Help Get Bikes into the New Adams Morgan Transportation Plan

Facilities for cyclists have been left out of a critical section of the latest plans for the reconstruction of 18th Street and Columbia Road in Adams Morgan, DC's most active bike neighborhood.   WABA needs your help today to ensure that the future of Adams Morgan is one where bikes will be welcomed.

The latest proposals represent a significant departure from the original ideas contained in the 18th Street Adams Morgan Transportation Study.  This study, which had been completed in March of 2006 after much public involvement, recommended wide lanes with sharrows for cyclists on 18th from Columbia Road to Florida Ave.  Sharrows help direct cyclists away from the door zone and alert drivers to the presence of cyclists on the street.  While no facilities were recommended for Columbia Road, WABA believed that accommodations similar to those recommended for 18th could be included on Columbia with some small adjustments.

The latest plans, which are being drafted by the Adams Morgan business community along with the local ANC, are in some ways a vast improvement on existing conditions.  However, while the plan calls for additional sidewalk width which is much needed in Adams Morgan, as well as for sharrows on 18th Street south of Kalorama, the sharrows have been removed from the key section of 18th from Klorama north to Columbia Road.

Columbia Road and 18th Street are critical streets in the bike network that MUST be designed with cyclists in mind.  Not only do they provide non-motorized access to one of the most vibrant (and traffic choked) neighborhoods in the District, but the streets themselves serve as a linking points between other high bike use areas like Columbia Heights, Mt Pleasant, U Street, Dupont Circle and Woodley Park.

WABA's Recommendations are:

• remove parking stripe from 18th St north of Kalorama and install sharrow pavement marking
• retain crosswalk at 18th and Belmont
• remove rush hour parking restrictions on southbound 18th and install curb bulbouts at the intersections
• Install extensive bike parking throughout the corridor

A critical vote at the Adams Morgan ANC takes place on Aug 15.  WABA needs your help today to ensure that cyclists are included in this important neighborhood. 

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DDOT Bike Lane Program Stalled

Seven months into 2007 the DDOT bike lane striping program appears to be stuck in park.  So far in this year less than 1 mile of bike lanes have been striped!  According to the implementation schedule of the DC Bicycle Master Plan, DC is supposed to have 40 miles of bike lanes by the end of this year.  Right now we only have 25 miles of lanes.   If we are truly to make gains in bicycle mode share and improve bicycle safety, on-street facilities are one of the keys, yet little effort is being made to improve and expand the bike lane striping program. 

WABA urges you to contact DDOT Director Emeka Moneme to urge him to get the bike lane striping program back on track and to begin a crash program to accelerate the implementation process.