Column: A useless attempt to crack down on parkway cyclists
Shot by Dan, in 2009, on the Tuesday Night Ride.
Since at least 2002, and probably earlier than that, bicycle riders have gathered at the Virginia Museum of Transportation for a weekly celebration of pedal power.
Known widely as the Tuesday Night Ride, or the Tuesday Night Beer Ride, it’s a 20-mile loop that includes 8 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the best bike-riding roads anywhere. An average of 40 riders participate, but on warm evenings those numbers can swell to 75 or 80.
Afterwards, many of the riders gather for food and fellowship and beer upstairs at The Cornerstone, a bar on Campbell Avenue. It’s a fun time.
Full disclosure: Though I haven’t participated in a few years, I was one of the Tuesday Night Ride’s earliest organizers. It’s been an official ride of the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club since at least 2003 or 2004, and I was president of that organization in 2006. (I’m no longer a member).
The ride normally kicks off the first Tuesday following daylight savings time, which is today. But last week, Blue Ridge Bicycle Club President Chris Berry pulled the plug, after months of back-and-forth with Blue Ridge Parkway authorities and Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s office.
There is no longer any club-sanctioned Tuesday night ride on the parkway, Berry wrote to members. Why? Because parkway authorities have hauled out an old regulation and are suddenly attempting to enforce it in a way that could quickly bankrupt the 175-member club.
This was spelled out in a February letter from parkway Superintendent Phil Francis to Goodlatte.
READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN HERE.
March 12, 2013 - 6:00 AM
Sounds like the bicylcists are being cheapskates. They want the use but want someone else to pay the expense.
Here’s to hoping the parkway drums up some revenue from citations issued for side by side cycling which is what I usually experience on that stretch of the parkway.
Cheers!
If they are riding single file and have gaps for cars to pass, then it should not be a problem. If they are riding in a peleton, or even two abreast, then I understand the safety concern. It really depends on how they are riding.
My experience is that the majority of the Parkway has enough shoulder to pave for a bicycle/pedestrian lane. Bridges may be the exception.
I agree with Bob H. The bicyclists are being cheap. But not just on the Parkway; but all the other roads as well. Why shouldn’t they have to pay their fair share of road tax? Why shouldn’t they be licensed, tagged, and registered to help with the expense of maintaining roads and highways they use? I don’t see why not; I pay for tags, licenses, and registration for every other vehicle I have and use on a public roadway. It wouldn’t hurt for some of them to have some education on rules of the road anyway. I was an avid bicyclist too until a work related injury forced me to give it up. Even then I thought it only fair to have the same requirements as every other vehicle. I believe mopeds should have the same requirements as well.
Bob – Cyclists pay taxes just like those who drive their cars on the Parkway. The issue is that the Park Service is asking the club to pay a “usage fee” and for an insurance policy.
Personally I think the bike club is acting as if they are innocent victims when riders have repeatedly broken the law and no exactly “shared the road.” Of course the club can not be responsible for everyone that throws their leg over a bike, but their sponsored ride has led to a huge rift between the park service officials and the club.
Dan?
They’re government workers. Just like the DMV, their slogan is “Rules is Rules…D*mn it!”
Seriously, when I see how belligerent some drivers in this area are toward bicycle riders, I would never ride a bike on any major road around here.
Here’s another idea to “drum up revenue”. Start charging tolls to the drivers who wear out the Parkway with their incessant commuting.
I would think that the Parkway Authorities would focus more on the cars using our Scenic By-Way as a RT 460 By-Pass than the group using it for its intended purpose. For those of you complaining about the bikes…where were you headed when they impeded your progress? The Peaks of Otter…Mabry’s Mills…Mount Mitchell…or were you in a hurry to get to Kroger? We all paid at the same Toll Booth that last year…it came out of our paychecks. Share the road…Slow down and wave, like people used to do when they weren’t so concerned with others were doing.
Thankfully we have laws in this land and we are not permanantly subjected to the whims of ignorant individuals as you have seen in this case. The Park Service has debated this subject before and they have rules…36 CFR §4.30 requires a Literal Act of Congress to change.
Would they get fined or arrested if they rode up there anyway?
Yeah, old blue. lets tax people for going to work. brilliant. `The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools`. Spencer 1820-1903
bam0271 not sure about the “road tax” on a federal road? The licensing etc. that I’m aware of goes to the state.
Don’t you love it when conservatives such as bam0271 come out for big government tax-and-license programs. Next they’ll be angling for a “carbon tax” on cyclists, spouting the lie that bike riding produces carbon in the atmosphere. What an incredible crock.
Why should an unmotorized, single-passenger, mostly harmless vehicle be treated that same as a motorized, multi-passenger vehicle that has the potential to do great harm. It makes no sense.
Lowering the speed limit from 45 to 35 seems like a reasonable first step but ONLY if the Parkway will enforce it and from what they are saying about staff cut backs they won’t. Have they ticketed cyclists for riding two or more abreast except when passing? If they haven’t they should.
How are bikers NOT paying “their fair share of the road tax”? They’re paying exactly as much as everyone else. Penalize people for driving hybrids, now penalize bikers…what other strokes of genius can the good state of VA come up with.
“Why, what Tuesday Night Ride, Officer? Whatever do you mean?”
Drop the speed limit down to 35mph, enforce it and get rid of the commuters who are not using the road for recreation and leisure. DMV fees and gas taxes do not pay for the Blue Ridge Parkway, it’s national park, not a shortcut.
I always find myself a middler on this subject. I’m a biker yet avoid high traffic roads and thus find myself on places like the Greenway and Parkway. It irritates me when I see bikers taking up too much of the road yet it irritates me when a car passes me 6″ away as if I don’t exist. Honestly, though I don’t detect the animosity on the road that many reference. I think it is is a function of the fact, and it is a fact, that more and more people are biking. That is people, as in those who also drive cars. “Share the Road”…that applies to everyone!
chick chandler has a great point. This ride has been going on for years. The club has worked with the rangers on many different facets of it. One way to interpret this recent action is absolute bad faith. I know the the park service says that’s not the intention, but it’s one possible way to look at it, after all of these years.
The fact is, if there was so much illegal riding going on during the Tuesday night ride, the parkway police should have been ticketing the riders long, long ago. Such a crackdown would be amazingly effective at encouraging single-file riding (which is the way 90 percent or more of the riders on the ride do anwyay, and which is legal).
But the parkway cops know there’s not enough illegal riding going on to waste their time trying to enforce. Meanwhile, the complaints keep coming in from motorists who don’t want to share the road even with single-file riders. Those riders are a hassle for the speeding motorists, too.
chick is right, 35 would be a good start if the cops enforced it. But they don’t do much to enforce 45 now.
Kristen is correct of course. Bikers (who also own cars) pay the same road tax as everyone else. Plus, they drive on those roads in their cars LESS. So they get bonus points for conservation.
EVERYTHING you hear about “bikers paying their fair share” is total BS, by drivers who don’t want to share the roads.
I am n Botetourt and there are great places to ride in the country. Many people park at the banks after hours, or the Designated park-and-ride and ride lee highway. I could see the parkway being a problem if the ride is between 4-6 because that’s when most of Roanoke is getting off work. People use the parkway to avoid 581, 220 and city driving. Maybe the cyclist can change their day to Sunday morning when most of the area commuters are in church. Or keep it Tuesday, ride in Nace/Lithia, even Buchanan, then go to the Pomegranate in Troutville to have their drink.To cycle our roads, you do need to give back, not just to charity’s, but also for the up keep of said roads. As a driver, I feel that people who cycle act as if the whole lane belongs to them. They don’t budge over so I can pass nor do they use any hand gestures to let me know they are turning. I see it as if you didn’t get tags or inspection or a License plate, then you don’t get any extra road than me. If you want to ride during peak traffic hours, then you need to find a different location or hire the protection for you sake. Riding 2 by and chatting with one another also is a low blow to drivers. People want to share the road with all, but when a group of Cyclist going well below the speed limit, act as if the road was built for them, decides to take it over 1 night a week till winter, it doesn’t sit well with anyone.
I’d like to just be able to go out and ride peacefully without someone blowing the horn at me, buzzing me 6″ to my left and or nearly mowing me down. With that said, I think we’re wasting our time on this argument. We should focus on how to “share the road.” I’ll be more than happy to stay to the right when the road is in good enough shape that I’m not getting bounced off of it or if there isn’t glass, nails and other assorted trash littering the roadside.
I think the BRBC and individual cyclists should begin to lobby local, state officials to do more to make the roads safer for us. As for the Blue Ridge Parkway, go enjoy it while you can whether it’s in your car, on your bike or your feet. With the way the economy is going, it won’t be there forever.
I consider myself to be somewhat a veteran of Parkway riding having ridden both the entire lengths of the Blue Ridge Pkwy. and the Natchez Trace Pkwy., a very similar road that spans Tn. and Ms. The similarity of the roads is striking. The BR of course is much hillier and IMHO more scenic, but otherwise sections of the roads are almost identical. The BR is also slightly longer.
Traveling the NT, I was struck by the fact that the Park Service goes out of its way to tout the road as a biking destination. Pull up the Nat’l Park Service Natchez Trace site and up comes an entire section on biking; including bicycle only campgrounds, “bicycle services” etc. The road itself is dotted with signs with Park Service signs with a bike logo on it. Pull up the BR Pkwy. site and there is nothing on biking, at least on the home page. I’ve not seen one sign on the BR addressing biking in any fashion (correct me if I’m wrong). There are disparities in the roads but none that I can say impact biking. Why the schizophrenic approach on the two roads I don’t know. The Park Service is welcoming to bikers on one and institutionally hostile to them on the other.
I never said bicylcists didn’t pay taxes, although the road involved here is not funded by any gas tax anyway. Taxes are not germane to this issue.
This whole issue is reminiscent of the old National Forest battle. Hunters and anglers have to pay a fees to hunt or fish in the national forest. But hikers get a free ride.
Then the hikers want to start telling the people doing the funding (hunters and anglers) how the forest should be used when they don’t pay to support it.
If they want to use the road, ante up. If not, shut up.
This is one of those unbelievably rare occasions when when BobH COULD BE faulting the government, but he is not.
BobH COULD BE chiding the parkway police for not enforcing the laws they claim the Tuesday night riders have been violating willy-nilly for more than 10 years. He could go after the government sloth, waste and incompetence. But he does not. He gives them a pass.
Instead be believes cyclists ought to be charged a fee for riding on the parkway. Guess what, BobH! Cyclists by and large across with you. They want fees for all parkway users, drivers included.
The drivers like BobH don’t want that, though. They want merely the cyclist to be charged the fee.
@Pick a different time. Did you know that you are in violation of the law if you do not give a cyclist an entire lane to be in when you pass them? Did you know that a good cyclist can go 35? Do you travel the speed limit? Did you know that it is is safer for a cyclist to ride beside another cyclist than directly behind?
#18 Read up my friend on the Parkway. it was never intended to be a road for bicyclists or commuters. It was built in the 1930′s (mostly) as a destination road primarily for sightseeing and traveling from one scenic spot, including campgrounds, to another. That was then and almost 80 years later much has changed (except the width of the road). Today in Asheville and Roanoke primarily, behemoth vehicles never thought of in the 30′s now use it to commute. It is intersected literally by hundreds of hiking trails including the AT in our area. Horse trails cross it and schools use it to train their runners. Bikers have obviously adopted it as well. No, we are not going to stop using this road during rush hours so you in your commuter vehicle, no matter what size it is, can use it to commute while chatting on your cell phone…
Taxes are not “germane to this issue”? Of course they’re “germane”. They’re the vehicle by which everyone is paying for the use of the BRP.
Biking is nothing like hunting and fishing. Hunters and fishermen are taking stuff out of the forest that belongs equally to me as it does to them. They should pay for the privilege. Bikers and hikers aren’t taking anything from anyone.
I propose that the Parkway be turned into a National Park. Then charge everyone a user fee for passing through. It would be less for bicycles, more for cars and trucks. You could make it time dependent, so travel at peak hours would cost more.
Or, you could just create a bike lane.
” I propose that the Parkway be turned into a National Park. Then charge everyone a user fee for passing through. It would be less for bicycles, more for cars and trucks. You could make it time dependent, so travel at peak hours would cost more.
Or, you could just create a bike lane.”
–old blue
I gree with this, so long as the revenue stayed in the park. It’s way underfunded and needs it badly.
And anyone who doesn’t think the park rangers can be vindictive didn’t witness them hassling folks going to or coming from Floyd Fest a few years ago. We happened to be on our way to Chateau Morrissette at the time, so we got a close look at it. Rules is rules, but they seemed to forget the one about “reasonable suspicion”.
Well, if I’m shopping at the Clearbrook Walmart and they don’t have what I need, I’ll go on the parkway to the Bonsack Walmart, it’s the shortest route. Last think I need are a bunch of bicyclists getting in my way. Go riding in a park somewhere, the speed limit is 45mph, motorists have places to go, it’s a road, not a greenway, quit slowing me down please. My husband uses it to commute to work, but uses another route on Tuesday p.m. Now that they thew the cyclists out he can start using it again 5 days a week, thanks!
Yeah, we definitely don’t want bicycles getting in the way of Mallwart shoppers. Great point there, Bertha.
Bertha,
It is a park. It’s controlled by the National PARK Service. It is not intended for your commute but as a scenic byway.
The IP address and hidden email on Bertha’s post is the same one for Eric Brady, a previous commenter. I know Eric well, and I’m sure he invented “Bertha” to stir the pot on this issue. He’s ridden his bike on the parkway many times.
Sorry, Eric — but one ID per poster, please!
Aww shucks. Still got my point across…
Bertha Malobreve? Real name or pseudonym? (Like Old Blue)
OK, Dan. I had not seen your latest post.
yeah right bertha, we’ll clear out your way so you can have an empty road for you go from 220 so. to 460 e. to buy a paper towel holder at wally world. Saving a bunch of money and gas while doing that that right?
fell for it, but truth be told, there are few berthas out there…
Bertha’s comment must be satire, right? She can’t be that ignorant . . . right??
Living inthe Fincastle I’ve biked many roads out in Botetourt The negative incidents with drivers has been (thankfully) rare.
And those who also ride the trails know what a gem Carvin’s Cove is to have here in Roanoke.
I’ve always felt it a shame the only time I’ve felt concerned about the behavior of drivers is on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Roanoke area. I simpy won’t ride parts of it anymore regardless of how enjoyable it can be.
I’d also echo Scott’s earlier comment comparing the Natchez trace Trail
We fell for it because its entirely possible she was real.
So, why is the Park Service doing this now? Did Goodlatte initiate this? If he did, at whose request?
The answer to this may be buried in the previous comments. Exactly what constitutes ‘illegal’ riding on the Parkway?
I’m sure Bertha/Eric will enjoy this piece of news. I know it’s not about the Parkway, but here’s what a city near me is doing to help bicylists.
http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/South-Bend-common-council-votes-in-favor-of–197251011.html
Never confuse ignorance with stupidity.
I can’t get over how people think the BRP is an interstate. The purpose of the BRP is not to get from point A to Point B. It’s too look at the scenery until your wife needs to use the bathroom.
The majority of cyclists would be more than happy to pay a reasonable user fee for access to the parkway, as long as all users are charged the same fee. We already pay a fee to ride mountain bikes at Carvins Cove. Other national parks charge admission fees and I see no reason that the parkway should be any different. What the park service is attempting to impose goes well beyond a reasonable fee and would cost the BRBC several thousand dollars per year.
Newman, pelatons are illegal. Riding two or more abreast (except if passing) is illegal. Riding near dusk without reflectors or lights is illegal. Riding on any nonpaved surface is illegal. There are other things, those are some main ones.
Hi Ron… Of course Eric likes it but the Berthas out there (and there are a few) may be too busy talking on their cell phones to notice how close or far they are from a cyclist while passing, be careful. We need more cyclist friendly cities, I think Roanoke is getting there.
Malo = bad in Spanish. Breve = latte. Put it together and you’ll see how clever Bertha’s last name is.
One of the major issues the NPS is trying to enforce is restricting the use of trails, footpaths and other “unauthorized access points”. If it were not for those trails, the only access points for cyclists and pedestrians in the Roanoke Valley would be 220, Mill Mountain Parkway, 24 and 460. Only the Mill Mountain Parkway provides a safe option.
Congressman Goodlatte had nothing to do with this other than the fact the that BRBC asked for his help in reaching an agreement with the park service.
“One of the major issues the NPS is trying to enforce is restricting the use of trails, footpaths and other “unauthorized access points”. If it were not for those trails, the only access points for cyclists and pedestrians in the Roanoke Valley would be 220, Mill Mountain Parkway, 24 and 460. Only the Mill Mountain Parkway provides a safe option.”
–Chris Berry
This is true, and it came 2-3 years after the club and the park service worked out an accommodation on the use the Deer Crossing (we may carry our bikes but can’t wheel them).
Fyi, there are some local trails folks including some cyclists, who did a lot of work bring Chestnut Ridge to IMBA standards with the faint promise that the park service would one day entertain the idea of allowing mountain bikes on it. This goes back years, and that never happened. The local folks got conned.
Dan you’ve ridden both Parkways, any clue why the same entity, NPS, treats bicycling differently on very similar roads? The similarities are greater than the differences IMO. Differences include the population centers of Roanoke and Asheville which the Natchez Trace Pkwy does not have as well as the elevation differences. The highest point on the NTP is no higher than most areas here in Roanoke. I think it odd one Parkway openly welcomes bicycling yet the other seems to be at the other end of the spectrum. Interesting.
scott w,
Natchez Trace has population centers (and much worse traffic near them). My ride was one shot, with 5 other people. I’m sure someone riding the BRP end to end once, with a few people, doesn’t get hassled by parkway police.
This is a ridiculous issue. To the extent that there are sides, it’s ridiculous that the parkway is taking the side of the commuters. Those folks couldn’t care less about scenery. They’re not on the parkway’s side. The cyclists are actually doing what the parkway was intended to promote – a leisurely trip through beautiful countryside. The NPS is shooting itself in the foot with this one.
Scott – The difference between the BRP and NTP is entirely a matter of management. Superintendent Francis is a steadfast believer in the idea that the BRP is intended solely for the use of motor vehicles and his policies reflect that belief. Fortunately, he is scheduled to retire on April 1st.
Sell the Schwinn – Buy a Harley
WYSDWYS: “Where you stand depends on where you sit.” — ― Nelson Mandela
Also, I seen the acronym sited as “Where You Sit Determines Where You Stand” and “Where You Stand Determines What You See.” All of which is closely related to NIMBY.
Thanks for the translation of Malobreve. Funny. I tried, too without much luck. Malo was easy, but all I got for breve was some kind of French diacritical mark.
I have lived beside the Parkway near the Rt 24 access since 1991. Since 91, the amount of commuter traffic has increased two or three fold. I have counted from RT 24 to Mill Mtn. Parkway over 150 cars when cycling this portion in a little over thirty minutes. That is usually between the hours of 9:00am to 10:00am. As a regular cyclist of the Parkway I can affirm that the traffic concerns are all about commuters using the BP for a short cut between Rt 24 and 220. The best way to break the commute on the BP is to lower the speed limit to 35MPH. Enforcing it will be the problem, but it will get done. Remember, Roanoke County Law Enforcement uses the BP also to shortcut their access and they do ticket motorists for speeding. I respect the law enforcement for doing their job and cyclist that choose to ride two and three abreast need to be ticketed! All of this came to a head last summer when the BRBC had their regular ride and cyclists touted motorist by riding side by side. It only took a few to mess it up for the rest of us.
I was in Goodlatte’s office about six years ago on some other business and I asked him for some help in allowing mountain bikers to have access on one particular local NPS trail. He passed the request on to his assistant. I never heard back from either of them. Goodlatte has a long history of not being helpful on local NPS cycling issues.
One more thing, does the Roanoke Valley want to earn the reputation of being a unfriendly bike community? Yes we have a Greenway and it is already becoming saturated with many different users. It is hazardous to use as a cyclist. So the Greenway is not the logical alternative for replacing the parkway ride on Tuesday’s. We risk bad publicity with the cycling world if the Parkway is considered off limits to cyclist.
I used the BRP between 220 and 24 for years as a commuter route. I always felt that bicyclists had more of a right to be there in the afternoons than I did. I don’t understand why Phil Francis and the Park Service are taking the side of commuters when it’s a fact that commuter traffic puts a strain on the parkway and its resources. Commuter traffic is a major problem in the Asheville area and I wonder if bicyclists there are experiencing the same issues? I also suspect that bicyclists are more likely the type of folks who appreciate the outdoors and scenic beauty along the BRP than those in cars headed to WalMart. The BRP is closed at the mere mention of snow and has been known to stay closed for weeks at a time while snow melts and trees are cleared. What’s the harm in lowering the speed limit between 220 and 24 or even closing it to cars on Tuesday afternoon for about an hour? Let bicyclists enjoy the BPR and get their exercise. Regular commuters will take an alternate route home that afternoon and be back the very next day abusing the roads and breaking the speed limit just as they always do.
It is kinda hard to sympathize with people who use the Blue Ridge Parkway as a commuter road complaining about people using it for recreation!
No, it was not built for bicycles, but it also was not built as a shortcut or a commuter corridor. Pots calling kettles is all I see.
If the Rangers want to ticket bikers, then they should also ticket commuters IMO.
The County and VDOT spent extra money to put bike lanes on Gus Nicks, and a portion of Hardy Road (to the Greenway on Hardy Rd) and I cannot recall EVER seeing a biker on them.
The Roanoke region spends a lot of money promoting its outdoor splendor to tourists. The world-famous Blue Ridge Parkway, obviously, makes this an easier sell to Yankees like me.
Whatever the parkway means to you — bicycling, hiking, camping, leaf-peeping, or intersection-free commuting — you’re lucky it’s a central part of Roanoke life. I’d guess most Americans would be delighted to have a resource like that near them.
The Blue Ridge Bicycle Club’s weekly rides take advantage of the parkway, of course, and embrace the region’s outdoor spirit. I learned to love bike riding during my year and a half in Roanoke, mostly because of the Tuesday night rides. The event helped build community spirit, many friendships and at least one marriage.
So now a federal bureaucrat threatens this institution with a wave of his rule book. Do the summertime packs of muffler-free motorcycle riders need million-dollar insurance policies? Do Walmart employees commuting on the parkway have to pay the Park Service to enforce the speed limit? Do church group members who tour the fall foliage in separate cars need a permit?
This looks like a crackdown on bicycling to me. Maybe your governor, with his tax on hybrid cars, wants you to drive an SUV. But the federal government, especially with its money problems, ought to have a bigger view of the diverse interests that make America and the Roanoke region great.
Yankee Kurt is my old editor, and he was a GREAT one.
Is it legal to drink alcohol and ride a bicycle on public roads that are shared with cars?
Maloof, did you lose your driver’s license? My sympathies . . .
Dan,
Is Yankee Kurt your “old” editor or your former editor?
Ron, he’s my former editor, and he’s older than me, too.
Dan, in your conversations with Supt. Skip Francis has he ever mentioned “horseless carriages” and “penny farthlings”? I’ll bet he and the Mrs. are quite a sight when he gasses up the ol’ Huppmobile and they go for a for a spin on the “motor road”.
Just Kidding about Yankee Kurt Dan.
No jackass I didn’t lose my license, it was a question geesh.