FY 2010 DDOT Budget Hearing

That's six hours of my life that I'll never get back. They say watching government is like watching sausage being made. Incorrect. Watching sausage being made might be interesting. Watching the DDOT Budget hearing was like watching sausage watch the DDOT budget hearing. Snoozeville. Anyway, if I missed anything important it was because I was asleep or praying for the sweet release of death.

The whole thing was so much fun that they broke it up into two pieces. (part 1 and part 2). This was the hearing that Jim Graham asked the BAC to rally bicyclists to attend to stand up for the $1.5M bicycle and pedestrian safety fund. Sadly, none did.

David Alpert of GGW was in attendance and asked that the council support the safety fund, but he was really there to express concern about the performance parking revenue change (also an issue of import to cyclists - more on that to come) and to support streetcars. He also suggested that protected bike lanes be added to M and 11th Streets SE and in locations in Ward 1.

John Macgregor, with Politics and Prose Climate Action Project, supported creating more space for bikes and had questions about the SmartBike program which he didn't ask due to a lack of time.

In addition to these people, There were a couple of parents who came to speak on the subject of Safe Routes to Schools.

Council Member Tommy Wells, in response to concerns about the 11th Street Bridge, talked about how it would improve the commute for cyclists by creating a safer lane. He then segued into a statement about how the District needs more bike parking. The bike parking he had them add to the Wilson Building a couple of years ago, for example, was already completely filled. He said that DC, in general, doesn't do a good job of giving cyclists a place to park their bike - and that the transition from classic parking meters to the new multi-space parking meters is not helping. He said that he likes bike lanes but, they just give you a line of paint and he'd like to see more separation including cycletracks and separate lights at intersections. He likes SmartBike but doesn't think it helps people commute (though I seem to remember that they said their peak use times were in the rush hour periods making them theorize that some are using them to commute) because there aren't enough places to park. He eventually wants to turn 17th SE/NE and Independence SE into 2-way streets, something he thinks the new 11th Street Bridge will facilitate.

Then there was a long grilling of new DDOT director Gabe Klein much of which was about staffing. After that, they discussed some specific projects, including:

The rebuild of 18th Street in Adams Morgan. It's set to begin in October and end in a year.

The H Street/Benning Road rebuild is about 6 months behind. Apparantly DDOT tore up the road and asked PEPCO if they wanted to do anywork. PEPCO said no and DDOT began to repave. Then PEPCO had a transformer blow and came out and tore up all of DDOT's work. DDOT is eager to take away PEPCO's right to tear up the road whenever they want. So the H Street/Benning Road project will be completed in the summer of 2010.

CM Graham asked about the $60k the Council allotted for the parking assessment and Mr. Klein said that it is being worked on and will be completed in July. The $18k for a road safety advertisement campaign is in the process of being transferred to WABA. There was a mention of the $1.5M Bicycle and
Pedestrian Fund but only that it had been removed last year and then reinstated this year.

And the last thing of note is that more mult-ispace meters are coming. These are going to be in the downtown BID area. Let's see if they come with more bike racks as DDOT has promised.

Photo by runningafterantelope

Comments

[Richard Layman]

Better you than me. Of course, if we had a transportation vision plan, presumably there would be a greater focus on the things that matter.

I hope to finally have my "2009" version of a vision plan ready some time this month.

It's a lot more elaborate than last year's version, because it will be structured first with organizing principles, then implementing principles, and then laying out what should be all of the elements in a local transportation plan, and then within that context a structured wishlist.

[Laura Walsh]

Yes! Thanks for sitting through that, I never could. Also immensely enjoyed the "Watching the DDOT Budget hearing was like watching sausage watch the DDOT budget hearing."

What did they say about staffing?

(that's my red hair and polka dots in the photo!)

[Washcycle]

As I recall the staffing discussion was focused on how much money the positions being eliminated were paid. Were they high-paying jobs, low-paying jobs, union jobs? I wasn't paying enough attention to tell what Jim Graham's point was.