Posts about K Street Transitway
Transit
Video animates streetcar on K Street
Even with the H Street streetcar project on track, it'll be several years before the streetcar can extend westward to K Street.
The K Street Transitway plan would reconstruct K Street to have dedicated transit lanes in the center. The original design didn't include a streetcar, but anticipated adding one to the transit lanes in the future. The Downtown BID and DDOT hired ZGF Architects to plan that streetcar, and to create this video showing the streetcar on K.
Note how at 1:34 it shows the streetcar approaching Farragut Square and dropping the pantograph to enter the wire-free zone, and then from another angle at 2:02. Another car then approaches from the other direction, stops at a station, and raises its pantograph back up.
At the streetcar technology meeting, officials showed this video. When asked whether the streetcar could really drop the pantograph while in motion, the technology experts said that some models do allow that. Of course, it can also just stop to drop the pantograph if that's not possible.
Mount Vernon Square would be another wire-free zone, and the designers envision a dedicated lane on the inside edge of the square. By using "grass tracks," the park could seem to extend out beyond the current edges. You can best see this in the video clip starting at 4:20.
30 comments —  Share | — tags: DC, DDOT, downtown DC, K Street Transitway, Mount Vernon Square, overhead wires, streetcars |
Transit
TIGER funds bus corridors, not K Street or bike sharing
The Washington region will receive $58.8 million for bus priority improvements across the region, but no money for the K Street Transitway or regional bicycle sharing in the TIGER grants. USDOT announced the winners today.
Image from USDOT.
About $140 million of the bus improvements would have built a dedicated busway along K Street for regional and local buses, many of which use that street, while the rest would have improved a patchwork of corridors in all jursdictions.
The final award provides $26.6 million for the bus corridor improvements, which will improve service on 16th Street, Georgia Avenue, H Street/Benning Road, and Wisconsin Avenue in DC; Addison Road, University Blvd, US-1 and Veirs Mill Road in Maryland; US-1, Leesburg Pike, and the Van Dorn to Pentagon route in Virginia. It also funds and connections from the TR Bridge and 14th Street to K Street in DC for Virginia buses.
Update: Here's more on the funded bus projects, which mean some long-awaited and exciting improvements will be going forward.
In addition to the bus improvements, the Takoma-Langley Transit Center gets $12.3 million, and Virginia gets $20 million for "station improvements (bus bays, real time bus information and other improvements" supporting bus priority on the I-95/395 corridor," which contribute to a longer-term plan to set up dedicated bus lanes.
It doesn't fund the Medical Center underpass, a second entrance to Rosslyn Metro, I-66 bus, bike sharing, or K Street. The table on page 11 of the application shows all of the improvements requested and their individual dollar amounts.
According to a so-far-unconfirmed rumor, the K Street project scored very highly on the metrics USDOT was using, but they excluded it because of potential bad press surrounding any funds going to "K Street" with its lobbyist connotations. If that's true, DC should immediately introduce a bill to rename K Street as "Abraham Lincoln Boulevard" or something. While they're at it, maybe they should rename Capitol Hill just in case.
Or, that could be totally false, and they simply decided that the Washington region could get almost $60 million but, at nearly $140 million, the K Street project was too large and more money had to go to other cities.
| 25 comments — Share | — tags: bus priority, freeway bus, K Street Transitway, Langley Park, stimulus, Takoma Park, transit, USDOT |
Ashley Halsey does a good job getting balanced perspectives; Bob Chase naturally opposes the change, oddly advocating for projects that "move the most people at the most reasonable expense" while lobbying for expensive rural freeways. (Post, Andrew) (Comment · )
Traffic
K Street Option 2 is the "preferred alternative"
It looks like the K Street Transitway will resemble Option 2, the two-lane transitway with two three-lane side roadways, if DC gets the federal funding it needs to build the project.
FHWA published in the Federal Register that they've issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the "preferred alternative," option 2. I asked DDOT if that means they've chosen option 2, but they replied that they don't want to announce anything prior to the official publication on Friday.
I leaned toward Option 2 as well, because it provides greater flexibility for off-peak loading zones, more sidewalk space, and does move traffic faster. However, Option 2 provides no bicycle lanes or other bike infrastructure.
If Option 2 is indeed the reality, it's all the more important to push for some protected bicycle lanes on I and L, or M, or some other parallel street similar to the new one on 15th and planned for M Street SE/SW.
| 65 comments — Share | — tags: DC, DDOT, downtown DC, FHWA, K Street Transitway |
Parking
Last call for comments on Arlington parking, K Street
The comment periods are about to close for two important projects: Arlington's parking and curbspace management policy and the K Street Transitway.
Photo by premasagar.
- In order to encourage wary businesses and residents to try out the new variable pricing policy, Arlington should devote a portion of the revenue to local transportation and streetscape improvements.
- Arlington should encourage public acceptance of the variable pricing proposal by conducting a countywide parking occupancy survey of high-density and commercial districts and publishing the results online, along with a staff evaluation and recommendations.
- In general, Arlington should increase or eliminate meter time limits, which are often arbitrary or counterproductive. Once prices are managing occupancy, longer-term parkers will naturally use less convenient or garage spaces, leaving the more convenient spaces for short-term parking.
Any other thoughts or suggestions? Email them to County Staff at rviola@arlingtonva.us. If your comments are received by November 2, they can be considered for the staff proposal before the County Board.
Meanwhile, in DC, today is the last day to comment on the K Street options. Whether you prefer Option 2 (2-lane transitway, 3-lane side roads, no bike lane) or option 3 (transitway with passing lane, 2-lane side roads, bike lane), or have your own plan, DDOT would appreciate hearing your thoughts. Submit your comments here.
| 5 comments — Share | — tags: Arlington, DC, K Street Transitway, meter hours, performance parking, Virginia |
Public Spaces
Which K Street do you prefer?
DDOT is collecting comments on the proposed K Street Transitway until October 30th. The Environmental Assessment weighs three alternatives: 1) no change, 2) a two-lane center busway and 3 traffic lanes in each direction, and 3) a three-lane center busway with 2 traffic lanes and a bike lane in each direction. So far, business organizations are pushing option 2, while WABA supports a modified version of option 3.
Option 2 would run Circulator and local DC buses in a center busway. The bus shelters would be part of planted medians on each side. The outer roads would have three travel lanes, narrowing to two adjacent to the National Park Service properties, where K Street is narrower.
Commuter buses, which stop for longer periods of time than local buses, would use those outer roadways, stopping adjacent to the sidewalk. Delivery services like UPS and FedEx would probably stop here as well. Evenings and nights, the curb lane could be used for parking or valet operations.
Option 3 uses a three-lane busway, using the center lane as a passing lane around bus stops. In this option, the commuter buses would use the busway, as the various buses could pass each other. Widening the busway by one lane means taking away half a lane from each side road. The half lane becomes a bicycle lane. To allow for deliveries, Option 3 includes small lay-bys cut out of the sidewalk, narrowing it in a few places.
Traffic moves more slowly under Option 3. In the morning peak, simulations predict that cars would take 23.1 minutes to traverse the entire corridor heading east, compared to 12.6 minutes under Option 2. In the opposite direction and at other times of day, cars would likewise take somewhat longer, though sometimes the difference is slight.
Interestingly, Option 3 also moves slightly fewer people on buses than 2 — 3,322 per hour along the 19th to 18th block in the AM peak eastbound compared to 3,525 in the PM peak. Both options move considerably more people than the no-build thanks to the faster movement of buses, which carry more people than the cars.
WABA likes the dedicated bicycle infrastructure of Option 3. Option 2 forces cyclists to share the general-purpose roadway, where they would have to merge with fast-moving traffic and navigate around delivery trucks and buses. However, WABA thinks that trucks would probably just park in the bicycle lane anyway. Therefore, they are advocating for DDOT to raise the bike lane to the level of the sidewalk, as many cities do, especially in Europe. The bike lane would retain a different paving material and/or color to distinguish it from the regular sidewalk.
The Golden Triangle and Downtown BIDs, on the other hand, prefer Option 2. Both worry about loading; today, many trucks load from the side roadways on K Street. The restaurants also want to be able to use K Street for valet operations.
In their comments, the Downtown BID suggests supplementing Option 2 with one-way protected bicycle lanes on the adjacent one-way I and L Streets, similar to the 8th and 9th Avenue bike lanes in Manhattan. I suggested this when the initial plans came out as well. WABA's Eric Gilliland and many of you did point out that we ought to accommodate bicycles on every street, as many people going to and from destinations on K Street will need to ride there. Plus, there's no guarantee those other cycle tracks would happen, nor is there a grant proposal or funding currently on the table to build them. At the same time, one really good east-west bicycle route through downtown (and perhaps two good north-south ones) would make a huge difference in bicycle safety and ease.
Loading and valet parking is important to downtown businesses. However, there's also a strong argument that most loading should take place in alleys. The UPS and FedEx trucks could use the cut-outs, while more substantial loading should use the loading docks which zoning requires all buildings to have. Many property owners successfully petitioned the DC Government in the past to close parts of the alleys to maximize development. For them now to say that they need K Street for loading seems a bit hypocritical. DDOT has cracked down on alley closings for this reason.
Businesses ought to also be able to do some loading on the side streets. Streets like 19th, even during the morning rush, often have two of the three lanes blocked for illegal loading on both sides of the street. If the curb lanes are going to be blocked by a few trucks anyway, more trucks doesn't make the traffic any worse.
Restaurants could operate their valet parking using the cut-outs or on side streets as well. Many businesses would love to have valet operations right in front, but that's not a right, nor is it really necessary. On blocks with many restaurants, they can share valet space. DDOT now requires permits for valet areas, and is making many businesses move their valet space to provide adequate distance from the curb, ensure that valet operations don't block streets, and otherwise regulate this.
Plus, if we build the protected bike lanes on L and I, businesses will probably raise similar objections to losing potential loading (legal or illegal) and valet space. We have to determine where curb space is better used for bicycles, transit, loading, and other uses. New York City has no alleys at all, and managed to put in protected bike lanes and even close much of Broadway.
Based on the higher travel times and lower throughput of Option 3, it's unclear if the added benefits outweigh the costs in this case. By putting some buses in the transitway and some in the general purpose lanes, we retain more operational flexibility. And off-peak, a third busway lane would get almost no use, making a full lane of the roadway almost completely idle outside rush periods. If DC puts streetcars down K Street in the future, it may make sense to move some buses out of the transitway to avoid getting stuck behind the slower-accelerating but larger streetcars.
It's a tough decision. Many DDOT officials I've spoken to seem honestly unsure which option to pick. I urged the Dupont Circle ANC not to take a firm stand; after looking carefully at the data, I'm still unsure, but lean toward Option 2 as long as I and L Street protected bike lanes are a real possibility.
What do you think? Post your opinions in the comments and submit them directly to DDOT. In this case, I suspect that rather than going through the motions of an EA with an end goal in mind, DDOT really would like to hear from more people who use K Street in a wider range of ways. Help them out and send in your comments.
| 65 comments — Share | — tags: DC, DDOT, downtown DC, K Street Transitway |
Public Spaces
K Street Transitway options balance buses, bikes, cars, and loading
The two build options for the K Street Transitway trade off space for cars, buses and bicycles.
One option would create a two-lane busway in the center of K Street, leaving three general-purpose lanes on each side. The other option, on the other hand, makes the transitway three lanes, where the third lane lets eastbound buses pass each other in some spots and westbound buses pass each other in other spots. That option also contains a bicycle lane along the length of K Street.
While at first glance the plans seem to provide a clear choice between more accommodation for cars versus more for buses and bikes, the difference isn't that simple. Making a true "complete street" that works for all modes is not easy.
K is a major regional street, serving as a major east-west corridor and connecting to the Whitehurst Freeway and Key Bridge on the west. Huge numbers of buses use the street, from the Circulator to local Metrobuses to commuter buses from Loudoun County and Maryland MTA.
Currently, the road has four main center lanes used by through traffic and many buses. Medians separate the center lanes from side access roads mainly used for parking, loading, and some turns. The access roads disappear around Farragut, McPherson, and Franklin Squares, which extend partway into the K Street right-of-way. Unlike European boulevards, the side roads spend most of their time unused or blocked by non-moving vehicles. It doesn't create a welcoming retail environment and doesn't maximize the potential of this important corridor.
The 1600 block of K Street under the two-lane transitway option.
The transitway project proposes to move the medians inward, creating a narrower center space for buses only (possibly including taxis at night) and making the now-wider outer sections the general travel lanes for cars. One option makes the transitway two lanes, one in each direction, with a three-lane road on each side for other purposes. In this option, trucks and taxis would be able to stop in the rightmost lane to load and unload, and it may allow off-peak parking. Bicycles would also use the rightmost lane or share other travel lanes. When parks pinch the right-of-way, the general travel lanes would narrow to two in each direction.
The 1600 block of K Street under the transitway with passing lane option.
The second option removes one general-purpose lane in each direction, leaving only two. Instead, the transitway widens to three lanes outside of the areas adjacent to the parks. At many bus stops, the third lane allows buses to pass each other. Sometimes the eastbound bus lane widens to two while westbound remains one, and sometimes vice versa. In addition, a bicycle lane runs the entire length of the street adjacent to the sidewalk. Since there are only two general-purpose lanes, trucks and taxis would not be allowed to stop there. To allow some loading, this plan would cut loading zones into the adjacent sidewalk in a few places.
A major difference between the two options is commuter buses. Commuter buses stop less often but for longer periods of time. In the two-lane transitway option, therefore, they would not use the transitway but would rather stop in the curb lane of the general-purpose lanes. The transitway with passing lanes would accommodate commuter buses as well, where Circulators and Metrobuses could stop behind the commuter buses but then go around to continue on their way.
Therefore, while the initial reaction is to assume the transitway with passing lanes is better for buses, bus speeds would be very similar between the two options. The two-lane transitway would allow buses to run all the way from 9th to 21st, with stops, in about 12 minutes on average, while the passing lane option shaves that to about 11 minutes, mostly by reducing dwell times. Meanwhile, the current configuration requires as much as 17 minutes for buses to traverse the same distance.
At WABA's urging, many cyclists attended the meeting to evaluate the impact of the alternatives on cyclists. Reactions were mixed. On the one hand, a bike lane all along K Street gives cyclists a facility that's not present today and isn't present in the two-lane transitway option. However, would trucks and taxis simply park in the bike lane on a regular basis, forcing cyclists to leave and making it more harrowing? Some agreed with my suggestion yesterday to focus instead on high-quality separated, buffered bicycle lanes ("cycle tracks") on parallel one-way streets, while others felt that it was important to make K Street truly multimodal. They also pointed out that even with parallel bicycle facilities, some cyclists will be traveling to and from destinations on K Street.
There may be ways to better separate the bike lane. One person suggested raising it up to sidewalk level, placing the gutter and curb between the roadway and the bicycle lane and essentially making the bicycle lane a specially painted extension of the sidewalk. Many European towns do this with their bicycle lanes. The bicycle lane could also occupy a middle height, or have a mountable curb separating it from the roadway. However, other cyclists worried that such treatment would make it difficult for cyclists to pass slower cyclists, dog walkers, or others that might intrude on the lane, as they couldn't easily jump over to the car lane if necessary.
This project is part of the region's application for the competitive TIGER stimulus grants. Without that money, it's unlikely DC or the region can find funds to build it. Since the deadline for the grant applications is September 15th, project officials are moving extremely fast with the Environmental Assessment, planning to submit it to FHWA in mid-August. They won't be picking one of the two options for the application; final design decisions would happen if and when USDOT funds the project, and the design may blend elements of both.
| 33 comments — Share | — tags: bike lanes, BRT, complete streets, K Street Transitway, stimulus, TIGER |
Public Spaces
On the calendar: 17th, 18th, bike lanes and streetcars
This week and next, there are several important opportunities to advocate for better streets in DC, whether for bicycles, pedestrians, streetcars, or retail along the edge.
Photo by MoBikeFed.
17th also has some prime opportunities to add apartments above low, ugly parcels like the Safeway. A new mixed-use Safeway could more closely match the height of the neighboring buildings, mostly around four stories. The first meeting is Wednesday, August 5th, 6:30 pm at Cobalt, on the 3rd floor of the building at the northeast corner of 17th and R that also houses Level One and 30 Degrees.
These events and more appear on the Greater Greater Washington calendar. Know of an event we should list? Email it to info@ggwash.org.
| 14 comments | — tags: 17th Street, 18th Street, bike lanes, DC, events, ICC, K Street Transitway, Maryland, Montgomery, retail, streetcars, U Street |
- WMATA presents options for SmarTrip negative balances
- Teens and young adults aren't mosquitoes
- You know you've arrived when...
- Combine the Circulator and Metro maps for visitors
- For state legislature in Montgomery County
- For Prince George's County offices
- Navy Yard sidewalks get sustainable stormwater systems
Latest reported issues:
- Lights out at 152 Massachusetts Ave NE
- Bicyclists endangering pedestrians at George washington memorial pkwy Mclean
- Pedestrian Safety Program at 11th St NW and Pennsylvania ave NW
- Pedestrian Safety Program at Calvert St and Cliffbourne St
- Streetlight Repair at Westmoreland Circle Washington D C D C
Smart Growth
Add jobs, retail, and housing for all income levels in walkable places like
Wisconsin Avenue, Brookland, and Minnesota-
Transit
Provide more alternatives to driving by expanding Metro capacity, building streetcar lines, and speeding up buses. Grow ridership through better maps and schedules from signs to mobile devices. Read posts »
Public Space
Our roadways are our most valuable public places. Design them to accommodate safe walking and bicycling. Locate plazas and public parks to create numerous focal points for human activity. Read posts »
Traffic
Design neighborhoods around grids instead of cul-de-sacs. Avoid building new freeways or widening existing ones which only induces further sprawl. Read posts »
Parking
Drivers create substantial traffic by circling endlessly for scarce parking. Use pricing to manage curb space and dedicate the revenue to providing alternatives to driving. Read posts »
Architecture
Preserve our row house neighborhoods and beautiful architecture that engages pedestrians visually and functionally. Eschew bad modernism that turns its back on the street and the starchitects that peddle it to "make a statement." Read posts »
Education & Safety
Make our urban areas desirable places for people and families of all ages with the highest quality education and safe neighborhoods for all. Read posts »
Greater Washington
District of Columbia
