DDOT Proposes New Bike Infrastructure in U Street Area

From Maggie Barron. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @maggiebarron.

New bike lanes and other improvements could be coming to Borderstan, according to proposals from the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT). @TBDonFoot reports on the bike infrastructure improvements coming to the District in 2012, based on last week’s meeting between DDOT and the DC Bicycle Advisory Council. Several of the major changes are in the U Street corridor area.

The new map, above right, shows proposals for infrastructure (blue), plans DDOT had for 2011 that will spill over into 2012 (red) and improvements proposed by users (green), which include repainting lines and filling holes.

In the Borderstan Area

• DDOT-proposed infrastructure on 11th Street NW between Q Street and Florida Avenue – looks like it won’t be a full bike lane but rather “sharrows,” which are painted arrows meant to remind cars that it’s a shared road;
• DDOT-proposed infrastructure on 14th Street NW north of U Street, in the form of a climbing lane or “road diet” – lane configurations that give slow traffic bikes more space to be slow;
• User-proposed improvements to 14th Street NW south of U Street, creating better connectivity to other bike lanes;
• User-proposed improvements on 15th Street NW from V Street to Fuller Street to improve signage and keep drivers in their lanes (see a video here taken by Eve Henessa showing the potential hazards).

Other Major Changes

Other major changes around the District include new east-west corridors of segregated bike lanes (“cycletracks”) on L and M Streets between Pennsylvania Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue NW. DDOT’s proposal here is a shift for the department, as DDOT director Terry Bellamy said in June that the plans for L and M Streets were “on hold” and at risk of being scrapped entirely. (TBD points out that the plans for L and M Streets are still pending an ongoing DDOT study, but that the agency hopes to have them up by the end of 2012).

It’s not clear how DDOT will prioritize the user-proposed improvements. Also keep in mind that these are proposals DDOT could implement in 2012, so no promises.

But I’m thrilled with the possibility of bike improvements to 14th Street north of Florida Avenue. With more buffer room, I’ll be able to focus attention where it is most needed: on not passing out as I pedal up the DC equivalent of K2.

Do you bike in Borderstan? Let us know what you’d like to see from DDOT.