Inauguration Day - D.C. Maps & Restrictions

Link to Google map showing details of what roads are open and closed:
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=116706197888210191894.00045c99ce5e0c584a191&amp;ll=38.881412,-77.004547&amp;spn=0.241602,0.341949&amp;z=11">http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=116706197888210191894.00045c99ce5e0c584a191&amp;ll=38.881412,-77.004547&amp;spn=0.241602,0.341949&amp;z=11</a>;

[From another list:]
I'm posting this because I figure some readers may be either
interested in the prospect of riding a bike in a car-free day in DC,
or are otherwise interested in getting to DC for the inauguration, or
are at least interested in how a city handles something like this.
If anyone has info on Baltimore's inauguration planning, please point
me to it.
- LW

**************

It looks like the Secret Service and DDOT have released their maps of
what the restricted areas and transportation options will be for DC on
Inauguration Day. There is going to be a lot of car-free pavement (but
probably not empty) out there open to walking and bicycles only. If
you've ever wanted to bike around a car free DC, this may be your
chance. The parade route is restricted to 300,000 so once that many
show up they'll turn people away (I have no idea how they plan to
count them). The Mall will not be limited. WABA is preparing to park
1000 bicycles - for 3 million people, so it's possible they'll be
completely overrun.

Combined Google Map including Secret Service Map, DDOT MAP and WABA
Bike Valet Locations Here -
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;g=20003&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=10255">http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;g=20003&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=10255</a>;...

If you're coming from the south, it's going to be difficult. First,
most bridges in the area will be closed to auto, bicycle and
pedestrian traffic. Open to bikes and peds only are Memorial, Key,
Chain and all the Anacostia bridges upstream of the 11th Street
Bridge, and (depending who you ask) maybe the 14th Street Bridge. The
Memorial Bridge will be the only designated pedestrian crossing over
the Potomac. Pedestrians will be allowed on the Key and Chain bridges,
but officials said Chain Bridge is not a practical option for people
headed downtown. There will also be pedestrian-only routes to the Mall
and the swearing-in ceremony, including the Third Street Tunnel.

The Secret Service has banned ban personal vehicles from all Potomac
River bridge crossings from Virginia into the District and from
interstates 395 and 66 inside the Capital Beltway. From 2 a.m. to 7
p.m. Inauguration Day, the inbound lanes of Potomac River bridges will
be reserved for buses, limousines, taxis and other &quot;authorized
vehicles.&quot; Remaining open will be the New York Avenue and the Sousa,
Whitney Young, and Benning Road bridges. Northern Virginia drivers
will be able to reach the District only from the Beltway in Maryland,
and officials are urging people not to attempt to drive into the city.
Also closed to personal vehicles will be the Southeast-Southwest
Freeway in the District and much of George Washington Memorial
Parkway, which will be closed in both directions between the Beltway
and the 14th Street bridge. Regan National Airport traffic will be
diverted onto Route 1 or the southbound GW Parkway. The HOV lanes on
Interstate 95/395 will be HOV-only northbound from 4 a.m. Jan. 17
until 3 a.m. Jan. 20, when they will be open to buses only.

Special inaugural ticket packages on MARC trains are sold out on the
Penn and Camden lines but that 700 tickets are available on the
Brunswick Line. Maryland will also run transit buses from park-and-
ride lots across the region to Metrorail stations; 9,000 tickets are
available. Regional officials are trying to plan for different
contingencies, such as a snowstorm. In Virginia, road officials will
treat all roads and commuter lots regardless of the weather forecast
and will have 40 safety patrols and seven tow trucks in position.

There is an area near the Capitol, White House, Mall and Parade Route
where bikes are prohibited. There is an enormous area outside that
where cars are restricted (to buses, residents, etc...). Secret
Service restricted some and DDOT restricted more for buses. Cars will
also be prohibited at several METRO stations, as they will be reserved
for charter buses who have registered in advance. The Archives-Navy
Memorial-Penn Quarter station on Metro's Green and Yellow Lines and
the Smithsonian station on the Blue and Orange Lines, will be closed
completely all day. All Metrorail station restrooms will be closed.

Metrorail parking facilities will open at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday January
20. Metro will charge $4 (cash only) per automobile for parking on
Inauguration Day at all Metrorail lots and garages. Parking will be
free at all Metrorail facilities from Saturday, January 17 to Monday,
January 19, 2009. All vehicles remaining on METRO parking lots at
closing time on the 19th will be towed out. Metro has about 60,000
parking spaces in 29 lots and 22 garages throughout the Washington
region. Reserved parking rules will not be in effect.

Once in the District, drivers will find a dramatically expanded no-
vehicle zone.
In addition to a wide area surrounding the White House, the Capitol
and the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route, the city has added a
rectangle of downtown north of the White House, another tract west
of Union Station and much of Southwest for charter bus parking. Only
buses, taxis, limousines, other authorized vehicles, bicycles and
pedestrians will be allowed in those areas, according to city
officials.

These areas include a 50-block section of downtown between 21st Street
on the west, 11th Street on the east, P Street on the north and K
Street on the south. Other new no-go areas include a section of
downtown west of Union Station and much of the area aroundWashington
Navy Yard and theWashington Nationals' stadium.

Combined Google Map including Secret Service Map, DDOT MAP and WABA
Bike Valet Locations Here -
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;g=20003&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=10255">http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;g=20003&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=10255</a>;...

You can see the original Secret Service Map here -
<a href="http://www.inauguration.dc.gov/pdf/GPA01-09InaugSecPlans.pdf">http://www.inauguration.dc.gov/pdf/GPA01-09InaugSecPlans.pdf</a>;

The MTA walking map is here -
<a href="http://www.wmata.com/getting_around/metro_events/inauguration_walking">http://www.wmata.com/getting_around/metro_events/inauguration_walking</a>;...

by B' Spokes

Like most people I live a hectic life and who has the time for much exercise? Thanks to xtracycle now I do. By using my bike for daily activities I can get things done and get an hour plus work out in 15 minutes extra of my time, not a bad deal and beats taking the extra time going to the gym. In case you are still having trouble being motivated; the National Center of Disease Control says that inactivity is the #2 killer in the United States just behind smoking. ( http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/bb_nutrition/ ) Get out there and start living life! I can carry home a full shopping cart of groceries, car pool two kids or just get lost in the great outdoors camping for a week. Well I got go, another outing this weekend.
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Last night was odd. Many cops out at the intersections and parties at the non-profits and labor unions. Traffic was so weird it felt good to just slice through it all. The cops were busy dealing with the cars so bikers could just move along. I met a friend at a restaurant then we went to a birthday party down in the historically black neighborhood where Duke Ellington lived. No problem finding parking or getting around for us.

I just returned from volunteering at one of the bike valet stations near the white house. We parked some 950 bikes in 3 hours. It was pretty cold out before dawn. Some people were crazy enough to go down to the national mall in the middle of the night. Many people who came by bike made the exact same comment- "I'm soooo glad I biked here. Thanks for volunteering to do this. " People arrived by bike dressed up in fancy clothes.

I rode home after my shift. I didn't wear thick enough gloves. Later I'll go back out just to see the craziness. Biking is always the best way to get around DC but today it is doubly true and in spite of the cold I see many bikes out on the streets. Some people who came to the bike valet station had old dusty bikes and said they almost never ride, but today they did.

I hear on the radio right now Obama is taking the oath.....

http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=8214775&postcount=16
From WABA:
What a smashing success the Inaugural bike valet was. When you add them all together we parked 2040 bikes. After running these numbers by a few other advocacy groups in the United States, including the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition who happen to be masters of the bike valet, it appears we have set the new record for most bikes parked in one day. We didn't lose a single bike (There's one locked in front of our office waiting for its owner) and the one helmet that went missing was eventually found. Everyone loved the service and we have received quite a few emails from people telling us that hearing about the service was what made them choose to bike to the Inauguration. Had it been 10 degrees warmer I think we would have been overwhelmed with about 2,000 more bicycles.
BIKE VALET SERVICE AT INAUGURAL A HUGE SUCCESS
by Mark Plotz

WASHINGTON DC – A few weeks ago I was among the nearly two million people who filled the National Mall to watch the inauguration of President Obama. From my vantage point at the Washington Monument it was a sea of people stretching out towards Capitol Hill and behind me to the Lincoln Memorial. It was an inspiring sight, and my memories from that day will likely endure for years.

As a cyclist in DC there was a lot to love about January 20, 2009. Upon arriving at the intersection of 16th & K Street NW, I saw hundreds upon hundreds of bicycles parked at the Washington Area Bicyclist Association’s bike corral. Through its bike valet system, WABA parked more than 2,000 bikes that day! In a follow-up release, they noted that they didn't lose a single bicycle, a feat in itself. Bikes were also locked to every parking meter, lamp post, trash can, and bicycle rack I passed.

What I found especially heartening (and subversive) about all of this is that 16th & K Street NW is considered by many to be the heart of darkness for those wanting to clean up Washington DC and lessen corporate influence. It was exciting to see bicycles taking over that area as a potential symbol of change. Thanks to WABA, America Bikes, DDOT, Dero, and all the volunteers for such a beautiful sight!

WABA’s website has press clipping about the bike valet service, at
http://tinyurl.com/9bhq98
http://tinyurl.com/dexsxd