With all this negativity about bikes and pedestrians

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet again everyone talking about bikes and pedestrians and street improvements only talk as if downtown NW is the only part of the city that exists or matters. Some of you sound a bit out if touch (downtown def less populated due to nobody works in an office every day anymore in any city not bike lanes). I always hated driving downtown and prefer to find ways to metro there anyways, even before pandemic since I moved to DC. If they slow it down, or even shut down streets for restaurants I might go there more often on weekends as that sounds nice.

Regarding these topics, I have appreciated safety improvements on MD Ave NE and (in progress) C St NE near Elliot Hine which was an absolutely awful section of road by a school. Do not bike (other than trails) but drive kids to school and myself to work and the grocery store etc. and sometimes navigate getting kids across these roads on foot.

There are enough bikers on these roads that adding lanes makes sense.

I used to be against other things like traffic cameras until I had kids and now couldn't care less if DC puts them on every block and at every stop.
DC/MD/VA drivers are actually worse then NY drivers IMO and I grew up near NY.

Right on. For local trips to run down and grab some pickup food or a small amount of groceries a bike with a front or rear basket is great and super convenient. For going from one place to another and staying for a while, a bike share or step on scooter is super convenient. Getting folks who want to or already do that some space that isn't either in the road with the speeders or on the sidewalks with high chance of conflict for pedestrians, at the cost of some of the free car storage is a great trade off.

Except that people are not using bicycles for these trips they are using cars and will continue to do so. Only 20% of car trips in DC are for commuting. People with kids have organized lives with limited time. Perhaps a Saturday bike ride with the kids is good recreation. But they are not jumping on the bike to duck out to the store for one or two items. They are using their car to shop for the week at Costco and wherever else (Whole Foods, Giant, Trader Joe’s). I know that it’s hard for you to understand, but not everyone lives your lifestyle, nor do they want to even if they had the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet again everyone talking about bikes and pedestrians and street improvements only talk as if downtown NW is the only part of the city that exists or matters. Some of you sound a bit out if touch (downtown def less populated due to nobody works in an office every day anymore in any city not bike lanes). I always hated driving downtown and prefer to find ways to metro there anyways, even before pandemic since I moved to DC. If they slow it down, or even shut down streets for restaurants I might go there more often on weekends as that sounds nice.

Regarding these topics, I have appreciated safety improvements on MD Ave NE and (in progress) C St NE near Elliot Hine which was an absolutely awful section of road by a school. Do not bike (other than trails) but drive kids to school and myself to work and the grocery store etc. and sometimes navigate getting kids across these roads on foot.

There are enough bikers on these roads that adding lanes makes sense.

I used to be against other things like traffic cameras until I had kids and now couldn't care less if DC puts them on every block and at every stop.
DC/MD/VA drivers are actually worse then NY drivers IMO and I grew up near NY.

Right on. For local trips to run down and grab some pickup food or a small amount of groceries a bike with a front or rear basket is great and super convenient. For going from one place to another and staying for a while, a bike share or step on scooter is super convenient. Getting folks who want to or already do that some space that isn't either in the road with the speeders or on the sidewalks with high chance of conflict for pedestrians, at the cost of some of the free car storage is a great trade off.

Except that people are not using bicycles for these trips they are using cars and will continue to do so. Only 20% of car trips in DC are for commuting. People with kids have organized lives with limited time. Perhaps a Saturday bike ride with the kids is good recreation. But they are not jumping on the bike to duck out to the store for one or two items. They are using their car to shop for the week at Costco and wherever else (Whole Foods, Giant, Trader Joe’s). I know that it’s hard for you to understand, but not everyone lives your lifestyle, nor do they want to even if they had the time.

I'm the PP who brought up the changes 9n C St and MD Ave NE. To be clear, I drive everywhere, but like these improvements which made driving more pleasant and also made it more safe when I am walking in my neighborhood with kids. I feel like it's impossible for the folks on these forum to understand, sometimes people who like road improvements are drivers. Thing is, some of us who drive are also parents with kids. Being a parent makes me more supportive of slowing drivers down and making separate bike lanes. It also makes me not care how many speed or red light cameras are put in because I hate a simple walk just to take my kids from my rowhouse to the playground in my neighborhood (which is residential).

To me, downtown is like going to NYC which I grew up near. Everyone who lives near NYC knows you avoid driving there but it's fun to go to or you have to for work so you find a way to take a train. Downtown DC is kinda similar but the fun places in DC have never been downtown anyways. Even when I moved here in 2007, that was true of downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet again everyone talking about bikes and pedestrians and street improvements only talk as if downtown NW is the only part of the city that exists or matters. Some of you sound a bit out if touch (downtown def less populated due to nobody works in an office every day anymore in any city not bike lanes). I always hated driving downtown and prefer to find ways to metro there anyways, even before pandemic since I moved to DC. If they slow it down, or even shut down streets for restaurants I might go there more often on weekends as that sounds nice.

Regarding these topics, I have appreciated safety improvements on MD Ave NE and (in progress) C St NE near Elliot Hine which was an absolutely awful section of road by a school. Do not bike (other than trails) but drive kids to school and myself to work and the grocery store etc. and sometimes navigate getting kids across these roads on foot.

There are enough bikers on these roads that adding lanes makes sense.

I used to be against other things like traffic cameras until I had kids and now couldn't care less if DC puts them on every block and at every stop.
DC/MD/VA drivers are actually worse then NY drivers IMO and I grew up near NY.

Right on. For local trips to run down and grab some pickup food or a small amount of groceries a bike with a front or rear basket is great and super convenient. For going from one place to another and staying for a while, a bike share or step on scooter is super convenient. Getting folks who want to or already do that some space that isn't either in the road with the speeders or on the sidewalks with high chance of conflict for pedestrians, at the cost of some of the free car storage is a great trade off.

Except that people are not using bicycles for these trips they are using cars and will continue to do so. Only 20% of car trips in DC are for commuting. People with kids have organized lives with limited time. Perhaps a Saturday bike ride with the kids is good recreation. But they are not jumping on the bike to duck out to the store for one or two items. They are using their car to shop for the week at Costco and wherever else (Whole Foods, Giant, Trader Joe’s). I know that it’s hard for you to understand, but not everyone lives your lifestyle, nor do they want to even if they had the time.

I'm the PP who brought up the changes 9n C St and MD Ave NE. To be clear, I drive everywhere, but like these improvements which made driving more pleasant and also made it more safe when I am walking in my neighborhood with kids. I feel like it's impossible for the folks on these forum to understand, sometimes people who like road improvements are drivers. Thing is, some of us who drive are also parents with kids. Being a parent makes me more supportive of slowing drivers down and making separate bike lanes. It also makes me not care how many speed or red light cameras are put in because I hate a simple walk just to take my kids from my rowhouse to the playground in my neighborhood (which is residential).

To me, downtown is like going to NYC which I grew up near. Everyone who lives near NYC knows you avoid driving there but it's fun to go to or you have to for work so you find a way to take a train. Downtown DC is kinda similar but the fun places in DC have never been downtown anyways. Even when I moved here in 2007, that was true of downtown.

I biked from near Catholic U over to 14th street using the new Irving/Kenyon St. cycle track this past Saturday. That was great. It was actually very pleasant and relaxing of a ride. I used to bike both of those roads prior to the cycle track being installed. It was very not pleasant or relaxing and instead had to hit threshold to try to get to speed to ride it w/ traffic as much as possible. Such a great change.

Cant wait for Conn Ave to provide something similar for N/S in NW.