D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council

Photo: @ranpuba The next Bicycle Advisory Council Facilities Committee meeting (BAC-FAC) is Thursday, February 18, 2016 from 6PM - 8PM at Union Station. The primary topic of discussion will be the proposed expansion of Union Station and its impact on bicycling facilities. We will assemble at the bike parking facility at on the west side of Union Station, at First Street NE, near Union Station Drive NE, by the Bike Station . After a discussion of conditions, we will proceed to Pizzeria Uno , on the second level, for the rest of the meeting. Agenda: Discussion of the current conditions of the existing bicycle parking at Union Station and Station's development plans as discussed at the Federal Railroad Administration's initial Public Scoping meeting held December 7, 2015. Discussion bike parking at Union Station. Discussion and consensus of preferred options for the proposed north/south corridor for eastern downtown. If you were unable to attend DDOT's public mee...

Prior to July 1, there were no provisions for bicycle parking near for the July 4 Independence Day celebration on the National Mall. BAC drew attention to this issue and appears that bike parking is now available. The July 4th festivities on the National Mall allow visitors and those who live in the greater Washington area, the opportunity to celebrate the nation's independence. However, given the enhanced security checkpoints surrounding the area, getting to the Mall is nothing to celebrate. With Metrorail setting  ridership records and well has suffering break downs routinely, visitors and residents turned to bicycles. In prior years, the National Park Service (NPS) contracted with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association to manage bike valets at large Mall events like the Presidential Inauguration, the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Independence Day celebrations. As of July 1, GoDCGo , which is a transportation initiative sponsored by the District Department of Trans...

Pennsylvania Avenue by @Ranpuba The Wednesday, May 29 Pennsylvania Avenue Plan meeting was well-attended by those concerned about the safety transportation corridor, in particular, bicyclists who use the street's center-aligned bike lanes to travel east and west within the District's downtown core. However, according to the meeting’s National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) presenter, the meeting wasn’t about bike lanes.   Instead, the meeting discussed the alternatives to the current management structure of the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site plan . Under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Park Service must also hold this consultation meeting to discuss if proposed changes will have an impact on the historic resources of the site.  While this issue appears less than what bicyclists hoped, it actually provided an opportunity to discuss the corridor and provide suggestions as to how the street could be more inviting to ...

Bike Parking at DC Gov't buildings (2010) Current DC Bicycle Advisory Council member David Cranor made a Freedom of Information Act request to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in 2011. The purpose of the request was to view the findings of a report that surveyed bicycle parking at District government buildings . The report, which was prepared by Alta Planning and Design and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association , was the official response from DDOT regarding DC Council's request for a survey of bicycle parking at District facilities as a required in the Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Act of 2007 . DCBAC has created a map based on the locations reported in Appendix E: Bicycle Parking Inventory . While the data is somewhat old and the District has made improvements to bicycle parking since this report, anecdotal evidence would suggest that parking is still insufficient. It also points to he problem of a lack of secure parking, highligh...

The Dupont Circle and Logan Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC) jointly announce a public meeting for residents, business owners and organizations to discuss bicycle safety issues in the community Thursday, September 27, 7:00p to 9:00p. The meeting will be head at the Chastleton Ballroom, 1701 16th Street NW. With biking for transit expanding rapidly in our community, many issues, concerns, and questions have arisen. Some topics for discussion are: The District’s plans to make DC more bike/pedestrian-friendly; any plans or ideas for the Dupont-Logan area and its residents. The laws/rules about street/sidewalk biking; consequences for those who break them. Whether any of these laws/rules should be revised or updated by the City Council. New bike lanes: Where/when are they coming and where else are they needed. Tips for dealing with the new 2-way bike lanes for bikers, drivers, and pedestrians. Lastly, a comprehensive discussion regarding the expansion of bike pa...

DCBAC mem b er Jeanie Osburn (Ward 5 representative) was contacted by the public regarding the removal of bike parking racks throughout the District.  It appears that the rack removal is part of street and sidewalk reconstruction but according to the complains received, the racks are not being reinstalled. DCBAC would like the public to continue to let us know if bike racks are being removed for reconstruction and not replaced by leaving a comment in the section below or by sending an email to dcbac@dcbac.org . You can also Tweet @DCBAC or use the hash tag of #MissingRacksDC. If you notice a rack is missing, send a message with its location (nearest cross street) and if possible, please send a picture.  You can post your pictures on DCBAC's Facebook page . The missing bike rack issue may point to a more comprehensive problem in that District Department of Transportation (DDOT) appears to distinguish between sidewalk / streetscape infrastructure maintenance and bicycling i...

(photo courtesy of thedceye) This summer, the Washington Area Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA) will begin assessing bicycle and pedestrian access at stations across the Metrorail system.  BAC would like to hear your thoughts on the problems with bike accessibility to Metro stations located in the District.  We hope to provide a list of stations that need improvement and suggestions on how to expand bike mode share to metro stations. The WMATA Capital Improvement Program (CIP) will provide approximately $9 million over a six-year period to expand mode share at Metro stations and make reaching stations easier.  The WMATA Bicycle and  Pedestrian Facilities Capacity Improvements project hopes to increase bicycle parking capacity at Metrorail stations to meet current and future demands and improve connections to stations from local communities where existing pathways are poor. According to the WMATA Access Planning and Policy Analysis program manag...