Transit and Bike Lanes

**Updated 10/18/2022: DDOT will be proceeding with the Connecticut Ave concept C bike lane plan. They are currently in the design refinement stage of the project after having conducted parking assessment walks during the first weeks of October. I hope to talk to more community members about implementation concerns as changes are made to the roadway. I have heard concerns from neighbors about ADA accessibility and handicap drop offs. I have attended DDOT meetings and the Connecticut Ave parking walkthrough and watched DDOT's presentation in the October ANC meeting. DDOT has smoothed over my ADA concerns and it is apparent that they are ensuring that they are in compliance through the use of sidewalk cuts, amenities for the hearing and vision impaired, Zicla platforms etc.

I am committed to liaising between DDOT and the citizens and retail businesses as your ANC Commissioner and I am also committed to ensuring the project goes through in a way that works for everyone.

A good city should have a solid network of safe bike lanes and public transit that people will default to over cars. Long term transit expansion should be happening now for a (hopefully not too far off) future with less cars needed, or even desired, in the urban landscape. While we wait for long term transit improvements, we should be working with WMATA to ensure that they are doing everything possible to ensure that busses have sufficient routes that minimize changes and a reliable schedule that will incentivize people to take the bus instead of driving. This is a realistic short term goal that is not only much more ecologically friendly but will mitigate impacts the bike lanes have on the travel way.

This consideration should go towards out of district commuters using major corridors as well as intra-district travel.

There will always be workers, often in essential capacity, who will need to drive in and out of the District daily for whom transit may be less of an option. Our roadway changes should seek to not make their lives harder.

In addition, we have to think about the businesses along the corridor and work to mitigate any potential negative impacts that their businesses may suffer as a result of the roadway change.

We need a good plan for the parking that will continue to be necessary. I believe that DDOT consultants will be working to maximize off street parking in the design, surveying publicly available parking in buildings etc.

There will be reasons you may have to drive and I do not think the ANC should work to take that from people. Major roadway change concerns are not unfounded, but we have to think about the future and the future of the urban landscape has excellent transit, bike lanes, safe pedestrian conditions and we need to be working to get there and I hope to assist with this challenge as ANC Commissioner.