DC Department of Transportation director: Connecticut Avenue won’t get bike lanes

Daniel Hamburg
·2 min read
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WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — After years of planning and contention, Connecticut Avenue won’t be getting bike lanes.

The news came during Thursday’s budget hearing with the District’s Department of Transportation (DDOT) director.

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Some businesses are celebrating the news while bicyclists are upset.

“I want to be able to go a half mile on my bike to a business in the next community up without risking my life,” said Gawaine Kripke, ANC 3C07 commissioner.

Initial plans from DDOT had a protected bike lane on Connecticut Avenue as part of safety improvements but Director Sharon Kershbaum told the Council Thursday they weren’t moving forward with that plan.

“It’s always been a safety project, but in terms of which design to work, that’s been something we’ve been revising over the past few weeks,” Kershbaum said.

One thing that will happen is changing the current parking restrictions on the outer lanes during rush hour.

“We’re going to turn those primarily into parking lanes full time. Although as part of our safety effort, it means that we’ll be doing fold outs. So some of the curbs will extend out into it to help make safer pedestrian crossings,” Kershbaum said.

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Peter Freeman with Cleveland Park Valet is happy about it.

“Any parking is a welcome thing, especially for the businesses but especially for the people who need to just get in and out quickly,” Freeman said.

Kershbaum said they’re working on a five-year plan to fill gaps in the bike network and that a Ward 3 North-South bike lane is part of the study.

But Kripke said that won’t work.

“There is no other North-South route in Ward 3 that gets you to these businesses, to the churches, to the schools, to the daycare that are along Connecticut Avenue,” Kripke said. “What you’re saying when you’re saying you can’t safely bike to these businesses is those people aren’t welcome.”

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Kershbaum said they can’t keep delaying the safety improvements, so for now the bike lane network study and this safety improvement project are being looked at as two different parts.

It’s possible Connecticut Avenue could get a bike lane in the future but not any time soon.

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