The Bike Lobby is too powerful in DC...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's one problem. DC and the mayor are lamenting the decrease in inhabited office space downtown and support for small businesses downtown. They are trying to encourage businesses to RTO and to bring employees back to the downtown area to revitalize the patronage of the many businesses downtown that rely upon the workday workforce population, like restaurants. If they want to do this, then they need to make the commute downtown more commuter friendly to incentivize having offices in the downtown area.

Conversely they are trying to encourage urban mixed use, like transit, biking and pedestrian friendly thoroughfares. But those mixed use thoroughfares make it harder for workers who live outside the district to commute in to work. Plus the real estate costs downtown, whether purchased or rented, are more expensive. So, why would businesses want to move their business back downtown when it is more expensive and less convenient to get their workforce to work?

The district needs to come up with a plan that supports incentivizing businesses to return to the downtown area. And the current Conn Ave plan is not it. This type of change is discouraging businesses that moved out of the downtown area during the pandemic from returning.

No, it doesn't. At worst, it makes it harder for workers who live outside the district to drive in their own cars to work. There would still be plenty of options for commuting, even if the entire length of Connecticut Avenue were turned into bus-bike-walk only.

Seems like it would be better if we started removing bike lanes. It's a lot of space for reserved for a very, very, very small number of people. They're almost always empty.

If you look at the data, cycling is becoming LESS popular, even after controlling for rise of remote work. Driving is grabbing more market share.

I'd love to look at this data you speak of

See the transit report by the metropolitan Washington council of governments. Has cycling and public transit use way down, driving way up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 2022 plans have no bearing on what will be presented because DDOT and neighbors did block by block walk-throughs which will result in refinements to those base maps.

Which will... add back parking, but not take away the freaking turn lane?

Much of the assumed parking (shown in green) in the Cleveland Park historic district commercial area has already been removed. The service lane, which was rebuilt as a shared space for pedestrians and parking has been closed to vehicles on basically a permanent basis. So the available parking will be less than shown in the diagram, which is additional blow to the businesses.

...whose patrons by and large don't even drive to their doors. They walk. So a promenade makes way more sense than a service lane (esp. since there is an alley).

The “promenade” will be given over to streeeteries at bargain-basement prices. Essentially it is public space that is being privatised. Maybe a bar and a couple of restaurants may benefit from this arrangement but most of the other businesses will suffer.

As far as the bike lane is concerned, the Ward 3 council member has said that if the service lane parking were lost then parking cannot also be removed on the east side of Connecticut. So that means a shared bike lane on the west side of Conn only, if at all.

That's funny because I see people milling about during the week and various markets on the weekend.

"Public space that is being privatised". Really? Oh yeah, it was sooo much more "public" before when it was reserved for a handful of people who wanted to store their cars there for free while the majority of people who were walking or tranisting there were crammed into a tiny freaking sidewalk where two folks could barely walk by each other without shoulders touching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 2022 plans have no bearing on what will be presented because DDOT and neighbors did block by block walk-throughs which will result in refinements to those base maps.

Which will... add back parking, but not take away the freaking turn lane?

Much of the assumed parking (shown in green) in the Cleveland Park historic district commercial area has already been removed. The service lane, which was rebuilt as a shared space for pedestrians and parking has been closed to vehicles on basically a permanent basis. So the available parking will be less than shown in the diagram, which is additional blow to the businesses.

...whose patrons by and large don't even drive to their doors. They walk. So a promenade makes way more sense than a service lane (esp. since there is an alley).

The “promenade” will be given over to streeeteries at bargain-basement prices. Essentially it is public space that is being privatised. Maybe a bar and a couple of restaurants may benefit from this arrangement but most of the other businesses will suffer.

As far as the bike lane is concerned, the Ward 3 council member has said that if the service lane parking were lost then parking cannot also be removed on the east side of Connecticut. So that means a shared bike lane on the west side of Conn only, if at all.

That's funny because I see people milling about during the week and various markets on the weekend.

"Public space that is being privatised". Really? Oh yeah, it was sooo much more "public" before when it was reserved for a handful of people who wanted to store their cars there for free while the majority of people who were walking or tranisting there were crammed into a tiny freaking sidewalk where two folks could barely walk by each other without shoulders touching.

It's all good, though, because now the people in the silly yellow shirts can stand there while demonstrating for cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 2022 plans have no bearing on what will be presented because DDOT and neighbors did block by block walk-throughs which will result in refinements to those base maps.

Which will... add back parking, but not take away the freaking turn lane?

Much of the assumed parking (shown in green) in the Cleveland Park historic district commercial area has already been removed. The service lane, which was rebuilt as a shared space for pedestrians and parking has been closed to vehicles on basically a permanent basis. So the available parking will be less than shown in the diagram, which is additional blow to the businesses.

...whose patrons by and large don't even drive to their doors. They walk. So a promenade makes way more sense than a service lane (esp. since there is an alley).

The “promenade” will be given over to streeeteries at bargain-basement prices. Essentially it is public space that is being privatised. Maybe a bar and a couple of restaurants may benefit from this arrangement but most of the other businesses will suffer.

As far as the bike lane is concerned, the Ward 3 council member has said that if the service lane parking were lost then parking cannot also be removed on the east side of Connecticut. So that means a shared bike lane on the west side of Conn only, if at all.

That's funny because I see people milling about during the week and various markets on the weekend.

"Public space that is being privatised". Really? Oh yeah, it was sooo much more "public" before when it was reserved for a handful of people who wanted to store their cars there for free while the majority of people who were walking or tranisting there were crammed into a tiny freaking sidewalk where two folks could barely walk by each other without shoulders touching.

It's all good, though, because now the people in the silly yellow shirts can stand there while demonstrating for cars.

Beating a dead horse. Time to move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 2022 plans have no bearing on what will be presented because DDOT and neighbors did block by block walk-throughs which will result in refinements to those base maps.

Which will... add back parking, but not take away the freaking turn lane?

Much of the assumed parking (shown in green) in the Cleveland Park historic district commercial area has already been removed. The service lane, which was rebuilt as a shared space for pedestrians and parking has been closed to vehicles on basically a permanent basis. So the available parking will be less than shown in the diagram, which is additional blow to the businesses.

...whose patrons by and large don't even drive to their doors. They walk. So a promenade makes way more sense than a service lane (esp. since there is an alley).

The “promenade” will be given over to streeeteries at bargain-basement prices. Essentially it is public space that is being privatised. Maybe a bar and a couple of restaurants may benefit from this arrangement but most of the other businesses will suffer.

As far as the bike lane is concerned, the Ward 3 council member has said that if the service lane parking were lost then parking cannot also be removed on the east side of Connecticut. So that means a shared bike lane on the west side of Conn only, if at all.

That's funny because I see people milling about during the week and various markets on the weekend.

"Public space that is being privatised". Really? Oh yeah, it was sooo much more "public" before when it was reserved for a handful of people who wanted to store their cars there for free while the majority of people who were walking or tranisting there were crammed into a tiny freaking sidewalk where two folks could barely walk by each other without shoulders touching.

It's all good, though, because now the people in the silly yellow shirts can stand there while demonstrating for cars.

Beating a dead horse. Time to move on.

Not sure about the horse, but bike lanes on Connecticut Ave NW are dead. RIP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 2022 plans have no bearing on what will be presented because DDOT and neighbors did block by block walk-throughs which will result in refinements to those base maps.

Which will... add back parking, but not take away the freaking turn lane?

Much of the assumed parking (shown in green) in the Cleveland Park historic district commercial area has already been removed. The service lane, which was rebuilt as a shared space for pedestrians and parking has been closed to vehicles on basically a permanent basis. So the available parking will be less than shown in the diagram, which is additional blow to the businesses.

...whose patrons by and large don't even drive to their doors. They walk. So a promenade makes way more sense than a service lane (esp. since there is an alley).

The “promenade” will be given over to streeeteries at bargain-basement prices. Essentially it is public space that is being privatised. Maybe a bar and a couple of restaurants may benefit from this arrangement but most of the other businesses will suffer.

As far as the bike lane is concerned, the Ward 3 council member has said that if the service lane parking were lost then parking cannot also be removed on the east side of Connecticut. So that means a shared bike lane on the west side of Conn only, if at all.

That's funny because I see people milling about during the week and various markets on the weekend.

"Public space that is being privatised". Really? Oh yeah, it was sooo much more "public" before when it was reserved for a handful of people who wanted to store their cars there for free while the majority of people who were walking or tranisting there were crammed into a tiny freaking sidewalk where two folks could barely walk by each other without shoulders touching.

It's all good, though, because now the people in the silly yellow shirts can stand there while demonstrating for cars.

Beating a dead horse. Time to move on.

Not sure about the horse, but bike lanes on Connecticut Ave NW are dead. RIP.

Yeah? DDOT built themselves a brand new project site for it like 2 months ago. Sure seems "dead" to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 2022 plans have no bearing on what will be presented because DDOT and neighbors did block by block walk-throughs which will result in refinements to those base maps.

Which will... add back parking, but not take away the freaking turn lane?

Much of the assumed parking (shown in green) in the Cleveland Park historic district commercial area has already been removed. The service lane, which was rebuilt as a shared space for pedestrians and parking has been closed to vehicles on basically a permanent basis. So the available parking will be less than shown in the diagram, which is additional blow to the businesses.

...whose patrons by and large don't even drive to their doors. They walk. So a promenade makes way more sense than a service lane (esp. since there is an alley).

The “promenade” will be given over to streeeteries at bargain-basement prices. Essentially it is public space that is being privatised. Maybe a bar and a couple of restaurants may benefit from this arrangement but most of the other businesses will suffer.

As far as the bike lane is concerned, the Ward 3 council member has said that if the service lane parking were lost then parking cannot also be removed on the east side of Connecticut. So that means a shared bike lane on the west side of Conn only, if at all.

That's funny because I see people milling about during the week and various markets on the weekend.

"Public space that is being privatised". Really? Oh yeah, it was sooo much more "public" before when it was reserved for a handful of people who wanted to store their cars there for free while the majority of people who were walking or tranisting there were crammed into a tiny freaking sidewalk where two folks could barely walk by each other without shoulders touching.

It's all good, though, because now the people in the silly yellow shirts can stand there while demonstrating for cars.

Beating a dead horse. Time to move on.

Not sure about the horse, but bike lanes on Connecticut Ave NW are dead. RIP.

Yeah? DDOT built themselves a brand new project site for it like 2 months ago. Sure seems "dead" to me.

You mean DDOT consultants built it. Except for the website, the cupboard is bare. Not even Frumin is a fan anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s over. The project isn’t happening. The businesses are against it. The police are against it. Thousands of neighbors are against it. The mayor gets it now.

*Thousands of MD residents who enjoy speeding on Conn Ave without any repercussions are against it.

FIFY

So now you’re for repercussions of law breakers? Welcome to the party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s over. The project isn’t happening. The businesses are against it. The police are against it. Thousands of neighbors are against it. The mayor gets it now.

*Thousands of MD residents who enjoy speeding on Conn Ave without any repercussions are against it.

FIFY

After the news of last night, maybe we should start listening to the business owners? Pretty please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s over. The project isn’t happening. The businesses are against it. The police are against it. Thousands of neighbors are against it. The mayor gets it now.

*Thousands of MD residents who enjoy speeding on Conn Ave without any repercussions are against it.

FIFY

After the news of last night, maybe we should start listening to the business owners? Pretty please.

That’s Ted Leonisis just trying to get leverage because he’s a greedy b*stard. To the extent Chinatown worked it was because it was a public-transit accessible area amenable to foot traffic. But go ahead with the ever-more ridiculous claims about bike lanes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s over. The project isn’t happening. The businesses are against it. The police are against it. Thousands of neighbors are against it. The mayor gets it now.

*Thousands of MD residents who enjoy speeding on Conn Ave without any repercussions are against it.

FIFY

After the news of last night, maybe we should start listening to the business owners? Pretty please.

If anything, it negates the need for cars to have priority to get downtown. Maybe the city should be focused on strengthening the neighborhoods and the people who live and work in them, particularly those working from home who want to run quick errands during the day by bike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s over. The project isn’t happening. The businesses are against it. The police are against it. Thousands of neighbors are against it. The mayor gets it now.

*Thousands of MD residents who enjoy speeding on Conn Ave without any repercussions are against it.

FIFY

After the news of last night, maybe we should start listening to the business owners? Pretty please.

That’s Ted Leonisis just trying to get leverage because he’s a greedy b*stard. To the extent Chinatown worked it was because it was a public-transit accessible area amenable to foot traffic. But go ahead with the ever-more ridiculous claims about bike lanes.

Right? Tons of Caps fans taking the Metro and then walking around (spending money) before and after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s over. The project isn’t happening. The businesses are against it. The police are against it. Thousands of neighbors are against it. The mayor gets it now.

*Thousands of MD residents who enjoy speeding on Conn Ave without any repercussions are against it.

FIFY

After the news of last night, maybe we should start listening to the business owners? Pretty please.

That’s Ted Leonisis just trying to get leverage because he’s a greedy b*stard. To the extent Chinatown worked it was because it was a public-transit accessible area amenable to foot traffic. But go ahead with the ever-more ridiculous claims about bike lanes.

Right? Tons of Caps fans taking the Metro and then walking around (spending money) before and after.

Yeah, carbrained idiot above sees this as a reason to encourage more driving. WTF. Whenever there was a caps game, the metro was FULL of red shirts. Because its the easiest and cheapest and most reliable way to move TONS of people into the city. Depending on personal automobile is not. There are commonly videos posted of massive, miles long lines of cars backed up onto highways trying to get off an on-ramp for some arena show in the middle of bumblef**k. Where's the bike lane causing that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s over. The project isn’t happening. The businesses are against it. The police are against it. Thousands of neighbors are against it. The mayor gets it now.

*Thousands of MD residents who enjoy speeding on Conn Ave without any repercussions are against it.

FIFY

After the news of last night, maybe we should start listening to the business owners? Pretty please.

That’s Ted Leonisis just trying to get leverage because he’s a greedy b*stard. To the extent Chinatown worked it was because it was a public-transit accessible area amenable to foot traffic. But go ahead with the ever-more ridiculous claims about bike lanes.

Right? Tons of Caps fans taking the Metro and then walking around (spending money) before and after.

Yeah, carbrained idiot above sees this as a reason to encourage more driving. WTF. Whenever there was a caps game, the metro was FULL of red shirts. Because its the easiest and cheapest and most reliable way to move TONS of people into the city. Depending on personal automobile is not. There are commonly videos posted of massive, miles long lines of cars backed up onto highways trying to get off an on-ramp for some arena show in the middle of bumblef**k. Where's the bike lane causing that?

Nissan Pavilion/Jiffy Lube Live sends their regards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s over. The project isn’t happening. The businesses are against it. The police are against it. Thousands of neighbors are against it. The mayor gets it now.

*Thousands of MD residents who enjoy speeding on Conn Ave without any repercussions are against it.

FIFY

After the news of last night, maybe we should start listening to the business owners? Pretty please.

If anything, it negates the need for cars to have priority to get downtown. Maybe the city should be focused on strengthening the neighborhoods and the people who live and work in them, particularly those working from home who want to run quick errands during the day by bike.

Here’s some advice: if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

Bike lanes have become the symbol of progressive policies run amok.