DDOT needs a visionary leader

To: Adrian Fenty, Mayor, District of Columbia
Cc: Dan Tangherlini, City Administrator

Dear Mayor Fenty,

With the departure of DDOT Director Emeka Moneme, the District of Columbia stands at a crossroads. You have the opportunity to appoint a visionary, innovative new Director that will bring our transportation network into the 21st century, making our roads safe and enjoyable for pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists, transit riders, and all other users of all ages. Or, we could end up stuck with a conventional-thinking traffic bureaucrat who will singlemindedly speed automobiles without regard for their impact on other commuters or the quality of life in our city. We urge you to conduct a national search for a world-class leader for DDOT equal to your other excellent cabinet appointees.

While it is important to have a Department of Transportation that provides good service to citizen needs, transportation is not just a customer service issue. Our transportation policy decisions will determine whether we preserve and build upon the walkable neighborhoods that make DC such a desirable and enjoyable place to live and work, or become a traffic-choked, polluted, parking-lot-filled mess that discourages tourists, visitors, and potential residents from living and shopping downtown and across the city. Our economic vitality, not to mention the beauty of our neighborhoods, is at stake.

You have shown leadership by selecting innovative, visionary cabinet members before, like Michelle Rhee and Harriet Tregoning. Last year, your counterpart in New York City likewise selected an innovator, Janette Sadik-Khan, as Transportation Commissioner. Sadik-Khan has meaningfully enhanced the quality of life in New York City. A visionary leader for DDOT, a peer of Sadik-Khan, Rhee, or Tregoning, would bring innumerable benefits to the District of Columbia.

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