question for cyclists in NWDC

[Anonymous]

Why is there no protected bike lane down Wisconsin connecting Friendship Heights (or even into Bethesda) with downtown DC? Or most of the major avenues in NWDC?

Moved to NWDC from Cambridge/Boston about a year ago and have been familiarizing myself with the bicycle infrastructure here. I'm surprised there is no protected bike lane down Wisconsin into Georgetown. It's a popular commuting route, connects several Red Line stops, and has lots of businesses/schools/daycare along the way. Wisconsin is very wide, sometimes 6 lanes, and along many stretches there is already one lane that's basically blocked due to on street parking. Was there ever discussion for a protected bike lane, if so, why hasn't it happened? The traffic is heavy and can be fast so I don't feel safe biking on Wisconsin, so instead I've been using the sidewalks which can get clogged with scooters, other cyclists, and pedestrians.

I know you can detour on the New Mexico bike lane into downtown but that's pretty circuitous. I'm also comparing it with Mass Ave for those of you who are familiar with Boston/Cambridge - where there is great biking infrastructure that allows commuters and recreational cyclists to easily navigate all the T-Stops along the Red Line and access the business on and around Mass Ave. People say DC is cycling friendly and for how progressive it is I've been surprised at the lack of better biking infrastructure. And I'm not a crazy serious cyclist, I just would like to bike in a safe way for my daily needs like dropping kids off at preschool, groceries, errands etc.

For those of you who do live in NWDC and choose to bike into downtown (Georgetown or Capitol Hill or NOVA even) for work, what's your preferred route?

[Anonymous]

Capital Crescent trail from downtown Bethesda to Gtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is there no protected bike lane down Wisconsin connecting Friendship Heights (or even into Bethesda) with downtown DC? Or most of the major avenues in NWDC?

Moved to NWDC from Cambridge/Boston about a year ago and have been familiarizing myself with the bicycle infrastructure here. I'm surprised there is no protected bike lane down Wisconsin into Georgetown. It's a popular commuting route, connects several Red Line stops, and has lots of businesses/schools/daycare along the way. Wisconsin is very wide, sometimes 6 lanes, and along many stretches there is already one lane that's basically blocked due to on street parking. Was there ever discussion for a protected bike lane, if so, why hasn't it happened? The traffic is heavy and can be fast so I don't feel safe biking on Wisconsin, so instead I've been using the sidewalks which can get clogged with scooters, other cyclists, and pedestrians.

I know you can detour on the New Mexico bike lane into downtown but that's pretty circuitous. I'm also comparing it with Mass Ave for those of you who are familiar with Boston/Cambridge - where there is great biking infrastructure that allows commuters and recreational cyclists to easily navigate all the T-Stops along the Red Line and access the business on and around Mass Ave. People say DC is cycling friendly and for how progressive it is I've been surprised at the lack of better biking infrastructure. And I'm not a crazy serious cyclist, I just would like to bike in a safe way for my daily needs like dropping kids off at preschool, groceries, errands etc.

For those of you who do live in NWDC and choose to bike into downtown (Georgetown or Capitol Hill or NOVA even) for work, what's your preferred route?

Historically bikers took the capital crescent trail
For some reason now this protected path is not good enough

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Capital Crescent trail from downtown Bethesda to Gtown.

Yes, I know this one, but I don't live in Bethesda. It's a significant detour for me to get on it and I can't really use it for daily life stuff up and down along Wisconsin or in NWDC.

[Anonymous]

OP, your first mistake is assuming DC is on par with Boston in terms of cycling safety. Especially with Cambridge. It’s just not on the same level.

Second, you chose to live in NWDC. If cycling to work and for daily needs were very important to you, this might not have been the best choice. You didn’t say exactly where but I’m guessing around FH or Tenley based on your responses. These areas are heavily SFH homes for families with kids, and relative to Cambridge/Boston this demographic is a lot more reliant on cars. You just don’t have the same percentage of people who bike to work or in their daily life. The demand isn’t there.

Go take a look at the CT Avenue bike lane thread somewhere on this forum and you’ll get a sense of how not bike friendly DC is relative to Boston.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there no protected bike lane down Wisconsin connecting Friendship Heights (or even into Bethesda) with downtown DC? Or most of the major avenues in NWDC?

Moved to NWDC from Cambridge/Boston about a year ago and have been familiarizing myself with the bicycle infrastructure here. I'm surprised there is no protected bike lane down Wisconsin into Georgetown. It's a popular commuting route, connects several Red Line stops, and has lots of businesses/schools/daycare along the way. Wisconsin is very wide, sometimes 6 lanes, and along many stretches there is already one lane that's basically blocked due to on street parking. Was there ever discussion for a protected bike lane, if so, why hasn't it happened? The traffic is heavy and can be fast so I don't feel safe biking on Wisconsin, so instead I've been using the sidewalks which can get clogged with scooters, other cyclists, and pedestrians.

I know you can detour on the New Mexico bike lane into downtown but that's pretty circuitous. I'm also comparing it with Mass Ave for those of you who are familiar with Boston/Cambridge - where there is great biking infrastructure that allows commuters and recreational cyclists to easily navigate all the T-Stops along the Red Line and access the business on and around Mass Ave. People say DC is cycling friendly and for how progressive it is I've been surprised at the lack of better biking infrastructure. And I'm not a crazy serious cyclist, I just would like to bike in a safe way for my daily needs like dropping kids off at preschool, groceries, errands etc.

For those of you who do live in NWDC and choose to bike into downtown (Georgetown or Capitol Hill or NOVA even) for work, what's your preferred route?

Historically bikers took the capital crescent trail
For some reason now this protected path is not good enough

Because it isn’t for what OP is talking about? If you live in Bethesda and commute into Georgetown it’s great. But it goes around most of NWDC, not through it.

OP welcome to NWDC where people love their SUVs. Go read the CT Avenue thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there no protected bike lane down Wisconsin connecting Friendship Heights (or even into Bethesda) with downtown DC? Or most of the major avenues in NWDC?

Moved to NWDC from Cambridge/Boston about a year ago and have been familiarizing myself with the bicycle infrastructure here. I'm surprised there is no protected bike lane down Wisconsin into Georgetown. It's a popular commuting route, connects several Red Line stops, and has lots of businesses/schools/daycare along the way. Wisconsin is very wide, sometimes 6 lanes, and along many stretches there is already one lane that's basically blocked due to on street parking. Was there ever discussion for a protected bike lane, if so, why hasn't it happened? The traffic is heavy and can be fast so I don't feel safe biking on Wisconsin, so instead I've been using the sidewalks which can get clogged with scooters, other cyclists, and pedestrians.

I know you can detour on the New Mexico bike lane into downtown but that's pretty circuitous. I'm also comparing it with Mass Ave for those of you who are familiar with Boston/Cambridge - where there is great biking infrastructure that allows commuters and recreational cyclists to easily navigate all the T-Stops along the Red Line and access the business on and around Mass Ave. People say DC is cycling friendly and for how progressive it is I've been surprised at the lack of better biking infrastructure. And I'm not a crazy serious cyclist, I just would like to bike in a safe way for my daily needs like dropping kids off at preschool, groceries, errands etc.

For those of you who do live in NWDC and choose to bike into downtown (Georgetown or Capitol Hill or NOVA even) for work, what's your preferred route?

Historically bikers took the capital crescent trail
For some reason now this protected path is not good enough

Plus a "protected" lane right next to cars driving 40+ miles an hour is fiction. You are lucky if you don't get hit by a big SUV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there no protected bike lane down Wisconsin connecting Friendship Heights (or even into Bethesda) with downtown DC? Or most of the major avenues in NWDC?

Moved to NWDC from Cambridge/Boston about a year ago and have been familiarizing myself with the bicycle infrastructure here. I'm surprised there is no protected bike lane down Wisconsin into Georgetown. It's a popular commuting route, connects several Red Line stops, and has lots of businesses/schools/daycare along the way. Wisconsin is very wide, sometimes 6 lanes, and along many stretches there is already one lane that's basically blocked due to on street parking. Was there ever discussion for a protected bike lane, if so, why hasn't it happened? The traffic is heavy and can be fast so I don't feel safe biking on Wisconsin, so instead I've been using the sidewalks which can get clogged with scooters, other cyclists, and pedestrians.

I know you can detour on the New Mexico bike lane into downtown but that's pretty circuitous. I'm also comparing it with Mass Ave for those of you who are familiar with Boston/Cambridge - where there is great biking infrastructure that allows commuters and recreational cyclists to easily navigate all the T-Stops along the Red Line and access the business on and around Mass Ave. People say DC is cycling friendly and for how progressive it is I've been surprised at the lack of better biking infrastructure. And I'm not a crazy serious cyclist, I just would like to bike in a safe way for my daily needs like dropping kids off at preschool, groceries, errands etc.

For those of you who do live in NWDC and choose to bike into downtown (Georgetown or Capitol Hill or NOVA even) for work, what's your preferred route?

Historically bikers took the capital crescent trail
For some reason now this protected path is not good enough

Plus a "protected" lane right next to cars driving 40+ miles an hour is fiction. You are lucky if you don't get hit by a big SUV.

The Capital Crescent Trail is a ten-foot asphalt path on a former railroad right-of-way for everybody who is not in a car to use. It's lovely, but it's also very crowded, and it's not bicycle infrastructure, and you can't take it from NW DC to Capitol Hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is there no protected bike lane down Wisconsin connecting Friendship Heights (or even into Bethesda) with downtown DC? Or most of the major avenues in NWDC?

Moved to NWDC from Cambridge/Boston about a year ago and have been familiarizing myself with the bicycle infrastructure here. I'm surprised there is no protected bike lane down Wisconsin into Georgetown. It's a popular commuting route, connects several Red Line stops, and has lots of businesses/schools/daycare along the way. Wisconsin is very wide, sometimes 6 lanes, and along many stretches there is already one lane that's basically blocked due to on street parking. Was there ever discussion for a protected bike lane, if so, why hasn't it happened? The traffic is heavy and can be fast so I don't feel safe biking on Wisconsin, so instead I've been using the sidewalks which can get clogged with scooters, other cyclists, and pedestrians.

I know you can detour on the New Mexico bike lane into downtown but that's pretty circuitous. I'm also comparing it with Mass Ave for those of you who are familiar with Boston/Cambridge - where there is great biking infrastructure that allows commuters and recreational cyclists to easily navigate all the T-Stops along the Red Line and access the business on and around Mass Ave. People say DC is cycling friendly and for how progressive it is I've been surprised at the lack of better biking infrastructure. And I'm not a crazy serious cyclist, I just would like to bike in a safe way for my daily needs like dropping kids off at preschool, groceries, errands etc.

For those of you who do live in NWDC and choose to bike into downtown (Georgetown or Capitol Hill or NOVA even) for work, what's your preferred route?

Jack Evans, who was Ward 2 council member until 2020, was notoriously addicted to his car (and left it wherever he so pleased) and it wouldn't have been out of character for him to crush a few bike lane proposals behind the scenes. Mary Cheh, Ward 2 council member until 2022, wasn't a great proponent either.

[Anonymous]

I agree OP - I live on Capitol Hill which has amazing bike infrastructure. NW DC has terrible bike infrastructure thanks to the incessant whining of NIMBYs.

[Anonymous]

The simple truth is that Wisconsin is an important and heavily utilized road and there's not enough demonstrated demand.

If you want to get more complicated then it's because the Ward 3 council member, Frumin, and lots of other powerful people live off of Wisconsin, it's already a traffic cluster, the space has been taken up by streeteries, and an absolute maelstrom of discontent was sparked by the attempt to sneak bike lanes through on Connecticut during the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there no protected bike lane down Wisconsin connecting Friendship Heights (or even into Bethesda) with downtown DC? Or most of the major avenues in NWDC?

Moved to NWDC from Cambridge/Boston about a year ago and have been familiarizing myself with the bicycle infrastructure here. I'm surprised there is no protected bike lane down Wisconsin into Georgetown. It's a popular commuting route, connects several Red Line stops, and has lots of businesses/schools/daycare along the way. Wisconsin is very wide, sometimes 6 lanes, and along many stretches there is already one lane that's basically blocked due to on street parking. Was there ever discussion for a protected bike lane, if so, why hasn't it happened? The traffic is heavy and can be fast so I don't feel safe biking on Wisconsin, so instead I've been using the sidewalks which can get clogged with scooters, other cyclists, and pedestrians.

I know you can detour on the New Mexico bike lane into downtown but that's pretty circuitous. I'm also comparing it with Mass Ave for those of you who are familiar with Boston/Cambridge - where there is great biking infrastructure that allows commuters and recreational cyclists to easily navigate all the T-Stops along the Red Line and access the business on and around Mass Ave. People say DC is cycling friendly and for how progressive it is I've been surprised at the lack of better biking infrastructure. And I'm not a crazy serious cyclist, I just would like to bike in a safe way for my daily needs like dropping kids off at preschool, groceries, errands etc.

For those of you who do live in NWDC and choose to bike into downtown (Georgetown or Capitol Hill or NOVA even) for work, what's your preferred route?

Historically bikers took the capital crescent trail
For some reason now this protected path is not good enough

Outside of downtown Bethesda there is basically on density along the Capital Crescent. It’s a path through a park basically. no place to stop for a soy chai latte or maybe a craft cocktail. We need bike lanes that support vibrant, dense mixed use areas.

[Anonymous]

Join WABA.org and join the public support effort!

[Anonymous]

Another NWDC resident here. Capitol crescent is lovely but no substitute for real biking infrastructure along the major avenues. It’s great for long distance biking but if you live along Wisconsin and CT you don’t have a safe way of using bikes for daily errands , drop offs etc. You either risk it and share with cars or go on the sidewalks, which can be very slow and patchy.

I’ve given up on actually being car free in NWDC. I do take longer leisure rides on Capitol Crescent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there no protected bike lane down Wisconsin connecting Friendship Heights (or even into Bethesda) with downtown DC? Or most of the major avenues in NWDC?

Moved to NWDC from Cambridge/Boston about a year ago and have been familiarizing myself with the bicycle infrastructure here. I'm surprised there is no protected bike lane down Wisconsin into Georgetown. It's a popular commuting route, connects several Red Line stops, and has lots of businesses/schools/daycare along the way. Wisconsin is very wide, sometimes 6 lanes, and along many stretches there is already one lane that's basically blocked due to on street parking. Was there ever discussion for a protected bike lane, if so, why hasn't it happened? The traffic is heavy and can be fast so I don't feel safe biking on Wisconsin, so instead I've been using the sidewalks which can get clogged with scooters, other cyclists, and pedestrians.

I know you can detour on the New Mexico bike lane into downtown but that's pretty circuitous. I'm also comparing it with Mass Ave for those of you who are familiar with Boston/Cambridge - where there is great biking infrastructure that allows commuters and recreational cyclists to easily navigate all the T-Stops along the Red Line and access the business on and around Mass Ave. People say DC is cycling friendly and for how progressive it is I've been surprised at the lack of better biking infrastructure. And I'm not a crazy serious cyclist, I just would like to bike in a safe way for my daily needs like dropping kids off at preschool, groceries, errands etc.

For those of you who do live in NWDC and choose to bike into downtown (Georgetown or Capitol Hill or NOVA even) for work, what's your preferred route?

Historically bikers took the capital crescent trail
For some reason now this protected path is not good enough

Outside of downtown Bethesda there is basically on density along the Capital Crescent. It’s a path through a park basically. no place to stop for a soy chai latte or maybe a craft cocktail. We need bike lanes that support vibrant, dense mixed use areas.

You're trolling from, like, 2005.