US church says bike lane would infringe upon its ‘rights of religious freedom’

Motorists assume the god-given right to park whereever they fancy without consideration for anyone else. Hardly news is it?

To the people saying, "burn the church to the ground," I'd point out that this church is a historically black church and that many of these churches have recently apparently been victims or arson attacks by racists. So it's not a tremendously tasteful thing to write.

That said, there are some real issues here (which I wrote about here: http://invisiblevisibleman.blogspot.com/2015/07/an-old-fashioned-prejudi... ). Many US urban churches (including, to some extent, the one to which I cycle every Sunday) serve a population that once used to live near the church but has since either been priced out or fled to the suburbs. My own church has large numbers of African-Caribbean members who used to live in Park Slope, the area round the church. Barely any of them live there any longer, since it's now become one of the most expensive areas in the entire city.

The people that attend these churches - relatively new members of the comfortable middle class, living in suburbs, often relatively old and commuting many miles to more central areas for services - are, unfortunately, exactly the kind of people that don't cycle in the US. It is, apart from anything else, pretty terrifying to cycle in most suburban areas over here. Cars also remain a symbol of respectability for many such people.

I imagine that the people in the church look on parking outside the church as vital to their communal life. The people are probably commuting in from Prince George's county in Maryland and such areas and it's the only time in the week they spend back in the old neighbourhoods in central Washington. I think, obviously, that the cycle lane should go in, as an interrupted cycle lane is pretty useless. I also think that all kinds of religious organisations should think harder about the morality of driving. But I think what I've described is the context for this case.

“As you know, bicycles have freely and safely traversed the District of Columbia throughout the 90-year history of the United House of Prayer, without any protected bicycle lanes and without infringing in the least on the United House of Prayer’s religious rights.” 

At what point in that 90 year history did the majority of worshippers start arriving by car? 

Maybe they could park on the "sidewalk"?, seems to have caught on in the UK fairly well. 

Is the cycle lane only for use by agnostics, atheists or people of other faiths then?

Quote:

The WashCycle blog (link is external) reports that the church has written to the director of DDOT claiming that restricting free parking on public streets nearby "would place an extreme burden on the free exercise of religion" - See more at: http://road.cc/content/news/168986-us-church-says-bike-lane-would-infrin...

There's something ironic going on here that I can't quite figure out.

Burn the church to the ground.

They have a point

Voighticus 22:14: "... and yea the Lord did say that only those who drive a car to church shall have salvation. Spies, apostates and children of the lycra shall not be permitted to seek salvation through worship, they shall be cast aside to the nearest independent coffee shop that does nice cakes after smashing out a few dozen k's on a Sunday morning."

Psh, rubbish reason is rubbish.

Parking ones car is not a religious expression.

It is the same argument that shop owners say when 20 zones, or pedestrianising,  and other cycling infrastructure is put outside their shops that it will limit the visitors.

Of course if this church were truely concerned for its congrgation then it would have a shower block and cycle parking as Jem PT points out, looking after its congregations physical as well as spiritual well being.

I've always maintained that the 'parsons bike' is the ultimate machine of all time - ancient, rusted, never once maintained, yet travels forever across all forms of terrain in the service of the faithful and the needy

possibly matched with the ultimate mechanic ....

Only in Amnerica! How about the congregation cycles to church (possibly using the new bike lane) and then the parking spaces wouldn't be needed? The congregation would lose weight/be fitter and the air around the church and the town in general would be cleaner. Win win situation!!

As a Vicar (and Methodist Minister) I use my bike to go between (often) three churches on a Sunday morning.  Perhaps someone should point out to the church in question that freedom of religion (Christian version) existed for the best part of two millenia before cars were invented, so the use and parking of motor vehicles would not seem to be vital to its continuing existence.