Connecticut Ave bike lanes are back!

[Anonymous]

Given the extensive community support for Concept C, the District’s ostensible commitment to shifting motor vehicle users to other modes, and the enormous safety benefits of bike lanes, the Committee is convinced that any redesign of Connecticut Avenue NW must include a PBL. Therefore, the Committee incorporates language in this subtitle to prevent DDOT from expending funds in FY25 in furtherance of the Connecticut Avenue Reversible Lane Operations and Safety project (Project No. 100634 (LMS19C)), or any other capital project for the same or similar purpose, unless the installation of protected bike lanes is included in the project’s design, planning, and construction."

DC Council budget response on the subcommittee of transportation and the environment, see https://www.dccouncilbudget.com/s/DRAFT-FY25-Committee-on-Transportation-the-Environment-Budget-Report.pdf, page 125.

A multimodal Conn Ave is back on the plan!

[Anonymous]

Nah. This time, we're awake. "We" being the overwhelming majority of affected persons who oppose any bike lanes whatsoever on Connecticut. And we will prevail, again, in shutting this shit down.

-- District resident, not a "Maryland commuter"

[Anonymous]

NO!

[Anonymous]

Good job making sure Connecticut will never be changed from where it stands now.

Never underestimate how profoundly dumb Charles Allen is as a politician. He should be recalled for that alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nah. This time, we're awake. "We" being the overwhelming majority of affected persons who oppose any bike lanes whatsoever on Connecticut. And we will prevail, again, in shutting this shit down.

-- District resident, not a "Maryland commuter"

You calling yourself an “overwhelming majority” does not make you an overwhelming majority.

And those whose route from their house to Connecticut Avenue necessarily involves driving on a road in Maryland are, in fact, Maryland commuters.

[Anonymous]

What the f???

I thought this was done.

I thought the biker bros had lost.

[Anonymous]

Yeah this is so politically toxic if they bring it back. Bike lanes that very very few people would use, as a utopian solution for cars, traffic, pedestrian deaths, the planet, equity, you name it. The whole "you are a bad, dumb person if you oppose this!" vibe was insufferable.

And normie District residents and businesses finally said this is silly, the emperor has no clothes.

Bike lanes can work great in the right places. But they are not a catch-all magical solution.

And in this case they would come with significant impacts and only fuzzy upsides. Longer commutes for workers and students, slower busses (!!!), problems for businesses, new dangers for pedestrians, more traffic on side streets. Any doubleparked CVS or FedEx truck (and they will double park!) moves from a minor inconvenience to a major traffic and safety headache.

Reminds me a bit of "pedstrianized streets" in the 70s. In the right places, they work great -- but in front of the MLK Library, for instance, they become the an open urinal. In other places (across from the press gallery?), they just killed street life. And they smartly got torn out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What the f???

I thought this was done.

I thought the biker bros had lost.

It is done. It’s Charles Allen and his bike bros being nihilists. Just like the K St Transitway, the city cannot have anything nice unless it has bike lanes.

The reality is that this means that CT Ave won’t get pedestrian safety improvements but hilariously enough they could revert back to rush hour parking rules.

It’s basically just a back door way of making budget cuts while looking smug but actually being an a-hole. Classic Charles Allen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What the f???

I thought this was done.

I thought the biker bros had lost.

We have been working on this project for like a decade. If you think we were like "ah well, lost the mayor to downtown commercial building pocketbook, guess we should just pack it up and accept our fates of becoming meat pancakes to a speeding MD commuter with paper plates" you were fooling yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the f???

I thought this was done.

I thought the biker bros had lost.

We have been working on this project for like a decade. If you think we were like "ah well, lost the mayor to downtown commercial building pocketbook, guess we should just pack it up and accept our fates of becoming meat pancakes to a speeding MD commuter with paper plates" you were fooling yourself.

Do you not understand that DC is broke? You seem to be the only one fooling yourself. This is just locking in the status quo and every Councilmember not named Frumin are happy to take capital transportation projects from Ward 3.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm hard to tell which of these tantrums I enjoyed the most

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nah. This time, we're awake. "We" being the overwhelming majority of affected persons who oppose any bike lanes whatsoever on Connecticut. And we will prevail, again, in shutting this shit down.

-- District resident, not a "Maryland commuter"

You calling yourself an “overwhelming majority” does not make you an overwhelming majority.

And those whose route from their house to Connecticut Avenue necessarily involves driving on a road in Maryland are, in fact, Maryland commuters.

Different poster. This insistence that anyone who opposes the bike lanes is a MD commuter is going to do you in. There is strong opposition within the neighborhoods along Connecticut. Stop with the fallacy that the opposition is Maryland commuter-based.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the f???

I thought this was done.

I thought the biker bros had lost.

We have been working on this project for like a decade. If you think we were like "ah well, lost the mayor to downtown commercial building pocketbook, guess we should just pack it up and accept our fates of becoming meat pancakes to a speeding MD commuter with paper plates" you were fooling yourself.

IMO, the problem on the streets isn’t speeding commuters, it’s Uber drivers and delivery drivers. I see so many unsafe driving maneuvers among Uber and delivery drivers. Still, our roads are flooded with them because many of the “no cars” people still use cars to get places, just in the form of Uber. This group also belittles those who say they need to drive to grocery stores, while receiving their Instacart or Door Dash orders from delivery people driving cars. Let’s start adding new regulations for ride share and delivery drivers to improve safety (e.g. ride share licensing and after two traffic infractions your ride share license is suspended. After three it’s revoked.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the f???

I thought this was done.

I thought the biker bros had lost.

It is done. It’s Charles Allen and his bike bros being nihilists. Just like the K St Transitway, the city cannot have anything nice unless it has bike lanes.

The reality is that this means that CT Ave won’t get pedestrian safety improvements but hilariously enough they could revert back to rush hour parking rules.

It’s basically just a back door way of making budget cuts while looking smug but actually being an a-hole. Classic Charles Allen.

Keep your hands off Ward 3.

[Anonymous]

So the criminal lobby’s friend, Charles Allen, now wants to prevent DDOT from funding any safety improvements at all along Connecticut Ave. (like a raised crosswalk on Davenport and Connecticut so that Murch kids can walk more safely to school) UNLESS Allen gets his bike lanes.

Is Allen a bratty child or a public servant?!