The Bike Lobby is too powerful in DC...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did people go downtown for fun even before the pandemic? If I went downtown, I found a way to get there that didn't involve driving myself into the heart of downtown. But downtown was never "the place to be" even 5 years ago. Unless you worked there and went out somewhere after work, I guess but fewer people go into offices everyday anymore after the pandemic no matter where they work. There's a complete cultural shift in terms of being required to go to work.

So you never preferred to venture into the most urbanized part of city and instead preferred your gentle density neighborhood instead? That tells its own story.

However, there was once a time when downtown included quality shopping, restaurants and nightlife. That’s dead now and the city is really ensuring that it never comes back.

Strange how Navy Yard is booming with increasing density and yes … bike lanes!

Bless your heart that you think Navy Yard is booming because of bike lanes. LOL!

Well your argument seems to be that bikelanes destroy commerce and make people run away shrieking. Whereas Navy Yard (and now the Wharf)
is the perfect example of density with transit being a new focus of growth in DC.

There are barely any protected, on-street bike lanes in and around Navy Yard. Is this a joke?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did people go downtown for fun even before the pandemic? If I went downtown, I found a way to get there that didn't involve driving myself into the heart of downtown. But downtown was never "the place to be" even 5 years ago. Unless you worked there and went out somewhere after work, I guess but fewer people go into offices everyday anymore after the pandemic no matter where they work. There's a complete cultural shift in terms of being required to go to work.

So you never preferred to venture into the most urbanized part of city and instead preferred your gentle density neighborhood instead? That tells its own story.

However, there was once a time when downtown included quality shopping, restaurants and nightlife. That’s dead now and the city is really ensuring that it never comes back.

Strange how Navy Yard is booming with increasing density and yes … bike lanes!

Bless your heart that you think Navy Yard is booming because of bike lanes. LOL!

Well your argument seems to be that bikelanes destroy commerce and make people run away shrieking. Whereas Navy Yard (and now the Wharf)
is the perfect example of density with transit being a new focus of growth in DC.

There are barely any protected, on-street bike lanes in and around Navy Yard. Is this a joke?

You don’t know what you’re talking about. There is an off-street path that runs the length of the Navy Yard waterfront that connects to a protected bike lane along the Wharf, a protected lane that goes all the way up 4th st SW, and 1st st Se. And Navy Yard generally has narrow streets that keep traffic slow so that the unprotected lanes feel pretty safe (M St not included).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did people go downtown for fun even before the pandemic? If I went downtown, I found a way to get there that didn't involve driving myself into the heart of downtown. But downtown was never "the place to be" even 5 years ago. Unless you worked there and went out somewhere after work, I guess but fewer people go into offices everyday anymore after the pandemic no matter where they work. There's a complete cultural shift in terms of being required to go to work.

So you never preferred to venture into the most urbanized part of city and instead preferred your gentle density neighborhood instead? That tells its own story.

However, there was once a time when downtown included quality shopping, restaurants and nightlife. That’s dead now and the city is really ensuring that it never comes back.

I used to go out in Georgetown, U St, Adams Morgan, Dupont. Rarely by metro center/Chinatown but if we were seeing a show or game. I used to work in Georgetown, Dupont, did classes at Georgetown, even after moving to Capitol Hill then moving farther out in NE where I could afford a home. In any of these situations, I did not drive to get to these places because I viewed going to them similar to going into NYC. None of my friends drove to downtown. Not worth the headache so you either take the metro or cab/uber. Especially if you are going out and know you'll be drinking.

The bolded are 80's-90's.

If you aren't talking about Navy Yard, Wharf, H Street, Bloomingdale, Columbia Heights and Ivy City, then you have no place to comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did people go downtown for fun even before the pandemic? If I went downtown, I found a way to get there that didn't involve driving myself into the heart of downtown. But downtown was never "the place to be" even 5 years ago. Unless you worked there and went out somewhere after work, I guess but fewer people go into offices everyday anymore after the pandemic no matter where they work. There's a complete cultural shift in terms of being required to go to work.

So you never preferred to venture into the most urbanized part of city and instead preferred your gentle density neighborhood instead? That tells its own story.

However, there was once a time when downtown included quality shopping, restaurants and nightlife. That’s dead now and the city is really ensuring that it never comes back.

I used to go out in Georgetown, U St, Adams Morgan, Dupont. Rarely by metro center/Chinatown but if we were seeing a show or game. I used to work in Georgetown, Dupont, did classes at Georgetown, even after moving to Capitol Hill then moving farther out in NE where I could afford a home. In any of these situations, I did not drive to get to these places because I viewed going to them similar to going into NYC. None of my friends drove to downtown. Not worth the headache so you either take the metro or cab/uber. Especially if you are going out and know you'll be drinking.

The bolded are 80's-90's.

If you aren't talking about Navy Yard, Wharf, H Street, Bloomingdale, Columbia Heights and Ivy City, then you have no place to comment.

I am that PP who was saying that few people go downtown anymore. I was saying I used to go to these places a bit when I moved here 15 years ago, and even back then I never drove. However, now I prefer those places you mention as well as Barracks row, and have for probably 10 years. I agree, downtown was becoming less popular already and it has nothing to do with bike lanes, but because other places were more fun. For me also, not as pleasant to go downtown wth kids when other areas are better like the Hill or Yards Park. Making downtown less of a sh*tshow and shutting down streets for restaurants could draw me back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did people go downtown for fun even before the pandemic? If I went downtown, I found a way to get there that didn't involve driving myself into the heart of downtown. But downtown was never "the place to be" even 5 years ago. Unless you worked there and went out somewhere after work, I guess but fewer people go into offices everyday anymore after the pandemic no matter where they work. There's a complete cultural shift in terms of being required to go to work.

So you never preferred to venture into the most urbanized part of city and instead preferred your gentle density neighborhood instead? That tells its own story.

However, there was once a time when downtown included quality shopping, restaurants and nightlife. That’s dead now and the city is really ensuring that it never comes back.

Strange how Navy Yard is booming with increasing density and yes … bike lanes!

Bless your heart that you think Navy Yard is booming because of bike lanes. LOL!

Well your argument seems to be that bikelanes destroy commerce and make people run away shrieking. Whereas Navy Yard (and now the Wharf)
is the perfect example of density with transit being a new focus of growth in DC.

There are barely any protected, on-street bike lanes in and around Navy Yard. Is this a joke?

You don’t know what you’re talking about. There is an off-street path that runs the length of the Navy Yard waterfront that connects to a protected bike lane along the Wharf, a protected lane that goes all the way up 4th st SW, and 1st st Se. And Navy Yard generally has narrow streets that keep traffic slow so that the unprotected lanes feel pretty safe (M St not included).

They have not removed any street capacity bike lanes in and around Navy Yard except near the ballpark. That sort of runs contrary to your narrative about bike lanes not negatively affecting economic activity. There is a reason why you don’t see them in the locations where the city has the most new development. Ponder that for a moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did people go downtown for fun even before the pandemic? If I went downtown, I found a way to get there that didn't involve driving myself into the heart of downtown. But downtown was never "the place to be" even 5 years ago. Unless you worked there and went out somewhere after work, I guess but fewer people go into offices everyday anymore after the pandemic no matter where they work. There's a complete cultural shift in terms of being required to go to work.

So you never preferred to venture into the most urbanized part of city and instead preferred your gentle density neighborhood instead? That tells its own story.

However, there was once a time when downtown included quality shopping, restaurants and nightlife. That’s dead now and the city is really ensuring that it never comes back.

Strange how Navy Yard is booming with increasing density and yes … bike lanes!

Bless your heart that you think Navy Yard is booming because of bike lanes. LOL!

Well your argument seems to be that bikelanes destroy commerce and make people run away shrieking. Whereas Navy Yard (and now the Wharf)
is the perfect example of density with transit being a new focus of growth in DC.

There are barely any protected, on-street bike lanes in and around Navy Yard. Is this a joke?

You don’t know what you’re talking about. There is an off-street path that runs the length of the Navy Yard waterfront that connects to a protected bike lane along the Wharf, a protected lane that goes all the way up 4th st SW, and 1st st Se. And Navy Yard generally has narrow streets that keep traffic slow so that the unprotected lanes feel pretty safe (M St not included).

They have not removed any street capacity bike lanes in and around Navy Yard except near the ballpark. That sort of runs contrary to your narrative about bike lanes not negatively affecting economic activity. There is a reason why you don’t see them in the locations where the city has the most new development. Ponder that for a moment.

the city is planning to add more protected bike lanes to Navy Yard in addition to the ones already there.

I’m not sure why you persist in making this stupid, patently untrue argument about bike lanes destroying commerce. It’s a farce at this point. You need a better hobby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did people go downtown for fun even before the pandemic? If I went downtown, I found a way to get there that didn't involve driving myself into the heart of downtown. But downtown was never "the place to be" even 5 years ago. Unless you worked there and went out somewhere after work, I guess but fewer people go into offices everyday anymore after the pandemic no matter where they work. There's a complete cultural shift in terms of being required to go to work.

So you never preferred to venture into the most urbanized part of city and instead preferred your gentle density neighborhood instead? That tells its own story.

However, there was once a time when downtown included quality shopping, restaurants and nightlife. That’s dead now and the city is really ensuring that it never comes back.

Strange how Navy Yard is booming with increasing density and yes … bike lanes!

Bless your heart that you think Navy Yard is booming because of bike lanes. LOL!

Well your argument seems to be that bikelanes destroy commerce and make people run away shrieking. Whereas Navy Yard (and now the Wharf)
is the perfect example of density with transit being a new focus of growth in DC.

There are barely any protected, on-street bike lanes in and around Navy Yard. Is this a joke?

You don’t know what you’re talking about. There is an off-street path that runs the length of the Navy Yard waterfront that connects to a protected bike lane along the Wharf, a protected lane that goes all the way up 4th st SW, and 1st st Se. And Navy Yard generally has narrow streets that keep traffic slow so that the unprotected lanes feel pretty safe (M St not included).

They have not removed any street capacity bike lanes in and around Navy Yard except near the ballpark. That sort of runs contrary to your narrative about bike lanes not negatively affecting economic activity. There is a reason why you don’t see them in the locations where the city has the most new development. Ponder that for a moment.

the city is planning to add more protected bike lanes to Navy Yard in addition to the ones already there.

I’m not sure why you persist in making this stupid, patently untrue argument about bike lanes destroying commerce. It’s a farce at this point. You need a better hobby.

“Planning” LOL. You’ll be waiting a long time.

[Anonymous]

Is the argument that protected bike lanes destroy commerce, or all bike lanes? Because there are almost no protected bike lanes downtown, except on 15th street and Pennsylvania Avenue (which never had any commerce anyway, it’s almost all federal offices). There are plenty of non-protected bike lanes downtown, most of which predated the pandemic, and also a lot of those near Navy Yard, which also predated the pandemic and which certainly don’t appear to have prevented massive amounts of development near there.

Seems pretty obvious that the existence of a bike lane does not, in and of itself, make it so no one wants to go to a given neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the argument that protected bike lanes destroy commerce, or all bike lanes? Because there are almost no protected bike lanes downtown, except on 15th street and Pennsylvania Avenue (which never had any commerce anyway, it’s almost all federal offices). There are plenty of non-protected bike lanes downtown, most of which predated the pandemic, and also a lot of those near Navy Yard, which also predated the pandemic and which certainly don’t appear to have prevented massive amounts of development near there.

Seems pretty obvious that the existence of a bike lane does not, in and of itself, make it so no one wants to go to a given neighborhood.

I don't get the hullabaloo about bike lanes and I don't even bike. If bike lanes separate bicyclists from my car, good. Just seems like some small group of cranky people who hate any change ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the argument that protected bike lanes destroy commerce, or all bike lanes? Because there are almost no protected bike lanes downtown, except on 15th street and Pennsylvania Avenue (which never had any commerce anyway, it’s almost all federal offices). There are plenty of non-protected bike lanes downtown, most of which predated the pandemic, and also a lot of those near Navy Yard, which also predated the pandemic and which certainly don’t appear to have prevented massive amounts of development near there.

Seems pretty obvious that the existence of a bike lane does not, in and of itself, make it so no one wants to go to a given neighborhood.

I don't get the hullabaloo about bike lanes and I don't even bike. If bike lanes separate bicyclists from my car, good. Just seems like some small group of cranky people who hate any change ever.

No one cares about bike lanes. They do little either way themselves. In this case the context is about eliminating car lanes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
No one cares about bike lanes. They do little either way themselves. In this case the context is about eliminating car lanes.

Poor drivers. Won't someone think of the drivers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bike ridership is actually dropping. It’s because of Uber and enhanced bus service.

I would actually believe it’s because of the scooters. So so many of them zipping around all of downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bike ridership is actually dropping. It’s because of Uber and enhanced bus service.

I would actually believe it’s because of the scooters. So so many of them zipping around all of downtown.

Better than more people driving downtown? And also, scooters fit well in "bike lanes", so additional reason for more protected lanes.

[Anonymous]

This thread is amazing hahahaa

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the argument that protected bike lanes destroy commerce, or all bike lanes? Because there are almost no protected bike lanes downtown, except on 15th street and Pennsylvania Avenue (which never had any commerce anyway, it’s almost all federal offices). There are plenty of non-protected bike lanes downtown, most of which predated the pandemic, and also a lot of those near Navy Yard, which also predated the pandemic and which certainly don’t appear to have prevented massive amounts of development near there.

Seems pretty obvious that the existence of a bike lane does not, in and of itself, make it so no one wants to go to a given neighborhood.

I don't get the hullabaloo about bike lanes and I don't even bike. If bike lanes separate bicyclists from my car, good. Just seems like some small group of cranky people who hate any change ever.

I’ve always found the bikers to be the cranky ones. Sure there are some cute crunchy older bikers in it for environmental reasons, but the majority bikers I have encountered are what you might call the perpetually or professionally aggrieved. Always angry about some perceived slight. Definitely not the prom king/queen. Too poor to buy a house in upper NW and too scared to ride a bike at night in Shaw. They’ve used the pandemic to effectively advance their political agenda though.