{"id":45,"date":"2021-03-02T14:23:31","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T14:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dcfeedback.com\/whj\/?p=45"},"modified":"2021-03-02T17:31:18","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T17:31:18","slug":"my-ddot-testimony-committee-on-transportation-the-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dcfeedback.com\/whj\/2021\/03\/02\/my-ddot-testimony-committee-on-transportation-the-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"My DDOT Testimony Committee on Transportation & the Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Testimony<\/span><\/strong>
William H Jordan, whj@melanet.com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
Performance Oversight Hearing: Committee on Transportation & the Environment<\/span><\/strong>
Friday, February 26, 2021 12:00 pm<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DDOT is fast becoming a creature and instrument of two highly pernicious forces and phenomena \u201cflat white\u201d urbanism<\/strong> and \u201cBig Capital Mobility or Uber\/Lyft-ing\u201d<\/strong>. Under the influence of these forces, DDOT is systematically privatizing our city\u2019s public spaces and transportation systems in a manner which perpetuates our city\u2019s historic racial inequities<\/strong>. DDOT by Uber\/Lify-ing through a \u201cflat white\u201d lens is placing the interests of private investors over those of residents, especially Black and Brown residents already reeling from the pressures of city sponsor gentrification. Even more disturbing, we see DDOT willingness to execute on behalf of these phenomena under the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic with few checks and balances.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is probably no greater manifestation of these phenomena and the racial inequities left in their wake than DDOT\u2019s \u201c14th Street Bus-Bike Lane Demonstration Project\u201d<\/strong>. This project in context with other projects targeting Ward 1 neighborhoods, illustrates DDOT\u2019s willingness to use bully tactics by targeting areas with high Black and Brown populations with projects which favor \u201cflat white\u201d urbanism and Big Capital Mobility Uber\/Lyft-ing.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In fact, the 14th<\/sup> Street Project is so steeped in racial bias, poor design, haphazard implementation and rationalized pseudo-science that it is the historic equivalent the Federal Highway building of the 1950s \u2013 1970s which crippled and destroyed Black neighborhoods. So much so, I believe those decision makers at DDOT responsible for this 14th<\/sup> Street project should be removed from their positions.  <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To illustrate how poorly the 14Th<\/sup> St Project was conceived and is being managed, on 2\/10\/21 DDOT announced it is conducting a study of the 14th<\/sup> Street Bus-Bike lanes from 2\/16 thru 4\/15 to determine the effectiveness of the project by installing cameras on Circulator Buses which are to use the project\u2019s car free Bus-Bike lanes.   The problem with this study is, because of poor design the Circulator buses don\u2019t\/can\u2019t use these lanes Bike-Bus lanes.  Southbound Circulators turning from Irving St. can\u2019t make the tight right turn need to use Bus-Bike lanes, therefore must share the car lane.  Northbound Circulators which most turn left at Columbia Road don\u2019t use the bus-bike lanes which are in the far right lane instead us the car lane which now moves slower.  This poor design defeats the supposed purpose of the project increasing bus times.  Further given the change in traffic patterns due to the pandemic, what use is the study and method?  This is a useless study of a poor design, which DDOT has already concluded is a success.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo 1: Southbound Circulator turning from Irving St. can\u2019t enter Bus-Bike Lane.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And worst, the 14th<\/sup> St project was implemented by DDOT in a careless and unsafe manner.   DDOT was obviously more concerned with getting the project done quickly than the impact on Black and Brown residents who would be most impacted by the project.  DDOT provided little if any outreach, support signage or traffic control personnel during implementation or coordination with WMATA.  As a result, the Senior Citizen in the photo below was severely injured after tripping over one of the Bus-Bike lane protection barriers.   He was trying to reach a Metro Bus which could not dock at the curb bus stop because of DDOT lane construction issues.  Metro Buses instead of stopping at the curb were stopping a car lane into the street for on and off loading.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo 2: Bus-Bike Land Pedestrian Injury. Note the Skip Scooters in the foreground, DDOT\u2019s true constituent.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span>Photo 3: Poor coordination with WMATA which led to injury shown in photo 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Other 14th<\/sup> Project design and implementation failures which particularly impacted Black and Brown residents included:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

– Took away parking for Black and Brown residents, while continuing to allow the Circulator and WMAT Express Bus to by-pass their areas.<\/span><\/p>\n


– Bus-Bike lanes directed Buses into tree canopy resulting in tree destruction.<\/span><\/p>\n


– Bus-Bike lane pushes WMATA buses closer to curbs exposing Black and Brown pedestrians to bus mass, increased noise and fumes.<\/span><\/p>\n


– Eliminates or frustrates curb side services to senior building.
<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is \u201cFlat White\u201d Urbanism?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFlat White\u201d urbanism as discussed by planners Amin Yasin and Daniella Fergusson in their article, \u201cPandemic patios and \u201cflat white\u201d urbanism\u201d, in Plan Canada, Winter 2020,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cis a \u201cflat white\u201d power and legal structure implemented through restrictive covenants, redlining, planning euphemisms, land theft, architecture, bylaws and their enforcement, and choices that smooth over structural issues in favor of aesthetic improvements to the status quo.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cis an unfettered, \u201cflat white\u201d neoliberal utopia where the imaginary White and able-bodied subjects are prioritized in perpetuity \u2013 a mark of a \u201csuccessful city.\u201d\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cin centering Whiteness within planning, Whiteness names a \u201clegacy of injustice\u201d for social dysfunction, while normalizing and idealizing places of white affluence that resulted from the same injustices.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Yasin and Fergusson\u2019s article speaks of the contradictions and biases \u201cpandemic patios\u201d which closely mirrors the streatery privatization policies embedded in The Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act of 2020. DDOT\u2019s knee-jerk implementation of these policies as with the 18th Street NW Streatery compounded the confusion and biases inherent in the privatization found in Vision Zero.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Under DDOT\u2019s leadership and our Vision Zero policies the photo on the left represents the acceptable and the right is unacceptable. Why?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBig Capital Mobility or Uber\/Lyft-ing\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In short, DDOT under the disguise of improving bike and pedestrian safety via projected bike lanes and such is through the back door making a major public policy shift toward privatizing public space and transportation, transit by and adopting a business model called \u201cMobility as a Services\u201d (MaaS) without full public transparency, vetting and assessment of MaaS\u2019 potential impact on racial equity. MaaS is heavily backed by Big Capital: Silicon Valley venture capital, technology and real estate focused hedge funds and Wall Street capital markets via firms such as Uber and Lyft. These entities seek big profits in privatizing public space and transportation as urban areas of optimized for gentrification and what our city calls the \u201ccreative class\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DDOT via its MaaS policies is systematically handing over their responsibilities as a public agency to companies such as Uber and Lyft. This is dangerous because as publicly traded companies Uber and Lyft are beholding to their shareholders and quarterly stock values. Companies who currently not profitable, Uber losses in 2020 was $6.77B. How do they plan to become profitable, becoming a private DDOT\/WMATA. Surely, not by ensuring DC\u2019s systems meet a high standard when it comes to racial equity.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 14th Street project is an example of what happens when DDOT officials prioritize MaaS development over the lives of its residents, especially Black and Brown residents. Community oversight of DDOT is difficult enough imagine when DDOT is completely Uber\/Lyft-ed.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DDOT MaaS Privatization Alarms<\/span><\/strong>
DDOT pays Lyft approximately $9.6M\/year to run our Bikeshare system.<\/span><\/p>\n

DDOT as a awarded a so-called pilot to CurbFlow to privatize management of DC curb space. A VC ventured backed by former Mayor Fenty, likely skirting procurement rules. <\/span><\/p>\n

DDOT pays RATP Dev North America (RATP) a company owned by the French government over $40M\/yr to run the DC Circulator and Streetcar. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lyft once owned by venture capital firms, now publicly traded controls and runs DC\u2019s Bikeshare program under contracts worth 10s of millions of dollars. <\/span> <\/p>\n

DDOT Dockless Bike & Scooter MaaS Companies<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 HelBiz – An Italian Venture back by VC’s TriPoint Global Equities, LLC, Zhonglu Group<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Jump – A DDOT bike and scooter company was initially back by Silicon Valley Venture Capital firms such as Menlo Ventures, SineWave, Alumni Ventures, SOSV to the tune of over $100M. Today Jump is owned by Uber which acquired for around $200M.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Lime – now owned by Uber ($170M), Alphabet (Google), Bain Capital, GV. Lime absorbed Jump as part of the deal $510M<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Lyft – Sean Aggarwal (ebay),Floodgate Ventures, Mayfield Fund, IPO General Motors and Fidelity<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Skip – Alexis Ohanian, A Capital, SV Angel<\/span>
\u2022 Spin – Grishin Robotics and CRCM Ventures, Ford($100M)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In conclusion, 2020 has been DDOT\u2019s year of \u201cflat white\u201d urbanism and \u201cBig Capital Mobility Uber\/Lyft-ing\u201d using our COVID-19 crisis as a cover for the privatization of our public spaces and transportation systems without honest public debate around the consequences of this MaaS policy shift for racial equity. The 14th Street Project highlights the problems the agency has with the concept of equity, and the bias inherent in DDOT\u2019s approaches. Pushing what happened on 14th Street under the cover of the pandemic to all 8 Wards is not equity.<\/span><\/p>\n