Happy Tuesday: The 15th Street Cycle Track is Fixed!

By this point, every bicyclist in the city has seen, encountered or at least read about the closure of the sidewalk along 15th St. NW from G St. south to Pennsylvania Ave. The earthquake in late August damaged some of the decorative stonework atop the Treasury building, and in response, the sidewalk was fenced off in order to make sure nobody was hurt in the event that parts broke off and fell to the ground. In the weeks since the earthquake, pedestrians attempting to use the sidewalk simply walked in the cycle track instead. Needless to say, this situation created a host of potential conflicts. Bicyclists have complained about the pedestrians, and pedestrians complained about the bicyclists. DDOT put up signage to educate pedestrians on the proper procedure (crossing the street to use the sidewalks on the east side) and WABA’s Bike Ambassadors spent some time directing traffic, but it was unclear if anything could be done to actually fix the problem. Over the holiday weekend, however, it looks as though the Secret Service and the General Services Administration have decided on a solution. On Sunday, as @sharrowsdc reported on twitter, the fences that closed the sidewalk were moved, freeing up space for pedestrians to remain on the sidewalk. He also posted a photo. Here are a few more pictures of the freshly reopened sidewalk and pedestrian-free cycle track: