[RP TownTalk] Use and abuse of Anacostia River Park - where is the line?

[Dwight Holmes]

We finally dusted the bikes off and got out on the trails yesterday -
at least 3 months too late, but better late than never.

As usual we headed up Riverdale to the NE Branch trail, sped under E-W
Highway and into Anacostia River Park, headed north towards College
Park and Lake Artemesia. (This was around 5 or 5:30 pm on Sunday)

Being a weekend afternoon, you expect the park to be busy. But we've
never seen it like this.

The park was absolutely full of people and vehicles, from where the
playgrounds begin on the south end to well north of the "NO VEHICLES
BEYOND THIS POINT" sign up by the River Rd. bridge.  The trail itself
was completely blocked by people, adults and kids. No adults were
ceding the path to bell-ringing bicyclists, nor were they encouraging
their kids to let the cyclists through either. When we got to the fork
where the bike trail veers right and the park road/parking veers left,
we opted left simply because with the wider pavement, there was a
better chance of getting through at all.  Basically, we tiptoed our
bikes through the crowds the entire length of the park.

 It appeared to be a very large and organized event. The music was
loud and there were announcements over a PA system. Parking spilled
over everywhere (which, coupled with the recent heavy rains, means a
lot of grass was torn up.  Maybe we need a "PLEASE REPLACE YOUR
DIVOTS" sign. ;-) )

As we passed the park entrance road and the "NO VEHICLES BEYOND THIS
POINT" sign headed onwards toward the airport, and were still passing
cars parked on both sides of the trail, I said to Michelle, "somewhere
there there's got to be a violation, starting with parking where there
aren't supposed to be any cars."

On the way home 45 minutes later, lo and behold there were two
Maryland-National Capital Park Police cars there, and the troopers
were ticketing all those cars parked where no cars should be.  A good
revenue day for the county, I suppose.  We avoided some of the most
congested area by taking a right by the baseball field and exiting
onto Somerset Rd, and coming home via Lafayette.

I know some of these issues have been brought up before on this list.
My search skills have proved lacking in trying to pull them up.
In my own mind, I wrestle with where the line is between use of the
park -- obviously a good and welcome thing; that's why we have them,
to be enjoyed -- and abuse.

It brings up some policy/legal questions I don't know the answers to:
1. Is alcohol permitted or not in the M-NCPP parks?
2. Is parking allowed on the grass anywhere?
3. If organizing a party of, say 500 people there (I'm guessing there
were more than that, actually - there must have been several hundred
cars at least), is any kind of permit required? If so, was it obtained
yesterday, and what is the holder of the permit accountable for?

I never wanted to be the neighbor who called the police with a
complaint about loud neighbors (haven't ever had to do that,
thankfully). But what are the criteria on which both citizens and law
enforcement should act? That is the question.

Thoughts?

Dwight Holmes

--
"A budget is a moral document." --Jim Wallis
"Don't tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I'll tell you
what you value." --Sen. Joe Biden