Starting this past September 19 and through Friday, October 19, you can make comments on the revised policies for the DC Circulator and DC Streetcar Title VI Major Service Change, Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden. DDOT held a meeting this past September 19 over on Benning Road, to discuss the extension of the DC Streetcar. You can read more about the extension of the Streetcar over at WAMU. (I guess that we are right on schedule, going by this WAMU story about restoring funding to the eastward expansion of the streetcar, from 2017.)
DDOT was also eagerly connecting with the public at the H Street Festival this past weekend. In addition to these two public meetings, they encourage anyone with an opinion (about this specific topic) to contact them by emailing David.Koch@dc.gov.
If you want to brush up on the draft policies, you can click on this DDOT webpage, where you can view four versions of something that I honestly think is the same exact thing, only that one is a little shorter than the others. Can you spot the differences? I feel like I’m getting trolled here. I get it though: DDOT just wants to make sure that people understand that there are, in fact, policies in place to protect the more vulnerable riders in the city and to make sure that we look out for one another. But as I read the brochures, I couldn’t help but think that between the Streetcar and the Circulator, there are disparities going on right under our noses. I know we’re only supposed to say, oh yes, these policies are nice. But maybe, as the public, we should say more.
For years, we’ve been promised some sort of eastward expansion of the streetcar. It only makes sense to keep it going and to connect it at some point with Benning Road Metro. Can you imagine the added flexibility and mobility for Ward 7? That the Streetcar basically dead-ends at Oklahoma Avenue has been a source of frustration ever since the Streetcar opened (behind schedule) back in the winter of 2016. The Streetcar, as much as I do love it and actually ride it, is a bit of a joke. It could serve so many more people along Benning Road and connect Ward 7 solidly to Ward 6, but it doesn’t. It just does its mile-long journey and back. It could be better, but isn’t.
Since DDOT is also seeking commentary on the Circulator, can we take a look at the routes for a second?
People who know a lot more about transportation and know how the routes are planned out will surely comment that the routes are designed to go where the greatest need is. However, the northeast quadrant of the capital is seriously underrepresented. Do people in Wards 4, 5 and 7 not deserve a route to get around the city– for free– these days? Are more residential neighborhoods not areas where there is enough mobility need to draw up another route? Would people living across the river not benefit from having an affordable/free route away from their grocery store deserts and toward places where you can’t spit without hitting three supermarkets? What about a route that allows people to go to the Arboretum? What about a route that connects Gallaudet students and Trinidad to the Hill? A route like that would probably get a lot of traction (I’m thinking there could be an 8th Street route that moves north on Florida Avenue and connects to Union Market, for example).
Let’s not forget how upsetting it was when the orange line changed routes and no longer serviced Hill East or Skyland Terrace. Can’t we get a route that connects Hill East to points west, or to more transportation East of the River? What about a Circulator route that connects Petworth to Brookland, say? There are so many northeasterly routes that could be considered, I’m just sitting back here thinking about all the places that could use a free bus service.
That’s my $0.02 on this subject. If you want, write in to Mr. Koch before the 19th of next month regarding the policies, but maybe write him something longer– he might really like mail. Click David.Koch@dc.gov to email him and click here to read the draft policies again.