Immediate release: Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021
Contact: Nick DelleDonne
delledonne.n@comcast.net , 703 929 6656
Dupont Main Streets Says 17th St. Bike Plan Needs Another Look
Monday night, Dec. 6, at the meeting of the Dupont Circle Citizens Association (DCCA), the guest speaker Bill McLeod, the Executive Director of Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets, was candid in his assessment of the 17th St Bike Lane, which District Department of Transportation (DDOT) installed in July. McLeod said, “I don’t see it being used, and in six months, we should set a meeting with DDOT to have them change the striping.”
Striping is the paint on the road used to create crosswalks, bike lanes, and car lanes. “If this redesign of 17th is not working, the old stripes should be ground off the tarmac and the road should be restriped for a more traditional use,” McLeod said.
Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets is a coalition of retail interests for mutual benefit and includes the shops on 17th St.
McLeod said that while he’d always been a biking supporter, many big cities are removing their bike lanes, especially London and Amsterdam. DC should adjust the number of bike lanes to what is needed. “If DDOT puts a bike lane on every street, and most are not used, then most should come out,” McLeod explained. The only bike lanes that should remain are the ones heavily used, which is happening in London and Amsterdam at this time, he said. The 15th Street bike lanes are heavily used, but the 14th Street bike lane and the 17th Street bike lanes are not.
This meeting marks the second held by DCCA on the 17th St. Bike Plan and its impact on commerce and the community. DCCA has provided a forum for discussing what has been called ‘an existential threat’ to the community – a forum the city has failed to provide. Last month DCCA voted to ask DDOT to remove the protected bike lane and this month, a voice representing the commercial interests on the street expressed concerns.
