Vision Zero – Page 2 – bikeSpecific

Public Meeting on the Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Project

People Bicycling on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue
Image: Author

Greater Southeast traditionally has few bicycling amenities, some lanes, some trails but few lanes that get people to the downtown core or across Wards 7 or 8. The Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Revitalization project doesn’t fix this but it adds a few hundred more feet of infrastructure to an area that’s lacking it. The bigger question is what does it mean?

At the Wednesday, May 31, 2017, District Department of Transportation (DDOT) public meeting on the revitalization of MLK Avenue SE at the R.I.S.E Demonstration Center, DDOT planners were introduced to the Congress Heights community.

This section of MLK in Congress Heights is one of the few stretches of commercial and social activity in Ward 8. Congress Heights Day is celebrated near it, four schools are adjacent to it, the check cash, Martin’s Cafe, Pro Cut Family Barber Shop, and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen are on it. People walk, bike, and drive to its business and schools; they catch the A or W series of Metrobuses to work or services; some just sit with others or by themselves to watch the world. For what it is, this is what some people love about MLK. Naturally, change of almost any type is sometimes met with uncertainty, skepticism, and resistance.

Presentation at R.I.S.E Center
Image: Author

Connecting needs of current residents with the thoughts about future development, Council member Trayon White Sr. spoke about the potential of new projects planned or underway at the of the sprawling east campus of St. Elizabeths. He noted the need for protected and signaled crosswalks as shown in the plans as more people will be attending events and crossing the neighboring streets as well as how DDOT would meet the basic services of the people he represents, pothole filling, adding speed bumps to streets where children were struck, and other basic street repairs.

Project Background
According to DDOT, the first meeting to discuss the rehabilitation of MLK began as a Corridor Traffic Study that analyzed current conditions for all transportation modes to support the Vision Zero Initiatives, which aims to eliminate traffic-related deaths by 2024.

While the project states that all mode were considered, the corridor improvements listed by DDOT focus mainly on improving pedestrian infrastructure. This includes intersection realignments, installation of street furniture, roadway resurfacing, and the reconstruction of sidewalks, curbs, and landscaping.

Bicycling Improvements
There is a common misconception shared by many that African Americans do not ride bikes. Uniquely, this idea is strongly held by African Americans, although the reasons why are many. The League of American Bicyclists and the Sierra Club stated in their report, The New Majority: Pedaling Towards Equality, that the fastest growth in bicycling is among people of color – Latino, African American and Asian American populations. According to their analysis, between 2001 and 2009, those three groups grew from 16 to 23 percent of all bike trips, with African American bicycling growing by 100 percent.

While DDOT spoke of creating a complete street, one that accommodates multiple users, they did not include much with regard to bicycling. The plan proposed connect lanes from 4th street, with the current bike lanes along the southern sections of the project. The plans does add sharrows, improvement to pick up and drop off for schools. Planners did indicate a potential for a new capital Bike Share station at what would be open space due to the elimination of high speed right at Alabama and 5th Streets.

The segment above represents the lower portion of the of the study corridor from about South Capitol Street to 1st Street / Upsal Street S.E. The plan creates a shared bike / vehicle lane which would include rush hour parking restrictions.

This segment includes currently existing bike lanes. It will replace current sidewalks and new crossing markings. The segment from 4th Street to Alabama Avenue contains no bike lanes.

General Roadway Improvements
The planners discussed changes to the site plan as a result of the initial meeting held in 2015 and a subsequent meeting in 2016. This planned presented DDOT’s 30 percent conceptual design for the project. This includes the addition of pedestrian safety features including the elimination of a higher speed turn lane off of MLK to 4th Street, the elimination installation of a median and pedestrian bump outs to shorten the distance pedestrians need to travel across the street and reduce U-turns and other vehicle actions that could injure pedestrians.

The presentation highlighted that desire to slow down vehicular traffic with the proposed use of up to six traffic signals: a combination of standard signals and pedestrian-activated High-intencity Activated Crosswalk signals. DDOT also included making Randle Street SE one-way, creating queue space for Democracy Prep.

Public Feedback

Many, many signals
Image: Author

With about 10-15 people in attendance, the discussion focused on concerns raise mainly by a few, who stated that their positions reflected those of residents. Early on, a member of the District Bicycle Advisory Council spoke about the inclusion of bicycle lanes to this corridor as he was a frequent bicyclist. A few commented with regard to bicycling that as speeding is problematic and because African Americans wouldn’t bike on MLK, lanes should not only be excluding from the project but removed from where it currently exists.

Some attendees suggested that bike lanes are not for the community, not what the community wants. Some said that lanes, along with a proposed median would hurt local business. A woman stated that a median on Malcolm X or anywhere in the project area would block the entrance to Popeye’s. Later, an ANC commissioner stated that her constituents viewed shared lanes or bike lanes in general were ‘not welcomed in the area’, that the lanes ‘should not impede vehicles’, as they ‘have no motors’. An man stated that bike lanes should be disregarded as they could potentially cause more accidents.

How to proceed
While a few others stated that they bike regularly and wanted more bike infrastructure privately, they did not speak publicly. The ANC commissioner who was publicly opposed to bikes stated while she personally enjoys biking with her son, she felt obligated to voice her opposition based on her constituent requests, who also wanted speed bumps installed, potholes filled, and better delivery of basic services.

It’s not that people in this community hate bikes, they bike there all the time and have done so for decades. What they want is the power to decide for themselves. While bicycle advocates can vigorously discuss reports and necessity, they sometimes fail to consider that no one wants a government entity and perceived carpetbaggers telling them what to do or want to want. For those who lifvee there, perhaps they need to be sold on the idea that bikes, cars, and people can coexist.

DDOT Planning Study of New York Avenue/South Dakota Avenue Interchange Underway

An intersection that is (almost) impossible for ped and bikes to
use gets a look.
Image: Author

The District Department of Transportation issued a scope of work document that will consider the rebuilding of the New York Avenue/South Dakota Avenue Interchange in the Fort Lincoln and Gateway sections of the District. An area long neglected, this could be an opportunity to create a bicycle and pedestrian connection from Fort Lincoln and Gateway to the National Arboretum, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Deanwood, and the completed Anacostia Riverwalk Trail and connect with other proposed trails and other improvements along the New York Avenue corridor.

In its early planning stages, the South Dakota Avenue and New York Avenue NE Interchange Improvement Study will look at the current conditions and propose what a funded project would correct. The initial document, under development by the design firm of STV Incorporated and its partners, will propose the scope of services for development and preparation of a comprehensive interchange study.

The study area is separated into two sections – the primary interchange and the adjacent secondary road, railway, street, and trail structures.

Project Area
Image: STV Scope of Work Document

The primary study, which focuses almost exclusively on the interchange and includes New York Avenue and its connection to South Dakota, Fort Lincoln Drive and a small part of V Street, is outlined in red and includes the following:

New York Avenue/South Dakota Avenue interchange
V Street/South Dakota Avenue and the New York Avenue off-ramp intersection
South Dakota Avenue/33rd Place NE intersection
South Dakota between New York Avenue and 33rd Place NE

The secondary study area is outlined in blue is bounded by the following:

The intersection of Bladensburg Road, NE and South Dakota Avenue, NE
The intersection of Bladensburg Road, NE and New York Avenue, NE
The development and roadways that serve the development surrounding 33rd Place, NE
The entrance and exit ramps for New York Avenue, NE from I-295 and John Hanson Highway
The railroad running adjacent to New York Avenue, NE between Bladensburg Road, NE and the entrance and exit ramps for New York Avenue, NE from I-295 and John Hanson Highway

Conditions

According to the Washington Post, dozens of town homes, and senior apartments developments have been built there since 1971. The area has the largest senior community in the District. With the arrival of the Shops at Dakota Crossing, hundreds of new residential units along with new retail will bring more people. Although there is a trail that runs along South Dakota Avenue from Bladensburg Road, most people get around by car.

When people say “you can’t get there from here”, they are talking about the man-made and natural barriers that prevent people from walking or biking from Fort Lincoln in Ward 5 to Deanwood in Ward 7. Generally, walking around Fort Lincoln isn’t particularly good as the combined Woodridge-Fort Lincoln walk score appears to be a rather generous 57 and a bike score of 49 with Deanwood a little worse at 55 and 47, respectively. Only cars using the often congested interchange New York Avenue connection with the Baltimore-Washington Parkway can travel there as there is also no Metrobus route that makes this connection. Some have resorted to using the highway shoulder, but that’s not a particularly safe or pleasant way to go, which is unfortunate given the needs of both communities.

The following images show the current conditions and the absence of any bike or pedestrian connections.

Intersection of South Dakota and 33 Place NE
Image: Author

View of New York Avenue as it passes over South Dakota interchange
Image: Auther

South Dakota Avenue at V Street
Image: Author

New York Avenue and exit lane

Proposal

DDOT consultants will develop and evaluate interchange alternatives that accommodate current and projected demands, traffic operational and safety issues. The findings of this report will be the basis of subsequent environmental or other related reports and create the alternatives to be displayed at public meetings, if the project moves forward.

The study will consider MoveDC, Vision Zero and other transportation-related initiatives to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists. This includes Maryland State Highway Administration plans for New York Avenue/US 50, Fort Lincoln redevelopment plans, the Lincoln Gateway Trail, and the DC State Rail Plan.The study will also assess the ease of access to key destinations in the area including shopping and community services, as well as anticipated desire lines for access to new development parcels.

The study will also identify gaps in connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists as the current intersection contains “hard” and “soft” barriers to travel. Hard barriers are railroads, waterways, and freeways or roads with pedestrian/bicycle prohibitions. Soft barriers are primarily streets that are difficult to cross. The project will attempt to locate the best potential routes and assess crosswalk widths using DDOT standards. This initial study and evaluation period is scheduled to conclude September 2017 and will be followed by initial community meetings.

The Wheels Keep Turning on the Long Bridge

Long Bridge Project Scope
Image: DDOT

At the most recent public meeting for the Long Bridge Study, the bazillion alternatives for the replacement of the two track span were reduced to seven. Of those seven options, a bicycle connection is included in three.

The Long Bridge project replaces, well, you guessed it, an aging long bridge. This bridge serves as primarily as a freight rail connector but also as a growing transportation corridor for Amtrak’s intercity passengers rail system and, the Maryland Area Regional Commuter Rail (MARC) and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter rail services.

According to the Long Bridge Project site, District Department of Transportation (DDOT), in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) are working cooperatively to complete a comprehensive study for the rehabilitation or replacement of the Long Bridge over the Potomac River, owned by CSX Transportation. The 3.2-mile study area begins in Arlington, Virginia and extends northeast, along the existing rail alignment in the District of Columbia, east of L’Enfant.

The Long Bridge
Image: Author

Specifically, the project corridor begins just past the I-395/Center-Leg Freeway, along the Virginia Avenue, SW viaduct past L’Enfant Plaza, and across the Potomac River at Long Bridge Park near Roaches Run. The project seeks to build rail capacity for 2040, when freight and passenger rail traffic would likely doubled from the current average of 76 weekday trains. This is the only Potomac River rail bridge that connects the District with Virginia, with the next closest crossing of the Potomac between Maryland and Harper’s Ferry, WV.

Long Bridge ‘Level 1 Concept Screening’
Image: Author

The objective of the May 16th “Level 1 Concept Screening” meeting was to receive public comment on the resulting concepts based on three screening criteria. The three criteria are Railroad Capacity, Network Connectivity, and resiliency and redundancy and contain several steps, conditions, and requirements. The criteria excluded tunnel options as they would be too costly or technical infeasible, options that included roads or street cars as those options do not appear on jurisdictional plans, or the selection of another crossing location as that would be impractical and wouldn’t serve the needs of passenger rail users and lacks connections for other modes.

The project considered 19 alternatives,
those highlighted in Green are the “Retained Concepts”
Image: Author

After the implementation of the criteria recommendations, the twelve alternatives were reduced to seven, with one being the required ‘no build’ alternative. The remaining six alternatives contain 3, 4 or 5 track-only options. Of those options, 3 included bike facilities. While there were no renderings at this presentation, crossing options for bikes could include spans that are connected or directly adjacent to the rail bridges or is an unconnected span several feet away. Bike infrastructure may exists beyond just the span over the Potomac. Planners state that bike connections and facilities could be included as part of the rebuilding of the viaduct and the L’Enfant VRE (potentially MARC) station; connections near the Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park; and direct bike connections to Crystal City or the Mount Vernon Trail.

Now in phase 3, the next steps include a Detailed Alternatives Screening from now until Winter 2018; a Draft EIS – Spring 2018 – Fall 2018; a Draft EIS Public Hearing – Fall 2018 – Winter 2019 (Public Comment) followed by a Record of Decision in the Spring of 2019. If you have comments on the alternatives use the comment form or email info@longbridgeproject.com.

Public Meeting for Pennsylvania & Potomac Avenues SE Intersection Improvement Project

DDOT will once again discuss alternatives for
this complex intersection
Image: DDOT

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) invites you to attend an informational meeting about the Pennsylvania Avenue SE and Potomac Avenue SE intersection improvement project. The meeting will be Thursday, June 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Hill Center (Abraham Lincoln Hall, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

According to DDOT, the meeting will allow residents, visitors, and those in between the opportunity to learn about, and comment on, the proposed design concepts associated with this intersection. Specifically, the project will look at how pedestrians can successfully cross as many as 8 lanes of vehicular traffic. This intersection is a hub for Metrobus, containing at about 9 routes as this location feeds the Silver, Orange, and Blue lines at the Potomac Avenue Metrorail station. Given the increasing transportation share of bicycling, DDOT may also include bicycling facilities, which were absent from earlier conceptual drawings.

Like so many projects, this isn’t the first time DDOT has looks at this particular intersection. After a series of community meetings, the initial scoping meeting was held in January of 2013 where DDOT and the public discussed problems associated with the area. This was followed by a November 2014, and a January 2015 meeting. The Final Environmental Assessment and Project Decision was to be issued in the Spring/Summer of 2016. While previous alternatives did not specifically include bicycling infrastructure, the public did. They included adding bikeshare stations, creating separate bike lanes through the intersection, additional bike parking, and adding wayfinding signage.

In 2014, Greater Greater Washington contributors Veronica (O) Davis and Brian (@gearprudence) McEntee discussed the three designs DDOT proposed: a oval, a square, or a parallelogram, otherwise known as an ellipse. The ellipse, they determined, created the most green space and reduces the number of bus stops from five to 4.

The Davis/McEntee perferred Alternative
Image: DDOT

The project is a part of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI) Program, which hopes to transform the shores of the Anacostia River into world-class waterfront. This means that the control of this intersection isn’t under the complete control of DDOT but must also include feedback from the National Park Service, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, National Capital Planning Commission, State Historic Preservation Office, and the defenders of historic viewsheds, the Commission of Fine Arts.

If you can attend, please tell what happened or what you hope to see.

NoMa Bicycle Network Study Public Workshop

Leaving Los NoMa
Image: Author

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host its first public workshop for the NoMa Bicycle Network Study, Thursday, May 4 between 6 pm and 8 pm.

The purpose of this workshop is for participants to provide feedback on existing conditions for cycling through and from the study area. The workshop will be held at 1200 First Street NE, main lobby.

The project study area is approximately 2.9 miles in length, from 6th Street NW to 6th Street NE as limits on the west and east sides, respectively, with N Street NW to K Street NW as the northern and southern boundaries respectively.

Priority corridors within the study area for consideration include K, L, and M Streets; 4th and 6th Streets NW/NE; and New Jersey Avenue. These streets provide connections to current, as well as links to planned bike infrastructure.

The map below contains information about the priority corridors by clicking on streets.

The NoMa Bicycle Network Study will include two public workshops, the first in Spring 2017 and the second in late Summer 2017.

The study has three primary objectives:

Examine the recommendations for the NoMa area in moveDC
Create a new refined and feasible bicycle facility plan for NoMa provide schematic options for a separated bicycle network facilitating direct, low-stress travel between NoMa and the eastern part of downtown DC
Identify logical connections between current and future planned bicycle projects, both inside and outside the study are.

For more information about the study, please contact DDOT Project Manager, Darren Buck.

A version of this post originally ran on DDOT’s website.