause an accident with a person as amessenger.
So, Dr. Gridlock, I ask your readers to give us a break and realizesomething: The bicycle courier that just flew by on his/her way to a pickupis earning a living, just like everyone else.
DARREN S. PULVIRENTI
Bethesda
Pedestrians Aren't Perfect
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I've been a bike messenger since 1974. I've never hit a pedestrian,but have come darn close to hitting jaywalkers and others who step absent-mindedlyfrom the curb. On sidewalks, I ride at a walking pace and ring my bellwhen passing.
ERIC FOLSOM
Kensington
No One to Enforce the Law
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
Who enforces the legal requirements for commercial bicyclists? The answeris no one.
After the law was passed requiring commercial cyclists to obtain a commercialbicycle operator's license, nothing else happened. In July 1991, I spokewith then-D.C. bicycle coordinator, Tom Pendleton, about bicycle registration,and he said that although the law had been enacted and funds appropriatedfor the administration of these licenses, the District government had donenothing about getting the program underway.
To my knowledge, nothing has been done since. Mr. Pendleton comprisedthe entire D.C. bicycle office, and he was laid off during the great RIFby Mayor Kelly.
Regardless, the police forces of the District and every other localityin our area routinely fail to enforce existing traffic laws that applyto cyclists. Laws governing things like stopping for stop signs are onlyenforced sporadically. Most of the time, a cyclist can ride through a redlight in front of a policeman with impunity, for the policeman is too busy"patrolling" to deal with something as insignificant as a cyclistrunning a red light.
This is unfortunate because it furthers a circle of neglect in whichcyclists are not seen as legitimate road users and are not included inthe planning for roads. Some cyclists rationalize that because they arenot included in road planning, they don't have to obey the traffic laws.Non-cyclists, seeing this behavior, assume that all cyclists are like that,and the circle continues.
As a serious cyclist who bikes to work as well as for recreation, I'mtired of getting the short end when it comes to things like making roadswide enough for bicyclists and adjusting traffic light sensors so they'll"see" a bicycle. I wish Mayor Kelly would hire a real bicyclecoordinator again so the legitimate complaints of the non-cycling and cyclingpublic could be addressed.
BRUCE A. JOHNSON
Reston
[ WARNING - You are about to read Dr Gridlock's conclusions aboutcomplex traffic problems in large urban cities , based soley on lettersto his anti-evrything-but-the-car collumn. Those of you used to logicalthought processes proceed at your own risk. Those of you who commonly thinkin bigoted and prejudicial terms may experience flasbacks.]
Thank you all for writing. I think we can conclude this: It is dangerousto walk in downtown Washington. People are getting hit by bicyclists, particularlymessengers. Apparently nothing is being done about it.
Laws already are on the books: Messengers are supposed to display thename of their company and its phone number, and an operator's license fromthe rear of their bike. And they are prohibited from riding on downtownsidewalks.
But spokeswomen for the D.C. police and the Department of Public Works,whose officers and parking control aides write 2 million parking ticketsbetween them, acknowledge there is little enforcement of the laws requiringcommercial cyclists to display identity. And there are no records availableabout citing cyclists for other violations.
I think the readers have got it about right: Cyclists, particularlymessengers, seem to be able to flout the law with impunity. Lawlessnessprevails.
Now, Mayor Kelly has her hands full with homicides, assaults and robberiesto the point that there has been talk of calling out the National Guard.Perhaps it's not on her agenda to deal with rogue bicyclists. But whatwe've got here is a chronic problem in which people are getting hurt, Mayor.Perhaps out of a police force of 4,200 or so, one or two officers couldpatrol downtown and send a message that the District does care about thesafety of citizens on city sidewalks.
Dr. Gridlock appears in this section each Thursday to explore localtransportation matters. He'll try to find out why bad situations existand what is being done about them. You can suggest topics by writing (pleasedon't phone) to DR. GRIDLOCK, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington,D.C. 20071. Please include your full name, address and day and eveningphone numbers. You may include photos of a particular situation, but photoscannot be returned.
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