Letter: Arizona Ave NW Protected Bike Lanes NOI

The design for Ward 3's first protected bike lane needs some improvement at intersections.

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WABA & W3BA Comments on NOI 23-31-PSD Arizona Ave NW Protected bike lane

Karyn Mcalister
Planning & Sustainability Division 250 M Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003

Re: NOI# 23-31-PSD Arizona Ave NW Protected Two-Way Bike Facility Ms Mcalister,

On behalf of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and its 6,000 members in the Washington Region, I write to offer enthusiastic support for the proposed Arizona Avenue protected bike lanes and redesign.

The Arizona Ave protected bike lanes will be one of the first significant pieces of the planned low-stress bicycle network in Ward 3, which has great potential for enabling trips by bike and scooter. For those already biking in the area, this project will deliver an immediate improvement to the comfort and safety of riding a bike on the Arizona Ave hill. It will also increase the benefits of future DDOT bicycle and multi-use trail projects connecting Arizona Ave to the Capital Crescent Trail, to the future Palisades Trolley Trail, and to the broader Ward 3 bicycle network via Loughboro Rd and Nebraska Ave. Networks must begin somewhere, and Arizona Ave is the right anchor for the network.

As you move towards final design, please consider the following:

At the MacArthur Blvd Intersection:

Provide bicyclists and pedestrians sufficient time to cross - People on bikes will have to travel about 155 feet to cross this intersection (slightly less for people on foot). Please ensure that sufficient time is allocated to the bicycle only phase to allow bicyclists of all ages and abilities to cross with plenty of time. Short cycle length is especially challenging for groups riding together or long single-file queues, so bike detection and dynamic cycle length could be helpful here.
Provide near-side and far-side bicycle signal heads at Macarthur Blvd intersection - Bicycle signal heads can be difficult to distinguish at a distance, especially for people with low vision or drivers who are unaccustomed to seeing them. If the bicycle phase is the only safe time for people on bikes to cross, then there should be no opportunity for confusion. Near-side signal heads gives an approaching bicyclist a clear view and time to react.
Reinforce "no left turn on red arrow" through additional signal heads, automated traffic enforcement and signs - Uncontrolled turns across a 2-way protected bike lanes pose a serious risk for crashes and injury to people on bikes because drivers often poorly anticipate bicyclists approaching from behind. If facing a green ball, but red arrow, drivers often turn anyway if they do not see cars approaching, which is no guarantee of safety in the new design. Since Arizona Ave already has a left turn arrow facing east, far more notice and reinforcement will be needed to break these bad habits and keep people on foot and bike safe.
Extend Median Islands at MacArthur Blvd for sharper turns - This intersection is a good opportunity to provide a better pedestrian refuge or corner wedge with concrete or flex-posts to encourage sharper, slower left turns across the bicycle and pedestrian crossing.
Extend protected bike lane concrete barriers all the way to the crosswalk - The proposed design places the final concrete block in the buffer zone 10-15 feet back from the stop bar, adding only flex-posts closest to the crosswalk. This design exposes people on bikes waiting at the light to right turning drivers cutting the corner (and a lagging trailer sucking them underneath). While it may require slightly more frequent maintenance and require more care from drivers, the protective concrete should extend all the way up to the intersection, so that waiting for the light is actually safe.
Add a two-stage turn box at the Southeast corner to support turns from westbound Arizona Ave to southbound MacArthur Blvd

Additionally,

Restrict left turns from Arizona Ave between Canal Rd and MacArthur Blvd across the protected bike lane to improve bicyclist safety from unprotected left turns and reduce opportunities for neighborhood cut through traffic.
Add green conflict markings and a warning sign facing north at Carolina Place to warn drivers to expect crossing bicyclists (similar to the W11-1 and W1-7 proposed at Dorsett Pl.
Provide a suggested path for a safe crossing at Loughboro Rd to transition into and out of the protected bike lane. Though a Loughboro Rd bike facility is planned to connect here, it will be confusing until it is implemented.

Thank you for bringing this exciting project forward,

Garrett Hennigan, Organizing Manager, Washington Area Bicyclist Association

Josh Rising, Ward 3 Bicycle Advocates

More about The DC Low Stress Network

Bike lanes are most effective when they connects to other bike lanes, protected bike lanes, even more so.

WABA works with teams of grassroots volunteers across the District to demand a network of low-stress places to bike. A network where you, your kids, nephews, nieces, or grandkids, can all get where you need to go safely, easily, happily on bikes.

More about Complete Streets

Complete Streets are streets designed to accommodate all users, and that prioritize historically underinvested modes of transportation like transit, walking, and biking. An incomplete street might lack adequate sidewalks, low-stress bike infrastructure, or safe and comfortable access to transit.

Effective Complete Streets policies change the way a jurisdiction plans and builds transportation infrastructure—sidewalks, low stress bike infrastructure, and transit should be included in any new or rebuilt street by default, rather than as an add-on when there's space or demand.

While most regional jurisdictions have a Complete Streets policy of some sort, they lack teeth and permit transportation departments to continue to build streets that put cars first and squeeze other modes into the margins.

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.