Triangle northeast of Lincoln Park. Image from Google Maps.

DDOT has decided to locate a Capital Bikeshare station on the traffic island on the northeast corner of Lincoln Park, they announced in an email to stakeholders late Friday.

The email, from DDOT Associate Director Karina Ricks, thanked residents for their input and stated DDOT’s decision after considering a variety of locations. They promise to continue to listen as well:

We will monitor and evaluate the station after it is installed. As previously stated, the system is completely portable and will be moved or relocated if the evaluation demonstrates problems with this location. We will make all information available to you.

DDOT could install the station as early as Monday, depending on weather.

The decision followed weeks of debate in the community after some residents and allegedly some ANC commissioners convinced DDOT to reexamine an initially-proposed site on the southeast corner. East Capitol Street and Lincoln Park form the boundary between ANC 6B to the south and 6A to the north, generating some finger-pointing between commissioners in different ANCs.

Nick Alberti, commissioner for 6A04 which includes the northeast corner, sent an email alleging that DDOT was listening more to anti-bikeshare sentiments across the way in 6B than to his own constitents’ anti-bikeshare sentiments:

At the Oct. 18th ANC 6A Transportation and Public Safety Committee, Chris Holben of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced that a decision had been made to place a CaBi station on the traffic triangle at the northeast (NE) corner of Lincoln Park. At this meeting, Mr. Holben acknowledged that the NE traffic triangle was not DDOT’s first choice of a location. In fact, in early August DDOT proposed locating the CaBi station on the traffic triangle southeast (SE) of Lincoln Park.

DDOT staff wrote to Commissioner [Ken] Jarboe [of 6B05, including the southeast corner of the park], seeking his comments on placing the CaBi station on that traffic triangle. Commissioner Jarboe responded that “The immediate feedback I’ve gotten from the neighbors next to the site is strongly negative. They feel that such facilities should be in commercial areas and are not appropriate in the residential setting.” In reaction to the objections of residents south of the park, DDOT decided against placing the station on the SE traffic triangle and simply shifted the proposal to the NE traffic triangle.

According to Mr. Holben, the objections to the SE triangle are: vandalism, noise, safety, sightlines, it’s an attractive nuisance, and it is immediately in front of residential property. All of these deficiencies apply equally to the NE traffic triangle. Yet at every turn, DDOT has discounted the concerns of residents north of Lincoln Park while giving great weight to the identical concerns of their more fortunate neighbors to the south. Even many who might otherwise have welcomed the CaBi station have been alienated by DDOT’s apparent favoritism.

Ryan Velasco, a resident just west of the park who has been organizing in favor of the bikeshare station, disputed Alberti’s contention:

Velasco added,

Mr. Holben acknowledged that neighbors had voiced concerns of: vandalism, noise, safety, sightlines, and it’s potential as an attractive nuisance to lure children into the street. While noting these objections were raised, Mr. Holben also stated that these concerns were not deemed to be a concern to DDOT. However, he said that these concerns did prompt DDOT to revisit the location of the station, at which time they assessed that the NE triangle would be better suited to a station because of it’s larger size and greater width. Furthermore, the NE CaBi station would deter jaywalking from the triangle across 13th Street to the Church. To us, this seems like a thoughtful planning, rather than favoritism.

A CaBi Station immediately adjacent to Lincoln Park is in great demand. Many people requested a station there, including many CaBi Forward members, when Capitol Bike Share asked for the public to provide input on where stations should be placed. Furthermore, dozens of supporters of the station showed up to attest to this fact at the meeting earlier this week and advocated for a CaBi station in the vicinity of the park.

Councilmember Tommy Wells also replied to Commissioner Alberti:

As you know I asked the Department of Transportation to carefully review and determine the best place for the bike share program’s location in or around the Lincoln Park neighborhood. If they determine the north eastern triangle section of the park on 13th is the best place for it, I will support the recommendation.

The bike station can easily be removed if in practice it turns out to be problematic for the community. Additionally, I will strongly support moving the station to the interior of the park as soon as possible.

DDOT seems to have done exactly what we’ve often asked in situations like this. They’ve listened to community input, and then come up with what appears to be a recommendation based on their own best judgment. We should support them on this matter both for the process and for what seems to be a good outcome.

The best solution in the long term is to place the station inside the park. The Park Service should push to work out the legal details with its concession contracts quickly so that bike sharing stations can enhance DC’s community spaces such as Lincoln Park.