Bike lanes around Stanton Park

Back in 2011, DDOT kicked off a process to improve pedestrian safety along Maryland Avenue. Two years later that resulted in a plan and in 2013 a pilot project was implemented at 7th and Maryland NE. Not much has happened with it since, but I'm not sure that I wrote about this then.

One of the things that project included was filling in the gap in the 4th and 6th Street bike lanes along the Park, as well as adding a bike land to C Street south of the Park.

It would also add sharrows for the length of Maryland Ave from 3rd to 15th Street. No word on when any of this will be done though. 

I bike around Stanton a lot and a bike lane on the south side makes a lot of sense. In fact, I was once yelled at by a driver to get in the bike lane there; so after many years, I will finally be able to comply. 

Comments

[NearNEer]

Excellent!

Every day I take the lane on 4th street southbound to go through the square and at least once a week someone passes me with about a foot to spare - to stop at the red light a block later on Constitution.

[Ampersand]

I just hope the MD Ave sharrows don't prevent the promised road diet + bike lanes that's been in the works for years.

Lanes through the circle are a nice idea... if they're respected by drivers. Unfortunately there is a lot of swerving across lanes by people who don't pay attention to what they're doing until they realize they're in a left-turn-only lane and actually want to turn right. I've commuted by bike through this circle (in both directions) for 3+ years and the sheer stupidity of some people is amazing.

Also also, I finally gave up on biking 6th St thanks to DC Water turning the road into an apocalyptic wasteland over the last year. 3rd doesn't have a bike lane but at least I don't have to use a mountain bike to ride it.

[DaveS]

Changes for the Maryland Ave corridor have been under consideration for almost a decade now. They were a significant topic around the Northeast Library community when we were visiting it weekly to satiate our avid picture book reader in 2005, 2006. 2011 was the year DDOT "got serious" about making them happen.

Our reader is now 12, and change has not been implemented in any way.

Some parts of the 2013 pilot plan were modified and installed in mid 2014, as a temporary emergency measure, after a pedestrian was struck and seriously injured at that intersection. Other elements such as lane removal are tied up in environmental and historic review.

As of July 2014, which is the most recent update I've seen, DDOT seemed to be in a standoff over proceeding with lane removal. To get approval they need to demonstrate that it would be effective, but to show that they need to try it, but they can't try it without approval that they can't get unless they can demonstrate it'll work.

Meanwhile, this stretch of Maryland Ave has seen nearly 200 crashes and 10 struck cyclists or pedestrians in the last 7 years. At this rate our reader will be driving herself before these ped / bike changes happen.

[Greg]

Drivers are really aggressive around Stanton Park when you try to ride from the bike lane at 4th & Mass Ave to 4th & Maryland Ave. One incident that sticks out in particular was when some jerk just laid on his horn at a mother riding with her toddler noticeably strapped in on the back of her bike as she navigated between the two bike lanes on 4th. Probably scared the bejesus out of both mother and especially child...for what reason! Some people are just unbelievable.

[Mike Goodno]

This is Mike Goodno, Bicycle Program Specialist at DDOT. We will be installing bike lanes on 4th and 6th Streets around Stanton Park this summer. Bike lanes on C Street are a component of the Maryland Avenue redesign and will be implemented with that project.

[Zack Rules]

I bike this route every day, can't wait for the summer. @MikeDDOT Any chance you could add some bollards along the bike lane where there are solid lines? On 6th St/Maryland Ave, people who drive routinely cross the solid line when they find themselves in the wrong lane.