Yes to PROTECTED bike lanes on 18th St. NW in Adams Morgan

What’s your vision for 18th St. NW in Adams Morgan, now that the streateries are gone?

Ours would go the streateries one better. 18th St. in Adams Morgan is an ideal location for a pedestrianized space that’s safe for bike and scooter riders — Streets For People! — with motor-vehicle access limited to transit, delivery vehicles, emergency responders, and handicapped drop-off and pick-up. Unfortunately that’s not on the table… yet.

What’s on the table is a plan for 18th St NW Restriping between Columbia Rd. and Kalorama Rd. NW, with an opportunity to comment open until August 13, 2026. Your comment will be on Notice of Intent (NOI) 26-185-MPDD, which provides notice of DDOT’s plans for those blocks of 18th St. NW.

They’re modest plans. They include commercial-loading and paid-parking zones and striped bike lanes on both sides of the corridor. That sounds OK, and it is — only — OK. The bike lanes should be fully protected, in compliance with MoveDC, the District’s transportation plan. This is yet another instance when DDOT has not put Safety First. (Our campaign on this front is still active.)

Click here to comment. You’ll see that we’ve suggested comment text. By all means, edit our suggested text if you wish, to convey your personal perspective — if you live, work, play, or pass through the 18th St. NW corridor, tell DDOT! — and better reflect your views.

Thanks for your advocacy.

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.