Second Day of Work

I live on the north side of campus back home, but have found that most of the places I go in Columbus are in the Short North; especially for coffee, food, or to read in Goodale Park. COTA is (in my opinion) a frustrating and inconsistent excuse for an urban public transit system, so I have tended to use my bike when traveling across town.
              
I’ve learned to actually enjoy these bike commutes, and decided a few weeks ago that I would bring my bike (a second-hand Craigslist gem from Victorian Village) to D.C. However, the thought of riding down busy urban streets at a scale and density much greater than Columbus’s was daunting. For safety I decided to consult a close friend about what type of helmet would be appropriate. I have seen people seriously injured riding in Columbus, so my personal safety was a bit of a concern.
              
This particular friend happens to be half Dutch and half English, and has lived in both respective countries. When asked for helmet advice, she seemed confused. According to her, they don’t really use helmets all that often in Cambridge (in the U.K.) and Groningen (in Holland), because their streets are planned in ways that separate bike and car traffic. The idea that someone in the U.S. would have to wear helmets, pads, and other protective gear just to travel around town perplexed her, as if we have Third World infrastructure.


So I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I found quite a few dedicated bike lanes from The Hill to DuPont Circle. And where there weren’t, it was clear that D.C. drivers were accustomed to sharing the road with cyclists. I’ll also save about five bucks today by avoiding two metro trips, I’ll get eight miles worth of exercise, and I’ll get to see more of the city this summer by traveling through it rather than under it. In fact, this morning I found myself right outside of the White House, simply because I took a wrong turn.

-Devin Benson