Options for opposing Connecticut Avenue changes?

[Anonymous]

Isn’t some uncertainty (not is)

[Anonymous]

I think it will be the death knell for many of the businesses on Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park. I haven't eaten at a restaurant there since they closed the service road, because it is now impossible to park after 4 pm. When they take away the rest of the parking, it will also be impossible to patronize the dry cleaners or Yes or any of the other businesses there even during the day, for those of us who are elders, disabled, or otherwise unable to pedal a bike or walk a significant distance with groceries or packages. (Much of Cleveland Park is significantly uphill from the avenue, fwiw.) Meantime, the restaurants and other businesses at Cathedral Commons are thriving, because there is ample parking at any time of day. Bike lines are great in concept, but they definite preference the relatively few and able-bodied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it will be the death knell for many of the businesses on Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park. I haven't eaten at a restaurant there since they closed the service road, because it is now impossible to park after 4 pm. When they take away the rest of the parking, it will also be impossible to patronize the dry cleaners or Yes or any of the other businesses there even during the day, for those of us who are elders, disabled, or otherwise unable to pedal a bike or walk a significant distance with groceries or packages. (Much of Cleveland Park is significantly uphill from the avenue, fwiw.) Meantime, the restaurants and other businesses at Cathedral Commons are thriving, because there is ample parking at any time of day. Bike lines are great in concept, but they definite preference the relatively few and able-bodied.

It’s hard to separate this from issues around re-development of that area and the theatre. I’m of the impression that the city would probably welcome temporarily blighting that area if it facilitates an easier ability to allow for future higher density development of the strip. In the meantime, it helps to reward developers by making it a lot easier for young professionals to choose new developments, like Navy Yard or City Ridge. “I would otherwise move to Cleveland Park but all the stores are closed.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like I said, will see how it goes. I have looked at the plans and am glad they are being thoughtful about left turn lanes, but remain skeptical that the bike lanes do anything beyond signaling the city is concerned about traffic deaths (and climate, marginally) without actually meaningfully increasing the attractiveness of public transit options.

Also, if you think trucks will stick to the marked loading zones, well, skeptical there as well. You get two lanes downtown, one blocked by a truck. Fun.

Remain hopeful my fears are unfounded and all the planning is successful Am glad the deathtrap 4-2 reversible lanes are done. Don’t care a wit about street parking. But let’s not pretend that there is some uncertainty about how this play out.

Also, get those speed bumps rolled out asap on the side streets!

There’s reams and reams of data on bike lanes and their effects on safety, businesses, and vehicle throughput that you could have easily looked up on google, instead of whining on here. If you don’t want to do the minimal amount of work to have an informed opinion I don’t know why you expect anyone to care what you think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After reading the comments on the upzoning post here as well as on my neighborhood email list about the changes that have been approved for Connecticut Avenue, I'm frustrated that I wasn't aware that the city was considering such significant changes. Now that I know about it, I'm wondering if there is a chance the decision could be reversed or greatly modified? For those of us who are just now realizing what's planned and are very concerned about how the changes will affect daily life for nearby residents and for commuters trying to get downtown or to schools, what's the best way to ask to have the decision reconsidered? Straight to the Mayor? To City Council reps? Who are the decisionmakers that need to be reached? I'm not looking to debate the issue here. If the neighborhood email discussion is any model, it won't be productive. Instead I'm asking for direction on who you should talk to if you oppose the plan and whether it's too late to make any difference. Please no comments about how I should have known about it sooner. Over the past two years I've been keeping a small business going while trying to manage two kids under 6 during COVID and caring for a terminally ill parent. While I wish I could have been following local issues more closely, I couldn't until now.

There were over 50 public meetings, almost all of them were announced on the neighborhood listservs, both by DDOT and the ANCs over the course of two plus years. These meetings had an aggregate of thousands of participants. The overwhelming majority of these people support the changes. The ANCs up and down Connecticut Avenue overwhelmingly support the changes. The current councilmember, Mary Cheh, supports the changes and with oversight of DDOT, obtained funding for the changes. The Democratic nominee for Ward 3, Matthew Frumin, supports the changes. These changes are fully in line with the Biden Administration in terms sustainability, environmental protecttion, transportation policy, etc.

The only people who oppose the changes are the cranky old people on the Cleveland Park and Chevy Chase email discussion groups. I suppose if you want to try to change the course of this, you could support the republican in the Ward 3 race, a person who saw 1/6 and said "yes, I want to be a part of THAT GOP" and changed to become a republican. So if you want to support a member of the GOP that opposes women's right to choose, that supports radical Christian fundementalism and everything else that MAGA/Trumpism supports, then support the republican who, not surprisingly, opposes the changes on Connecticut Avenue.

It is hard for me to fathom how we can two people killed a month ago as a result of a car on Connexticut Avenue driving onto a sidewalk cafe, how we can see a car flipped on Connecticu Avenue as recently as last week and say, yes, this is a safe and wonderful Avenue, let's keep it the way it is.

The bottom line, the current mode is not healthy and not safe. We have to make changes, and what is proposes helps maintain traffic flow, provides a safe haven for bikes and pedestrians while tansforming a de facto urban highway into a pleasant boulevard.

So you’re telling me there was no public input at all? Totally outrageous how they are trying to just sneak this in under the radar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not an old person crank here but I am curious how all this will play out in terms of traffic, double parked trucks, left turns, etc etc. also and I know this is more complicated, but I would love to see dedicated bus lanes and increased bus service rather than bike lines — which let’s face it will not be used by the vast majority of commuters — the hills are just too daunting

Yes the red line is great when it works and when the trains are running more frequently. But a nice bus downtown that doesn’t detour into adams Morgan would be swell too

Also I am far more worried about cars gunning it thru yellow lights and running me over than incidents like the horrible, tragic but extremely random deadly accident at the Parthenon — and not sure if this plan helps or not

DC is doing a ton of bus priority projects too. Generally narrower streets and slower traffic means less speeding, although there’s no accounting for freak accidents or people who are determined to be reckless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like I said, will see how it goes. I have looked at the plans and am glad they are being thoughtful about left turn lanes, but remain skeptical that the bike lanes do anything beyond signaling the city is concerned about traffic deaths (and climate, marginally) without actually meaningfully increasing the attractiveness of public transit options.

Also, if you think trucks will stick to the marked loading zones, well, skeptical there as well. You get two lanes downtown, one blocked by a truck. Fun.

Remain hopeful my fears are unfounded and all the planning is successful Am glad the deathtrap 4-2 reversible lanes are done. Don’t care a wit about street parking. But let’s not pretend that there is some uncertainty about how this play out.

Also, get those speed bumps rolled out asap on the side streets!

There’s reams and reams of data on bike lanes and their effects on safety, businesses, and vehicle throughput that you could have easily looked up on google, instead of whining on here. If you don’t want to do the minimal amount of work to have an informed opinion I don’t know why you expect anyone to care what you think.

“Reams of data”. Where? The only major data driven study on bike lanes and safety was conducted in Colorado and concluded that protected bike lanes increase accidents.

There has been no academic study anywhere that has demonstrated the claimed positive economic effects of bike lanes on businesses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like I said, will see how it goes. I have looked at the plans and am glad they are being thoughtful about left turn lanes, but remain skeptical that the bike lanes do anything beyond signaling the city is concerned about traffic deaths (and climate, marginally) without actually meaningfully increasing the attractiveness of public transit options.

Also, if you think trucks will stick to the marked loading zones, well, skeptical there as well. You get two lanes downtown, one blocked by a truck. Fun.

Remain hopeful my fears are unfounded and all the planning is successful Am glad the deathtrap 4-2 reversible lanes are done. Don’t care a wit about street parking. But let’s not pretend that there is some uncertainty about how this play out.

Also, get those speed bumps rolled out asap on the side streets!

There’s reams and reams of data on bike lanes and their effects on safety, businesses, and vehicle throughput that you could have easily looked up on google, instead of whining on here. If you don’t want to do the minimal amount of work to have an informed opinion I don’t know why you expect anyone to care what you think.

“Reams of data”. Where? The only major data driven study on bike lanes and safety was conducted in Colorado and concluded that protected bike lanes increase accidents.

There has been no academic study anywhere that has demonstrated the claimed positive economic effects of bike lanes on businesses.

there’s a lot of data on overall traffic calming improving retail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like I said, will see how it goes. I have looked at the plans and am glad they are being thoughtful about left turn lanes, but remain skeptical that the bike lanes do anything beyond signaling the city is concerned about traffic deaths (and climate, marginally) without actually meaningfully increasing the attractiveness of public transit options.

Also, if you think trucks will stick to the marked loading zones, well, skeptical there as well. You get two lanes downtown, one blocked by a truck. Fun.

Remain hopeful my fears are unfounded and all the planning is successful Am glad the deathtrap 4-2 reversible lanes are done. Don’t care a wit about street parking. But let’s not pretend that there is some uncertainty about how this play out.

Also, get those speed bumps rolled out asap on the side streets!

There’s reams and reams of data on bike lanes and their effects on safety, businesses, and vehicle throughput that you could have easily looked up on google, instead of whining on here. If you don’t want to do the minimal amount of work to have an informed opinion I don’t know why you expect anyone to care what you think.

“Reams of data”. Where? The only major data driven study on bike lanes and safety was conducted in Colorado and concluded that protected bike lanes increase accidents.

There has been no academic study anywhere that has demonstrated the claimed positive economic effects of bike lanes on businesses.

there’s a lot of data on overall traffic calming improving retail.

What’s funny is that the data on traffic calming supporting businesses is all from models where a traffic lane was removed to provide street parking.

Literally nothing that you have say is supported by facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it will be the death knell for many of the businesses on Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park. I haven't eaten at a restaurant there since they closed the service road, because it is now impossible to park after 4 pm. When they take away the rest of the parking, it will also be impossible to patronize the dry cleaners or Yes or any of the other businesses there even during the day, for those of us who are elders, disabled, or otherwise unable to pedal a bike or walk a significant distance with groceries or packages. (Much of Cleveland Park is significantly uphill from the avenue, fwiw.) Meantime, the restaurants and other businesses at Cathedral Commons are thriving, because there is ample parking at any time of day. Bike lines are great in concept, but they definite preference the relatively few and able-bodied.

1) studies show businesses benefit from bike lanes, not suffer, so your supposition is anecdotal at best and
2) if you already don't go to Cleveland Park, then the addition of bike lanes won't impact whether you support those businesses, or not.

That said, do you know where most of the support to Conn Ave business come from? All the people who live in the immediate vicinity of Connecticut Avenue. All of those high density buildings from Woodley Park to Chevy Chase have tens of thousands of residents, many more than all of the single family homes that are adjacent to the Avenue. The businesses should be making it a priority to cater to those residents rather than submit to the Maryland commuters who never give a thought to stopping at the businesses on their way out of the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After reading the comments on the upzoning post here as well as on my neighborhood email list about the changes that have been approved for Connecticut Avenue, I'm frustrated that I wasn't aware that the city was considering such significant changes. Now that I know about it, I'm wondering if there is a chance the decision could be reversed or greatly modified? For those of us who are just now realizing what's planned and are very concerned about how the changes will affect daily life for nearby residents and for commuters trying to get downtown or to schools, what's the best way to ask to have the decision reconsidered? Straight to the Mayor? To City Council reps? Who are the decisionmakers that need to be reached? I'm not looking to debate the issue here. If the neighborhood email discussion is any model, it won't be productive. Instead I'm asking for direction on who you should talk to if you oppose the plan and whether it's too late to make any difference. Please no comments about how I should have known about it sooner. Over the past two years I've been keeping a small business going while trying to manage two kids under 6 during COVID and caring for a terminally ill parent. While I wish I could have been following local issues more closely, I couldn't until now.

There were over 50 public meetings, almost all of them were announced on the neighborhood listservs, both by DDOT and the ANCs over the course of two plus years. These meetings had an aggregate of thousands of participants. The overwhelming majority of these people support the changes. The ANCs up and down Connecticut Avenue overwhelmingly support the changes. The current councilmember, Mary Cheh, supports the changes and with oversight of DDOT, obtained funding for the changes. The Democratic nominee for Ward 3, Matthew Frumin, supports the changes. These changes are fully in line with the Biden Administration in terms sustainability, environmental protecttion, transportation policy, etc.

The only people who oppose the changes are the cranky old people on the Cleveland Park and Chevy Chase email discussion groups. I suppose if you want to try to change the course of this, you could support the republican in the Ward 3 race, a person who saw 1/6 and said "yes, I want to be a part of THAT GOP" and changed to become a republican. So if you want to support a member of the GOP that opposes women's right to choose, that supports radical Christian fundementalism and everything else that MAGA/Trumpism supports, then support the republican who, not surprisingly, opposes the changes on Connecticut Avenue.

It is hard for me to fathom how we can two people killed a month ago as a result of a car on Connexticut Avenue driving onto a sidewalk cafe, how we can see a car flipped on Connecticu Avenue as recently as last week and say, yes, this is a safe and wonderful Avenue, let's keep it the way it is.

The bottom line, the current mode is not healthy and not safe. We have to make changes, and what is proposes helps maintain traffic flow, provides a safe haven for bikes and pedestrians while tansforming a de facto urban highway into a pleasant boulevard.

So you’re telling me there was no public input at all? Totally outrageous how they are trying to just sneak this in under the radar.

No, I am telling you that it was an extensive public engagement process by DDOT and the ANC's, with a lot of discussion and debate, as well as public votes. So, stop gaslighting here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like I said, will see how it goes. I have looked at the plans and am glad they are being thoughtful about left turn lanes, but remain skeptical that the bike lanes do anything beyond signaling the city is concerned about traffic deaths (and climate, marginally) without actually meaningfully increasing the attractiveness of public transit options.

Also, if you think trucks will stick to the marked loading zones, well, skeptical there as well. You get two lanes downtown, one blocked by a truck. Fun.

Remain hopeful my fears are unfounded and all the planning is successful Am glad the deathtrap 4-2 reversible lanes are done. Don’t care a wit about street parking. But let’s not pretend that there is some uncertainty about how this play out.

Also, get those speed bumps rolled out asap on the side streets!

There’s reams and reams of data on bike lanes and their effects on safety, businesses, and vehicle throughput that you could have easily looked up on google, instead of whining on here. If you don’t want to do the minimal amount of work to have an informed opinion I don’t know why you expect anyone to care what you think.

“Reams of data”. Where? The only major data driven study on bike lanes and safety was conducted in Colorado and concluded that protected bike lanes increase accidents.

There has been no academic study anywhere that has demonstrated the claimed positive economic effects of bike lanes on businesses.

use the google machine. there is a ton of data that shows bike lanes are at worst, neutral to local businesses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it will be the death knell for many of the businesses on Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park. I haven't eaten at a restaurant there since they closed the service road, because it is now impossible to park after 4 pm. When they take away the rest of the parking, it will also be impossible to patronize the dry cleaners or Yes or any of the other businesses there even during the day, for those of us who are elders, disabled, or otherwise unable to pedal a bike or walk a significant distance with groceries or packages. (Much of Cleveland Park is significantly uphill from the avenue, fwiw.) Meantime, the restaurants and other businesses at Cathedral Commons are thriving, because there is ample parking at any time of day. Bike lines are great in concept, but they definite preference the relatively few and able-bodied.

1) studies show businesses benefit from bike lanes, not suffer, so your supposition is anecdotal at best and
2) if you already don't go to Cleveland Park, then the addition of bike lanes won't impact whether you support those businesses, or not.

That said, do you know where most of the support to Conn Ave business come from? All the people who live in the immediate vicinity of Connecticut Avenue. All of those high density buildings from Woodley Park to Chevy Chase have tens of thousands of residents, many more than all of the single family homes that are adjacent to the Avenue. The businesses should be making it a priority to cater to those residents rather than submit to the Maryland commuters who never give a thought to stopping at the businesses on their way out of the city.

There are no studies that show that “business benefit from bike lanes”. It’s a claim that’s repeated but not supported by any academic study so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like I said, will see how it goes. I have looked at the plans and am glad they are being thoughtful about left turn lanes, but remain skeptical that the bike lanes do anything beyond signaling the city is concerned about traffic deaths (and climate, marginally) without actually meaningfully increasing the attractiveness of public transit options.

Also, if you think trucks will stick to the marked loading zones, well, skeptical there as well. You get two lanes downtown, one blocked by a truck. Fun.

Remain hopeful my fears are unfounded and all the planning is successful Am glad the deathtrap 4-2 reversible lanes are done. Don’t care a wit about street parking. But let’s not pretend that there is some uncertainty about how this play out.

Also, get those speed bumps rolled out asap on the side streets!

There’s reams and reams of data on bike lanes and their effects on safety, businesses, and vehicle throughput that you could have easily looked up on google, instead of whining on here. If you don’t want to do the minimal amount of work to have an informed opinion I don’t know why you expect anyone to care what you think.

“Reams of data”. Where? The only major data driven study on bike lanes and safety was conducted in Colorado and concluded that protected bike lanes increase accidents.

There has been no academic study anywhere that has demonstrated the claimed positive economic effects of bike lanes on businesses.

use the google machine. there is a ton of data that shows bike lanes are at worst, neutral to local businesses

“At worst neutral” is a much different statement than the claim that they benefit business. But even that statement is unsupported because there are no academic studies that prove that either.

[Anonymous]

I'm a commuter from close-in MD and have spent 20yrs going up and down Conn Ave. I spent a ton of money en route and near my downtown office during that time, including about 9 years of daycare, endless takeout lunches (and dinners), shopping for gifts, and personal care appointments. I don't do any of that any more - the commute is just so awful even before the bike lanes have appeared. No additional lane at rush hour, cars and trucks double parked or parked illegally on every single block, the random restaurant that has overtaken a lane of traffic across from Politics & Prose (seriously, who did the Rosemary Bistro pay off to squeeze traffic at an already busy intersection?), and of course the closure of Beach Drive to car traffic which pushes more cars to Conn. Driving on Connecticut is like some kind of Mad Max obstacle course - dangerous and unpleasant and still very slow.

Post-pandemic, I have total flexibility on where I work, and I'll work as little as possible from my office as a result of all this. I'm all for making biking safer, but making it harder to drive to work won't force most people onto bikes or even onto Metro - it will persuade many of us to work from home.