Photo by Toole Design.

DC Wire reports that DDOT will delay opening the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes, because they’ve decided they take up too much space.

We’ll try to get more information on what’s going on. But assuming this report is true, it sounds bad. Were they bowing to some political pressure and making the lanes narrower than they should be? Or were they too wide to start with, and DDOT didn’t do enough thinking and listening when formulating the design?

They were rushing these through to make it for Bike to Work Day. That left little opportunity for comment. This is just a pilot, so they could always change it, making it okay to move quickly. But if they’re moving quickly, then why not stick to it and get it done?

Build something, then see if it works and make changes — fine. Ask people and make sure to listen before finalizing a design — fine. But build it and then redo it before it’s done?

Continue the conversation about urbanism in the Washington region and support GGWash’s news and advocacy when you join the GGWash Neighborhood!

Tagged: bicycling, bike lanes, dc, ddot, downtown dc, pennsylvania avenue bike lanes

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.