TheWashCycle

East Capitol Street and Benning Road intersection project

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host a public meeting tonight from 7-9pm to take questions and comments on proposed changes to the East Capitol Street and Benning Road intersection in Ward 7.

The intersection of East Capitol Street, Benning Road, Texas Avenue and Central Avenue is a busy and complex intersection in the District. From 2008 to 2010, there were 102 traffic crashes that injured 54 people, including 8 pedestrians. DDOT began a planning study in 2011 to look at safety and access changes to the intersection and the larger corridor. At this meeting, DDOT will present about proposed changes, present the planning study information and proposals for review.

The meeting will be at the Metropolitan Police Department Sixth District Community Room, 100 42^nd Street, NE

Arlington 2016 budget includes proposed cuts to bicycle and pedestrian programs

Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan presented the county's $1.56 Billion budget last month that included an "optional slate of cuts for the Board to consider." 

The “budget reduction options” include $4.1 million in cuts and savings in various parts of the budget, including:

• Reductions to bike and pedestrian programs

Donnellan said her suggested cuts wouldn’t result in “totally outraged” community members, but would likely receive some push back from “interested parties.”

“They’re not core services in the sense of how we deliver day-to-day business,” Donnellan said of the proposals.

Specifically the possible cuts include

• Loss of the remaining dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian safety and access construction projects known as the "decal fee". 
• Elimination of one of DES's dedicated bicycle and pedestrian staff. This will reduce DES's bike/ped staff from two down to one.

From the budget document on how the 1% cuts were determined

My approach was to propose no “Washington Monuments;” to not fully eliminate any program or service; and to largely focus on programs that are not core to public safety or health. Details follow later in this section; this category reflects savings from ...reduction of bike / pedestrian programs previously funded by dedicating a portion of the County’s decal fee;

The impact of reducing one staff member includes:

• Reduces ability to provide timely and complete input on a wide range of planning and policy efforts including sector plans, small area plans, phased development site plans, and County/APS facilities.
• Defers any major updates to the Bike and Pedestrian elements of the Master Transportation Plan.
• Reduces the capacity to develop and secure state and federal transportation grant funds for pedestrian and bicycle safety projects.
• Reduces capacity to scope transportation capital projects
• Reduces support for pedestrian and bicycle analysis supporting County and Arlington Public Schools facilities.
• Limits the County’s representation in regional and state pedestrian and bicycle planning, policy and project initiatives.
• Reduces staff support and participation in established County transportation committees.

David Patton and David Goodman are the County's two bicycle and pedestrian planners, so one of them would go if this option were selected. 

The loss of decal fee money would allow them to reduce funding to Pay-As-You-Go capital by $812,121.

The Pedestrian and Bike Safety program in PAYG has been funded by dedicating monies received from the vehicle decal fee

The loss of this revenue adversely affects neighborhood arterial street safety and accessibility improvements projects.  There are few funding sources that provide the flexibility to fund safety and accessibility improvements in these corridors. These improvements are eligible under several grant programs, allowing the County to use a modest amount of funding to leverage external funding for these neighborhood safety activities.

Many of the projects supported by the Decal Fee are matched with state Revenue Sharing and federal Transportation Alternatives grants. If the Decal funding is no longer used for Transportation Capital, these projects and associated grants will have to be cancelled, or other matching funds would have to be identified. This means that 13 residential arterial safety projects would be delayed or cancelled, touching every part of Arlington County.

The County will hold a Board Workshop on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 24th, followed by a public hearing that evening to discuss these items. Those interested in participating in the public discussion are encouraged to attend those events. 

Martin Di Caro has good coverage of this same issue. 

Five years ago the county increased the decal fee on car owners to $33 to specifically fund “complete streets” and other progressive transportation initiatives, such as Capital Bikeshare. Over the decades Arlington has earned a reputation for providing commuters alternatives to the automobile, minimizing traffic congestion on its main arterial roads despite adding millions of square feet of office space. But the proposed cuts have transit-bike-walk advocates feeling betrayed.

“The programs that are currently funded by the decal fee are programs that really help increase bike ridership in Arlington, and increased ridership is really the key to safety,” said Gillian Burgess, the chair of Arlington’s bicycle advisory committee, whose members are appointed by county officials.

Burgess said Donnellan did not consult the committee before submitting the optional cuts to the board.

Board member Jay Fisette, a long-time advocate of transit and smart-growth initiatives, said he would like to avoid taking any money out of the "complete streets" program. The proposed $800,000 cut would still leave $4 million in the program, however.

“I know there are a lot of people in this community that use those trails, use the on-street lanes, and use the Capital Bikeshare. We need to hear from them, and we need to decide how this stacks up relative to the other priorities in our community,” Fisette said.

Maryland will host workshops on $15M in bicycle and pedestrian funding

From an official statement

Working to expand bicycling and walking opportunities throughout Maryland, staff from the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the State Highway Administration (SHA) will hold workshops to detail five programs that provide funding for bicycling, pedestrian and recreational trail projects: Bikeways, Safe Routes to School, Transportation Alternatives, Federal Lands Access Program and Recreational Trails.  In 2015,$15 million in reimbursable grant funding will be available for projects that enhance walking, biking, pedestrian safety and recreational trail access. 

MDOT and SHA officials will discuss available funding sources, project eligibility / requirements and funding cycles.  The free workshops are geared toward local governments and non-profit organizations.  They will be held from
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the following dates at these locations:

• March 19^th at the Washington County Library, 100 South Potomac Street, Hagerstown, MD.  The event is hosted by Hagerstown Main Street.  To RSVP, go tohttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/mdot-grant-workshops-tickets-15735137219; and
• March 24^th at the Bowie City Hall (Room 243), 15901 Excalibur Road, Bowie, MD.  The event is hosted by the City of Bowie and the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area. To RSVP, go tohttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/mdot-grant-workshop-tickets-15735209435.

Throughout the year, staff from MDOT and SHA will be meeting with representatives from local jurisdictions across the State to discuss bicycle and pedestrian plans and potential projects in more detail.  For more information on Maryland’s Bikeways, Safe Routes to School, Transportation Alternatives and Recreational Trails programs, please visit the following sites:

• The Bikeways Program:  http://ow.ly/JHvpT
• The Safe Routes to School Program:  http://ow.ly/JHvNq
• The Transportation Alternatives Program:  http://ow.ly/JHvRT
• The Federal Lands Access Program:  http://ow.ly/JJ2od
• The Recreational Trail Program:  http://ow.ly/JHvVf

In MDOT’s six-year capital program (FY 2015 – FY 2020), the State plans to invest $188 million to improve bicycle and pedestrian access across Maryland.  Additionally, MDOT recently updated its Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which establishes a 20-year vision to support cycling and walking as modes of transportation in Maryland.  Learn more at www.mdot.maryland.gov/BikeWalkPlan.

Leif A. Dormsjo of MDOT to become new head of DDOT

I don't know much about him, but Leif A. Dormsjo is going to be Bowser's DDOT Director. 

Bowser announced more appointments to her administration Thursday, including a transportation director. Leif A. Dormsjo will come to the District from Maryland state government, where he has served since 2007 — most recently as a deputy transportation secretary overseeing planning and project management.

Pending council approval, Dormsjo will take the helm of a Transportation Department that has successfully expanded non-automobile options for city residents in recent years — including new buses and bicycle amenities — but has struggled to bring the long-anticipated and closely watched streetcar line along H Street and Benning Road NE to fruition.

Any Maryland people have thoughts to share? He spoke at Baltimore's bike to work day in 2010.

DDOT Statewide Transportation Improvement Program Meeting

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will hold two public meetings to present for public feedback the transportation projects included in the Fiscal Years 2015 to 2021 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The public is invited to participate in one of the following meetings:

When: December 2, 2014 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Where: Petworth Neighborhood Library
4200 Kansas Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20011

When: December 3, 2014 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Where: Department of Employment Services
4058 Minnesota Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20019

The STIP is a statewide prioritized funding program of transportation projects covering a six-year period that is consistent with the long-range statewide transportation plan, also known as moveDC. The STIP includes those projects with federal funding and/or regional significance, but it does not include individual projects with 100% local funding to address local transportation needs (these are included in the District's Capital Budget process). At the meetings, DDOT will present the Draft FY 2015 to 2021 STIP Project List, which includes information on the type of project, project funding, and the estimated project schedule. In addition, DDOT will provide an overview of the STIP and how it was developed. The Draft FY 2015 to 2021 Project List is located here on DDOT's website.

Turnover in the Bike DC world

There have been quite a few changes on the government side of bike policy in the DC area

First, Heather Deutsch, the District's Trails Program Coordinator, left DDOT back in May. I don't believe that position has been filled yet.

Then, it was just announced that Chris Eatough; Arlington County's Director of Capital Bikeshare, WalkArlington and BikeArlington programs, is leaving Arlington County at the end of the month to become Howard County's first Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. Eatough already lives in Howard County, so he'll get to work in his own community, and his hiring definitely signals that Howard is serious about bike sharing. Arlington is trying to fill his position, but I believe applications were due on the 11th. 

Finally, Charlie Strunk, Fairfax County Bicycle Coordinator, is leaving at the end of the year, and the county is looking for a replacement for him. 

Met Branch Trail and other DDOT progress

In addition to announcing that more CaBi stations were to be installed soon, DDOT had announcements about other project progress at last week's Bicycle Advisory Council meeting.

• They have issued an RFQ for a study on a north-south cycletrack from Florida Avenue in Shaw to Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown. They're looking for a route on one of the roads between 5th and 9th, NW and the study will help to determine which road is the best for that. MoveDC has cycletracks on 5th and 6th. 
• DDOT kicked off Phase 2 of the design of the next section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail last week. This is the section between Bates Road (a.k.a. Big Stinky) and the Takoma Metro. NPS, which controls much of the land the trail will be built on, has agreed to proceed to the design phase and Toole Design Group has been hired to design the trail segment.
• DDOT is scoping a project to resurface the Suitland Parkway Trail. Complete reconstruction of the trail is being included in the Douglass Bridge replacement project with a timeline for completion in the 2018-19 time frame. 
• The 30% design of the Oxon Run Trail rebuild is done, with full design starting soon.
• The South Capitol Street Trail project will need to move a wall at Bolling Air Force base in order to be built to the standard that DDOT wants. That's being negotiated.
• DDOT is currently resurfacing the South Dakota Avenue NE sidepath from Bladensburg Road to the new Costco. They'd also like to improve biking on V Street NE if they can too. 
• They also handed out an updated version of this list of 2014 bike lanes.
• It moved several projects from "Ready to go" to "Installed Lanes" (M Street NW, 1st Street NE, 13th St NW, G and I NE, New Hampshire Ave NW, Piney Branch Road/13th Streeet and Washington Avenue SW) and there are also now sharrows on Ft. Totten Drive NE.
• Several other projects moved up to "Ready to Go" including 49th St NE, Galveston St SW, Harewood Rd. NE, MLK SE, and  Malcolm X Ave.
• A new bike lane project on 2nd Street SE between East Cap and Independence is listed as "In Design" as is a side path on 2nd NE btween F and L, a bike lane on 19th St from Potomac Ave SE to Benning Road NE, and a cycle track on M Street NE between 1st and Delaware. 

MoveDC plan is a B.F.D.

The MoveDC Multi-Modal Long-Range Transportation Plan for DC was released last week, and what can I say except that it's a pretty Big F&**ing Deal. It's not much of a surprise, since it doesn't depart that much from the draft version last November, but it's good news to see a transportation plan from the District be so ambitious with respect to cycling. 

I've seen and heard a lot of pessimistic comments about DDOT's ability to follow through on a plan, and there is reason to be skeptical (see: the DDOT Action Agenda), but if you look through the status report on the 2005 Bicycle Master Plan, they've hit quite a few of their targets. Not all of course, and we can argue about whether or not that ambitious enough, but still real progress has been made. And some things that were not in the plan, like bikesharing, have been picked up as well.

The bicycle element of the plan doesn't diverge much, if at all, from what was included in the draft version in November. It also makes a note that it serves as an update to the 2005 Bicycle Master Plan, an update that was much needed. One recurrent theme of the update is more, more, more. More bike facilities, more bike sharing, more parking etc...The bike network of trails, cycletracks and bike lanes will be expanded by nearly 200% to a total of 343 miles over the next 25 years.

Some of the facilities I'm particularly interested in include:

• Converting the unused rail spur EOTR to the Anacostia Rail Trail
• Improvements on and around the TR Bridge, but nothing specific about the downstream path. 
• Building the section of the Fort Circle Trail across Rock Creek Park at Military Road
• Two new bike bridges across the Anacostia River, one at Massachusetts and one at the Arboretum/M Street NE
• A trail along the old trolley right-of-way in the Palisades. 
• A trail along New York Avenue
• A better connection across a rebuilt Long Bridge
• An extension of the Fort Circle Trail in Ward 8

All infrastructure projects are placed in one of four tiers, and some items above are Tier 4. 

The proposed bike facilities maps are pretty intense. As I said in November, it's hard to think of anything they missed. I try to imagine how much people would have freaked out in 2005 if they had proposed this, but one notable thing about this plan is that, thus far, there has been little to no freaking out. The section EOTR of the river looks a lot like my fantasy map, in fact. My entire 4 mile bike commute would be on bike facilities. That seemed unbelievable not so long ago. 

Most of the cycletracks are focused in the L'Enfant city, while new bike lanes and trails are more in the outer wards, which makes sense to me. 

There are other recommendations about enforcing bike parking regulations; improving difficult intersections like "Dave Thomas", Tenley and L'Enfant Circles; improving accommodations for cyclists in barrier areas like the U.S. Capital Complex; improved crash reporting, training and planning policies; allowing cyclists in some dedicated transit lanes; 

The one thing I'm disappointed in (based on a cursory reading only) is that recommendation C.7 which recommends encouraging DC employees to bike commute does not mention the bicycle commuter benefit, which DC employees inexplicably still can not take advantage of. 

DDOT has a survey on the MoveDC site about the plan. You should definitely participate in that. 

Southeast-Southwest Special Events Transportation Analysis

DDOT recently hired a consultant to assess the impact of multiple entertainment venues, most notably the addition of a 20,000 seat soccr stadium, on the transportation network in the Buzzard Point/Waterfront area. This is a follow-on study to one does as part of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative.

Some bike-relevant/interesting parts of the analysis:

• Approximately 8.5 percent of commuters utilize bicycles in the southwest region (highest density contained within the boundary of I Street, South Capitol Street, M Street, and 3rd Street SW)

• With multiple event venues in the Study area, an increase in bicycle use is expected. To support and encourage bicycle use, expansion of Capital Bikeshare locations, provision of bike valet f
  acilities, addition of bike racks, improvements to bike routes and facilities are required to facilitate bicycle accessibility to the event facilities.

• To improve safety, Road diets or “right-sizing” on residential streets by restriping would reduce the number of through travel lanes on a roadway and repurpose it for other uses, such as revised channelization, improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities, on-street parking, and/or landscaping.

Baseline future changes:

• I Street would be restriped from its current configuration (one 8-foot parking lane, one 5-foot bicycle lane, and one 11-foot travel lane in each direction) by removing parking on the curb lane to accommodate one shared travel/bicycle lane and one travel/turn lane in each direction.

• N Street SE/Tingey Street SE would accommodate a shared vehicle/bicycle lane between South Capitol Street and 4th Street SE.

Potential future improvements

• For K Street SW, Conversion of 1 ½ linear blocks of Lansburgh Park from existing open space and offset sidewalk to either a bicycle boulevard or a local street with connecting sidewalks on each side

• For L Street SW, Conversion of 2 linear blocks of publicly owned land from existing surface parking, and associated circulation aisles, to either a bicycle boulevard or a local street with connecting sidewalks on each side

• Bicycle and pedestrian connections along O Street SW would mainly entail tie-ins along the circumferential sidewalks at the various culs-de-sac.

• Enhancements to the portion of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail running along Fort McNair include an increase in trail width and modified hardscape materials that are more characteristic of portions of the trail that run along the water’s edge. (Improvements to differentiate this segment of the trail from standard sidewalks in the vicinity)

• Install signs to show bicycle lanes and shared-use paths

• Provide ample bicycle parking near the soccer stadium. The Capital Bikeshare program continues to grow in the District and throughout the DC region. Expand the Capitol Bikeshare program in Buzzard Point to improve the access from Waterfront, Navy Yard-Ballpark, and Anacostia stations. Provide bike racks near the Stadium to encourage bike use.

• Explore the possibility of adding bicycle facilities at the under-utilized park and ride lot of Anacostia Metrorail station.

DC Water tunnels to serve as bike routes

This post was an April Fool's Day post

DC Water is busy building miles of new tunnels underneath of DC to transport water and waste, and now under a new DDOT initiative it will also transport cyclists. 

DC Water is building a series of tunnels throughout the city to move and store stormwater and sewage without dumping it into the Anacostia, the Potomac or Rock Creek. One tunnel will go from Blue Plains to Yards Park and then to RFK Stadium and the Arboretum before turning west to Rhode Island Avenue and following it down past Florida Avenue. Another tunnel will go north from Rhode Island Avenue up 1st Street NE. But the new tunnels will only be used 2% of the time. "The rest of the time, they're just sitting there empty" says DC Water's George Hawkins.

"We don't see empty infrastructure," said DDOT's Terry Bellamy, "we see opportunity."

DDOT is planning to add access points along the tunnels where cyclists can enter and exit the 13 mile long system to travel across the city without having to deal with car traffic or stop lights. Automatic gates would close whenever the tunnels are in use or a storm is expected. 

"New York has done wonderful things with the High Line and we think this could be similar...except that it would be underground." said former Planning Director Harriet Tregoning, "And stealing another page from New York City, there would also be human feces everywhere."

The tunnels would be lit using a methane captured from the tunnels themselves, so the whole thing would be powered by renewable energy.

"We appreciate DDOT's willingness to think outside the box," said WABA's Greg Billing, "But this...wow...I don't know. I'll just say that, in addition to helmets, we recommend fenders."

"We have a critical parking problem now and they're dedicating possible parking spaces to bikes," says John Townsend of AAA, who sees this as a giveaway to cyclists when on-street parking is extremely limited. "This is just another sign of the war on cars."