Options for opposing Connecticut Avenue changes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not content with constraining Connecticut Avenue and closing Beach Drive to cars, the Greater Greater Washington/WABA/Smart Growth crowd has now put forward their latest agenda item: close most of Rock Creek Park, including the Parkway, to cars. https://ggwash.org/view/89224/its-past-time-to-open-rock-creek-park-by-closing-it-to-cars

While each such idea may have some appeal in isolation, together they spell massive traffic diversion to local streets in Northwest Washington. Not to worry, says GGW. "The street grid can handle it." This means that Waze-driven traffic will be flushed through not just major roads that are already congested with traffic, but on to minor, local, neighborhood streets as well. This ignores the functional classification of streets and the fact that many streets are not engineered for more commuter traffic. The myopic GGW crowd thinks that all streets in DC should be like Manhattan, with traffic pushed through the grid to their through destinations.

That article is a joke because there is zero constituency for closing RCP entirely to cars. DC is happy to choke off access to MD car commuters. The city absolutely would never do the same for DC residents. It’s why this CT Ave bike lane will never happen. While they are tempted to do it to purposefully choke off vehicle access from MD and if that was the only issue it would be done. However, it’s too important for DC residents and businesses which is why this thing is being slow walked until the obvious moment that the city can use budget constraints as an excuse not to move forward and most of the current proponents have already moved away from the city anyway.

It is happening. The politicians, from the Mayor, to the Councilmember, to the ANCs all support it. It is a very small minority of residents and businesses who are vocally opposing it. There aren't enough elected leaders who opposes it - what, one or two ANC commissioners at best?

ANCs aren't politicians. Nobody cares what they think.
A majority of businesses and a plurality of residents are opposed. The plan gets lets popular the more it gets exposed.

The mayor and council support is thin and depends entirely on the plan being sold to them as popular. As they continue to find out that it is not and as they continue to discover the reality of falling revenue that support will get thinner and thinner.

The 14th and 16th redesign is not helping matters.

There are about 45000 people that live on the CT Ave corridor. Having a petition that has around 2000 signatures, many of them from Maryland, is not a good litmus of a significant plurality.

And the businesses don't even understand how their customers get to their stores. The two studies that have been done on CT Ave show that only about 20% drive. The rest walk, bike or take public transportation. And with the proliferation of ride-sharing since those studies, even fewer are actually driving themselves.

I have been a customer of multiple businesses along CT Avenue. Based on the customers I see, 20% is not accurate for much of the Avenue, particularly upper CT Avenue. If parking becomes too difficult, I will take my business elsewhere.

"upper CT Ave"

If you mean the ginormous surface parking lot behind politcs and prose, then sure, the 12 street spots, half of which would be lost by the bike lanes, really won't make a difference.

And if you mean Chevy Chase, DC, between all of the surface parking lots: safeway, wells fargo, community center, PNC, Magruders etc and all of the side street parking, there are hundreds of available parking spaces available. Again, the handful of spot ON Connecticut Avenue really won't make much of a difference.

The side streets from Legation to Patterson always have plenty of open spots day and night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not content with constraining Connecticut Avenue and closing Beach Drive to cars, the Greater Greater Washington/WABA/Smart Growth crowd has now put forward their latest agenda item: close most of Rock Creek Park, including the Parkway, to cars. https://ggwash.org/view/89224/its-past-time-to-open-rock-creek-park-by-closing-it-to-cars

While each such idea may have some appeal in isolation, together they spell massive traffic diversion to local streets in Northwest Washington. Not to worry, says GGW. "The street grid can handle it." This means that Waze-driven traffic will be flushed through not just major roads that are already congested with traffic, but on to minor, local, neighborhood streets as well. This ignores the functional classification of streets and the fact that many streets are not engineered for more commuter traffic. The myopic GGW crowd thinks that all streets in DC should be like Manhattan, with traffic pushed through the grid to their through destinations.

That article is a joke because there is zero constituency for closing RCP entirely to cars. DC is happy to choke off access to MD car commuters. The city absolutely would never do the same for DC residents. It’s why this CT Ave bike lane will never happen. While they are tempted to do it to purposefully choke off vehicle access from MD and if that was the only issue it would be done. However, it’s too important for DC residents and businesses which is why this thing is being slow walked until the obvious moment that the city can use budget constraints as an excuse not to move forward and most of the current proponents have already moved away from the city anyway.

It is happening. The politicians, from the Mayor, to the Councilmember, to the ANCs all support it. It is a very small minority of residents and businesses who are vocally opposing it. There aren't enough elected leaders who opposes it - what, one or two ANC commissioners at best?

ANCs aren't politicians. Nobody cares what they think.
A majority of businesses and a plurality of residents are opposed. The plan gets lets popular the more it gets exposed.

The mayor and council support is thin and depends entirely on the plan being sold to them as popular. As they continue to find out that it is not and as they continue to discover the reality of falling revenue that support will get thinner and thinner.

The 14th and 16th redesign is not helping matters.

Stop lying. There is no evidence that a “majority” or “plurality” are opposed. There’s a single deceptive petition with misrepresentations about who signed it.

Well calling it the “Reversible Lane Safety Study” was the ultimate deception. While parents and homeowners were struggling to try and educate their kids during COVID, the single childless bike bros were having meetings in the attempt to give the appearance of process. This is defund the police 2.0.

Yeah they were totally trying to deceive the public with the FORTY public meetings.

40 meetings supposedly about whether or not to keep the reversible lanes. And you wonder why you have a credibility problem.

Oh ffs. The meetings discussed the proposals in detail, including the bike lanes. It’s all here: https://ddot.dc.gov/page/connecticut-avenue-nw-reversible-lane-safety-and-operations-study

stop lying

There were also 40 meetings on criminal code reform. And that was a total turd. Same crowds at all these meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not content with constraining Connecticut Avenue and closing Beach Drive to cars, the Greater Greater Washington/WABA/Smart Growth crowd has now put forward their latest agenda item: close most of Rock Creek Park, including the Parkway, to cars. https://ggwash.org/view/89224/its-past-time-to-open-rock-creek-park-by-closing-it-to-cars

While each such idea may have some appeal in isolation, together they spell massive traffic diversion to local streets in Northwest Washington. Not to worry, says GGW. "The street grid can handle it." This means that Waze-driven traffic will be flushed through not just major roads that are already congested with traffic, but on to minor, local, neighborhood streets as well. This ignores the functional classification of streets and the fact that many streets are not engineered for more commuter traffic. The myopic GGW crowd thinks that all streets in DC should be like Manhattan, with traffic pushed through the grid to their through destinations.

The partial closure of Beach has already turned my neighborhood in Chevy Chase into a frequent cut through with commuters speeding through while our kids walk to their bus stops and neighbors are just trying to walk their dogs. We don’t have sidewalks, people ignore the “no left turn” signs. We can’t take anymore capacity shifting onto our streets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not content with constraining Connecticut Avenue and closing Beach Drive to cars, the Greater Greater Washington/WABA/Smart Growth crowd has now put forward their latest agenda item: close most of Rock Creek Park, including the Parkway, to cars. https://ggwash.org/view/89224/its-past-time-to-open-rock-creek-park-by-closing-it-to-cars

While each such idea may have some appeal in isolation, together they spell massive traffic diversion to local streets in Northwest Washington. Not to worry, says GGW. "The street grid can handle it." This means that Waze-driven traffic will be flushed through not just major roads that are already congested with traffic, but on to minor, local, neighborhood streets as well. This ignores the functional classification of streets and the fact that many streets are not engineered for more commuter traffic. The myopic GGW crowd thinks that all streets in DC should be like Manhattan, with traffic pushed through the grid to their through destinations.

The partial closure of Beach has already turned my neighborhood in Chevy Chase into a frequent cut through with commuters speeding through while our kids walk to their bus stops and neighbors are just trying to walk their dogs. We don’t have sidewalks, people ignore the “no left turn” signs. We can’t take anymore capacity shifting onto our streets.

If you want to live in a gated community, move to one. But until then, you live on a public street that all manner of drivers are entitled to use. Some of those drivers don’t obey the law, that is true. Maybe you could perhaps join the rest of us is encouraging our local authorities to better enforce said law. But the notion that changes may cause more of the public to drive down the public street you live in is not a persuasive argument to oppose those changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not content with constraining Connecticut Avenue and closing Beach Drive to cars, the Greater Greater Washington/WABA/Smart Growth crowd has now put forward their latest agenda item: close most of Rock Creek Park, including the Parkway, to cars. https://ggwash.org/view/89224/its-past-time-to-open-rock-creek-park-by-closing-it-to-cars

While each such idea may have some appeal in isolation, together they spell massive traffic diversion to local streets in Northwest Washington. Not to worry, says GGW. "The street grid can handle it." This means that Waze-driven traffic will be flushed through not just major roads that are already congested with traffic, but on to minor, local, neighborhood streets as well. This ignores the functional classification of streets and the fact that many streets are not engineered for more commuter traffic. The myopic GGW crowd thinks that all streets in DC should be like Manhattan, with traffic pushed through the grid to their through destinations.

The partial closure of Beach has already turned my neighborhood in Chevy Chase into a frequent cut through with commuters speeding through while our kids walk to their bus stops and neighbors are just trying to walk their dogs. We don’t have sidewalks, people ignore the “no left turn” signs. We can’t take anymore capacity shifting onto our streets.

They are public roads. People were already "cutting through" - it isn't like there was some country road with a fence on it and people are moving the fence and cutting through the fields. THAT is cutting through. People dirving on city streets is not cutting through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not content with constraining Connecticut Avenue and closing Beach Drive to cars, the Greater Greater Washington/WABA/Smart Growth crowd has now put forward their latest agenda item: close most of Rock Creek Park, including the Parkway, to cars. https://ggwash.org/view/89224/its-past-time-to-open-rock-creek-park-by-closing-it-to-cars

While each such idea may have some appeal in isolation, together they spell massive traffic diversion to local streets in Northwest Washington. Not to worry, says GGW. "The street grid can handle it." This means that Waze-driven traffic will be flushed through not just major roads that are already congested with traffic, but on to minor, local, neighborhood streets as well. This ignores the functional classification of streets and the fact that many streets are not engineered for more commuter traffic. The myopic GGW crowd thinks that all streets in DC should be like Manhattan, with traffic pushed through the grid to their through destinations.

The partial closure of Beach has already turned my neighborhood in Chevy Chase into a frequent cut through with commuters speeding through while our kids walk to their bus stops and neighbors are just trying to walk their dogs. We don’t have sidewalks, people ignore the “no left turn” signs. We can’t take anymore capacity shifting onto our streets.

Sounds like the problems are:

1. you don't have sidewalks
2. you do have streets designed for speeding

Fixing those problems would be a win for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not content with constraining Connecticut Avenue and closing Beach Drive to cars, the Greater Greater Washington/WABA/Smart Growth crowd has now put forward their latest agenda item: close most of Rock Creek Park, including the Parkway, to cars. https://ggwash.org/view/89224/its-past-time-to-open-rock-creek-park-by-closing-it-to-cars

While each such idea may have some appeal in isolation, together they spell massive traffic diversion to local streets in Northwest Washington. Not to worry, says GGW. "The street grid can handle it." This means that Waze-driven traffic will be flushed through not just major roads that are already congested with traffic, but on to minor, local, neighborhood streets as well. This ignores the functional classification of streets and the fact that many streets are not engineered for more commuter traffic. The myopic GGW crowd thinks that all streets in DC should be like Manhattan, with traffic pushed through the grid to their through destinations.

The partial closure of Beach has already turned my neighborhood in Chevy Chase into a frequent cut through with commuters speeding through while our kids walk to their bus stops and neighbors are just trying to walk their dogs. We don’t have sidewalks, people ignore the “no left turn” signs. We can’t take anymore capacity shifting onto our streets.

They are public roads. People were already "cutting through" - it isn't like there was some country road with a fence on it and people are moving the fence and cutting through the fields. THAT is cutting through. People dirving on city streets is not cutting through.

Just to clarify, are you finally admitting that traffic will be diverted onto those "public roads"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not content with constraining Connecticut Avenue and closing Beach Drive to cars, the Greater Greater Washington/WABA/Smart Growth crowd has now put forward their latest agenda item: close most of Rock Creek Park, including the Parkway, to cars. https://ggwash.org/view/89224/its-past-time-to-open-rock-creek-park-by-closing-it-to-cars

While each such idea may have some appeal in isolation, together they spell massive traffic diversion to local streets in Northwest Washington. Not to worry, says GGW. "The street grid can handle it." This means that Waze-driven traffic will be flushed through not just major roads that are already congested with traffic, but on to minor, local, neighborhood streets as well. This ignores the functional classification of streets and the fact that many streets are not engineered for more commuter traffic. The myopic GGW crowd thinks that all streets in DC should be like Manhattan, with traffic pushed through the grid to their through destinations.

The partial closure of Beach has already turned my neighborhood in Chevy Chase into a frequent cut through with commuters speeding through while our kids walk to their bus stops and neighbors are just trying to walk their dogs. We don’t have sidewalks, people ignore the “no left turn” signs. We can’t take anymore capacity shifting onto our streets.

They are public roads. People were already "cutting through" - it isn't like there was some country road with a fence on it and people are moving the fence and cutting through the fields. THAT is cutting through. People dirving on city streets is not cutting through.

Just to clarify, are you finally admitting that traffic will be diverted onto those "public roads"?

No, I am admitting that public roads are used....by the public. I see the cars in the Oregon Avenue area all the time, but before, during and after the pandemic. It is all about the same. The reason it may seem like more is because Oregon Ave construction finally completed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not content with constraining Connecticut Avenue and closing Beach Drive to cars, the Greater Greater Washington/WABA/Smart Growth crowd has now put forward their latest agenda item: close most of Rock Creek Park, including the Parkway, to cars. https://ggwash.org/view/89224/its-past-time-to-open-rock-creek-park-by-closing-it-to-cars

While each such idea may have some appeal in isolation, together they spell massive traffic diversion to local streets in Northwest Washington. Not to worry, says GGW. "The street grid can handle it." This means that Waze-driven traffic will be flushed through not just major roads that are already congested with traffic, but on to minor, local, neighborhood streets as well. This ignores the functional classification of streets and the fact that many streets are not engineered for more commuter traffic. The myopic GGW crowd thinks that all streets in DC should be like Manhattan, with traffic pushed through the grid to their through destinations.

The partial closure of Beach has already turned my neighborhood in Chevy Chase into a frequent cut through with commuters speeding through while our kids walk to their bus stops and neighbors are just trying to walk their dogs. We don’t have sidewalks, people ignore the “no left turn” signs. We can’t take anymore capacity shifting onto our streets.

If you want to live in a gated community, move to one. But until then, you live on a public street that all manner of drivers are entitled to use. Some of those drivers don’t obey the law, that is true. Maybe you could perhaps join the rest of us is encouraging our local authorities to better enforce said law. But the notion that changes may cause more of the public to drive down the public street you live in is not a persuasive argument to oppose those changes.

Different roads are design for different functions which translates different classifications: arterial, collector and local. Turning roads designed as local roads into collector roads is inappropriate and unsafe.

[Anonymous]

From reading the bios of the bike mafia it seems this city has an unusual concentration of “urban planners.” What exactly does this mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From reading the bios of the bike mafia it seems this city has an unusual concentration of “urban planners.” What exactly does this mean?

Urban planners are effectively public policy degrees that people who earn them think bestow some form of specialized knowledge or authority. The reality is that it is an area of study that lacks scientific foundation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From reading the bios of the bike mafia it seems this city has an unusual concentration of “urban planners.” What exactly does this mean?

Urban planners are effectively public policy degrees that people who earn them think bestow some form of specialized knowledge or authority. The reality is that it is an area of study that lacks scientific foundation.

In that case, so does traffic engineering. Including road classification systems. There is no scientific foundation to roads being local or collector or arterial roads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From reading the bios of the bike mafia it seems this city has an unusual concentration of “urban planners.” What exactly does this mean?

Urban planners are effectively public policy degrees that people who earn them think bestow some form of specialized knowledge or authority. The reality is that it is an area of study that lacks scientific foundation.

In that case, so does traffic engineering. Including road classification systems. There is no scientific foundation to roads being local or collector or arterial roads.

It looks like we’ve found an urban planner. Could you tell us what the seminal/foundational academic work is in your field?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From reading the bios of the bike mafia it seems this city has an unusual concentration of “urban planners.” What exactly does this mean?

Urban planners are effectively public policy degrees that people who earn them think bestow some form of specialized knowledge or authority. The reality is that it is an area of study that lacks scientific foundation.

In that case, so does traffic engineering. Including road classification systems. There is no scientific foundation to roads being local or collector or arterial roads.

It looks like we’ve found an urban planner. Could you tell us what the seminal/foundational academic work is in your field?

Could you please explain the scientific underpinnings of road classification systems?

There are a lot of fields of specialized knowledge that aren't physics but are, nonetheless, fields of specialized knowledge. Your objection is silly.

[Anonymous]

The writing is on the wall. The Connecticut Avenue bike lanes are on life support.
https://www.bisnow.com/washington-dc/news/economic-development/anxious-dc-real-estate-execs-launch-fight-against-bike-lanes-and-city-officials-respond-118547