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But it doesn't have to be this way. All you need is a bicycle and a lock and you're ready to roll.
According to a 2001 report from the Texas Transportation Institute, the country's largest university-affiliated transportation research agency, Washington, D.C., comes in after L.A., San Francisco and Seattle as the fourth most congested metro area in the country.
Senior Lee Todovich, who has been riding a bike since age three, said he thinks riding on two wheels is the best way to travel.
"Anytime I'm going anywhere farther than five blocks I'll ride," he said. "I don't have a huge resentment toward people who drive, but it makes more sense with traffic in the city to just ride your bike."
Bicycle riders have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers, such as abiding by traffic lights and stop signs. Riding on the sidewalk is allowed everywhere in the city except in the central business district.
According to the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Metropolitan Police rarely enforce the laws, and cyclists run through stop signs and ride the wrong way down one-way streets every day.
"At least a once month I get one cop telling me to ride on the sidewalk and another one telling me to ride on the street," Todovich said.
Though bikes have equal rights on the road, cyclists said there is a general lack of consideration from motorists.
"People in cars don't know how to handle you," junior Dan Morse said. "They aren't sure if they should pass or treat you like a car."
"Everyday, people are constantly cutting you off so they can get ahead of you and then stop at a stoplight the next second," senior Logan Worsley said.
Despite the discourteous drivers, most bicyclists interviewed said they still leave their vehicle counterparts in the dust. Todovich, who lives off campus, rides his bike to and from school everyday.
