by Josh Rising and Paul DeMaio
Everyone should be able to get around his or her neighborhood and city safely and easily, whether that be by foot, bicycle or car. Unfortunately, for many Ward 3 residents, setting out on a bike can be too daunting given the lack of bike lanes throughout this part of Washington, DC. That’s why Ward 3 residents founded Ward 3 Bicycle Advocates (W3BA) to push the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and city leaders to remedy the situation. Our goal is for Ward 3 residents to feel like the roads are safe enough for them to bike to work, school and local shops.
One such opportunity existed on Reno Road. In its previous incarnation, Reno was extremely inhospitable to bikers, with narrow sidewalks, fast-moving traffic and hilly terrain. However, in the section of Reno between Rodman and Van Ness Streets, the road was wide enough to support narrowing the traffic lanes and installing a bike lane on sections where bikes would be going uphill. W3BA strongly supported the installation of these lanes.
No change happens easily, and some residents were concerned that changing the traffic patterns on Reno Road could make turns off of the road more difficult. ANC 3F Chair David Dickinson held many meetings with concerned residents with DDOT present, to hear the neighborhood’s thoughts about DDOT’s bike lane design proposal and determine whether to support DDOT’s proposal. W3BA was vocal about this matter at the community meetings, from both within and outside of ANC 3F. Ultimately, the ANC determined DDOT’s proposal was to be supported.
In early July, DDOT installed the bike lanes on the southern section (Rodman to Tilden), and it plans to extend the lanes to Van Ness Street by later this summer [Ed. note: The work has been completed.]. These are the first new bike lanes in Ward 3 in years. These lanes provide additional benefit for cyclists by connecting to the existing bike lanes on Tilden.
Given that Reno was not wide enough to install a bike lane in both directions, DDOT instead used a combination of approaches. First, where the traffic is moving uphill (and thus bikes are moving more slowly), DDOT installed a bike lane for the cyclists to use. Because there are uphill sections in both the northbound and southbound directions, the bike lane shifts from one side of the road to the other. On downhill stretches (where there is no bike lane), DDOT has painted a “sharrow” on the road, indicating to both cyclists and drivers that cyclists should share the traffic lane.
Reno Road will undoubtedly remain a daunting place to bicycle for many people, but the new lanes are already being used. According to W3BA member and Cleveland Park resident Matt Caywood, “I’ve been using them northbound almost daily to take my daughter to school, and they are making a big difference to our feeling of safety on a stretch of Reno with un-bikeably narrow sidewalks.”
Although this new bike lane is a step forward, it is important to recognize that installing a lane on these four blocks of Reno only occurred after years of study and hard work by DDOT, W3BA and Commissioner Dickinson, in large part to address a variety of local concerns. Larger changes, such as a potential protected bicycle lane (i.e. bike lane separated from motor vehicles by a buffer and delineators) on Connecticut Avenue, will face even greater opposition. Your support and encouragement will be needed.
Installing more bike lanes and making it safer to bike has many benefits. These improvements generally slow speeding by automobile drivers, which reduces the chance of serious injury to pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists, and is consistent with the city’s Vision Zero goal of having zero traffic deaths. Installing bike lanes also encourages people on bikes to get off the sidewalk, thus reducing conflicts with pedestrians. Research has shown that people who cycle past local shops are more likely to stop and patronize them than are people who drive past. And, of course, there are numerous environmental and health benefits to bicycling.
Although biking in Ward 3 can be challenging due to the number of hills in this part of the city, new electric bikes will enable people to bike who previously wouldn’t consider it. People could either purchase these bikes, use dockless e-bikes currently appearing in the city, or rely on electric bikes from Capital Bikeshare (which are rumored to return in a greater quantity later this year).
To make it easier to bike throughout Ward 3, we will need to think big and not be afraid to change how we currently use roads. That’s why we support the installation of a protected bike lane on Connecticut Avenue. All three Advisory Neighborhood Commissions along Connecticut Avenue have asked DDOT to study the issue and DDOT intends to issue proposals next year for how this could be accomplished. Other transformative proposals include the proposed Palisades Trolley Trail, a protected bike lane on Military Road over Rock Creek Park, and an off-street bike trail on Massachusetts Avenue. A climbing lane on Broad Branch out of Rock Creek Park would make cycling there much more feasible as well. Washington DC’s MoveDC plan lays out a comprehensive vision for what a cycling network in DC could look like.
We encourage you to join the W3BA listserv, where you will get updates on bicycling throughout Ward 3, by sending a blank email to [email protected]. You can also email us at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter at @Ward3Bikes.
The next chance to get involved is coming up soon. As part of the Rock Creek Far West Livability Study, DDOT is proposing improvements such as protected bike lanes on Loughboro, Arizona and Dalecarlia. Join our listserv and we’ll make sure you know when and where you can voice your support.
About the writers: Josh Rising (left) and Paul DeMaio (right) are founding members of the Ward 3 Bicycle Advocates (W3BA). Josh lives near Chevy Chase Circle; his daily bicycle commute takes him up and down Connecticut Avenue. Paul is a 20-year DC resident and lives in North Cleveland Park where he now laughs at the same hills that he used to cry about, thanks to his e-bike.
Charlie says
If some bikers can benefit from these improvements, more power to them. As for me, Reno Road is both too narrow and too hilly for me to bike, regardless of how many improvements are made to it. Give me wide avenues with shallow hills.
Paul says
I’ve been up and down that section of Reno dozens of times since the lanes were added, and have never seen a cyclist there. I rarely see cyclists on any of the streets in NW with added bike lanes, or lane marking for cyclists. I do not doubt the cyclists are around, but there seems to be an investment in infrastructure (that requires ongoing long term maintenance), and who is it benefiting? Will neighbors in NW give up their cars in favor of cycling, just because there are lane markings?
Josh says
Well, a few blocks here and there are helpful and a step forward, but likely won’t change too many people’s behaviors. As we lay out in the article, these need to be part of larger changes–such as a protected lane on Connecticut–to really change people’s behaviors.
Tom says
I have ridden my bike in the new lanes. Our commuting times must not have corresponded.
Roberta Carroll says
agree
Ed says
Paul, you are absolutely right, paint is a step in the right direction, but what we really need are physically protected bike lanes! I’m glad that you are on our side on this one.
Fortunately for those of us who get around by bike, we don’t usually get caught up in traffic, so you may have just missed us while you were looking at your phone while you were caught in the grid lock. I bike on Connecticut Ave nearly every day and see dozens of other bikers each morning and evening.
Roberta Carroll says
Biking on Reno Road is not safe and a bad idea. The sidewalks on Reno are usually empty so the bikers can use the sidewalks. Ward 3 bikers can go down to the bike trail in Rock Creek park and enjoy that ride. Rock Creek is safer and free of all traffic and pollution. Putting bikes on our busiest streets is a recipe for disaster.
Tom says
Reno Road is a residential street and should not be our busiest street. The bike lanes are a good start for those of us that bike on Reno but we need to continue and to add some barriers between the cars and the new bike lanes in the sections where that is practical. Also the speed limit on Reno should be reduced to 20 MPH. Car commuters have ample alternatives to use Connecticut and Wisconsin and don’t have to rely on Reno Road if they would find 20 mph unappealing. Or they can leave their mobile living rooms at home and take the subway or bus, both of which travel the same routes.
Steve says
This is a fairly typical comment heard when any bike infrastructure is included for folks who actually want to use their bikes for transportation. These lanes are not for recreational use – it for folks to be able to bike to the same places as cars drive.
And BTW: there is actually rather lousy access out of Rock Creek Park for cyclists so even suggesting that recreational connections are great there is not true. Further, in what world is RCP free of car traffic and pollution during the week. It is a traffic sewer.
CJ says
I think while researching all of this stuff, one thing constantly left out of the conversation when it comes to improving traffic safety and reaching Vision Zero is the utter lack of enforcement I see on a daily basis. Without strong, consistent enforcement of existing traffic laws people have no reason to change their dangerous behavior. Running lights & stop signs, speeding, illegal turns on red….far too many drivers are engaging in these actions without any penalty. To achieve Vision Zero we need action on multiple fronts because just adding bike lanes is only a piece of the larger puzzle.