It’s DC budget season. Here’s what to look forward to.

March 27, 2025

This time of year, Washingtonians look forward to three things: Cherry blossoms, Nationals opening day, and DC Council performance-oversight and budget hearings.

Well, maybe not the hearings, but we at WABA try to stay on top of them all the same.

Looking ahead, a Public Briefing on the Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2026 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan is scheduled for Friday, April 4, 10:30 am–1:30 pm – it will streamed live at www.dccouncil.gov – and the DC Council hearing on the District Department of Transportation’s FY2026 budget is scheduled for April 10th. (Click here for the schedule of all budget hearings.) WABA will testify on the DDOT budget, and just as we did for the recent performance-oversight hearings, we’d very much appreciate your sharing your thoughts and concerns with us, particularly about DDOT and the Department of Public Works (DPW), via a message to advocacy@waba.org.

WABA testified at four departmental performance-oversight hearings, held in February and March. The hearings’ purpose was to review and examine city-agency activities and accomplishments. The convening committees heard from officials and from the public. Here’s WABA’s testimony:

District Department of Transportation (DDOT) testimony, February 5
Department of Public Works testimony, February 11
Vision Zero DC program testimony, March 6
Metropolitan Police Department testimony, March 11

DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum testified at the Committee on Transportation and the Environment’s February 12 hearing, chaired by Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6). Director Kershbaum spoke about speed reduction, road diets, bike lanes, and safety. Watch for a few minutes; this link will take you directly to that point. Also notable: jump to 2:10:00 for Director Kershbaum speaking at a high level on the under-development 5-year Strategic Bikeways Plan and for the director’s interaction with Councilmember Brooke Pinto (Ward 2), regarding project work while DDOT develops the plan.

A robust Strategic Bikeways Plan will be an essential tool in building out the District’s low-stress bicycle network, and in reducing bicyclist deaths and serious injuries, in FY26 and beyond. WABA will support the DDOT effort and do our best to ensure extensive bicycling-community input, and we’ll also push for DDOT not to pause project work while plan development is underway.

We do acknowledge very difficult current conditions for the District of Columbia and for bicycling nation-wide. As of this writing, the US House of Representatives has not yet passed the DC budget fix that the Senate passed two weeks ago. That fix would reverse a government funding bill provision that would damagingly force the District to revert to 2024 spending levels, compelling cuts in programs and investments. Beyond the budget-authority turmoil are looming threats to Washington DC home rule.

On the cycling front, nationally, “U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has ordered officials to stop action on all Biden-era discretionary grants to build bike lanes and other ‘green infrastructure’ so the agency can review the project for possible removal,” as reported recently in Streetsblog.

WABA is doing what we can, working with local and national allies and coalitions, to support Washington DC local budget and governance authority and to defend federal grants and programs that support active transportation including bicycling. Of course, we value your support as we do this work, and your opinion on all points, ranging from projects to policy. Despite all the uncertainty, we are continuing our local work, so please do share your FY25 and FY26 DC budget, program, and project priorities via a message to advocacy@waba.org, and thanks!

More about DC Legislation

WABA's legislative work in the District of Columbia falls roughly into three categories:

Funding for (and a requirement to build) specific projects: this is how projects like the Florida Ave NE and 9th St NW protected bike lanes have become a reality. We push for this kind of legislative intervention when there's political pressure on the District Department of Transportation to delay a project, or propose a less safe alternative.

Systemic change to the decision-making process that make it easier to build safer streets (and harder to maintain the deadly status quo): The 2021 Vision Zero Omnibus bill included a number of these changes, including requirements that DDOT incorporate pedestrian and bike infrastructure on large projects.

Policy change that makes our streets safer: beyond changes to the built environment, we also push for policy improvements. Past successes include reforming Contributory Negligence so that insurance companies can't deny claims from people who've been hurt by drivers; incorporating bike and pedestrian safety into driver's tests at the DMV; and requiring construction companies to provide safe accommodations when they close bike lanes and sidewalks during construction. Current priorities include implementing automated enforcement ticket reciprocity with Maryland and Virginia so that suburban drivers can't drive dangerously without repercussions, and deprioritizing the Level of Service engineering standard.

More about Laws & Policy

WABA works with grassroots advocates at the local, county and state level to support laws and policies that make it easier and safer to walk, bike, and take transit. And we work to changes ones that make biking less safe, make it harder to build bike infrastructure, or that deprioritize the safety and convenience of people walking, biking, or taking transit.

In practice that means advocating for robust and transformative Vision Zero programs, enforceable Complete Streets policies, and funding for new infrastructure that supports biking, walking and transit.

Other regional legislative priorities include:

Reforming Contributory Negligence (passed in DC, in the works in Maryland and Virginia).
Getting rid of the Level of Service engineering standards in transportation decision-making.
Funding E-bike purchase rebates.

More about Advocacy

WABA fights for a region where biking, walking and transit are the best ways to get around.

We educate policymakers and organize grassroots advocates for to speak up for safer places to bike and walk; and for laws and policies that protect people who are walking and biking, reduce dangerous driving, and facilitate changes to the built environment.