Posts about Fort Dupont

Government

HSEMA rule prevents K Street Feet in the Street

by David Alpert   •   June 24, 2010 1:25 pm

DDOT will not be holding a Feet in the Street walking and cycling event on K Street because DC's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency won't allow a special event with any cross traffic.

Cyclists wait for cross traffic in NYC's Summer Streets. Photo by themikebot on Flickr.

Cities around the world, from Bogotá to Paris, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, Miami, Portland, Chicago, Kansas City and Las Cruces, New Mexico, have held similar events, variously called Ciclovia, Summer Streets, Sunday Streets, Sunday Parkways, and more.

All involve closing a lengthy segment of a street to traffic, except at major intersections, for walkers, runners, rollerbladers, cyclists and more to enjoy the outdoors, get exercise, and have fun in a way that's often not possible in cities where most public space is dedicated to motor vehicles most of the time. Often "stations" along the way provide exercise classes, bicycle seminars, health information, and more.

Last year, DDOT tried one in Fort Dupont Park to great acclaim from surrounding neighborhoods, but the true spirit of the event involves closing a street through numerous neighborhoods as opposed to using a park drive. In April, DDOT decided to try hosting the event on K Street from 7th Street to Georgetown and the Capital Crescent Trail. 7th, 14th and 17th Streets would have remained open so that cars, trucks and buses could travel between the areas north and south of the route, and the route would have run under Washington Circle allowing traffic to cross there as well.

Unfortunately, they ran into a virtual concrete bollard in the form of DC's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA). According to DDOT's Anna McLaughlin, HSEMA does not allow any areas open to traffic inside an area closed off for a special event, and DDOT did not want to create an enormous barrier across the entire city. MPD and FEMS, which participate in planning for special events through a special task force, were unwilling to budge. It's not clear if this is an official written policy or just general practice at the agency.

This policy makes no sense. This has been done in exactly this way in cities everywhere. Even Arlington allowed cross traffic at some signalized intersections for Bike DC. We have trails which act as roads closed to motor vehicles, but which periodically cross regular streets with (or sometimes without) traffic signals.

Pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicles interact all the time at intersections every day. We even have special electrical light-based devices at the corners to guide the orderly interaction of traffic in the various directions. If it were really dangerous for cars to take turns with pedestrians, then every intersection in the city would require concrete barriers walling off the sidewalks from the roads and skybridges or tunnels to cross. It's crazy.

Sure, complete separation greatly reduces the possibility of anything happening. Some have speculated that this rule stems from an incident a few years ago where a driver on drugs drove through a barrier into a special event and killed people. However, it's not possible to completely reduce every risk. Bicycling down a street with no cars and only two signalized intersections with cross traffic is surely safer than bicycling down a regular street with cars and cross traffic at every intersection, and people do that every day, almost always safely.

DDOT plan for Park(ing) Day.

This brings to mind DDOT's response to the folks trying to organize Park(ing) Day, which turns parking spaces into temporary parks for a few hours. In other cities, organizers have done this simply by placing some temporary turf and a bench on a parking space, often with permission. Here, DDOT public space officials wanted concrete barriers on all three sides, barrels and flags at the corners, 2-foot empty spaces inside the barriers, 22-foot clear zones on either side along the curbs.

In other words, to separate people sitting in the park from cars, they required enormous barricades and empty spaces, even though people come far nearer cars every day when sitting at a bus stop and have no such protections. But these security decisions aren't about reason, they're about the approving official eliminating every possible risk no matter how ridiculous and regardless of everyday practice.

If HSEMA, MPD, and FEMS hold firm to this rule, there can't ever be a Summer Streets outside a park. They should try visiting another city to see how workable this really is, or perhaps just try visiting a street corner to see that those work as well. Meanwhile, DDOT will again hold this year's Summer Streets in Fort Dupont.

Public Spaces

Scenes of Washington: Feet in the Street

by David Alpert   •   September 1, 2009 10:16 am

Photos by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

Public Spaces

Feet in the Street Saturday in Fort Dupont

by David Alpert   •   August 28, 2009 3:34 pm

Tomorrow, Saturday, is Feet in the Street, DC's first foray into the Ciclovia/Summer Streets/Sunday Streets phenomenon, where cities around the world close down streets in densely populated areas to create linear festivals. People walk, bike, and rollerblade through their city in ways not possible normally. Stops along the way provide entertainment, education, refreshment, and more.

After Petworth neighbors panned an initial proposal to run an event on Kansas Avenue, DC officials settled on Fort Dupont Park. While this misses the point a bit, it's a first step toward trying this out in DC. If this is successful, it will help build the case for such an event through more neighborhoods next year. Hopefully it won't rain too much.

Map of Feet in the Street access and activities. Click to enlarge (PDF)

Events include:

• Guided nature hikes
  
• Invasive plant removal outings
  
• Free 2-hour bike rentals
  
• Healthy food workshops
  
• Community garden tours
  
• Bike rides and bike classes
  
• Fitness classes, workouts, and blood sugar/pressure testing
  
• In-line skating, boxing, and tennis
  
• Musical performance

Benning Road is the closest Metro station, and Texas Avenue is a good bike route for the 10-minute ride to the park. Minnesota Avenue, Potomac Avenue, and Anacostia stations are also within biking distance. The U and V buses serve the park. There is also parking in a lot near Randle Circle, and the park road accessing the lot will not be closed to traffic.

Bicycling

Bike news

by David Alpert   •   July 3, 2009 12:46 pm

The DC Bicycle Advisory Council met on Wednesday, and DDOT revealed lots of interesting news, which WashCycle kindly wrote up in great detail. Some of the highlights:

Bixi in Montreal. Photo by guybrariang.

South Capitol bike trail: DDOT hired Toole Design to investigate the possibility of closing one lane along South Capitol Street, to convert to a bike trail. If Maryland continues the trail it would enable cyclists to reach the new Wilson Bridge bike lane and Alexandria.

Pennsylvania Ave bike lane: DDOT is talking to NPS about adding a bike lane to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. The designs for Capitol Hill Town Square also proposed a bike lane on Pennyslvania Avenue, SE. No word whether NPS is being at all accommodating about this idea.

Summer Streets in Fort Dupont: Since Petworth turned down the idea, DDOT will instead organize a Summer Streets event in Fort Dupont Park, in River East. That's a great idea, and River East should have a Summer Streets every year. Apparently, unlike some of his or her colleagues, "NPS's new lead in the area is eager to find ways to get people into the parks." In addition to closing streets, NPS will offer rental bikes and possibly free pedicabs.

DDOT "is hoping to do more locations next year." Better yet, let's do one spanning most of the city and multiple quadrants. How about all of Pennsylvania Avenue, or the length of North Capitol and South Capitol with a nice scenic ride past the Capitol?

SmartBike: We recently discussed how DDOT is considering dumping Clear Channel for SmartBike. They're still talking to Clear Channel, though I also heard confirmation from another source that Clear Channel is just not interested in SmartBike amid a general downturn in their business. DDOT is also looking at Montreal's Bixi, which uses solar powered stations. Those are quicker to install because PEPCO isn't involved, and easier to reposition if needed. However, the bikes are heaver and "the stations are less streamlined." DDOT also has "some sort of regional agreement" with Arlington, which is applying for federal funding for bike sharing.

Legislation: The BAC plans to focus on Complete Streets legislation and laws allowing people to bring bicycles into their office buildings. They also discussed whether the planned bicycle-mounted enforcement squad would primarily target cyclists and pedestrians and give insufficient attention to dangerous driver behavior.