NEIGHBORHOOD
Expanding Bike Lanes
Understanding the Role of The Public in DDOT’s Public Engagement by Elizabeth O’Gorek
T
he District is installing a citywide, interconnected bicycle network. To meet District-mandated environmental goals, The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) must shift 75 percent of intra-city trips to transportation modes other than single-occupant cars by 2032. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) Vision Zero Plan, begun in 2015, commits DDOT to creating traffic conditions that reduce fatalities and serious injuries to zero by 2025. These mandates guide all DDOT decision making. Bike lanes, according to DDOT, not only get cars off the road, but also have a calming effect on traffic, thus meeting both environmental and safety goals. The agency has constructed 94 miles of bike lanes since 2001 of which, as of 2020, 16.6 miles are “protected” from cars using bollards and other elements of road infrastructure. It plans to construct another 20 miles of protected bike lanes (PBLs) over the next three years. Many residents are frustrated with DDOT’s push to expand the District’s bike network of protected bike lanes. They say their views are not being heard. “This is an issue of competence and public engagement,” said Allan Ebert, Executive Director of the Ninth Street Association. “DDOT has tunnel vision. It only sees bike lanes, not the impact of the design on the residents, businesses, and community in general,” he said.
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“The transparency of this process is just so awful,” said 18-year Hill resident Christine Mullens at a recent public meeting on bike lanes proposed for the 1300 block of North Carolina Ave. NE. “This is being shoved down our throats.” DDOT is driven by environmental mandates to improve bike lanes over the next decade. Yet residents have high expectations for significant community input. What is the agency process for creating protected bike lanes? How can the public engage? How does the agency incorporate resident feedback?
