TheWashCycle

Wake me up before you Dormsjo

DDOT Director Leif Dormsjo is leaving for a job at the engineering firm Louis Berger.

In an interview Tuesday night, Dormsjo said he informed Bowser of his decision last week, and though she tried to talk him out of it, he said, “I’d made up my mind.”

“I just decided that I wanted to begin the next stage of my career,” Dormsjo said. “It’s never a perfect time to transition, but we’ve accomplished a lot at DDOT over the last few years.”

He was mostly brought in to focus on transit, but he's been involved in biking issues as well.

Dormsjo was also instrumental in creating the city’s Vision Zero plan, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024. As part of the initiative, the city has began (sic) to adopt new strategies for enforcement, public education and street engineering, and also is expected to expand the city’s sidewalk and bicycle network.

During his tenure, Dormsjo pushed for higher traffic fines, including a failed attempt to introduce a $1,000 ticket for “super speeders.” Though the plan was widely criticized, Dormsjo defended it, saying the higher penalties were intended to deter dangerous behaviors responsible for many of the city’s traffic fatalities. Upping traffic fines, Dormsjo said, was key to leveling the playing field in a region where the District’s “fine regime is the weakest.”

My take on Dormsjo was that he was a low-key guy who tried to balance the transportation needs of the various constituencies in the city. I saw him defend higher fines on drivers, but also the need to for on-street parking. If I were to give him high praise for anything from a biking perspective, it would be that he promoted people who were for better biking and put them in positions of power. On the downside, it feels to me like we could be moving forward a lot faster (when I look at other cities and other times here).

Still, time marches on and DC will need a new Transportation Director. Ideas?

DDOT wants to train construction managers and utility companies on work zone bicycle traffic control plans

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Public Space Regulation Division  will launch a series of Bike Work Zone Training sessions. The trainings will be conducted in real-time traffic and will demonstrate how work zone bicycle traffic control plans increase safety for bicyclists.

The first sessions will be held Thursday, July 13, with a Friday, July 14, rain date. One training will demonstrate how to set up standard bike work zone traffic control plans for scheduled work in public space. A simultaneous training will demonstrate how to set up bike work zone traffic control plans for unscheduled emergency work in public space. 

What:                   Bicycle Work Zone Trainings  

When:                  Thursday, July 13 (Rain Date: Friday, July 14)
Where To Meet:   Corner of 15th and U Street NW, Washington 20009

Time:                    9:30 am – 12:30 pm 

The trainings are highly recommended for construction managers and utility companies, but all are welcome to attend. Due to the overwhelming requests for this training, reservations are required. Additional sessions will be announced in the coming weeks.

To RSVP, contact Deborah Williams at [email protected] or (202) 671-2555.  

For more information about DDOT’s Public Space Regulation Division, please contact (202) 442-4670, or click TOPS to access the online permitting system.

WABA's oversight hearing testimony

The DC Council has been holding its annual oversight hearings for the District's departments, agencies, councils and other organizations, and WABA has been going to select meeting to testify.

At the DPW oversight hearing they focused on parking in bike lanes and DPR's role in enforcement of parking. 

This is a problem with parking enforcement priorities. DPW is listed as a supporting agency in the Vision Zero Action Plan strategy to protect vulnerable users through “enhanced enforcement that focuses on . . . parking in [or] blocking bike lanes.” A central tenet of Vision Zero is that agencies prioritize safety over convenience. In general, the DPW enforcement data demonstrates a pervasive failure to do so. For example: combined tickets for blocking a bike lane, blocking a fire hydrant, or blocking a bus stop, all of which put people in actual danger, numbered just over 20,000 or 2.8% of total tickets. The District issued three times as many (or more than 60,000) tickets for residential parking permit violations, which are important, but ultimately a matter of convenience rather than safety.

WABA members have also reported a different barrier to effective bike lane parking enforcement: Currently, the city’s 311 system doesn’t have a clear way for residents to report blocked bike lanes.

At the DPR hearing they were interested in ways they can work with DPR to provide more bicycle programming and education.

In the past year, we have made numerous attempts to connect with DPR leadership at multiple levels, applied to their community partnership program, and offered to train their staff. We have received mixed messages at best, outright denials at worst. Truly, it should not be so difficult to connect the people of DC with services and opportunities they clearly want

And at the DDOT hearing they focused on "the agency’s progress on ensuring safe accommodations for bicyclists through construction work zones, and the pace at which bike infrastructure and other multi-modal safety projects are being implemented."  WABA raised concerns with how permits are issued and how they're enforced, damningly noting that

In the past year, a single dedicated WABA member has reported to the public space office nearly one hundred safe accommodation violations along his commute. This individual’s near daily documentation of violations, more than anything, has revealed the shortcomings of the public space office’s ability to take in complaints, rapidly respond to those complaints, or create a process for ensuring that permit violators are in compliance before they are allowed to resume work.

and, or course, about the pace

The 2014 Move DC two year action plan called for 15 miles of new on-street bicycle infrastructure. We are nowhere close to that pace, and never have been, as we point out every year.

They note that the Florida Avenue project seems to prioritize moving cars, that the Rhode Island project doesn't adequately address bicycling in the corridor, and that the East Capitol Street Bridge rehab will "move forward with the same substandard sidewalk which is stressful and dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists", etc... Basically, everything is behind schedule or off the pace of plans and this is pretty much how it has been for 15 years. Either there is a problem in goal setting or in 

we need a transportation agency that is clear about its goals and meeting them. We understand the projects are getting harder, require extensive public outreach and lengthy planning. This underscores the need for deeper buy-in and contribution from the full agency, and a powerful vision and approach that can galvanize citizen support for these projects

Meanwhile, the BAC testified at the MPD oversight hearing, bringing up issues of MPD involvement in the BAC, enforcement with respect to dangerous and distracted driving and bicycle theft.

Every year there are hundreds of reports of stolen bicycles and, since a 2014 study put the report rate at 35%, likely thousands more that are stolen and not reported. The same study found that about half of all cyclists will have a bicycle stolen in the next 10 years. So this is a serious problem and the BAC is interested in seeing more robust reporting of bicycle theft statistics, numbers which are hard or, in some cases impossible, to find. The recent Bicycle and Pedestrian safety bill had several provisions on reporting violation, crash, injury and fatality data on the premise that such reporting could shed a light on both problems and solutions. We believe the same is true of theft, and that reporting the numbers of bikes stolen, the number recovered and the clearance rate would serve the same utility. We’d like to know more about what MPD is doing to prevent bicycle theft and to recover and return stolen bikes.

From the Archives: The woeful state of DC bicycle funding in 1983

In 1983 DC wasn't doing a very good job of funding bicycle projects. The District wasn't even committing enough money to get the full federal match, leaving more than $1.3 million on the table. The DC Council was authorizing the money ($465,000 in 1982), but the Mayor just wasn't spending it. 

Michael Replogle, now the Deputy Commissioner for Policy the NYC Department of Transportation, then the chair of the government affairs committee of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, wrote a letter to the Capitol Hill Gazette to complain about the low level of investing. [You might remember Replogle from his efforts to close Beach Drive to automobile traffic in 1981 or to make Bethesda more walkable in 2009]

Forces start to rally around a Viers Mill Hawk beacon, but SHA is resistent

Since the death of Oscar Mauricio Gutierrez Osorio of Silver Spring in the Matthew Henson Trail crossing of Viers Mill Road, which came less than a year after a similar fatal crash in the same place, activist have been encouraging the State Highway Administration to add a HAWK beacon to the crossing. Unfortunately, the SHA seems to think the problem is user error.

The highway administration said it has installed additional flashers on both sides of the road, as well as in the median. The problem, said David Buck, an SHA spokesman, is that engineering solutions alone cannot prevent all fatalities. Enforcement and education are also needed — catching speeding drivers and encouraging cyclists and pedestrians to activate the flashers.

Unfortunately, Buck said, citing a crash report and Montgomery County police officials, the two cyclists in the deadly collisions did not push the button to activate the flashers.

Sigh. When Frank Towers went through, there were no flashers or button to press, so yeah, I can't say I'm surprised that he didn't push it. 

“Not only do we want them to push the button to engage the flashers . . . we also want them to dismount the bike and walk across,” Buck said.

That seems unreasonable to me, and I'm not sure how walking their bike makes them any safer. Pedestrians are at risk here too.  But that really is their policy, they should get rid of this sign, which confusingly shows someone riding their bike across.

Bike Maryland has a petition which you can sign asking for a HAWK beacon

Bike Maryland strongly urges the State Highway Administration to install a HAWK beacon, not only at this crosswalk but as needed at other crosswalks throughout the state.

A 2010 FHWA study found that HAWK Beacons, also known as pedestrian hybrid beacons, reduced total crashes by 29%, reduced severe crashes by 15%, and reduced pedestrian crashes by 69%. http://tinyurl.com/hawkbeacons

Locally, both Virginia and Washington, DC use HAWK Beacons effectively. Virginia has effectively deployed them at the crossings along the W&OD Trail. Field data from Washington, DC reported a driver compliance rate of 97.1%. http://tinyurl.com/hawkeval

Bike Maryland had asked for the installation of a HAWK beacon before this crash, back in May when they held a vigil and installed a ghost bike at the site. One big problem

Maryland law does not permit the use of the pedestrian hybrid beacon.

Seriously? Maryland law says that its not illegal to crash in a cyclist in the crosswalk and now that they can't install a HAWK beacon. Does Maryland have the worst laws in the country or what? [They also have a straight contributory negligence standard].

Cedric Ward, director of traffic and safety at the SHA, said that “concerns from a safety standpoint” dissuaded Maryland officials from approving the use of the beacon. Because the beacon changes to a flashing red light at the end of a pedestrian’s crossing, there were fears that a pedestrian would get halfway out through the crosswalk only to have a vehicle proceed when the red light begins to flash, Ward said.

“There would have to be a change in . . . the law for a HAWK to be installed,” Buck said.

Meanwhile the Montgomery County Council, after sending a letter last January asking for SHA to expedite the installation of flashing lights, is now calling for a HAWK as well. 

[Hans] Riemer, the council member, said there is a need to “fundamentally change the dynamic” at the crosswalk. As he sees it, “the State Highway Administration is prioritizing long trips. They want to move cars quickly over long distances.” Instead, Riemer wants the needs of the local community prioritized — the first step being the installation of a stop signal.

They also asked that the law that allowed the driver in the Towers case to walk away without so much as a fine be amended

WABA has also called for a HAWK beacon here as well, as they had done before

WABA pleaded with engineers to design and constructed a traffic light or HAWK signal which would require drivers to come to a full stop. The request was denied, now with deadly consequences.

Fixing the Matthew Henson Trail crossing at Viers Mill Road is just the beginning. This needs to happen now to prevent future injuries and death at this location. But there are dozens of other trail crossings in the Montgomery and Prince George’s County that need attention too.

The delegation from Maryland’s 19th District sent a letter to SHA that did not prescribe a solution but calling on the SHA to "execute a thoughtful solution."

Still SHA sticks to the position that this really dangerous crosswalk that you shouldn't even bike across is for some unknown reason not attracting a lot of traffic and so no new safety features are warranted. 

The SHA said that there are not enough pedestrians using the crossing to justify a pedestrian-activated stop signal.

There are so few pedestrians and bicyclists at the crosswalk during the week and at night, Buck said, that drivers probably would ignore a stop signal.

“We have to make sure . . . are we encouraging people to run red lights?” Buck said.

We can't install a traffic light because drivers would just learn to ignore it? Remember that next time the scofflaw cyclist meme comes out. 

Riemer broached the idea of building a flyover or a pedestrian tunnel as a longer-term solution, but Buck cautioned that either alternative would be difficult to implement.

The bridge would need additional space on either end to allow for a gradual gradient, he said, but a stream traversing Veirs Mill Road poses problems. And a tunnel, he said, would be “very rare” and similarly difficult to build.

SHA's solution

“It’s a combination of everybody . . . doing the right thing 100 percent of the time,” he said.

Perfection? Why hasn't anyone thought of that? Yeah if everyone would just do the right thing 100% of the time that would make the roads much safer. 

Incorporating On-Road Bicycle Networks into Resurfacing Projects

That's the name of a reference document issued by the Federal Highway Administration last month. 

It's got a lot of local flavor since it was put together by Toole Design and their consultant team includes Heather Deutsch - formerly of DDOT - and Darren Flusche - formerly of LAB - among others. DDOT's Mike Goodno and Alexandria's Hillary Poole are thanked up front and several examples in the booklet come from the area.

It talks about the resurfacing planning process and when bike facilities should come into the mix (as soon as the list of streets to be resurfaced is completed, basically). It makes the case that integrating bikeway planning with resurfacing planning is best, and lists Oakland as an example. Some of the ideas for how to add bike facilities include road diets, parking removal, shoulder paving.

It's about 65% cheaper to add bike lanes with resurfacing than to just go in and repaint. 

DC's 2005 Bike Plan, a progress report

When Jim Sebastian was hired as the bicycle coordinator for DDOT in 2001, a position which had been empty for a decade at the time, one of the first things he did was to get to work on a new Bicycle Master Plan. The previous plan - the only one DC had ever had - was written in 1976. 

The 1976 Bicycle Plan called for approximately 16 miles of bike lanes, 17 miles of trails, and 38 miles of signed bike routes.

As the 2005 plan notes, some of these bikeways were completed in the 1980s, but even this unambitious plan was never fully implemented. [[FIll in with year that there were that many miles of bike lanes]]

The 2005 plan laid out, in Table 3, specific recommendations for the next 10 years. These recommendations have always been treated as goals ,as I understand it, so I'm treating them as such. Now that it's 2016, we can look at how well DDOT has achieved these goals.

Goal 1.1: 150 miles of Signed Bicycle Routes - DDOT has only installed about 12-15 miles of signed bike routes. But to be fair, this doesn't seem to be something people are clamoring for. I don't recall anyone complaining about this, so DDOT is probably wise to redirect the efforts elsewhere.

Goal 1.2: 60 miles of bicycle lanes - By the end of 2015, DDOT had installed 73 miles of bike lane, included some protected bike lanes, which probably seemed impossible in 2005. In addition they've installed 17.7 miles of shared lanes (sharrows).

Goal 1.3 part 1: Complete the Metropolitan Branch Trail by 2007 - Well, let's just say it was harder than perhaps thought at the time. It's possible this could be completed by the end of 2017.

Goal 1.3 part 2: Complete the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail by 2008 - Also, not easy. There are about 7 of the 19 segments still left to complete, and it will still be many years - perhaps a decade - before they're all completed.

Goal 1.4: Make improvements at 6 bridges from a list of 9 (map 5) - DDOT can count the Roosevelt and the 11th Street Bridges, but I can think of any others. I don't think they got anywhere close to 6.

Goal 1.5:  Install 2000 bicycle parking spaces - Ignoring whatever loss of bike parking resulted from the mass removal of parking meters, DDOT estimates that it has installed at least 2500 racks (for 5000 spaces) since 2005.

Goal 1.6: All parking garages and other off-street parking facilities in compliance with bicycle parking regulations by 2014 - I don't think they have a mechanism for tracking this, beyond complaints, but I'd be surprised if we were at 100% compliance now.

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Goal 2.1:Update of DC planning, laws and regulations - This involves a series of goals such as updating several planning documents, modifying DC regulations and laws and modifying zoning and other such regulations. These weren't all finished in the first three years, but if my memory is correct they've all been done.

Goal 2.2 :Train District staff and consultants about the bike plan, bike planning and bike facility design - This has been done.

Goal 2.3: Review all District of Columbia projects to ensure they provide bicycle accommodation. - I know of a few that got past them, and so there are likely a few I don't know about too. But they didn't budget much money for this so ALL may be a bar too high to reach, at least in the early years

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Goal 3.1: Educate motorists about safe operating behavior around bicyclists - Money has been spent on this - through programs such as street smart and bicycle education classes - but I don't know of any effort to actually measure the effects. It would be great to have a trend of motorist "bicycle IQ" over the last decade, to see if there is a Schwinn Effect, but one doesn't exist

Goal 3.2: Educate bicyclists about safe bicycling - Ditto.

Goal 3.3: Enforce traffic laws related to bicycling.- This is done every year as part of Street Smart. So...Hooray??

Goal 3.4: Establish a Youth Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Education Program. - I don't know if they were hitting the annual goals by number of schools, but in 2015 they started universal bicycle education for 2nd Graders in all DC Schools. That's ahead of the goal of 20 schools by 2015.

Goal 3.5: Distribute the District of Columbia Bicycle Map to a wide audience. - Done. 

I'm not going to give them a grade, but you're welcome to. I will point out that over that 10 years they've also managed to build the bike station, set up Capital Bikeshare, break ground on the Klingle Trail, and rehabilitate the Watts Branch (now Marvin Gaye Park) Trail - none of which were specific goals. You could argue that their goals were not ambitious enough, but mostly they've achieved them

Maryland announces workshops for 2016 bike/ped grant funding. $14 million available.

The Maryland Department Transportation announced this week that $14 million in reimbursable grant funding will be available in 2016 for projects that enhance walking, biking, and recreational trail access statewide.

In March, two workshops will take place to provide local governments and non-profit organizations the opportunity to gather information on state-funded Bikeways, Transportation Alternatives, and Recreational Trails programs.

Additionally, MDOT staff will provide information about applying for designation of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Area at the workshops.  Throughout the year, MDOT staff will meet with representatives from local jurisdictions across the State to discuss in detail bicycle and pedestrian plans and potential projects.  

This is an annual process, and several area projects got funding last year, though last year there was $14.9 million available. Not sure if the drop is because of the new federal "highway" bill or if it's a state decision.

DDOT's High Crash Intersections Report

This past summer as part of the Vision Zero process, DDOT carried out a series of site visits at five intersections noteworthy for the high number of crashes that occur at them. Collectively, these five intersections were the locations of three fatalities and 12 disabling injuries in the last 3½ years.  For each intersection, the report includes crash data, a report on recent and planned improvements, site observations and next steps. The whole report can be read here, but below I've excerpted the bicycle portion of the next steps section for each intersection.

First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE (near Union Station)

1. People biking westbound on Massachusetts Avenue have a difficult time making the left turn onto E Street NE. E Street NE/NW offers a connected bike lane all the way to 13th Street NW and is a popular route. This maneuver currently requires crossing three lanes of vehicular traffic into the turn pocket. Next Step: Explore adding “two-stage” bike turn with bike box in front of vehicles exiting Columbus Plaza. Design: February 2016 Implementation: May 2016
2. People biking southbound on First Street NE have difficulty navigating the trail connection in the westbound Massachusetts direction. There is also some driver confusion with signals on First Street which leads to some conflicts with bicyclists following the bicycle signal. Identify marking changes, such as green paint or clearer delineation. Next Step: Evaluate signal operations and potentially identify signage changes. Design: February 2016 Implementation: May 2016
3. People biking eastbound on Massachusetts have a pocket lane between the right turn lane and the through lane. Stakeholders reported seeing the right turn lane regularly used to bypass queues in an unsafe manner. Next Step: Explore strategies, including: addition of green paint to the pocket lane, improved channelization, or removal of the right turn lane. Design: February 2016 Implementation: May 2016
4. There is not an easy/designated way to bike from the Bikeshare station on 2nd Street to Massachusetts Avenue so riders go through Columbus Plaza, which creates challenges for all users. Next Step Identify potential new or improved facilities. Design: February 2016

Bladensburg Road and New York Avenue NE

1. There are fairly low bicycle volumes at this intersection, but there were nevertheless five bicyclist crashes during the analysis period. Participants discussed the potential to add bike boxes on the Bladensburg Road approaches. One participant said that he has difficulty turning from Bladensburg to Queens Chapel Road and requested a climbing lane on Queens Chapel Road. Next Step: Assess potential for bike improvements at intersections along Bladensburg Road and Queens Chapel Road Evaluation: January 2016 Installation: TBD
2. The Fifth District Police Station on Bladensburg just south of the intersection needs bicycle racks. There are numerous community events held in this building and the existing bike racks are located in a secured area. Next Step: Bicycle racks at Fifth District Police Station Add location to DDOT installation database and schedule for installation. Installation: Summer 2016

14th Street and U Street NW

1. There are concerns with “right hooks” for bikes (when vehicles turn across a bike lane and collide with people biking) along 14th Street. Green pavement markings and stronger markings continuing through intersections may be improvements to highlight the visibility of people biking. Next Step: Identify interim treatments prior to streetscape project construction, such as green paint treatment. Design: March 2016 Installation: May 2016
2. Participants noted seeing parking in bike lanes frequently, especially at Trader Joe’s. Next Step: Work with DPW and MPD to improve enforcement of parking in bike lanes. Ongoing
3. The streetscape project incorporates bus bulb outs at the intersection, but these could be a concern for people biking if they are not well integrated into the final design. Next Step: Refine streetscape design to address safety for all users. Design: January 2016 Construction: 2017
4. Valet stands conflict with bike lanes and result in parking/pick-up/drop-off in the bike lanes. Next Step: Work with permit holders to improve compliance, including enforcement. January 2016

Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road, NE

1. The intersection is fairly difficult to navigate by bicycle, because of the high turn volumes and narrow roadways. Participants discussed the potential for a bike lane along Minnesota Avenue. While this may be challenging due to traffic and transit volumes, the area can be evaluated for bike facility opportunities. Next Step: Identify potential bicycle access improvements. Evaluation: March 2016 Implementation: TBD

I'll point out that improvements are already planned here as part of the Minnesota Avenue, N.E. Revitalization Phase II Project

M Street and Wisconsin Avenue NW

- No specific bicycle issues were discussed during the site visit. It is likely that the pedestrian and vehicle issues also impact overall bicycle safety

16th Street NW Transit Priority Planning Study

DDOT is hosting its final public meeting on the 16th Street, NW Transit Priority Planning Study on Thrusday, January 21, 2016 at 3:30 to 8pm at the Jewish Community Center (1529 16th Street). The Project's final report doesn't mention bikes very much, except to say that cyclists use the street, that there are a lot of bicycle crashes, and that the Bicycle Master Plan calls for facilities on 16th.

Neighborhoods within the study area including Mount Pleasant, Adams Morgan, and Columbia Heights experience some of the highest percentage bicycle-commute trips in the District. While 16th Street NW is not identified as a primary bike route, bike activity is present. Additionally, a substantial number of bicycle

 

The Bicycle Master Plan calls for future bicycle lanes, on-road separated bicycle facilities, and multi-use trails on numerous additional study area arterial and collector streets, specifically, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th Streets. Additionally, a significant number of bicycle crashes in the District occurred in the 16th Street Corridor project area, particularly in the southern portion near downtown.There is currently no dedicated bike lane or shared transit lane for bicyclists at any point along the 16th Street NW corridor.

 

Field observations confirm that while there is not a dedicated bike lane along the corridor, some bicyclists still use the corridor. Approximately 40 to 50 bicyclists an hour were counted during the peak hours at the southern end of the corridor while less than 10 bicyclists an hour were counted at the north end of the corridor. Bicyclists have been primarily observed riding mixed with traffic due to the lack of dedicated facilities. There are parallel streets that have bike lanes such as 14th Street NW, 15th Street NW and 17th Street NW. These bike lanes, however, are discontinuous on 14th Street NW and 17th Street NW

Still, no bike facilities are are included in this and if the proposed transit lanes are meant to be bike/bus lanes it is never mentioned. MoveDC does not include bike facilities on 16th south of Piney Branch Parkway, but does include a side path along 16th north of Piney Branch all the way to Maryland. Unfortunately, the study area ends one block north of Piney Branch at Arkansas, so it's unlikely to include the trail.

 

All of which is to say that this project might not do anything for cyclists, which is a real shame.