Comment on the Penn Ave Bike Lanes (AAA can schedule their victory lap)

I showed the new design for Penn Ave this morning. DDOT is taking comments according to Dr. Gridlock.

DDOT is inviting comment in the revisions. Send an e-mail to [email protected]. Do it soon. The new lanes are scheduled to be completed by mid-June.

And I stand corrected about saying DDOT thought this was not about congestion

DDOT also notes that this new version should ease traffic congestion

So AAA won. I wonder if they're still going to demand all the studies they wanted?

Comments

[Lon]

HA HA HA .... That was easy (pushing my Staples Easy Button)

[bikermark]

Joke perfection, "Lon"

[Bilsko]

So in light of all the attention that the Penn bike lanes (and all the associated signs, arrows, stripes, lights and other markings that go with them) are getting...
here's some food for thought:
"An unassuming Dutch traffic engineer showed that streets without signs can be safer than roads cluttered with arrows, painted lines, and lights. Are we ready to believe him?"
Link: http://goo.gl/MsDK

[Kati]

Additional reviews of the lanes are ongoing and the program is still approved as a pilot, is it not? Although you and AAA Mid-Atlantic may differ in your opinions of the lanes, I think it is fair to say that both groups are still awaiting the final verdict.

Also, I wouldn't consider this to be a win/lose situation.

[todd]

Kati,

AAA-MA has been very outspoken on the Penn. Ave. bike lanes. Does AAA-MA prefer the design that DDOT release today to the current design?

Has AAA-MA studied whether there has been any increase in congestion on Penn. Ave. since DDOT took two lanes away?

I ask you this as a long-time AAA member.

[washcycle]

Kati, you're right. There can be no winners in a war.

[Kati]

@todd: I will check with Public & Govenment Affairs and post with a response. I am out of the office in training today, so it may take a little while so please don't take the delay as indifference. Thanks for your questions!

@washcycle: I spoke with Lon about this and his comment isn't specific to the PA Ave lanes but many decisions being made in D.C. that impact motorists. The "war" is DC motorists vs policy makers, not bikes. You've also said, several times, that you don't feel AAA M-A is anti-bike yet posing this as a win-lose seems indicitave that this is a "for us or against us" mindview.

To be fair, you and many cyclists have asked AAA M-A to be more considerate of cyclists. Is the continuation of divisive language not cementing that motorist vs cyclist mentality - not just with cyclists but with motorists as well? I'm not stupid; I ride and I know those lines exist whether we as cyclists want them or not, but I personally prefer not to resort to using them.

I appreciate your coverage of the lanes and empathise with your situation. Again, these lanes are still in pilot and, as we've seen, changes can still be made.

[Washcycle]

Kati, this is a disagreement about space. And only one group can have that space. I don't see how this could be a win-win. AAA-MA did not want car lanes turned over to bike use for fear of congestion (despite DOT's analysis showed that even at peak drivers were only using 69% of the roadway). Many cyclists do want car lanes made into bike lanes. There is no middle ground in this case, so it really is a "you're with us or you're against us" issue.

As for divisive language, AAA-MA started this. They chose to paint these lanes as congestion-inducing, which is not true, and anti-car, which is also not true. They chose to do this by launching a media blitz so as to create the image of gridlock causing bike lanes in the minds of all who read or watched those stories. They could have come to WABA and discussed their concerns and then gone to DDOT together - y'know the way adults do. But they didn't. And they continue to use fear instead of fact to make their case, clearly indicating that they are not willing to give any space, anywhere for cyclists. The DDOT director changed plans because he saw drivers using the bike lanes illegally - which is not something AAA ever warned of so it isn't like they were "right".

AAA didn't want to give up traffic lanes - and now they haven't. How is that not winning?

Cyclists wanted wider lanes with buffers, and now they don't have them. How is that not losing?

[Jan]

I think the new configuration is not safe for the reason that there is little to keep cars from venturing into the bike lane. I think poles between the bike lane and the car lane of some sort is the only solution here, or at least really bumpy things in the roadway. Is this possible? I wrote in to DDOT to suggest this.

[darren]

@WC, in your rundown of the final score, I would add pedestrians as another stakeholder punted to the 'loser' bin. An unintended casualty of the 'war', i guess. The implemented design didn't impact them at all. The revised design puts them directly in the path of thru-bike traffic on their 'refuge'.

@Jan, the Commission on Fine Arts is empowered to maintain Monsieur L'Enfant's beautiful asphalt/thermoplast plains. Bollards, colored lanes, and other countermeasures would taint that pristine beauty, or so we hear. It's all moot now, but with some actual experimentation, and maybe some compromise, smart folks could have come up with some aesthetically pleasing countermeasures for this alleged stray car issue.

Better World Club!
http://www.betterworldclub.com/

[Kati]

@Washcycle - Given that both cars and bikes will be using the road, does that not indicate that both groups "have" that space? Perhaps not in the same capacity that was desired by cyclists, but certainly not eliminated entirely.

I was only trying to convey that your comment on victory laps (I felt) fell more into antagonism than disagreement. It negates what AAA M-A is trying to improve upon (and what it has done). Is AAA M-A pleased that the lanes are being revisited, yes, but that's the long and short of it. I haven't been able to access my work email so I can't tell you the sentiment towards the new design, per todd's initial comment above.

In the discussions at AAA M-A, I've not heard mention of a "win" or "loss" regarding this issue. Will AAA M-A ascend to the high level of support you are asking for? I don't think they can make that promise. Are there active conservations going on regarding ways the company can improve - absolutely.

Finally, if roles were reversed and AAA M-A said "you started it" to cylists, that would absolutely - and with good reason - not float. AAA M-A may have kicked off conversations regarding the lanes, but the company by no means started the cyclist vs. motorist mentality. That way of thinking impairs both groups as it reinforces that there can be no compromise or coexistence.

Again, since internet conversations feel different than offline, I want to stress that I completely respect (and certainly can empathize with) your positiong and always appreciate the takeaways from our exchanges.

[washcycle]

Kati, this is not a continuation of motorist-vs-cyclist feud. This is AAA-MA-vs-cyclists which is different, because AAA-MA does not speak for motorists (though they like to pretend they do). So this disagreement has nothing to do with the one you're invoking. This is a policy disagreement.

Since only 10 people in the whole region bothered to write in against the bike lanes, as opposed to 300+ who were for them, and since motorists far outnumber cyclists, I think it is more likely that motorists are fine with these bike lanes. It is only AAA-MA who opposes them and I, for one, would appreciate it if they would quit saying things like "drivers are worried..." when they have no idea what drivers are thinking. They know what AAA-MA is thinking and so they should say "We are worried..." That would be more truthful, right?

So again, this is not motorists-vs-cyclists. It is AAA-MA-vs-cyclists. Different issue entirely.

[Chris]

Washcycle, I don't think the data you cite is really necessarily a fair measurement of the views held by the two constituencies. I'm betting - and I don't have any numbers to back this up - that most people (pro or con) are indifferent to the PA bike lanes.

[washcycle]

By fine, I meant indifferent.

[todd]

Kati,

I will wait for your response here. I understand that you were out of the office, but I did not want you to think that I did not actually want a response.