DDOT Refuses to Say Bike Lanes Are Safe for Children
As Resident v. Biker Conflict in Ward 4 Escalates
A vocal community demanded the data supporting the 5th Street Bike Plan at Grant Circle on August 2 at an on-site meeting with Everett Lott, Director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). DDOT has yet to produce data to support the dangerous Bike Plan on a major arterial. In the escalating conflict between residents and the bike community in the Grant Circle NW neighborhood in Ward 4, Lott refused to say bike lanes are safe for children. One parent said he is using the Protected Bike Lane to train his children to ride their bikes.
News of the public meeting surfaced on social media last week, with comments that disparaged local residents. Bike advocates were urged to show up to counter complaints.
The 5th Street plan has led to a series of hit-and-run traffic crashes. One distraught neighbor had to replace her car after an early morning hit-and-run crash totaled her parked vehicle. A second accident has already damaged her new car.
DDOT installed a Protected Bike Lane (PBL) and narrowed the traffic lane on a major arterial that carries traffic to a complex of hospitals, commercial deliveries, commuters, and residents. Residents complain of lost parking, difficulty exiting their cars, and an increase in accidents.
Lott proposed closing the street in the block south of Grant Circle to calm traffic, but residents protested that they need the street. Lott said he would return in October.
Release: Monday, Aug. 7, 2023
Contact: Nick DelleDonne
delledonne.n@comcast.net, 703 929 6656