I'm not going to call this a problem, just a "situation." I was measuring a ten mile course on the George Washington Parkway between Mount Vernon and Alexandria. No restrictions on this windy, busy road, so I started at 4 am on a Sunday morning. I measured the entire route in reverse (north to south) and then started back north. At about 2.5 miles a park policeman pulled up and told me I would have to get off the road as bikes are not allowed.
Apparently this regulation became effective within the last 2 years, because I was measuring on the same road in the fall of 2010 and had no problem.
Luckily I had completed one measurement of the course before being stopped, and that measurement agreed with John Sissala's old measurement within the (<0.0008) tolerance (I added 13 ft, 0.025%), so I felt I could go ahead with the certification. When I found out the race folks also wanted a 5K certified (on the same course with a different start), I did the additional measurement with my "walking wheel" made from a front fork and a bike wheel with a counter mounted for calibration.
I'm wondering if this is happening in other places (outlawing bikes)? How are folks handling this? If you want to talk about it, that is! I wonder if motor scooters are also banned and if not should I try to persuade Tom Riegel to rig up a scooter counter?
For what it's worth, the folks who manage races seem confident that they can arrange for permission to measure with police escorts, and for the right price I reckon they are right.
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