Bikes a Hit at Inauguration

Sounds like the bicycle valet at President Obama's inauguration was a big success. According to a post on the D.C. blog WashCycle, about 1,000 bikes were parked at each of the two ad hoc stations set up by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Another blogger remarked that the scene reminded him of Amsterdam, but with better bikes (thus sparking arguments of whether high-tech, sports-style bikes are, indeed, better than the old-school, granny bikes prevalent in northern Europe).

Looking over the post-event press, it sounds like biking and walking were truly the best ways of negotiating the crowds. Car parking was non-existent and the city's metro system was completely overwhelmed. And at a certain point, the bridges connecting D.C. to Virginia were closed down, with the only exeptions being for special vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. I saw one Twitter comment from a guy who walked all the way from the National Mall to the Reagan National Airport on foot, after giving up on the long queue at the metro.

Another bike-related observation on the inauguration: Security for the exiting motorcade included some local cops on bicycles. On TV it looked like the perfect modal choice, fast enough to keep pace with the lumbering limousines, but manueverable enough to cut around the huge crowds gathered along the route.

Although I concur with the generally rave reviews of Obama's inaugural address (including by Ronald Reagan's speech writer Mary Matalin), I have to point out that he DID NOT mention bicycles. I suppose we can't expect a specially wrapped bone for each and every constituency, but still ... he had a golden opportunity in his call for greater use of renewable energies ("We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil ... .") This would have been the perfect opportunity to mention legs and feet, which of course are much, much more efficient than an econo-car of any type will ever be.

On the bright side, we finally have a president in office who will listen to these arguments.

Free Bike Parking for Inauguration

I have a Hungarian friend, Charlie, who works at a catering agency in Washington, D.C., and he is NOT looking forward to next week. The U.S. capital expects a record crowd for the inauguration of Barack Obama -- an estimated 3 million visitors to a city whose permanent population is less than 600,000. Not that Washington, D.C. is a stanger to big crowds, but this will be something else altogether.

Charlie stands to make some good money waiting tables or tending bar at one of the scores of inaugural parties and balls on the docket. Despite this, he's dreading the event and the days leading up to it because the crowds on the streets will be practically impenetrable. I guess we can imagine something like St. Stephens Day and the Sziget Festival all rolled into one and crammed into a city somewhat larger than Győr.

One of the major problems is the shortage of parking. With America having crappy train service and air travel being expensive and hassle-ridden, most visitors will come by car. City authorities have enlarged the no-parking zone around downtown to make way for people, and also for the thousands of charter buses that need someplace to unload. You can imagine that thousands of motorists will idle hours on end in traffic jams trying to find a parking spot within walking distance of downtown.

There's a remedy to this situation, and you probably won't be surprised what it is: bicycling. Some quick thinkers at the Washington Area Bicycle Association put together a one-off bicycle valet service (not unlike what they've had at the Sziget Festival in recent years), with two stations in the downtown area. People who bike into the city can leave their bikes free-of-charge in a secure, guarded parking station -- and pick up a commemorative inauguration spoke card if they get there in time.

It seems there's not much that can't be readily solved with bicycles.