Opposition to public bicycle paths can come from unusual sources in unexpected places.
For instance, the prospect of a public bike path running alongside a corner of the members-only Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia, has some of its members up in arms.
Fourteen of the active and retired military commissioned officers at the club are suing the club's board of directors for letting such a proposal go through.
Navy Capt. (Ret.) Louis Kriser is quoted by the Washington Post from a recent public hearing:
“Once the word gets out to the younger generation there is a secluded place to come and visit and have some fun, you can bet they're going to be there. … Gangs. Rivals. Hazards to pedestrians coming in and out. . . . I can see The Washington Post: 'Golf Ball From Army Navy Country Club Fifth Hole Hits Baby.”
The bike path issue came about when the golf club leaders sought a zoning variance that allowed them to build their new clubhouse 20 feet higher than current restrictions allow in Arlington. To gain approval, the club had to agree to the allow a bike path at a corner of its 254-acre property near the 5th hole, one of 27 at the club.
Arlington had been seeking this pathway for years as a non-vehicular route between Arlington Ridge and Pentagon City.
The 14 plaintiffs in the lawsuit are seeking a chance for the entire membership to vote on this issue, which they say is an inappropriate deal with the county.
Before they go to that trouble, perhaps they should check around with other golf clubs to see what trouble is caused by having bicyclists ride past. I'm sure they won't find any.
The potential construction of bike trails often raises fear and loathing in the neighborhoods. The result is usually an improvement in lifestyle and increase in property values.
This story — “Poll says bike and hike trails improve neighborhoods” — mentions a poll taken in New York that found residents believed trails improved their neighborhood.
Meanwhile, a long-standing controversy to complete another section of the Great Allegheny Passage appears to be ending. The owners of the Sandcastle Waterpark near Pittsburgh are nearing an agreement with Allegheny County to allow a path through a one-mile section of its property.
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the one-mile stretch is all that stands in the way of a continuous off-road bike route on the GAP between Pittsburgh and Cumberland. From Cumberland, the C&O Canal towpath provides an off-road route all the way to Washington DC.
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