Headphones on the bike trail?
Photo by ktylerconk, used under Creative Commons license
I’ve got a couple of weeks off of work – despite House Republicans’ best efforts, Congress has adjourned for the traditional August recess and things at the office are slow – so I hit the W&OD bike trail yesterday afternoon.
I got into riding thanks to an old roommate who was an avid outdoorsman and competitive cyclist. One of his safety tips for the W&OD trail is that you should never ride with an iPod on. Naturally, I ignored that bit of advice yesterday. I was only out for a relatively short trip – 20 miles, from my house to Reston and back – but I much prefer working out with a soundtrack.
Any of you who also read DCist will have seen some of their extensive comment threads on cycling in and around the city. This is one point, though, that I haven’t really seen addressed extensively. Is it kosher to ride/run/rollerblade with the music on while out on a bike trail?
Just about every jogger I saw yesterday had headphones on, though none of them seemed to have any problem hearing me when I passed. I’m not about to go out on the trail with tunes on a sunny Saturday afternoon when every yuppie with tight shorts in Northern Virginia will be out for a stroll, but aside from that, I say go for it. Just use your head – and, obviously, keep the volume at a reasonable level for those “on your left” calls. I can’t imagine that it’d be a good idea on the Capital Crescent trail in Bethesda, either, but maybe you Murrahlanders disagree.
And for goodness’ sake, please, stop at the stop signs!
Keep in mind that Virginia law prohibits the use of headphones in both ears while riding a bicycle.
http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/bk-laws.asp#Safety
Huh, interesting note David. I commute most days by bike and about 2/3 of the ride is along the Mt Vernon trail. About half the walkers/joggers and about 1/3 of the cyclists have headphones on. I have been tempted, but some of said cyclists go REALLY fast and have nearly knocked me down several times as I putter along at about 10 mph (without dinging a bell or telling me they are there, grrr, just whizzing by). So I am sort of leery of headphones. But splitting the difference and just plugging one ear might be something to try on a quiet morning?
Anyhow, be safe and happy cycling!
It becomes more important to maintain one’s awareness the faster one is bicycling. So if I’m out for a pleasure ride, I’ll rock headphones. If I’m breaking a sweat, I keep them off and enjoy the sounds of nature. Or whatever’s surrounding me.