upzoning: what will it really change?

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why there's so many bike lanes. They make traffic and parking a lot, lot worse, and barely anyone even uses them. It just seems a little crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

I'm one of those people. We live EOTP but we go over there because there's some places we like. But if it becomes a hassle to get over there and park, we'll just go somewhere else. It won't be worth the trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

Yup. That was complete and utter nonsense. I live near Connecticut as well and cannot think of a single redeeming feature of this plan. Crossing Connecticut on foot is not a problem now. But it will be with the massively increased traffic density. Especially if a vehicle is trying to turn left or making a delivery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

I think they also know this. So why do they want to make it harder for people to get to upper CT and therefore make that area less desirable?

It is the mayor's plan to continue to house the unhoused and low income people in the buildings along Connecticut Ave. They have no cars and the types of stores they frequent will replace what is currently there. The 30 year long shop owner is the beginning of the exodus. Look for payday loan stores, cannabis stores, low end convenience stores and carry outs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

I think they also know this. So why do they want to make it harder for people to get to upper CT and therefore make that area less desirable?

It is the mayor's plan to continue to house the unhoused and low income people in the buildings along Connecticut Ave. They have no cars and the types of stores they frequent will replace what is currently there. The 30 year long shop owner is the beginning of the exodus. Look for payday loan stores, cannabis stores, low end convenience stores and carry outs.

That’s too conspiratorial. The plan, if there is one, is to use transportation policy to reward developers who made big new investments. They are trying to encourage affluent young people to move to Navy Yard or City Ridge by making transportation around upper CT avenue more difficult. Seniors probably won’t care too much and maybe they will get more seniors to move into Cleveland Park and Van Ness as a result. The number of senior homes in that area, which are already a lot, could grow substantially. If you’re a family though, forget about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

Yup. That was complete and utter nonsense. I live near Connecticut as well and cannot think of a single redeeming feature of this plan. Crossing Connecticut on foot is not a problem now. But it will be with the massively increased traffic density. Especially if a vehicle is trying to turn left or making a delivery.

It also doesn’t make sense from a practical perspective. The answer to concern about pedestrians is building bike lanes? Why not do things that directly benefit pedestrians instead, like well marked more intersections and HAWK signals?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

Yup. That was complete and utter nonsense. I live near Connecticut as well and cannot think of a single redeeming feature of this plan. Crossing Connecticut on foot is not a problem now. But it will be with the massively increased traffic density. Especially if a vehicle is trying to turn left or making a delivery.

It also doesn’t make sense from a practical perspective. The answer to concern about pedestrians is building bike lanes? Why not do things that directly benefit pedestrians instead, like well marked more intersections and HAWK signals?

All of the people on this thread whining about the bike lanes should stop griping on here and instead learn about the plans - getting bikes off the sidewalks will benefit pedestrians. The plan in fact is going to add a couple of HAWK signals and high visibility crosswalks at all pedestrian crossings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

Nonsense - almost all of the pedestrian fatalities in DC happen on the major roads including 3 in the past 6 months on Upper Connecticut. Which isn't a surprise because that is where all the traffic and pedestrians are and the roads are also engineered for much higher speeds.

And what until you see all of the protected bike lanes that are being put in in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring.

Driving and parking should be a hassle - it is better for everyone if we do less of it and the DC neighborhoods where those things are most difficult are also its most vibrant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

Yup. That was complete and utter nonsense. I live near Connecticut as well and cannot think of a single redeeming feature of this plan. Crossing Connecticut on foot is not a problem now. But it will be with the massively increased traffic density. Especially if a vehicle is trying to turn left or making a delivery.

It also doesn’t make sense from a practical perspective. The answer to concern about pedestrians is building bike lanes? Why not do things that directly benefit pedestrians instead, like well marked more intersections and HAWK signals?

All of the people on this thread whining about the bike lanes should stop griping on here and instead learn about the plans - getting bikes off the sidewalks will benefit pedestrians. The plan in fact is going to add a couple of HAWK signals and high visibility crosswalks at all pedestrian crossings.

So we have to ruin traffic and inconvenience tens of thousands of people because one time there was this guy on a bike riding on a sidewalk? It is insane how transportation policy in Washington revolves around the concerns of the infinitesimal number of people who are into bikes. How about we just give that guy on the sidewalk a ticket and leave everyone else be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

Nonsense - almost all of the pedestrian fatalities in DC happen on the major roads including 3 in the past 6 months on Upper Connecticut. Which isn't a surprise because that is where all the traffic and pedestrians are and the roads are also engineered for much higher speeds.

And what until you see all of the protected bike lanes that are being put in in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring.

Driving and parking should be a hassle - it is better for everyone if we do less of it and the DC neighborhoods where those things are most difficult are also its most vibrant.

Ha! This is such lunacy. This is how you strangle a city. Make it impossible for people to move around. This will just Balkanize the city. People won't leave their little neighborhoods because it will be too much hassle or they'll flow into areas where it's easier to get around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

Nonsense - almost all of the pedestrian fatalities in DC happen on the major roads including 3 in the past 6 months on Upper Connecticut. Which isn't a surprise because that is where all the traffic and pedestrians are and the roads are also engineered for much higher speeds.

And what until you see all of the protected bike lanes that are being put in in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring.

Driving and parking should be a hassle - it is better for everyone if we do less of it and the DC neighborhoods where those things are most difficult are also its most vibrant.

Ha! This is such lunacy. This is how you strangle a city. Make it impossible for people to move around. This will just Balkanize the city. People won't leave their little neighborhoods because it will be too much hassle or they'll flow into areas where it's easier to get around.

This is the objective. It is desirable to make people stay where they are and not move around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no rational argument against upzoning. Everything comes down to selfishness, entitlement, classism, and racism.

No matter what dog whistles or code words they use, there is not a single argument that is not ultimately based on keeping less wealthy people and minorities out of their neighborhoods, gatekeeping who can live/drive/walk in their neighborhood, or the most asinine of all, seriously believing that they should be allowed to tell people what they can or can't do with their property because they don't like having to look at it.

I’m not entirely against upzoning, but let’s be real. Upzoning in DC will not help low income families. It is really a back door for more well-off people to get into the DC market.

As it has been for the last 10 years

Yup, it's the "haves" against the "have-slightly-less's." Nothing to do with equity or affordability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

Nonsense - almost all of the pedestrian fatalities in DC happen on the major roads including 3 in the past 6 months on Upper Connecticut. Which isn't a surprise because that is where all the traffic and pedestrians are and the roads are also engineered for much higher speeds.

And what until you see all of the protected bike lanes that are being put in in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring.

Driving and parking should be a hassle - it is better for everyone if we do less of it and the DC neighborhoods where those things are most difficult are also its most vibrant.

Ha! This is such lunacy. This is how you strangle a city. Make it impossible for people to move around. This will just Balkanize the city. People won't leave their little neighborhoods because it will be too much hassle or they'll flow into areas where it's easier to get around.

DC has been anti car since the 90s (side note that's when they started being anti kid/family as well) and the city hasn't strangled itself

DC is weird because many parts of the"city limits" are SFH neighborhoods including most of upper NW. To that end it doesn't make sense to do urban design in a suburban area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox5dc.com/news/connecticut-avenue-bike-lane-plan-faces-opposition

They're eliminating two lanes on Connecticut freaking Avenue. That is honestly one of the stupidest decisions ever made by the DC Government.

Is it just me or is it totally insane to promote higher density while intentionally removing transportation infrastructure.

I could see removing a lane for a bus lane, but a bike lane is insane. CT Ave goes up a steep hill. I hear a lot about the Netherlands model. You know what the Netherlands doesn’t have? Hills. By all means turn the Old City, that’s mostly flat, into a bike utopia. This seems like an intentional plan to make upper CT an undesirable place to live which is consistent with other DC government behaviors, like the housing homeless in apartment buildings and hotels in the same area. I guess the plan is to intentionally impoverish the area so it can be redeveloped?

The city is intentionally making traffic worse because they think that will prompt people to switch to bikes. That's obviously ridiculous. People will just leave or stop going to parts of the city where it's hard to get around.

The idea that I am going to bike to the small businesses along CT Avenue is absurd. In a funny way, adding bike lanes will benefit suburban malls (which I historically have tried to avoid) as one can drive and park and do multiple errands.

A lot of DC stores rely on foot traffic. Bike lanes are one way to calm traffic so pedestrians are more likely to shop locally.

+1. I live near CT Ave and definitely will use local business more once it it easier to cross the street. Makes it much easier to pop into businesses if I can actually cross the street and not worry about getting hit by drivers. I highly doubt most commuters are stopping halfway through their commute to patronize DC businesses. I am much more likely to stop at a local business when I am walking than when I am driving

This is long overdue- DC has catered to people
Driving for far too long with the design of Connecticut - it is basically a death trap speedway through residential areas

Nonsense. I likewise live near CT Ave and regularly cross it for a wide variety of reasons. Have had no issues. Turning lanes into bike lanes will simply drive cars into the residential neighborhoods, which is far more dangerous to pedestrians than CT Ave. And no business on CT Ave relies solely on residents within easy walking distance. All of those businesses depend in part on drivers who park nearby and access the business. If accessing these businesses (particularly on Upper Avenue) becomes too difficult, then residents will simply use the Maryland based businesses. And, of course, given DC's dependence on white collar workers, and given that most can work from home at least several days a week, DC will simply encourage suburbanites to work from home even more. Why hassle with the drive and parking? Downtown businesses and restaurans then lose out. And eventually some of those businesses will leave DC, though some may retain a DC mailing address.

Yup. That was complete and utter nonsense. I live near Connecticut as well and cannot think of a single redeeming feature of this plan. Crossing Connecticut on foot is not a problem now. But it will be with the massively increased traffic density. Especially if a vehicle is trying to turn left or making a delivery.

It also doesn’t make sense from a practical perspective. The answer to concern about pedestrians is building bike lanes? Why not do things that directly benefit pedestrians instead, like well marked more intersections and HAWK signals?

All of the people on this thread whining about the bike lanes should stop griping on here and instead learn about the plans - getting bikes off the sidewalks will benefit pedestrians. The plan in fact is going to add a couple of HAWK signals and high visibility crosswalks at all pedestrian crossings.

There are no bicyclists on the sidewalks in that part of town. Pushing 7,000 vehicles per day off of Connecticut Ave alone onto neighborhood streets is the single most anti-pedestrian measure ever undertaken in DC. You're creating a problem where none currently exists and all because you don't seem to understand that different parts of the city are different.

This is the idea of a freaking transplant who knows nothing about DC.