District law is on bicyclists’ side RRe: “Can’t park in D.C.? Try getting a bike,” Dec. 28 As an organization that advocates for bicycling facilities, we understand the difficulties inherent in sharing public space. But this article reinforced an antiquated cars-first mindset that is dangerous and counterproductive.
By law, cyclists have a right to use the roads and most of the sidewalks in D.C. However, they are accommodated on less than 50 of the District’s 1,073 miles of roadway. In a city in which fewer than half the residents own cars, the allocation of vast swaths of downtown public space solely for motor vehicles is inefficient and ill-advised.
It is illegal to bicycle on the sidewalk within the District’s central business district, where Strayer University is located. Mr. Mokel’s statement illustrates both the lack of roadway space for cyclists and the rarity of proper bicycle behavior among non-cyclists. As the article noted, the downtown D.C. Business Improvement District’s commercial property owners were deeply involved in planning the 15th Street bike lanes, recognizing the benefit of replacing empty vehicles with a steady flow of bike-based potential customers.
I am disappointed that
The Examiner so clearly embraces and reflects the deeply rooted bias that cars are king and that alternative forms of transportation should accept relegation to the margins. We cyclists do not accept that, and will continue to push for greater accommodation. Shane Farthing
Executive director,
Washington Area Bicyclist Association
Soak the land speculators, not city residents
Re: “No more tax breaks for developers,” Dec. 28 Harry Jaffe suggests that the D.C. Council’s New Year’s Resolution should be: No more tax breaks for developers.
Here’s a better one: Tax abatements for everyone. Abolish the property tax on buildings, whether it be a luxury hotel or a single family home. You don’t have to be a big shot who talks to politicians and squeezes special favors from them.
The city could make up the money by raising the tax on land, saving money for most homeowners while soaking the speculators who are sitting on valuable vacant lots.
Nicholas D. Rosen
Arlington
My Medicare doctor just quit on me
Obamacare was supposed to help the middle class, but it has already preemptively pulled the rug out from under me. My gastroenterologist sent me a letter yesterday saying that he can no longer afford to be part of the Medicare program. Suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, I now have to find another doctor willing to treat me at Medicare rates.
The next dropout will probably be my cardiologist. I doubt that any good doctor will be willing to take me on as a patient as we get closer to the implementation of Obamacare’s physician discounts.
The system of rewards for working has been turned on its head by an ideologue who sanctimoniously hopes to be sainted for helping the poor and non-workers while he steals from his putatively vaunted middle class and lives in the best mansion in the world.
David Lawrence
New York, NY
