Reopening Klingle Road

As GreaterGreaterWsahington points out, the district is moving ahead with plans to reopen Klingle Road.

The 17-year wait for restoration of Klingle Road through Northwest D.C. may finally be coming to an end, as Mayor Adrian Fenty's proposed 2009 budget includes $2 million to jump-start the controversial project.

WABA, among other groups on this woefully out of date website, is against the restoration of the road. They point out in this letter from 1999 that the Park service offered to assume responsibility for the road and remove it. There's no doubt that it would make an excellent trail (paved or otherwise).

Fenty has always supported reopening the road so this isn't a big surprise. One of the options in the Klingle Road Feasability Study done by DDOT in 2001 was called the Bicycle, Recreation, and Facility Management option.  "The Bicycle, Recreation, and Facility Management option would have converted the closed portion of Klingle Road to a bike path with appropriate resurfacing while permanently banning vehicular traffic." It was eliminated in response to the Fiscal Year 2004 Budget Support Act of 2003.

Several of the road rebuild options included a bike trail, but after consultation with NPS this was changed to a "recreation path." [NPS is requiring them to limit the footprint, so they took out the bike trail instead of a lane of traffic] Of the six proposals, two include the path. In both of those the path is 4 feet wide. It doesn't matter too much since I suspect most cyclists will ride in the road - which should please drivers if Beach Drive is any indication. A final option hasn't been selected yet (that's what the $2 million is partly for). The Sierra Club supports the two with the path - though really they want to not rebuild. RepairKlingleRoad supports the two way road without a path - which is also DDOT's preferred alternative.

I'd like to see WABA get back into this fight. It ain't over till it's over as they say. Mary Cheh opposes the reopening.

“That area is a gorge subject to very serious flooding and we can expect to spend millions more to prevent the road from eroding yet again,” Cheh said in an e-mail.

A lot has changed since 2003 (including most of the city council, the cost of gasoline and people's views on global warming).  It would make an excellent bike trail.

Comments

[Bonzai Buckaroo]

Has there been any thought(s) towards making Kingle Road a one lane, one way operation for motorized vehicles and the rest used for other purposes.

[Jack]

Sounds like bikes are being treated like the straw that breaks the camel's back again. The road is okay but the "bike path" adds too much pavement.

[Roberta Carroll]

Because of the steep hill no bike path on Klingle will be used by anyone. There is already a bike path on Tilden Street, NW. which runs parallel to Klingle. Opening bike paths that are never used do not protect the environment but make WABA appear greedy and useless. No matter how many bike paths you open we are all not giving up our cars and commuting by bikes. Focus your efforts and be more logical and productive.

[jeff]

This isn't just about a bike path. This shows the commitment of city leaders to value recreation, green space, wildlife habitat etc. over automobiles. It might not make a great bike path, but it wouldn't make a great road either. At least this way it adds less impervious pavement, doesn't create water, air or noise pollution and actually raises the quality of life for those living in the area.

[washcycle]

"no bike path on Klingle will be used by anyone"

Roberta, would you care to make a wager on that?

[Contrarian]

I have to say as a WABA member I agree with Roberta somewhat, but from a slightly different angle. I just don't feel this issue was a good use of political capital, and it's a mistake for WABA to become identified with one side of a polarizing issue. There are so many bigger fish to fry.

[jeff]

I'd have to disagree. I applaud WABA's willingness to take the lead on this. Their ability to turn out the number of email responses as well as public comments at the hearing strengthens their political clout, not diminishes it.

[washcycle]

I agree with Jeff. WABA hasn't the time or manpower to deal with everything - I get that. But I don't want a group who represents me to turn away from a fight in my interest because they fear getting into a polarizing fight (Besides this assumes that the two sides have equal numbers and I suspect WABA is on the side of the majority). The road planned was a bad fit for cyclists, and the trail is better. WABA should be a zealous advocate for the interests of cyclists. The people who will walk away from this hating WABA and cyclists were probably not going to be lifetime members anyway. They think we want everyone to give up their cars and commute by bikes.

[Rocky6]

DC City Council yesterday zeroed the mayor's budget request to pursue re-opening the road.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2008/05/the_last_klingle_road_post_eve.html

[Rocky6]

That said, it's Washington.

Nothing is ever over.

[Chris]

I don't have a strong opinion about Klingle Road being opened to motor vehicles, but I am a little irritated by some of the arguments put out there.

This argument that the bike path would be too steep is just stupid. I know there's a lot of flatlanders in DC, but give me a break! Further, it's as if a bike lane is the only option. Bikes are allowed on the road in DC, period. It doesn't matter if there's a bike lane.

Also, if there's a transportation need for cars on that road, it makes no sense that there isn't a transportation need for bicycles. To suggest there's a parralel bike path on Tilden is weird - there's a parralel road there too. So, where's the transportation need? I'll say it again - if there's a transportation need for cars, there's a transportation need for bikes.

Supporters of opening Klingle Road to motorized vehicles have been too narrow-minded on this issue - rather then trying to co-opt cyclists in making their case, they've taken WABA's word for it that they represent the entire cycling population, and have decided to alienate cyclists.