No Big Surprise: White People Who Like Bikes Like Fenty
Maybe it's not about whether you're a 1985er or whether you think Mayor Adrian Fenty is a jerk. Maybe the upcoming mayoral race will come down to who likes to pedal, and who doesn't.
One of the things that Hizzoner really values is his bike, and under his tenure, D.C. has become a more two-wheeler friendly city. That's probably why, in the Washington City Paper/Kojo Nnamdi Show public opinion poll, 64 percent of those who've biked to work in the last 30 days prefer Fenty to challenger Vincent Gray, who draws 21 percent of the bike commuter vote. Twelve percent were undecided, while Leo Alexander got 3 percent!
It's a shout-out Fenty likely deserves. Smart bikes, additional bike lanes, and that snazzy Union Station bike-garage-thingy are all pretty cool.
Of course, for those who insist that the election will boil down to racial politics, amounting to a referendum for or against gentrification, breaking down the bike stats by race shows that 62 percent of those who reported they've taken their Schwinn to work recently are white (only 24 percent are black).
One caveat: Only eight percent of those surveyed fit even our very loose definition of bike rider. So the margin of error within that eight percent is pretty high.
9:42 pm
There is (or was) a very competitive black cycling group who do (or used to do) laps around Haines Point.
What do they think?
10:14 am
Black people bike. The problem is we have NO BIKE RACKS East of the River. There are bike racks at the libraries and rec centers, but try to find a bike rack at the grocery store or other destination centers.
10:37 am
Fenty made sure that the folks could lockup their bikes in wards 1,2,3,4...but over in 7 & 8 their bikes have no racks and would be stolen.SHAME!
11:02 am
We should be thanking Jim Sebastian at DDOT for making these projects reality. He was doing yeomans work running DDOT's bicycle program and creating the Bicycle Master Plan for DC well before Fenty and Klein were on the scene.
11:53 am
C'mon Rend,
Let's come to terms with reality not race-baited fallacies about our city. Open your eyes and look at the numbers of African Americans on bikes in this city. Your survey is skewed against those who don't think surveys are relevant or worth responding to and are busy saving money, being healthy and getting to work faster than their car and Metro addicted neighbors. Come join the UHOP (United House of Prayer) cyclists on one of several weekly rides. Wards 7 and 8 have some excellent off road biker/hiker trails that are the city's best kept secrets. Many cyclists go to Va and Md for what is right in our own back yard.
12:34 pm
Gray is going to get some "white people who bike" votes. White people who bike may be the first to recognize how much time in the saddle is too much when your job is Mayor of DC.
5:27 pm
I don't bike but I see nothing wrong with the bikes racks or making the city available to biking. The reason I didn't vote for Fenty is his attitude and his friends that have construction sites and they do not hire Afro-Americans or city residents. I look down in the constructions site and all I see are foreigners. Afro- Americans make up a large proportion of the cities population and they have a high unemployment rate. His fraternity brothers should have hired some black men and women to work on their projects.I did not elect him to bring in and person(Rhee) who had no track record in running a major school system. She is book smart but she has no people skills.A person should have both. Her treatment of parent,teachers and any other person who is not white or who does not agreed with her are unacceptable.Leadership is not arrogant and uncaring about public opinion. I am ot made about the school closings.Soem needed to be closed.She had hard decisions but the community should have been consulted.
7:36 pm
This white bike commuter will vote Gray. Fenty's support of DDOT's bicycle program is certainly a positive but it does not outweigh the his huge, overwhelming, massive negatives. Besides, bicycle riding and commuting will become more popular with or without Fenty. I've been riding in this city for 30+ years and commuting for 25 years. It's been an uphill ride but it gets better every year. Special thanks should go to Jim Sebastian, not Fenty. Vote Gray!!