ANCs got the message in November

The recently completed Glover Park Transportation Study called for a climbing lane on the northbound lane of New Mexico Avenue. The road is currently a signed bike route, but if you've ever done the 50 States Ride, you probably know that it runs up a steep hill. Putting in a climbing lane, to allow cyclists a place to slowly climb the hill without annoying drivers, seems like a no-brainer. But ANC 3D doesn't see it that way

commissioners voted 7-1 to oppose a D.C. Department of Transportation plan for a bicycle lane on New Mexico Avenue near Nebraska Avenue. “We’re already concerned about pedestrian and car conflicts, and now we’re going to add bicycle and car conflicts,” commission chair Tom Smith said.

Commissioner Kent Slowinski voted against the motion, saying he bicycled safely around Wesley Heights when he was growing up and that bicycling should not be discouraged today.

Their concern doesn't sound very well thought out, unless they're worried about bikes in the door zone. The whole point of a climbing lane is to reduce bicycle-car conflicts. There are frequent readers of this blog who could probably put together a pretty good argument as to why bike lanes cause conflict, but I suspect that would not match the ANC's reasoning.

The minutes from their meeting aren't available yet, so I'd be interested in seeing what else they said. The person who brought this the GGW's attention did talk to their ANC member about it.

I asked my ANC commissioner about it and he told me that it was a preliminary discussion and ties in with the traffic problems relating to the AU expansion. No explanation why the need for a vote at the outset of a discussion.

 
From the Glover Park Transportation Study

Comments

[JeffB]

I currently have been riding this route south bound (down the hill) or at least I was until it got too cold for me :(

Personally I don't see how adding some paint to the north bound lane would affect existing users very much.

Perhaps what the ANC commissioners are afraid of is that by so marking the road it would draw *more* cyclists to using it.

AU is at the top of the hill and has a CaBi station. I've chatted several times with people checking the bikes out and one question they all have asked me is are there bike lanes they can use to ride downtown.

It would be a shame if DDOT let a few narrow minded ANC's block the creation bike friendly transportation network.

Bike Sharing == New Cyclists == Demand for Bike Lanes

[contrarian]

I live in ANC3D and will bring this up with my representative. I'll report back if I hear anything.

[Joe]

I suspect this has more to do with "fears" of parking loss and the bicycle safety argument is an emotional argument to distract from that fact...

[ah]

@Joe - Parking along there really isn't much of an issue, since the spaces are metered (the parking issue is on residential streets). And there's plenty of parking if you're staying less than 2 hours.

Instead, my sense is it's tied up in concerns about AU's expansion and further congestion that that is likely to cause.

Now, why doing something that would encourage biking would worsen congestion is beyond me. AU (and Homeland Security) are presenting some significant traffic issues, but the bike lane is a separate issue.