The Morning Commute is an occasional look at meetings or other #BikeSpecific discussions happening in the District. It also looks at interesting bike ideas or concepts from other places across the globe that could possibly work around here.
Today’s commute includes:
During the Wednesday, November 7 D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council (BAC) meeting, the group discussed the proposed District Department of Transportation (DDOT) regulatory framework of rules regarding dockless bike sharing right-of-way permitting and related DDOT fees for potential operators.
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| People Bicycling on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Image: Author |
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.
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| 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.
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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
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| 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.
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| The District ranks 5th among the 2017’s Best Destinations to Explore by Bike Image: Author |
The District is considered one of the best places for tourists and other explorers to bike ride, according to a report by the travel site Reward Expert.
While most studies like this are more or less based on the feelings of the author, this one uses good a methodology that the District could use to evaluate its progress at the ward or community level.
The District’s Rank
The site compared 53 of the largest cities in the country and using 13 metrics across four categories to determine a full ranking of the most bike-friendly cities.
The District was ranked 5th with a score of 91.8, just edging out the former bicycling infrastructure leader, Portland which had a score of 90.6, and miles behind 4th place New York and Chicago, tied with a score of 93.3. The site notes that one of the main reasons for the District high rank is its Capital BikeShare program, one of the nation’s largest. The District also tied for first when it comes to safety as it averages 1.6 fatalities per 10,000 bike commuters annually.
Where the District struggles is with its bike infrastructure, where it is ranked 28 out of 53 other cities. This suggests that the year-over-year additions to bike facilies as well as the number of bike lanes is lower than the top 4 cities. Also, although BikeShare is expanding rapidly across the District with 463 bikes per 10,000 commuters in its fleet, the methodology dings us as it compares the number of actual bikes and the number of stations per capita equally.
A Thorough Methodology
Reward Expert used a fairly comprehensive methodology to create its ranking score using U.S. cities with more than 300,000 residents. As mentioned, the site grouped ‘Bikeability’ using four overall metrics or dimensions:
1) City Profile
2) Bike Safety
3) Biking Infrastructure
4) Bike-Share Programs
They identified 13 metrics or indicators in respective dimensions, weighting them accordingly. Each metric was given a value between 0 and 100, with 100 representing the most favorable conditions for travel and zero the least. Finally, they calculated the overall score for each city using the weighted average across all metrics and ranked the cities accordingly. The metrics are as follows:
City Profile – 20 Points
Biking Infrastructure – 40 Points
Biking Share Index – 25 Points
Biking Safety – 15 Points
How DDOT Could Use a Ranking System
One of the shortcomings of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) with regard to the installation of bicycling facilities is that they do not appear to use – or at least share with the public – a methodology to determine an area’s needs. While they do occasionally share study information, those studies tends to focus on overall road throughput or safety instead of the strengths or weaknesses of a community’s bike facilities.
Another problem is that DDOT has added bike infrastructure where they could do so easily, not necessarily because it was needed. While there are advantages to this approach, the lack of any quantitative ranking mechanism makes it easier for some to reject projects that could be highly beneficial or providing more bike facilities to communities that are already great for bicycling.
By measuring District Wards or communities using score or a methodology similar to the Reward Expert study, DDOT could rank areas and bike needs so that all road users could understand how their areas stack up. Also, it would provide residents some idea of the bike inventory and why they should or should not receive additional bicycle facilities. Funds could then be redirected toward outreach and other resources of traditionally undeserved communities.
The entire list of the top 53 cities, as well as the article, can be found here.
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| Safe bicycling requires more money than what’s shown in this photo Image: BikeSpecific |
Many people would consider the Mayor of the District of Columbia’s Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget, which was unveiled April 4, 2017, to be the epitome of boring.
It is.
However, BikeSpecifc is boring. In light of that revelation, I’ve scoured the budget and will now share some initial observations and potential changes to how bicycling is prioritized.
While just about all of the bike-related infrastructure expenditures are in the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), there are other agencies that spend funds to promote or help educate residents and visitors about bicycling. An example includes the DC Public Schools funding a bike education program for all second grade students in last year’s budget. The FY 2018 Proposed budget doesn’t tout what other agencies are doing to expand bicycling; however, I may have missed something, so feel free to check behind me.
Second, the Mayor’s budget also doesn’t provide many specifics. While the Proposed Budget highlight new initiatives, it doesn’t always provide granular information – details of when and what infrastructure will be built. The budget document is a guide of what the Mayor plans to do; the implementation details are typically left to the agencies who tell you in meetings or websites.
Lastly, this isn’t the final budget. The Council of the District of Columbia will also make changes and may add or subtract from bicycle or trail infrastructure. The may also institute new laws or funding sources that support specific current or new projects.
Because that’s all complicated and filled with how the sausage is made details, let’s focus on DDOT’s budget. If you’d like, view the budget details.
The FY 2018 DDOT budget is divided into two major pieces: Capital and Operating.
The capital budget supports the multi-year, multi-million (billion) dollar medium to long-term assets like pedestrian bridges, streetcars, and snow plows. Much of the infrastructure is supported with capital dollars. I’ll talk more about capital later.
The operating budget supports the cost of day-to-day operations, people, and supplies. The operating budget contains the planning of initiatives, the analysis of data, and the assessment initiative outcomes. How well or how poorly did the Pennsylvania Avenue protected bike lanes do to deter vehicles from making u-turns or how many people use the Metropolitan Branch Trail are examples. Operating also supports certain contracts for services, grants to organizations, and payments to other jurisdictions for what they do for the District.
Reorganization of DDOT
To comply with some of the suggestions and provisions of the “FY 2016 Transportation Reorganization Amendment Act“, the District Department of Transportation engaged in a restructuring of the agency into five administration.
For bicycling, this appears to be a good change. The previous structure generally placed design segments of bicycling in the Progressive Transportation and Planning Policy and Sustainability programs. The new proposed 2018 structure appears to consolidate most bicycle functions with the Project Delivery Administration (PDA).
The PDA, which has a proposed budget of over $20 million with 36.0 positions, focuses on multi-modal infrastructure project planning, design, and construction; policy development and implementation; transit delivery; and traffic engineering and safety. Of that amount, about $3.6 million supports salaries and about $16 million supports contracts and grants. the remaining amount covers operating costs.
What’s been one of the biggest gripes about DDOT is that the construction, planning, and design of infrastructure was siloed – bridges without bike and pedestrian access, poor or non-existent implementation of certain laws (like safe accommodation), or at time disconnect between when projects are planned and when they actually happen (Well, you know). The Planning and Sustainability Division supports much of the District’s planning regarding the integration of multimodal transportation. This will hopefully reduce some of the agency overlap, siloing, right-hand/left-hand ambiguity; and allow programs to work together to plan and implement the building of infrastructure.
Specifically, the DDOT budget chapter states that the PDA:
The placement of the TIP or Transportation Improvement Program within the same administration The budget does not list all of what DDOT plans to do for biking and walking, it simply describes certain changes that are of particular importance to the Mayor.
BikeShare Enhancement
The Mayor proposed an additional increase of $1.6 million to support Bikeshare operations with the aim of keeping the membership rate at the current level of $85 annually. This presumes that without the additional funds that certain BikeShare costs are exceeding contract cost with the District providing additional funds to help maintain the cost of membership.
Vision Zero
Not specific to bicycling but considered by the Mayor to be an important element to reduce injurious and fatal crashes, the Mayor added $4.5 million to the Vision Zero Initiative. The additional funds support 45 new Traffic Control Operators along with 26 new School Crossing Guards.
Agency Performance Plans
The DDOT budget contains a revised, better organized, Agency Performance Plan or agency defined objectives or projects and indicators of performance. The plan articulates these objectives through activities, and DDOT has a bunch, that are specific projects the agency hopes to complete this fiscal year. They include the integration of performance management databases, the continued development of the Vision Zero Initiative, Capital Bikeshare planning, and several long-term capital construction projects. This data can also be used to show trends.
The Key Performance Indicators show FY 2015 actual measurements through 2016 projected targets. For example, DDOT will enhance data collection of bicycling and pedestrian usage by installing counters from three in 2016 to a projected seven in 2018.
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| Key Performance Indicator for DDOT Image: FY 2018 Proposed Budget |
Measures also include those associated with the Vision Zero Initiative, which aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries for all road users. For example, the “number of crashes with bicyclists involved” shows 647 in 2015, a decrease of 201 in 2016, and a projected goal for 2017 and 2018 of zero crashes.
The Capital budget includes many projects that have a direct impact on how bicyclists and pedestrians safely and directly get to where they want to go. The Capital Improvements Plan, or CIP, contains new projects and residual funding from prior year projects with available balances. The CIP projects spending over a 6-year period from FY 2018 through FY 2023. The CIP covers the construction of infrastructure but also the design work and certain planning elements.
Capital funds are derived from local taxes and fees and from federal sources, like highway funding, block grants and specific federal payments requested by Congress. Much of the District’s capital budget is funded with municipal bonds that must be repaid, typically in 10 to 30 years.
While there are many projects that could allow for better bicycling, like curb cuts, let’s focus on projects that specifically support bicycling and trails. The following projects are new or expand existing projects.
BikeShare Expansion
One of the largest new investments in bicycling support BikeShare expansion. The project, Capital Bikeshare Expansion (KA0-CBS02), provides $8.0 million over next few years to continue the expansion of system by purchasing additional bikes and stations. The proposed funding allocates $2.0 million in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 and another $2.0 million in 2021 and 2022.
11th Street Bridge Park
The budget also contains plans to expand or beautify the District’s trail network. The budget contains an additional $8 million for the 11th Street Bridge Park project (ED0D5), which when combined with prior year allocations, has a total of $29.5 million. The additional funding, to be spent in FY 2020, supports the design costs of the park. Preliminary plans include bike and pedestrian trails, outdoor performance spaces, play areas, gardens, information about the river and its ecosystem, a dock to launch boats and kayaks to explore the river.
Transportation Improvement Program
On the operating side of the budget, DDOT was reorganized potentially allowing certain short and long-term planning elements to operated more smoothly. The Travel Demand Management project (ZU000) contains much of the Transportation Improvement Program or TIP funding for the District. This project received an additional $33.4 million over the 6-year period. Also, the budget has multiple subprojects that allocate funds to achieve specific goals like Capital Bikeshare Marketing and Outreach (ZU057C), Bike Parking Racks (ZUT06A), or Bike Cycle Tracks (ZUD12A)
Specifically, the funding allocated in this project supports services and facilities that promote safe and attractive walking and bicycling as well as programs that promote mass transit, and other creative ways to provide alternatives to auto travel as well as significant outreach, education, and promotion. A list of all TIP projects can be seen on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board website.
A list of bike-specific projects that are not classified as “Completed” can be seen below:
So that was a lot of stuff and only the first part, remember – the Council will have a role. As more information becomes available, we’ll talk.
If I’ve missed something or you have questions, let me know.
