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Dear DC Bicyclists and Pedestrians,
Clearing bicycle facilities in the blizzard proved to be a challenge due to the conditions and the amount of snow. On Saturday there was too much snow for the special equipment to move the snow in the narrower bike lanes. Crews did manage to clear much of the Metropolitan Branch Trail and the Pennsylvania Avenue cycle track.We will try again Monday and Tuesday when we have more staff and equipment available and warmer temperatures. It could be a few days before all the protected lanes are clear.Regular lanes are normally cleared by regular plow on their regular shifts. However, because of the large amount of snow, plows can not get as close to the curb or the parked cars as needed to clear the lanes. Thus it will likely be several days before the regular bike lanes are clear. In the mean time, bikes share the road with motor vehicles so we ask both to use caution.DDOT and DPW crews are also working on clearing bridge sidewalks. Once again, due to the large amount of snow, most of these are still full of snow due that was cleared from the adjacent roadway. It may may a few days before all of these sidewalks are clear.For reglar sidewalks, we continue to ask residents and business to clear their sidewalks as soon as possible for critical safety and access.We also ask motorists to drive slowly and watch for pedestrians in the roadway.Please use 311 to report uncleared facilities and/or email me directly with locations, conditions, updates, etc. ([email protected])For Rock Creek Trail, Capital Crescent Trail, and Mt Vernon Trail, contact the National Park Service.Capital Bikeshare is closed today (Monday) while crews clear out stations. There has been no decision yet on when we will be able to reopen.
Dear DC Pedestrians,
We're sorry that plowing the streets actually makes it more difficult to cross the street by piling huge mounds of snow at crosswalks. We wish we could do more but that would cost money and we spent all our money on making sure people can drive easily.
Love,
DDOT
Posted by: Uptowner | January 25, 2016 at 03:35 PM
@uptowner
I think Jim Sebastian wrote the above. I saw his post on the Facebook metro branch Trail. He stated he was trying to plow that trail....he wrote it like he went out there and tried to plow himself.
Its been unusual weather for the region so give DDOT a break.
I have a neighbor that works for DDOT that has hardly slept over the past 3 days.....
Yes I do agree they should be more respectful of bike lanes regarding plowing.
Posted by: Brett Young | January 25, 2016 at 08:12 PM
@Brett,
Fair point. Since I wrote that comment, I've personally seen DDOT crews doing some great work clearing sidewalks and crosswalks. It still gets me quite frustrated at the cars-first attitude of this city. It stems from Mayor Bowser who refuses to fine people for not shoveling sidewalks but institutes fines for people walking in the streets as a direct result of the unshoveled sidewalks. That is a hateful anti-pedestrian policy, if you ask me. With plowed streets and closed offices, drivers are again driving at 30-40mph on many major streets, but with unplowed sidewalks, people are forced to walk on those same streets. This is a recipe for injury and death, and it's wholly unnecessary. Poor leadership from Bowser, who utterly lacks vision except of the CYA kind.
Posted by: Uptowner | January 26, 2016 at 10:10 AM
#visionzero
Think about it...if walking is abolished, you won't have any pedestrian fatalities.
Posted by: walker | January 26, 2016 at 10:48 AM
The current mayor's previous gig was as Ward 4 rep. Here's Ward 4:
https://goo.gl/maps/ZxbkYDKesPD2
Is it shocking she has an auto-centric outlook?
Posted by: oboe | January 26, 2016 at 10:59 AM
You guys know that they clear the streets for Emergency services, which happen to be trucks, cars and other motor vehicles, not because people should be driving. DDOT and DC gov spent the last 4 days ACTIVELY ENCOURAGING people to stay home, regardless of mode. They FINED people who got stuck and screwed up plowing efforts to IMPROVE EMERGENCY ACCESS.
This point cannot be understated. Fire Trucks and Police Cars are motor vehicles you WANT to have access to your neighborhoods.
Posted by: NG | January 26, 2016 at 11:52 AM
Brett,
I can confirm Jim Sebastian was doing a lot of the snow clearance himself using the small 4WD vehicle DDOT has for plowing bike facilities. I think the city's response on the pedestrian environment has been the real sore spot for me. I fully expect to wait a week or more before biking again due to snow volumes and black ice, but my alternative, walking, needs to have better accommodation than "don't walk in the street!" scolding. Public tax dollars are going to clear the roads, and that is part of why the sidewalks are obstructed, especially at crosswalks.
Posted by: Will | January 26, 2016 at 01:51 PM
I was going to say something similar to what NG did - which is that it's not really car first, but ambulance first. Which to me makes sense. But I feel like the lag before pedestrian facilities are properly addressed is too long. Also DC didn't exactly spend the last 4 days encouraging everyone to stay home. DC govt was open on Friday and Tuesday after all.
Posted by: washcycle | January 26, 2016 at 03:32 PM
This may sound a bit odd, but I've never felt safer in DC than this weekend. People in cars actually drove the speed limit, yielded to me when crossing, and the ad hoc pedestrian at every intersections made me feel like I finally had priority over people in cars.
DDOT, please do not plow any more. Give me some Ice-nine and watch as people actually like walking around DC.
Posted by: eawrist | January 26, 2016 at 05:58 PM
One of the funny things about snowstorms is that, after the storm:
- Lots of people start walking
- City employees fall over themselves to get everyone driving instead
I wonder what would happen if the entire post-storm city effort was aimed at making walking work well and getting Metrorail running? That would be too limited to get the city working again but sure would be nice for a while.
The above, plus a focus on bus routes, freight routes and a ban on private automobiles might get things going again, but transit would be over-crowded. I wonder if any city has ever tried a 100% public transit snow response?
Posted by: Jonathan Krall | January 26, 2016 at 09:27 PM
Here we I live in Fairfax County we have the phenomenon of an over-engineered four-lane roadway essentially getting a snow-created road diet, which for a few days lowered average speeds. Then today the sidewalk along this same road, which had been shoveled with great effort, was covered over by bulldozers making sure all four lanes are available for cars again. It's outrageous.
Posted by: Damien | January 27, 2016 at 11:17 AM
Biked in today from Cap Hill to Foggy Bottom. Pen Ave is in great shape. Best I have ever seen after a storm.
Bike lanes on the Hill are filled with snow though.
Posted by: Cap Hill Keith | January 27, 2016 at 11:43 AM
The sidepath along Pennsylvania Ave SE east of the river is fine except for the long portions along NPS land which are untouched.
Posted by: washcycle | January 27, 2016 at 11:57 AM
They did that in our section of Arlington too--plowed snow across sidewalks that people had cleared.
The Custis trail was mostly clear this morning. Just a few patches and, for some reason, almost all of the Rosslyn section still having snow--perhaps plows put back snow that had been cleared, I dunno. Southeast side of Key Bridge had been cleared.
Posted by: DE | January 27, 2016 at 01:12 PM