Posts about Ward Circle

In addition to sharing the two circumnavigating lanes with Massachusetts Avenue, Nebraska Avenue has two express lanes that travel through the middle of the circle. Even if pedestrians did want to travel into the middle of Ward Circle, they would have to cross both the outer travel lanes and the inner express lanes.

DDOT studied the option of closing the Nebraska Avenue through-lanes in the Rock Creek West II Livability Study. Doing so would slow automobile traffic but could help make for a better public place.

One alternative to improve traffic flow, through an expensive and logistically difficult proposition, would be to tunnel Nebraska Avenue under Ward Circle. Several other avenues tunnel under other circles in the District: Connecticut Avenue under Dupont Circle, Massachusetts under Thomas Circle, and 16th Street under Scott Circle.

Even without a tunnel, eliminating the express lanes and routing all traffic around the circle would improve the space. Crosswalks with leading pedestrian intervals would make it easier to cross only two lanes of traffic. Otherwise, DDOT will have to install crosswalks for both the outer and inner lanes.

Benches would also make the circle a more attractive place to spend time. Trees or larger shrubs along the edge could screen some of the traffic noise and provide shade. Lighting would make the circle a safe and attractive place to be at night.

DDOT redesigned Thomas Circle in a similar way in 2006. DDOT removed the middle lanes through the circle and restored the circular shape. Thomas Circle still needs additional amenities in the center to make it a more welcoming space, however, and similar improvements to Ward Circle would create a better community park.

Nebraska Avenue is also an unfriendly bike corridor along an important commuter route. Nebraska connects AU and DHS to Tenleytown, the closest Metro station. AU runs a shuttle to the Metro and DHS runs some shuttles, but biking along Nebraska can be treacherous with the traffic.

DDOT is considering widening the sidewalk on the north side of Nebraska and installing a bike path. According to Jim Sebastian, Nebraska Avenue is too narrow at 40 feet to install bike lanes on the street. The north side of Nebraska has heavier pedestrian traffic than the south side, so DDOT is only looking to expand there.

Increasing bicycle accessibility and mobility between Tenleytown and the circle should also be a goal of the redesign. A bike path along the sidewalk could encourage more bike commuting from Tenleytown to Ward Circle. DDOT should also add a second Capital Bikeshare station at the circle and expand the station at Tenleytown.

Currently, there is only one bike share station on Massachusetts Avenue to the northwest of Ward Circle. A station directly at the circle would not only accommodate more bikers, but it would also make it more of a destination. DDOT is now crowdsourcing suggestions for new stations, so residents, students, and nearby employees can suggest adding one here.

Finally, the bike lane network near AU is incomplete. Massachusetts Avenue has no lanes, and ANC3D opposed adding bike lanes to New Mexico Avenue near Nebraska. It's good that DDOT wants to add a bike path to Nebraska, but the agency should also push for a more connected and complete bike lane network around Ward Circle.

Ward Circle is close to students, residents, and federal workers, all of whom could benefit from a large green space, and the District should include in its planning modifications that activate the space. The proposed changes will create a better community space that is welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists, while still allowing for automobile flow. What else do you think would improve the circle?

Instead, at Ward Circle, the report suggests adding leading pedestrian intervals, where pedestrians can start crossing before turning cars get the green. More descriptive guide signs, like the ones at Logan and Thomas Circles, would help drivers understand the location of the different roads and what lane to use to reach each.

At the Massachusetts Avenue intersections, the report recommends adding traffic signals. This would help pedestrians cross more safely, especially as more development at American University increases the numbers of people crossing streets in this area. It would also simplify the merging and weaving between cars already in the circle and cars entering at Massachusetts Avenue.

At Chevy Chase Circle, the recommendations include the same guide signs, as well as large overhead signs for each cross street. To help pedestrians, the crosswalks to the center of the circle would get more signs and stop bars in the short term, and signals in the long term.

Finally, the study recommends signals where Western Avenue touches the circle, which would reduce delays for both Western Avenue drivers and those on some other streets where they often have to wait as cars come into the circle from Western.

Besides the earlier DDOT traffic studies, this report also includes a few recommendations from the recent Connecticut Avenue Pedestrian Action (CAPA) audit, such as a HAWK signal and curb extensions at Connecticut Avenue and Northampton Street.

Another CAPA recommendation, for adjustments to the intersection of Veazey and Connecticut, conflicts in some ways with UDC's own recommendations, and the Office of Planning is doing a streetscape study of the area as well. DDOT plans to integrate all three to create a final plan for this area.

CAPA also suggested narrowing the slip lane and adding a raised crosswalk on the south corner of Connecticut and Nebraska and retiming the signals to help pedestrians; these recommendations didn't gain the needed consensus within DDOT. Finally, CAPA wants to increase pedestrian crossing times at many intersections on Connecticut; DDOT says their safety and signals team is reviewing those recommendations.

DDOT has many different groups that try to balance conflicting needs and often come to different conclusions about moving vehicles as fast as possible versus maximizing pedestrian safety. Sometimes one view wins out; sometimes another.

Implementing the recommendations will require money, though federal funding can pay for much of it and, at least for now, there are pots of federal money that have to go to pedestrian and bicycle projects. Everything in the Rock Creek West II Livability Study would cost about $9.4 million.

DDOT has identified funding for some of these items, though projects not completed quickly could wait some time. However, having a plan for pedestrian improvements makes it more likely that future road reconstruction projects or development projects would incorporate these changes, if DDOT hasn't been able to make them already.