Urge Mayor Bowser and the Council to Not Cancel the Protected Bike Lanes on Connecticut Avenue
Urge Mayor Bowser and the Council to Not Cancel the Protected Bike Lanes on Connecticut Avenue
This is a special issue for the newsletter on the future of the Connecticut Avenue Multimodal Safety Improvement Project.
If you only have 5 seconds, please sign the petition urging Mayor Bowser and the Council to not cancel the protected bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue. If you have more time, please keep reading below.
Mayor Bowser has Canceled the Protected Bike Lanes on Connecticut Avenue without any Community Input
On April 11th, 2024 at an oversight hearing, the acting director of the District Department of Transportation said Concept C was no longer under consideration, and gave few details about the plans for the redesign of Connecticut Avenue. This unilateral decision from the Mayor and DDOT without any community or Council engagement and scant details goes against the principles of democracy, public safety, and the revival of downtown.
In Dec 2021, the Mayor chose Concept C for Connecticut Ave after an extensive community engagement process consisting of over 70 public meetings, walkthroughs, interactive sessions, and focus groups over the past four years. All the ANCs on Connecticut Avenue have overwhelmingly supported Concept C: 24 Commissioners in favor, with only 2 against and 2 abstaining. Our ANC’s support for Concept C, builds on resolutions passed on September 19, 2022 (2022-014), September 20, 2021(2021-013), and April 19th, 2021 (2021-005) and letters from September 18, 2023 and February 20, 2024.
Rejecting a plan overwhelmingly preferred by the elected officials, including the Mayor herself, undermines the very essence of the democratic process. Adding parking to Connecticut Avenue without protected bicycle infrastructure and enhanced bus stops makes the road more dangerous for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. Several studies show on-street parking is not only expensive and bad for the environment, but also very dangerous. While parking related crashes are not as severe as full-speed road crashes, they are the most frequent, and affect children more, primarily due to visibility issues. Finally, reducing two lanes on Connecticut Avenue without adding any alternative transportation method makes it more difficult for people to get downtown, further clogging the avenue, and the neighborhood side streets. Imagine a dangerous road where buses have to constantly pull in and out of lanes, people with disabilities do not have direct access to buses, and cars continuously are hunting for parking spots, darting in and out of traffic.
DDOT should not be allowed to spend our tax dollars to go against the wishes of the community, compromise our safety, and degrade downtown economic activity. At our last ANC meeting, we unanimously passed a letter urging the Council to adopt language that authorizes the $9.7 million for the Connecticut Avenue Reversible Operations and Safety Study to be used only if consistent with the comprehensive engineering, engagement, and analysis that went into Concept C, which Mayor Bowser announced as the preferred alternative in an announcement on December 15, 2021. We asked Council to include language that specifically denies the District Department of Transportation access to any funds that would pursue changes to the current configuration of Connecticut Avenue that does not include a protected bicycle lane. In a tight budget year like this, DDOT should not be allowed to spend almost $10 million to enact a plan that would make Connecticut Avenue more dangerous, less environmentally friendly, and divert traffic to our neighborhood.
How can we fight back?
Like you, I am gutted at this decision. But I have been energized by all of you that have reached out offering help and asking what we can do. Here’s some great next step:
Sign the petition and share it among your networks. If you need physical copies or QR codes, please let me know.
Thank Councilmember Frumin, who has come out ready to fight for a safer Connecticut Avenue through the budget process. You can email him at mfrumin@dccouncil.gov and let him know you support him advocating for this.
Join the emailing list with Ward 3 Bicycle Advocates, a volunteer group with no paid membership and no donations that is organizing events. If you would like to be part of the organizing, let me know and I will add you to our group.
Join one of the protest rides and events below. The one from April 17th drew over a 1000 bicycle riders. I myself am scared to bike on Connecticut Avenue, so I cheered them on from the sidewalk (video of bicyclists riding by below, it is four times the speed).
Wheatpaste with WABA on Connecticut Ave
Saturday 4/20 11a-2pm
Meet outside the Van Ness Metro Station near the Giant
Make sure our neighbors know what’s going on on their street. Break into groups and spread the word with signs EVERYWHERE. We’ll have pizza for you after!
WABA on Connecticut: Taking the Lanes
Wednesday 4/24 6:30pm, 7pm rollout
Ride with WABA from UDC down Connecticut and to the Wilson Building. Meet outside of the Van Ness Metro Starbucks
Connecticut Ave with Critical Mass
Friday 4/26 7:30pm, roll 8pm
Meetup at Dupont Circle
Critical Mass is a fun, friendly, social bicycle ride that occurs in cities around the world to celebrate bicycles and bring awareness to how cities shouldn't be designed around motor vehicles. About 8-10 miles, no drop. Ends in Chevy Chase DC.
Have another idea? Reach out to me. There’s a lot of interested people with a lot of energy, so you might have the best strategy for this.
Thank you for reading! I am optimistic that given the public response, we will have a safer Connecticut Avenue for everyone. Until then, let me know how I can help and if you have any further thoughts.
Sauleh Siddiqui, Commissioner, ANC 3C05
Email: 3C05@anc.dc.gov
Twitter: @saulehforanc