D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council

Pictures from Bike to Work Day - Freedom Plaza - May 20, 2011

The DCBAC issued comment s regarding the South Capitol Street Final Environmental Impact Study (FEIS) submitted by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT).  As mentioned previously , the FEIS is a massive transportation infrastructure project that will replace the Fredrick Douglass Memorial Bridge and many of the the roads and sidewalks that approach it on both sides of the river the bridge crosses, the Anacostia.  While DCBAC supports many improvements associated with the project, the FEIS neglected to implement certain bicycle enhancements contained in build alternatives not selected and well as improvements stipulated in the District of Columbia Bicycle Master Plan . DCBAC recommended several enhancements including the following: better access to the Anacostia River and its trail, better separation of bicyclist from motorist and pedestrians, and better access to the Anacostia Metrorail station.  If you can comments or suggestions, please post them below.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are holding public meeting for the I-395 Air Rights Project Environmental Assessment ,  Thursday, May 26, 2011 at the Holy Rosary Church (Casa Italiana) . This is an opportunity for the general public to offer its suggestions regarding the public infrastructure created by the project, which should include additional bicycle facilities. This is the second meeting of the project and will discuss the alternatives the proposed by the and potential impacts.   The alternative build options will be discusses as well as provide an opportunity for comments from the public. The meeting will be an open house and attendees may arrive any time between 5:30p and 7:30p. The meeting will be at: Holy Rosary Church (Casa Italiana) 595 1/2 3rd Street, NW Washington DC, 20001 The purpose of the project is to propose modifications to the transportation infrastructure between 2nd Street, 3rd Street, D

Obstacles (photo by thedceye) As part of the fiscal year 2012 budget process, District of Columbia Council members, through their Committees, ask questions regarding a litany of topics so that they can make programmatic and fiscal decisions.  Recently, the Committee on Public Works and Transportation asked the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to provide answers to 21 questions related to its budget and operations. Question 17 on the Committee's list asked the agency to provide information about the amount and type of revenue collected within the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Fund ( DC ST § 1-325.131 ) from fiscal years 2009, 2010 and year-to-date figures for 2011.  Specifically, the Committee was likely seeking information about the implementation of DC Law 17-269, the " Pedestrian Safety Reinforcement Amendment Act of 2008 " .

(photo courtesy of thedceye) This summer, the Washington Area Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA) will begin assessing bicycle and pedestrian access at stations across the Metrorail system.  BAC would like to hear your thoughts on the problems with bike accessibility to Metro stations located in the District.  We hope to provide a list of stations that need improvement and suggestions on how to expand bike mode share to metro stations. The WMATA Capital Improvement Program (CIP) will provide approximately $9 million over a six-year period to expand mode share at Metro stations and make reaching stations easier.  The WMATA Bicycle and  Pedestrian Facilities Capacity Improvements project hopes to increase bicycle parking capacity at Metrorail stations to meet current and future demands and improve connections to stations from local communities where existing pathways are poor. According to the WMATA Access Planning and Policy Analysis program manager,  the CIP projec

As reported in WashCycle and on the WABA website, the preferred alternative for the South Capitol Street Final Environmental Impact Study does not appear to contain certain bicycling and pedestrian improvements. Improvements excluded from the selected alternative could increase alternative transportation options, like walking and biking, for District residents and visitors who use the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge to access the current (and future) amenities in this area of the District. According to the study site , the purpose of the project is determine the build alternative that best supports improving the safety, accessibility, multi-modal mobility and economic development opportunities associated with the reconstruction of South Capitol Street and Suitland Parkway and the replacement of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.  A comparison of the proposed alternatives can be found here . BAC is seeking public comments regarding the findings of this study and its selec

Metro bike patrol , a photo by uno000 on Flickr. A rare sight, metro police has a bike patrol. Hopefully we'll see more of them on the trains and around Metro stations. Via Flickr: