By Trinity Kinslow
Washington cyclists and Connecticut Avenue business owners are disputing over the necessity of new bike lanes in downtown Washington D.C.
Cyclists and business owners alike have been fighting over the pending construction of new bike lanes on busy Connecticut Ave, a street that intersects K Street, L Street, and I Street which each have their own separate bike lane plans in the works.
According to the District Department of Transportation, The plan would put a new bike lane on each side of Connecticut Ave stretching over 2.7 miles between Chevy Chase Circle and Calvert Street, allowing bikers on the road where they currently have no home. The plan would remove two vehicular lanes of travel, placing protected bike lanes on the east and west sides of Connecticut Avenue.
The District Department of Transportation also outlines plans to add safety improvements to the street, including pedestrian refuge islands, prohibiting right turns on reds, and reducing the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph.
The plan would eliminate 79% of street parking and 48% of loading zones within the stretch. Designated drop-off and pick-up locations are included, however.
Earlier this year, the transportation department’s leadership asked the project members to reassess the original plan after receiving a considerable amount of comments and concerns about parking removal that would have to occur if the project were to continue.
Over 120 business owners along the planned construction site, as well as 2,700 residents, signed a petition in late July opposing the plan.
A non-profit organization, Save Conn Ave, spearheaded the petition and delivered it to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office- causing a halt in the progress of the plan.
“They call us Chicken Little,” said Marc Spiegel, a member of Save Conn Ave. “We’re coming up with all these problems that this could cause. This is real, this is going to be congested and dangerous.”
According to Save Conn Ave, many business owners and residents in the area said they are opposed to the new bike lanes, saying they would cause unnecessary congestion, and push shoppers out of the area.
Connecticut Avenue is a designated DDOT Evacuation and Emergency response route as well. The road is the primary route used by police, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles that visit the area often.
Much of the traffic, according to DC’s District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) plan will be absorbed by neighboring residential streets. Broad Branch Road, Reno Road, and Wisconsin Avenue are expected to take on the burden of commuters coming from Virginia and Maryland.
Cyclists and segway riders have differing opinions on the necessity of the new bike lanes. The general manager of one business, Capital Segway, said he’s all in favor of adding bike lanes.
Capital Segway is one of the few businesses around Connecticut Ave that would benefit from more bike lanes being added to the area. The popular segway tours are a D.C. staple for tourists and visitors, heavily relying on the bike lanes around the downtown area.
“ We love bike lanes,” Justin Ahmata said. “It makes sense to have a third option besides the streets for cars and sidewalks for pedestrians.”
He noted the changes that have been made in the area since he has been working there: protected bike lanes, pedestrian refuge islands, and even the new bike lanes that have been added in previous years, making biking safer.
“It [safety] has definitely gotten better,” Ahmata said. “You still have to work around traffic in certain areas but I do see the city trying.
“Most of the areas that we operate in are on tour paths or have bike lanes now, that [lack of bike lanes on Connecticut Ave] is not too much of a concern to us.”
Other bikers said they agree that biking safety in the area has greatly improved over the years.
There are bike lanes in less congested areas for commuters to use, like Rock Creek Park where D.C. resident Christian Crowley rides to work.
“On a normal day, I go through Rock Creek Park which is all separated bike lanes. We don’t need to only think about this downtown area,” Crowley said. “Areas around Capitol Hill and east of there could benefit a lot. Traffic is very high there and there aren’t many opportunities for safe biking.”
Biking safety around the District varies but residents like Spiegel don’t believe that Connecticut Ave should be a priority in increasing biking safety compared to other areas.
“There was only one major injury on Connecticut Avenue in between 2020 and 2023,” Spiegel said. “That’s one too many but it’s not the most dangerous street in the city.”
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments State of the Commute Survey Report found that 42% of subjects drive alone and only 1% use biking, walking, or scooters as their primary mode of transportation.
“They say [the new bike plan] will be safer and that’s not true,” Spiegel said. “They say it’s environmentally more sound. That’s not true. People think once they put the bike lanes in, all of sudden everyone will start biking, that’s not true either.”
For now, according to the transportation department, the bike lane plans are on hold and awaiting further deliberation by DDOT leadership and planning teams.