For Release: Monday, Sept. 6, 2021
Contact: Nick DelleDonne,
703 929 6656
NE Residents Join Citywide Opposition to DDOT Bike Plans
With the recent installation of protected bike lanes in the 1900 block of West Virginia Avenue NE, residents in the largely Black neighborhood have lost almost all parking spaces. They are the latest victims of the mad rush by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to install protected bike lanes in neighborhoods throughout DC, despite health and safety concerns.
DDOT is pushing its Plans over community objections. The ANC5C resolution specifically approves bike lanes that “minimize the impact to local resident street parking.” “Residents are unable to pull up near their buildings to unload groceries without obstructing bike lanes or traffic, a danger to themselves, cars, and the bikers,” writes property owner Dr. Allison Agwu in a letter to DDOT. A physician and professor, Agwu said the plan forces residents to find parking far from their homes in a high crime area, including seniors, youngsters and the handicapped.
DDOT’s map grid “is not consistent with what was implemented,” Agwu writes, arguing DDOT pushed the plan “forward in the midst of a pandemic.” It does not appear that residents were given appropriate notice, she said.
The Ivy City neighborhood is the most recent addition to the Citywide Coalition on DDOT Bike Plans. “DDOT Bike Plans are causing concern and outrage in neighborhoods throughout the city,” said Nick DelleDonne, who is organizing with leaders around the city to pushback. “The Plans, most objectionably, are developed by a staff of bicycle specialists without benefit from traffic experts, without care for the safety of pedestrians, and perhaps most important without study, which is generally considered the hallmark of planning,” he said.
The DC Coalition now includes participants from Shaw, Dupont Circle, Burleith, Glover Park, Capitol Hill East, Columbia Heights, the business communities, and churches. Shaw Main Streets Executive Director Alexander Padro said with over two decades of civic involvement, “We have never seen such intransigence and lack of transparency in any DC administration.” “We are raising questions of ADA compliance which appear nowhere in the Plans,” he said.
Sign our petition on DDOT’s 17th St., NW, Plan, https://chng.it/R6Z8QLyL A message will automatically be sent to the Mayor, DDOT and CM Pinto.