DDOT promised protected bike lanes on Kansas Ave.… until they didn’t. A December 8 letter announced a change to their supposedly final plans: They now propose blocks of unprotected bike lanes with only a narrow, painted buffer separating motor vehicles and bicyclists. This unexpected change is a safety compromise. So please join us to urge DDOT to restore the Kansas Ave. protected bike lane plans!
Your message will go out to DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum and Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George. They need to hear from us that we want DDOT to stick to their original plans to create a continuous Kansas Ave. protected bike lane.
The message – please customize it with your own subject line and text – notes that the changed design is contrary to city transportation policy. DDOT classifies Kansas Ave. as a “minor arterial.” MoveDC, the city’s federally mandated transportation plan, instructs that “Any bicycle facilities planned for minor arterial streets will be fully-protected facilities” (per federal guidance).
Read DDOT’s December 8 Kansas Avenue Project Update for detail on DDOT’s design downgrade. The letter includes images illustrating the change from the protected bike lanes planned for two sections of the project – they locate motor-vehicle parking between curb-adjacent bike lanes and the traffic lanes – to painted bike lanes positioned between the parking lane and the traffic lanes, with no protection for bicyclists. Note that DDOT’s design switch does not change the number of parking spaces. Again, please tell DDOT to restore the Kansas Ave. protected bike lane plans!
Now is the time to urge DDOT to return to the previous design to ensure a safer, more continuous route that meets the needs of people of all ages and abilities, improving access to the Metropolitan Branch Trail, to schools, and to other key destinations.
Thank you for your advocacy!