Cyclists Unhappy with Post 'Bicycle Bullies' Column Plan 'Protest Ride'

DC-area cyclists are not happy with a Washington Post column by Courtland Milloy published Tuesday, headlined "Bicyclist Bullies Try to Rule the Road in DC."

Milloy starts out his column likening those who pedal to nasty biker gangs: "I have to hand it to the bicyclists in the D.C. area. They’ve got more nerve than an L.A. biker gang. And some can be just as nasty."

With Washington, D.C. drivers contending with what some deem the worst traffic in the nation, Milloy points out that cyclists often make it even worse for those behind the wheel: "Bikers routinely worm their way to the front of a line of cars waiting at a red light. When the light turns green, they’ll poke along at a snail’s pace, holding up traffic while motorists wait for a chance to pass. Then they do the same thing at the next stop light."

Washington Area Bicyclists Association's Shane Farthing shot back a response to the column on Wednesday: 

"Yesterday, The Washington Post published acolumn by Courtland Milloy that attempts to justify the violent assault of bicyclists by motorists, writing: “It’s a $500 fine for a motorist to hit a bicyclist in the District, but some behaviors are so egregious that some drivers might think it’s worth paying the fine.” The “egregious” behavior Milloy cites is simply slowing his car’s progress between stoplights."

There could be more gridlock on the way: Cyclists plan to converge on the Post with a protest bike ride to the newspaper office's building in downtown DC at 1 p.m. Thursday.