Comments on: Cycling in National Cemetery: Yea or Nay?

By: JSD

JSD — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:10:15 +0000

Thanks for the info Tom.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:42:29 +0000

I ride around Arlington National Cemetary twice a day. A cut-thru would save me some time but I'm cool with the restriction. If limiting traffic is a way to honor these men who served, many who died in battle, it is a small price to pay.

@jsd there is a bike rack just as you suggest.

By: Chris in Sacramento

Chris in Sacramento — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:24:15 +0000

A cemetery can be a fabulous place to enjoy a few minutes of quiet, low-speed bicycling while respectfully appreciating history and those who have come and gone before us. There's a huge difference between bicycling through at 7mph and using the tombstones as fodder for something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o&feature=player_embedded .

By: Marty Barfowitz

Marty Barfowitz — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:22:35 +0000

In Brooklyn's historic Green-Wood Cemetery visitors are free to drive their noisy, dirty, exhaust-spewing motor vehicles wherever they want. However, if you try to visit Boss Tweed, Leonard Bernstein, your deceased aunt or any of the other permanent residents of these beautiful grounds on a bicycle, you will not be allowed in. Adding to the insult is the simple fact that on a per capita basis, Brooklynites are some of the most greenery-deprived urban dwellers in the entire nation. Why should automobile owners and the dead be the only ones allowed to enjoy Green-Wood Cemetery's rolling hills, fresh air and historic monuments? I can understand why management wouldn't want spandex-clad racers running laps around the cemetery. But if your bike is your primary mode of transport and you are willing to adhere to the rules of decorum expected in a cemetery, why shouldn't you be able to drive on to the grounds just like anyone in a car?

By: JSD

JSD — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:17:41 +0000

Install a bike rack outside the cemetery for visitors, and no riding through. Seems like a good compromise to me.

By: walker_0

walker_0 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:49:03 +0000

Is passage through the cemetery necessary to get to places, or is this to be used for a recreational for those who ride?

By: W. K. Lis

W. K. Lis — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:07:24 +0000

Do those rules also apply to horses? Since horses were the main mode of transportation when the cemetery was created, were horses allowed back then?

BTW. How was the grass mowed back then? Sheep?

By: J-Uptown

J-Uptown — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:50:20 +0000

The history of cemeteries is incredibly complicated. In the mid 1800s, cemeteries became popular picnic spots, due to the lack of other public open space. The demand for open space led to the establishment of parks, which took the place of cemeteries as picnic locations, and cemeteries returned to their more somber uses. While I understand the desire to prevent cemeteries from become race tracks, there must be some sort of compromise to allow access to legitimate visitors. This is a particular issue in large NYC cemeteries, where a trip from the entrance to a grave could take up to an hour on foot.

Cars are subject to strict speed limits in cemeteries, with limited access points and roadways designed for very slow speeds. There is no reason that bicycles cannot be held to the same restrictions. Discretion on the part of the staff is also in order. A group of 15 cyclists in spandex on $1,000 road bikes are clearly not there to grieve. However, a person in normal clothes on a bike may very well be there to pay respects or simply respectfully visit the cemetery.