19 Feb 2020

News:

Street Justice: How Some DC Elected Officials Campaign Against Bus and Road Safety Improvements

Gordon Chaffin is a freelance journalist who focuses on infrastructure and traffic news and insights for Street Justice. You can support independent journalism by subscribing to Gordon’s newsletter. He’s offering a 20% discount to THIH readers.  –Maria Helena Carey

Note: This newsletter usually appears on Mondays, so some key dates may be affected in this post.

New curb extensions along 1st Street NW in Bloomingdale highlight dangerous driving in the corridor and raise hackles of residents opposed for years prior to these street safety features.(Photo by Gordon Chaffin)

Bloomingdale Official Will Continue Their Campaign Against Safety Measures Tuesday Night

On Tuesday, February 18th, ANC 5E will take up a resolution calling on DDOT to remove curb extensions on 1st Street NW in Bloomingdale. The letter comes from Commissioner Karla Lewis, who represents intersections of 1st just north of Florida Avenue NW — including R Street NW. Cmmsr Lewis and some of her neighbors have opposed curb extensions as a traffic calming measure because of parking loss (though curb extensions don’t remove legal parking), aesthetic displeasure, and reckless driving made allegedly worse by the new plastic flexpost bump-outs.

Expect Cmmsr Lewis’s resolution to cite several crashes in Bloomingdale from the month these curb extensions have been installed. Lewis and a few neighbors attended last Saturday’s Ward 5 Open House, speaking with both DDOT Director Jeff Marootian and Vision Zero staffer Emily Dalphy. DDOT installed curb extensions at several 1st Street NW intersections in the past few weeks, after several years of lobbying *for* traffic calming on 1st by the Bloomingdale Civic Association. DDOT did a site visit after installation, moving some flexposts to give turning vehicles more room and to confirm correct installation.

Also Tuesday, Commissioner Lewis will move a resolution opposing the study of traffic calming and other safety improvements on Florida Avenue NW, from Dave Thomas Circle to Georgia Avenue. The adjacent ANC 6E supported that study and its members feel DDOT should create safer, more walkable features there as the agency has pledged to improve Florida in Northeast.

Elected Officials & Residents to Rally Tomorrow Night *Against* Bus Lanes near Dupont, Logan Circles

On Monday, February 17th, at 7:15 PM — residents of Dupont and Logan Circle plan to meet and rally *against* DC’s plan to improve bus service on 16th Street NW with dedicated bus lanes and other transit facility improvements. Habitual anti-change advocates in Dupont Circle — who’ve bullied neighbors and destroyed constructive neighborhood conversations — intend to meet at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on 15th Street NW, according to communications obtained exclusively by Street Justice.

[Read the full story with project background for free here]

Montgomery County Council Hears Safety Complaints at Town Hall

For two hours last Sunday, Montgomery County, MD’s Council took comments and questions from the public regarding pedestrian, bike, and traffic safety. In addition to the Councilmembers, County Vision Zero Coordinator Wade Holland was seated at the dais, plus representatives of Maryland’s State Highway Administration, and the state’s transportation department. Several dozen members of the public used the occasion to appeal to Councilmembers and stakeholder representatives. Some had specific questions about dangerous locations or programs, others had more general inquiries or suggestions. [Full Story]

Arlington Banning Scooters from Some Sidewalks

Arlington will require shared scooter and e-bike riders to use bike lanes instead of the sidewalk when those bike lanes are protected. ArlCo intends to add new signage — literally a scooter with a circle and a line through it — where sidewalk-riding is prohibited. Late last year, the County Board set a $50 fine for incorrect scooter parking as a part of its adoption of a permanent scooter ordinance. “The ordinance [also] allows a civil penalty of no more than $50 for sidewalk riding in restricted areas,’ said County transportation spokesperson Eric Balliet. [Full Story]
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