"Safe Streets" for Bicyclists

An opinion writer to the post ask that half of the city streets be turned over to cyclists.

For example, even-numbered streets and D, F, H, K, M streets, etc., would be for bicyclists. Residents and those making deliveries or carrying out other local functions would still be allowed to drive and park on biking streets, but only if they observed a very low speed limit, such as 15 mph. On diagonal avenues and the remaining streets (odd-numbered streets and C, E, G, I, L streets, etc.), motor vehicle traffic would continue as it does today.

This arrangement would give both cars and bicycles full access to every part of the city while providing meaningful safety to bicyclists and still permitting mostly normal speeds for cars.

I don't think we're there yet, but I'd like to see some bike boulevards go in.

Comments

[w]

sounds like a worthwhile goal.

Im of the same opinion- we need some bicycle tracks in the city- especially on the major arteries.

[Chris]

It's not clear to me whether this is a proposal for the entire city, or just the downtown core. Some of the streets named, of course, are in the downtown core, and in that sense I'm wondering about the utility of the proposal - particularly in the daylight hours when most of these streets are all clogged up and bicycles are quite literally going faster then motorized vehicles.

[w]

Not all cyclists wish to go fast - some wish to use bicycles for everyday utilitarian purposes.

[Chris]

Putting aside the fact that fast and utilitarian are mutually exclusive, most of the streets downtown are clogged up for most of the day - even you, going 5 mph, can zip past the cars.

[Brendan]

Slippery slope to bicycle ghettos. Ask a crusty traffic engineer about flow on an urban road network where capacity is reduced by half. The traffic on I Street has been packed since they closed Pennsylvania Avenue, and that was just one road.

Please. Bikes are as fast as cars on most DC streets, and cyclists know which streets to avoid where that's not the case.

[Chris]

Agreed with Brendan - and, in fact, on the part of town where bicycles are explicitly forbidden from riding on the sidewalk, even the slowest of cyclists are generally going at least the speed of cars - all other places, if you're really *that* slow, you can ride on the sidewalk.

[g]

I would like to see bike lanes or tracks (or bike boulevards) in part to make it easier & safer to pass all those cars that I can go faster than (whether I'm going 5 or 20 mph).

I don't feel as unsafe taking the lane in moving traffic as I do squeezing between cars in stopped or very slow-moving traffic (or passing them on the right) not knowing when they will suddenly turn or switch lanes (often without signaling).

I'd like to see dedicated bike facilities on all kinds of streets.

[w]

I am not a vehicular cyclist and I would love to see dedicated separated bikeways that are protected from auto traffic in downtown DC.

I do not care whether or not some cyclists wish to go fast - and to ride w/ the cars - but I would like fair treatment also- and Im telling you now- having these facilities will bring a lot more people into cycling as it will be seen as safer than risking one's ass jostling with Virginia soccer moms in SUVs and crazy cabbies going way too fast.