DDOT to present K Street NE road diet plans tomorrow

Back in 2017, DDOT prepared a Vision Zero corridor study of K St NE extending from 12th St NE to 1st St. NE. DDOT decided that it wanted to remove rush-hour restrictions on residential parking as part of a road diet and came up with four alternatives. Alternatives 1-3 put cyclists in shared lanes, but alternative 4 removed parking from one side to make bike lanes and in the underpass below the railroad tracks removed a lane of the road to create a cycletrack. 

At the ANC 6C meeting at the time, the ANC was supportive of the idea, even while neighbors complained about the loss of parking. 

More than twenty area residents were present to voice their opinions on the bike and traffic study. They pointed to the impact of proposed changes – in particular the loss of parking and related access to homes on or near K Street NE for families, seniors and those with less mobility. Many said that insufficient study and data collection had been undertaken to approve the concept at this point.

Many residents said they felt that the convenience and safety of cyclists passing through their community was being prioritized over access to their homes by car and over resident safety. One pointed out that while a car had recently struck an adult with children at Sixth and K Streets NE, a pedestrian had also recently been attacked in the early morning hours at Second and K Streets NE. The resident argued that compelling residents to walk great distances between their homes and cars puts them in danger.

And DDOT said they were still in the design phase

Buck said the next step for the project was to produce a second design concept based on the additional information accumulated in public meetings and in data collection.

Well, that next step is over. 

ANC 6C is holding a special meeting on Thursday, Jan 24 from 7-9pm at the Kaiser Permanente Capitol Hill Medical Center, 700 2nd St NE. At this meeting, DDOT's Emily Dalphy will present final draft plans for the K St. NE road diet (from 2nd to Florida Ave) including bike lanes (between 2nd & 6th NE) and possibly early concept plans for K st. protected bike lanes east of 2nd NE.

People who care about such a facility would do well to show up and voice their support. Or at least learn about it. 

Comments

[eric]

hoping that whatever they do between N Cap and 1st NE is safe enough to get me off the sidewalk on that block

[NE rider]

The sidewalk is pleasantly wide there, no reason to be in the street for me. Seems like new bike facilities could share space with pedestrians in this case, without needing to remove parking.

But if Pepco gets permission to build their substation on K St, there goes the sidewalk.

[eric]

agreed, decent sidewalk with little pedestrian traffic west of North Capitol. The sidewalk between North Capitol and 1st NE is worse, though - root damage + narrower - and the street is not very comfortable.