For immediate release Aug. 11, 2021
CONTACT: Nick DelleDonne
703-929-6656; delledonne.n@comcast.net
DDOT 17th St Bike Plan –
CM Pinto Sets Public Meeting after Completion
On August 9 in a form letter to constituents who have asked for a public presentation of DDOT’s reckless 17th St Bike Plan, Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto offered “a community meeting this Fall to hear feedback about the plan and see if any improvements can be implemented by DDOT after that time.”
“The Soup Nazi says, No soup for you,” said Nick DelleDonne, president of the Dupont East Civic Action Association (DECAA) which has spearheaded the call for transparency, and a public presentation of what NBC News reporter Mark Segraves called “confusing” with images of an18-wheeler driving north on a southbound street. “In the congested commercial strip between P St. and Riggs Place, this is probably the worst place in the city for dedicated bike lanes. It is reckless and dangerous,” said DelleDonne.
DDOT Director Lott said on NBC4 NEWS on July 13 that 17th St. is a required conduit for bike traffic through our community. “He must be made to made to defend his remark or resign,” said DelleDonne. DECAA has asked for the studies that would lead DDOT to choose 17th St., when protected bike lanes (PBLs) are already installed on 14th, 15th and 20th Streets.
“It goes without saying the community engagement must be held before installation,” DelleDonne said in a letter to Pinto. Pinto herself declared gleefully three months ago at a civic association meeting that DDOT had studied traffic on 17th St. during the pandemic and determined that ALL TRAFFIC WOULD BE FUNNELED THROUGH ONE TRAFFIC LANE with a new north bound bike lane. Such drastic changes call for a public presentation, but there has been none since JUNE of LAST YEAR. “What are they afraid of?” DelleDonne asks.
DECAA raised the question of ADA compliance. DDOT tells us it is working on it. That is not a minor adjustment.
Local deliveries, necessary for business survival, are severely hampered, including for Safeway, 7-Eleven and CVS. Attached are photos of trucks unloading in the traffic lane and blocking the crosswalk, the parking lane and the bike lane to make deliveries. A tracker-trailer was forced to go north on 17 St to exit the Safeway loading dock.
A merchant asked, “Why don’t they come here on Friday morning and see for themselves the mayhem?”
