Become a WABA Member: Support our Advocacy Work

This week is our 2014 WABA Member Drive. On the blog, we’re highlighting the work your membership supports.

Join or renew now!

Your membership directly supports our advocacy work. We spend time in meetings, planning sessions, conference calls, and legislative sessions to try to get the best bicycle infrastructure and support for our region. Here are some of our major victories over the past year:

• VA Three Foot Passing Law Goes into Effect: As of July 1st, drivers in Virginia are required to pass bicyclists with at least three feet.
• DC Dept. of Public Works Pilots Sideguards: Large trucks can pose a significant safety risk to bicyclists. The DC Department of Public Works is piloting a few different designs for side underrun guards to prevent pedestrians and bicyclists from being pulled under a vehicle during a crash.
• DDOT to Build Suitland Parkway Trail Connection: The new South Capitol Street– Frederick Douglass Bridge will now include a direct and safe trail connection from the bridge to the Suitland Parkway Trail.

 

• MCDOT Rescinds Capital Crescent Trail Request: In August the Montgomery County Department of Transportation quietly requested that the Maryland Transit Administration remove a tunnel under Jones Mill Road for the Capital Crescent Trail, despite a long-standing plan to build a completely grade-separated trail from Bethesda to Silver Spring along the Purple Line. WABA asked members in Montgomery County to contact the County Council asking to keep the safe trail crossing. MCDOT rescinded their request and the tunnel will be built.
• Safe Accommodations during Construction in DC: The Bicycle Safety Amendment Act of 2013 includes a provision which requires future construction permits to provide “safe accommodations” for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• A Rebuilt Rock Creek Park Trail is One Step Closer: At the end of June, the District Department of Transportation released the Final Environmental Assessment for the rehabilitation of the Rock Creek Park Multi-Use Trail. The final design could not be completed without this environmental document, which was holding up construction. DDOT and NPS can now finalize the design, and construction could begin in some sections as early as next year.

More victories are ahead with your support! The first 500 people to join or renew this week will receive a limited edition “I bike. I vote. @ I’m a WABA Member” t-shirts. T-shirts can be picked up on October 17 from 5:30-8:00 PM at Beirgarten Haus on H st. or will be shipped the week after.