WASHINGTON — A group of D.C. bicyclists are putting the pedal to the -- streets -- Wednesday morning as they advocate for protected bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue.
The DC Department of Transportation has been studying ways to make the road safer and more bike- and pedestrian-friendly for years.
The department has gone through multiple iterations of the plan, but currently it involves removing reversible lanes and adding one-way protected bike lanes on both sides of the avenue. It also adds other safety improvements, like left and right turn lanes at intersections, pedestrian refuge islands and curb extensions, and would change the posted speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph.
The Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) supports the plan and organized a bike ride and rally Wednesday morning to let the city know.
They're meeting at the Cleveland Park Metro Station at 7:30 a.m. and then biking down Connecticut Avenue to DuPont Circle, where they'll hold a rally to support adding bike lanes to the road.
Not everyone wants to see these changes, however.
A group of business owners and neighbors who live along the avenue have created a petition to "cancel the bike plan."
They write that the plan will irreparably damage the neighborhood, hurting people's access to businesses and increasing traffic congestion.
"Cars and delivery vehicles will no longer have any curb access and drivers will have to drop off passengers who then have to step over the concrete barriers through the bike lane to reach the curb. The small businesses that make Connecticut Avenue livable, walkable and vibrant will, in their own words, be so challenged that they might have to close," the petition says.
So far, it has garnered more than 3,400 signatures.
In terms of traffic safety, there have been multiple fatal crashes so far this year on Connecticut Avenue.
One happened in February right outside of the National Zoo. One person died and six others were injured, some seriously.
We do have to point out there have been multiple fatal crashes this year on Connecticut Avenue – including this February one right outside of the National Zoo – that killed one person and injured 6 others.
WABA is focusing on federal workers for Wednesday morning’s rally, since a big part of the conversation has been ways to bring workers from remote work back to downtown.
They say adding these bike lanes and other safety upgrades will encourage more people to commute into work. People who are against the plan feel the exact opposite.
Right now, the redesign project does not have a completion date set, according to DDOT's website.