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An Ugly Bicycle
By spokesman | August 14, 2008
In today’s Washington Post, there was a letter to the editor describing a bicycle related incident at Washington Union Station. A bicycle commuter had left a bicycle locked up outside Union Station and discovered the bicycle was missing at the end of the day when she returned. When she went inside to report it stolen, she was told that Union Station authorities had cut the lock and removed the bike because they deemed it to be “unsightly”. The letter to the editor recounts the complete story and the perspective of the commuter. (Update - After this post, NBC 4 contacted me and featured this story on the 6PM news.)
The bike had been removed on the same day that it was locked up. The Union Station Bicycle Beauty Police took action at a pace rarely seen in Washington DC. While this incident was unfortunate, they need to be more careful in the future. Some unsightly bicycles in Washington D.C. belong to very important people. In order to help the Bicycle Beauty Police avoid embarrassing incidents in the future, I have included photographs of several bicycles that they should avoid. The bicycles belonging to former President Bush and his wife may be in town when they visit the White House before their son moves on.
Another unsightly bike that should be added to the official Do Not Remove List belongs to Barack Obama. It is usually near the Capitol, but may soon be locked up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
John McCain’s bicycle is on the campaign trail right now but will be back in Washington DC in several month. McCain opts for a more traditional style than Obama.
Lastly, the Bicycle Beauty Police should also stay away from the Clinton’s bicycles. Bill’s bike can be seen at many locations throughout the city. Hillary’s bike is most likely to be seen near the Senate Office Building or circling the White House.
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Topics: Washington DC, Bicycle Culture, Flotsam |
August 14th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
[…] BikeSnobNYC . Excerpt: In today’s Washington Post, there was a letter to the editor describing a bicycle related incident at Washington Union Station. A bicycle commuter had left a bicycle locked up outside Union Station and discovered the bicycle was missing … […]
August 15th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Am looking for the bicylist who’s “ugly” bike was taken by security at Union Station. Can anyone help. Looking to do a story for NBC4 here in Washington. Thanks!
Thanks for reading the blog and commenting. I have sent you an email with the contact information
August 16th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
[…] An Ugly Bicycle […]
August 19th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Funny post; I particularly like McCain’s bicycle. Yes, “uglifying” your bike is a common theft deterrent. Riding a low-end beater as your commuting bike is another. If Union Station really wants to improve aesthetics, they should consider installing bike lockers or, better, a Bikestation.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
[…] He says, “The story involves a commuter’s bike that was confiscated while it was locked up in front of a train station because it was considered unsightly. Many commuters ride ugly bikes to discourage theft. The complete story is at http://bicyclespokesman.com/an-ugly-bicycle/.” […]
August 21st, 2008 at 4:35 pm
[…] news picked up the story, and the Bicycle Spokesman put together some photos of other ugly bikes that the Union Station Bike Police would do well to […]
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 am
Hey Obama’s riding my bike! I wondered what happened to it when it disappeared in Chicago a few years ago.