DDOT proposing cycletrack for 1st Street NE.

DDOT is considering a two-way cycle track on the east side of 1st St, NE between K St and M St. This will serve as a connection to the M Street access of the Metropolitan Branch Trail. The cycle track will end at M street because of parking and hotel drop-off issues north of M Street.

DDOT has not yet decided how to handle turns across the cycle track. They're analyzing the effects on traffic flow of protected turns and the decision may be influenced by the research they're conducting on the 15th St cycle track.

To get into the cycle-track, cyclists traveling south will either have to cue up in front of traffic on M St and turn right into the cycle-track, cross as a pedestrian using the crosswalks, or make a vehicular left turn (or and S turn, if you will) and enter the cycle track.

The cycle-track will be 8 feet wide with a 2 foot wide granite curb separating it from traffic. It will also feature colored asphalt or concrete.

There would be standard bike lanes south of K Street.

DDOT is looking for comments.

Comments

[Purple Eagle]

How would a southbound cyclist exit the cycle track to continue on 1st St or turn right onto K St? For two blocks, it seems it would be easier to take the lane.

[darren]

@jeff, i'm guessing they're going with the cycletrack less because it's warranted by actual conditions, and more because they want to provide the closest thing they can to a trail all the way to Union Station, to entire those who aren't comfortable on bike lanes. And DC being able to boast of separated cycling from Union Station to Point X is something....

But building this out two blocks at a time is a bit lame, I hope they consider at least enhancing the existing bike lanes south of K (and southbound cyclists will now have to cross the street again, i guess?). And none of this even touches the mess of 1st St south of G adjacent to Union Station.

[Greenbelt]

I like this idea, even if it's incomplete. A major problem with the MBT is that it's hard for less confident riders or those who don't want to ride in traffic to navigate beyond the trail ramp at M street the rest of the way to downtown. Ultimately, we'd benefit from a seamless protected route from the MBT past Union Station to the PA Ave. center cycleway. (As well as a cross-town east-west cycletrack, of course.) I'd consider taking out a row of parking and doing the same thing on 2nd street NE side also, from K street to Mass Ave, possibly along the east side (!)? The drop off lane by the Kaiser Permanente entrance is always jammed with standing cars and vans on the west side, but maybe a two-way track on the east side would help prevent more standing/circling traffic on that side too? It's a heavily used bike route, but can get chaotic around the Kaiser entrance. They built a very wide sidewalk on the west side, but it's not very crowded, and most bikes don't want to ride on it. Better to have a cycletrack on the east side I'm thinking, but challenges there too with parking entrances.

[Froggie]

IMO, if they're going to do something for bikes between K and M, they need to extend it at least down to Massachusetts, if not extend in both directions (to NY Ave to the north). And make it all bike lanes or all cycletrack....none of this shifting from one to the other halfway.

[Greenbelt]

Froggie -- how about this? At K street, shift the whole two-way cycletrack under the railroad bridge to 2nd street NE! Then south to Mass Ave on the east side of Union Station!

[jason]

Is DDOT planning on doing real outreach on this, or are they just collecting messageboard responses?

[washcycle]

Jason, this is only one part of what they're doing. They are operating on a somewhat constrained schedule however and so are trying to take advantage of new media where they can. I happen to know they spent a couple of days calling stakeholders like ANC members, BID reps, BAC reps, etc...But there isn't time to go to all the community meetings that they would like to go to.

Also define "real outreach" and how using the internet to inform/seek input from the public doesn't fall under that umbrella?

[neb]

why not just connect the k street terminus of the trail to the street via a ramp?

1st street is a mess. It needs - most of its traffic should be diverted over to North Capitol and it made into some kind of low-traffic street. The shuttle buses are also a big problem, that need to be thought of in this plan. They block the bike lanes all the time south of k street.

[washcycle]

neb, the trail doesn't go to k street, but if you mean L street, that's the plan.