ANCs in Ward 6 Want to Make K Street NE Safer for Bicyclists and Pedestrians

K Street Makes Moves. Image: Author

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) discussed the K Street NE Traffic Study at the 6C Advisory Neighborhood Commission’s (ANC) September meeting. One alternative would add bicycle lanes along K Street NE, potentially creating what would be one of the few direct, crosstown bicycle routes in the city. As expected, there were concerns about the loss of vehicle parking for all 4 presented alternatives, however; DDOT will continue its study.

As reported by Elizabeth O’Gorek of the HillRag, Washcycle, and WABA,  ANC 6C contacted DDOT requesting that it initiate a study to determine how to create safer streets for pedestrians and bicyclists. The corridor, from approximately North Capitol Street to Florida Avenue NE, is prone to speeding and other forms of aggressive driving.

In May of this year, ANC 6C and 6A jointly requested that DDOT examine bicycling along K Street. DDOT presented preliminary findings in August as part of its K Street Corridor Safety Assessment to analyze safety concerns. The assessment included the evaluation of vehicular crash history and existing traffic operations along the corridor. The assessment also discussed the potential impact of the NoMa Bicycle Network study currently underway. That study will review existing transportation plans to determine how they relate to the current and planned bicycle network, overall travel demand, and safety road user safety.

Community Response

According to HillRag, the committee noted it had received considerable feedback, particularly from residents of K Street and especially regarding to the parking aspects of proposals. The committee’s representative said they were sensitive to parking concerns but, as the overall purpose of the study was to enhance safety, felt bike lanes were the most important addition to K Street, the only corridor proceeding both east and west for that distance.

The committee chair noted that cyclists will continue to use K Street regardless or what actions are eventually taken, it was thought. The representative emphasized that this was only a preliminary study and would also affect ANC 6A.Community members voiced opposition to the four proposed plans, especially option four. Concerns about the elimination of parking safety and the necessity for bike lanes were expressed, especially by residents of the 600 block of K Street NE.

Presented Alternatives

The HillRag states that while the study is ongoing, DDOT presented four traffic-calming measures, each instituting a road diet: removing rush-hour no parking restrictions and making parking full-time for residents, among other actions.

Study Corridor. Image: DDOT

Alternatives 1 through 3 are generally car-specific options that provide increasingly longer  vehicle turning queues. They include a reduction in the total number of travel lanes from 2 peak lanes in each direction to one in each direction at all times, adding left-turn lanes along the corridor. These alternative reduce current off-peak parking from a total of 216 to 171 full‐time on‐street parking spaces in alternative 1, a total of 155 full-time spaces in alternative 2, and 144 full time spaces in alternative 3. The alternatives also adds protective bulb outs also called curb extensions to reduce the crossing distances for pedestrians and an school drop‐off zone at the 600 block of K Street.

Road Diet Alternative #4 – Bike Lanes. Image: DDOT

Alternative 4, recommended by the study and moveDC, adds east and west bicycle lanes along the corridor. This option eliminates on‐street parking on south side of street and retains the fewest number of parking, 110 full-time spaces. This option maintains school parking and a drop‐off zone on north side of the street, curb extensions or on north side of roadway as seen in the other alternatives, but appears to eliminate turning queues that appear in alternatives 1 through 3.

Typical cross section of K Street NE. Image: DDOT

Other Alternatives

NoMa Bike Study looks at the feasibility of bike route through the area. Image: DDOT

While the K Street option is attractive, other bike-related studies being evaluated. Related to the K Street safety review, the NoMa Bicycle Network Study currently underway is examining existing and planned bike facilities through and to this area. The study is also examining the feasibility of creating new or extending current bike routes from east-to-west along M, N, L, and K Streets. Just as K Street is in the MoveDC plan with bike lanes, the plan also anticipates the extension of the L Street protected bike lanes from their current terminus at Massachusetts Avenue NW to 1st Street NE. While currently not a fully-realized bike route under consideration, L Street NE is used by bicyclists as an alternative to K Street as it generally sees fewer cars moving at high speeds.

In the East West Corridor Feasibility and Barriers to Cycling image above, DDOT identifies impediments to connecting NoMa to its eastern neighbors. DDOT seems to suggest that an L street bike lane from east to west might be marginally more feasible. South of K Street, I (eye) street has shared lanes or contraflow bike lanes. Containing less vehicle traffic and fewer stop lights it provides an alternative to the busier K Street but ends at 2nd Street NE.

DDOT and the NoMa BID Ask the MBT: What’s Your Sign?

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DDOT asks how do people use the trail
Image: Author
Thursday, July 13, The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) held a public meeting at the Wunder Garten to view potential wayfinding signage for the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT). DDOT and the BID want your ideas on how that signage  should look and what it should say.
According to the BID, the purpose of this meeting was to engage trail users in developing a plan for additional wayfinding signage on and near the MBT between Union Station and Michigan Avenue.  The team asked participants how they connected to the trail – using it to travel to and from work, for recreation, for errands, or all of the above.
Currently, the MBT and the First and M Street NE protected bike lanes contain several types of signage – some of it different from the run-of-the-mill bike lanes signs, some of it MBT-specific – to provide wayfinding information to its users. Early in the trail’s planning, DDOT adopted the familiar “mbt” white, burgundy-ish, green signs that dot the area. Later, DDOT and developers near the trail used different signs to show where users were on the trail and where they may want to go.
The BID and DDOT are considering streamlining the hodgepodge of signage or adding to it. Potentially, the signage could lead to a “branding” or designated the MBT route on maps and on connecting streets with bike infrastructure. This would allow current and new MBT users to easily identify the location of the trail and where it goes.  
The images below show the variations in signage along the trail.

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The original sign scheme – labeled #1 – was one of the popular signs as it identifies the trail, shows direction and distance to points of interest, and looks appealing. Signs #2 and #3 are consistent with current DDOT standards for most on-street trails and provide direction and identify that users are on a bike route. One of the least picks signs was #4, located at the Elevation residential development that abuts the trail just south of New York Avenue NE. Participants noted that it was relatively low-standing and easily missed and doesn’t provide much in the way of information. Sign #5 acts as a trailhead or starting point while #6, which is similar in design to the traditional signage but provides distance travel from the start of the trail.
If you missed the meeting – and the beer – the NoMa BID created a survey to help the team determine the best approach. The short survey asks participants to rate the usefulness of signs along the MBT corridor. Further, it how people travel along the corridor and their starting and ending points. Please take a moment to take the survey and make sure to add your comments on potential directional improvements on it.

You’ll have to get your own beer…

NoMa Bicycle Network Workshop Hopes to Connect the City

At least 95 Theses were posted describing the
problems and potential of the NoMa corridor
Image: Author
  

The NoMa Bicycle Network Study workshop allowed the public to determine how the cyclists (and pedestrians) will cross the NoMa corridor, which includes several major intersections, a railway viaduct, and an interstate freeway. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) would like public input from now until May 31, 2017 on its interactive website.

As interest in the NoMa section of the District has increased over the last dozen or so years, as has bicycling to and through it. From the installation of the First Street to M Street to the Metropolitan Branch Trail cycle track to the new REI Flagship store, the area has drawn cyclists of all types and abilities.

In its first public workshop focusing exclusively on this corridor, DDOT planners, along with consultants, allowed the public to pitch ideas about what future of cycling should look like based on its pre-existing condition. DDOT presented initial concept board of the corridor showing the current bike infrastructure conditions and comparing it concepts and long-term plans discussed in the MoveDC Bicycle Element and other DDOT plans currently in design or under consideration. This included the long-planned New Jersey Avenue protected bike lanes, a potential New York Avenue trail that extend from the west of Sixth Street NE to infinity and beyond also known as the Arboretum, and an apparent bike / pedestrian bridge over the Center Leg Freeway at L Street.

That blue diagonal line is a “New York Avenue Trail”.
Image: Author

While the MoveDC initiative proposed expansive, it did appear to leave a gap in the bicycling network in NoMa. Part of the problem was that few people envisioned that the area would be a destination, a travel corridor and one of the District’s fastest growing neighborhoods. Containing New York Avenue, which sees an average of at least 80,000 vehicles per day, bicycling across this area isn’t great for young families, experienced bicyclists, plant life, or most carbon-based lifeforms.

According to the study website, DDOT’s objectives include developing recommendations for a bicycle network to connect NoMA to Downtown DC, Eckington, Truxton Circle, and the H Street Corridor, with an emphasis on separated facilities. Darren Buck, Bicycle Program Specialist and manager of this project hopes for a “low-stress and direct east-west cycling connection”. BikeSpecific made a nifty interactive map pointing out some of the current connections.

If stickies aren’t your thing, DDOT also has an interactive map that you may use to post your ideas.
Image: Author


DDOT has developed an online map that allows users to input preferred cycling routes through the study area. Site visitors can also help identify existing barriers or locations that limit safe and convenient bicycle mobility across the study area. The map is open to public input from May 1 through May 31, 2017. DDOT would like residents, cyclists, and employees of the NoMa area to participate. DDOT also has a Mobile Interactive Map for those who refuse to be tied to a desk.

DDOT will use this information to identify potential routes for bicycle travel in the NoMa study area. This information will also help identify which roads and intersections may need to be improved for bicyclist and pedestrian safety and how these changes could affect the overall bike network outside the study area.

The Bike Estate – Proposed 100 Florida Avenue NE Project with “Bike Lobby” Makes Changes

Artist’s rendering of residences of 100 Florida Avenue NE
that open directly on the Metropolitan Branch Trail
Image: MRP Realty

A public meeting between Mid-Atlantic Realty Partners (MRP) and the Zoning Commission held April 24, 2017 provided an update to the proposed 100 Florida Avenue NE project, also known as Washington Gateway Phase Two, which abuts the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT).  In good news for MBT users, MRP will expand the hours of operation until midnight and provide additional trail maintenance.

The project would contain commercial and residential towers with 72 long-term bike storage spaces and an elevator that would allow the use of two bicycles at a time. The elevator would connect to a building lobby, which would be specially-designed as an entrance to the MBT.

The two-story lobby would allow the public and building tenants to access the trail. The lobby would also contain seating, a trail-themed kiosk, a drinking fountain, a repair station, and space of 24 bikes. Bike ramps and an elevator would allow users to access the trail from Florida Avenue and provide access lobby amenities. 

A rendering of the proposed two-story bike lobby
Image: MRP Realty
Detailed drawings and examples of the
proposed bike lobby
Image: MRP Realty

The initial plans for this project included a lobby; however, it would have closed for public use at 9 pm. In a letter dated May 1 from the firm Holland & Knight, MRP stated that as part of the Planned Unit Development process the hours of operations would be extended to midnight.

During non-operating hours, the lobby would be secured by conceal overhead doors but the trail would be accessible to building tenets. Also noted in the post hearing submission, the project will maintain the trail and improvements made to it along the frontage between the North and South towers along the MBT.

The Bike Estate – Foulger-Pratt Unveils its Plans for Eckington Park

Artist rendering of R St NE / MBT trail
Image: Foulger-Pratt

The Bike Estate scours local blogs and government websites for information about bike facilities in new, recently opened, or planned residential or commercial buildings. The following is recently-filed development applications with the Zoning Commission.

As reported by Urban Turf and the Washington Business Journal (WBJ), Foulger-Pratt submitted to the Office of Zoning preliminary plans for its new residential and retail property, Eckington Park.

The development will be adjacent to NoMa Green, a proposed park supported by the NoMa Parks Foundation, The project also improves the orientation of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) and lies just north of New York Avenue, NE, west of Metro’s Rhode Island rail yard and east of Harry Thomas Way. The preliminary plans show general building designs as well as describes how the project will integrate with NoMa Green, the MBT and the community.

According to Karen Goff, Staff Reporter for the WBJ, Eckington Park will be a 328-unit rental residential building that features nine, two-story artists’ lofts, a more pedestrian-friendly environment on Harry Thomas Way, and continuity with the nearby Eckington Yards project. Foulger-Pratt purchased the 1.8 acres that are within the NoMa Business Improvement District from Pepco for $12.6 million and gave 23,000 square feet back to NoMa Parks Foundation to add to the planned park space.

Amenities

The application to the Office of Zoning for highlights the project’s amenities including its proximity to NoMa Green and the addition of the “East Park” that contains a dog park and realigns the MBT. Discussed at the NoMa Green public meeting, the plan calls for modifying the current “Z curve” along the MBT at  R Street by creating an “S curve. The developers will also fund improvements for the “South Park”, the park space directly south of the building, in the amount up to $350,000 and may include food service kiosks, public art, or a performance amphitheater for the benefit of the general public.

Site ground floor plan includes an elevator for residents using bike to “South Park”
Image: Foulger-Pratt

The project includes 174 long-term bicycle parking spaces in an enclosed bike storage area in the below-grade garage and will include 30 short-term bicycle parking spaces in the public space adjacent to the site. This amount of bicycle parking exceeds the 111 bicycle parking spaces and 20 short-term bicycle parking spaces required. The plan also adds a sidewalk on R Street, which will contain a 6-foot wide continuous tree amenity zone, a 7.5-foot sidewalk, and a 14-foot wide building zone.

The site plan also calls for bike and pedestrian access shuttle elevators connecting to the below-grade parking garage and a walkway adjacent to those elevators, which abut the South Park. The developer states that it will work closely with the the NoMa Parks Foundation to integrate this walkway with the overall design of the South Park.

Vehicular Access

All vehicular traffic enters through R Street NE
Image: Foulger-Pratt

Plans for R Street NE, a connector to the downtown and the U Street corridor, maintain some clearance for users of the MBT by designing a loading berth that accommodates front-in/front-out loading access with two 30 feet and two 100 square foot platforms. Preliminary site plans suggest the vehicular movement on R Street could use the entire width of the street, potentially reducing the likelihood of bike infrastructure that provides protection to bicyclists. The Penn Center, a D.C. Department of General Services facility, and an industrial site will also continue to share R Street for vehicular access.

Site parking contains 2700 sq ft dedicated for bike parking
Image: Foulger-Pratt

All access to the development’s 124 parking spaces, which exceeds the 60 required spaces, is also through R Street. Residential vehicle parking totals 110 spaces and 14 retail spaces. Residential bike parking totals 2700 square feet and is located near the garage entrance.

Below are addition images of the project from the plan.

Looking north along Harry Thomas Way, NE

Looking west from the WMATA tracks

Looking South from R Street NE

Looking North from “South Park”

Project overview