The 14th Street bus lines are being restructured, and the project team wants your opinions on the plans

Two public meetings that will focus on the planned changes to the 52, 53, and 54 bus routes have been announced.

These meetings will be conducted a little differently than most. ("The meetings will be 'open house' style, meaning that participants may arrive any time between 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm. No presentation will be given; instead, participants will be able to speak individually with the project team about options for improvements that are now being evaluated.") Good opportunities to speak directly with the restructuring team about the changes that are in store.

Here's the full announcement from WMATA:

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is pleased to announce the second round of public meetings as part of the Metrobus 14th Street Line Study.

This study is part of the Metrobus Priority Corridor Restructuring Series, and is being conducted in partnership with the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT).

The first meeting will take place on:

Thursday, April 12, 2012
5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
WMATA Northern Division Community Room
4627 14th Street NW (at Decatur Street)

The second meeting will take place on:

Monday, April 16, 2012
5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Columbia Heights Community Center
1480 Girard Street NW

Both meeting locations are on the 14th Street Line and open to all members of the public. No advance registration is required.

The meetings will be “open house” style, meaning that participants may arrive any time between 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm. No presentation will be given; instead, participants will be able to speak individually with the project team about options for improvements that are now being evaluated.

Metro and DDOT are relying on feedback from participants so that the options can be refined and preliminary recommendations can be made later this spring.

A Spanish translator and visual materials in Spanish will be provided for those who prefer them.

These public meetings are the second in a series for the 14th Street Line. At the first public meeting and focus group this winter, participants offered input about recurring problems with service on the 14th Street Line and made suggestions on how to address them.

The 14th Street Line Study will culminate in a set of recommendations that will be presented to the public and the Metro Board for approval in summer 2012.

More information can be obtained at the project website.

Georgia Avenue, it's time to start talking about streetcars

One main takeaway from last night's meeting of the Walter Reed Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) committee meeting was that the city is considering moving the Georgia Avenue streetcar project along more quickly than we expected. This is due to developer interest in the site, and the fact that the 25 or so developers that have met with planners Perkins + Will have all mentioned that the streetcar will be an essential economic development catalyst. LRA director Eric Jenkins said that this could result the Georgia Avenue streetcar being moved from Phase 2 to Phase 1 in the streetcar rollout. Read Housing Complex's report for more information.

Councilmember Bowser pointed out that since residents in the area surrounding Upper Georgia Avenue have thought that the streetcar was such a long way from happening, there's been little public dialogue about them, as there has been in Ward 8. Though I've never been to any of the Ward 8 streetcar meetings, from what I've heard some have been quite heated. Time to start discussing streetcars, Ward 4 residents.

The other subject that came under much discussion was concern for how long the site will be vacant before we see the major redevelopment projects begin, particularly since the LRA will cease to exist once the planning phase ends. The LRA made a motion that will require the city to provide an analysis of how the development phase will be implemented; the analysis will be due in one month, in time for the next meeting of the LRA. Victor Hoskins has his work cut out for him.

Details on yesterday's 70 bus collision in 5700 block of Georgia Avenue

WJLA has details on the collision between a southbound 70 bus and a car in the 5700 block of Georgia Avenue on Saturday afternoon. Apparently the car was exiting the Express Car Wash and hit the bus. Four people were injured. According to the report, the car's driver was at fault and will be charged by MPD.

Just in case you're wondering how to use Parkmobile to pay parking meters...

Signs have been installed on Georgia Avenue to assist you with the process.



Registering online and/or downloading one of the mobile apps is the easiest way to use Parkmobile, in my experience.  Nice to not have to worry about running back to a meter to feed it with coins; if you know that time is running out on your meter, just use the app to add money or call 1-877-727-5758.

Bike House's Jameel Alsalam appointed as Ward 4 representative to Bicycle Advisory Council

CM Bowser has appointed Jameel Alsalam, who you may know as one of the founding members of The Bike House, to the Bicycle Advisory Council as Ward 4's representative (a position that I believe has been vacant for quite some time, so it's great to have it filled, and to have it filled by a Bike Housemate is very fitting).

Jameel says he wants to focus on making bicycling a practical and accessible choice for as many residents of Ward 4 as possible. "A big part of that is making connections between where people live, work and shop. In my personal experience, I would like it if the Upper Georgia Avenue commercial corridor was more bike-accessible."

Since one of the roles of the BAC rep is to act as a bridge between residents and DC government on bicycling-related issues, Jameel asked me to let readers know that he's interested in hearing your thoughts on everything from your favorite bike routes in Ward 4 to roads/intersections that you've found to be dangerous. Feel free to leave notes in the comments section below or email him directly.

The Bicycle Advisory Council meets on the first Wednesday of odd numbered months in room 1117 of One Judiciary Square (441 4th Street, NW) from 6 to 8 pm. (July's meeting will be held on July 13, due to Independence Day). Meetings are open to public.

Is Ward 4 dense enough to support Metro stations?

Looking back at this Greater Greater Washington post from '08, in which David Alpert presented one of GGW's famous "fantasy" Metro maps that included a variation of the Brown Line that Metro is now considering as part of its long-term development plan, I noticed this gem of a comment:

Brightwood and Kansas Ave might not have the density to support a station.

I've heard this sentiment expressed before by city planners when they talk about Ward 4. But it bothers me. I understand we're not the densest part of the city, but in my (biased) opinion that shouldn't justify denying the Ward easy Metro access. After all, other residential neighborhoods that have similar density are served by Metro (Deanwood, anyone? West Hyattsville, maybe? Congress Heights, hello?). And considering some of the plans for Georgia Avenue's future, specifically the development of the Curtis Chevrolet site and the redevelopment of Walter Reed, it's hard to argue that Metro wouldn't be valuable as a way of transporting customers to these destinations, in addition to spurring residential growth.

Metro's long-term plans may include a new line serving Upper Georgia Avenue

Metro's Office of Long Range Planning recently released some brainstorms regarding how it will cope with the Washington region's projected rapid growth over the next 30 years. Although Metro is contemplating several different ways to alter the current system in order to better serve riders, the concept that will be of the most interest to Brightwoodians is that of a new "Brown Line", which would begin at Friendship Heights and head south, looping through downtown and Georgetown (to much fanfare already), and then heading north through Eckington and Bloomingdale before hitting Petworth and then...wait for it...Manor Park, Brightwood, and Shepherd Park.

Keep in mind that this is just Metro brainstorming and these plans are by no means concrete (and also try not to be too bothered by the fact that "Shepherd Park" is misspelled on the map, nor by the fact that the map references "Walter Reed Med Center", which will have been long gone by the time this conceptual Brown Line gets constructed).

Saturday: Dedication of Sam Gilliam piece at Takoma Metro underpass; Gray decides to attend after all

Photo: Rich Holzsager, takomadc.info

Bring yourselves to Takoma tomorrow morning for the official dedication ceremony for From a Model to a Rainbow, the Sam Gilliam piece that was recently installed in the Takoma Metro underpass. Here's the relevant info:

When: Saturday, June 11th, 10:00am
Where: The grassy area in front of the Takoma Metro entrance (across Cedar St. NW from the 7-11)

From a Model to a Rainbow is a hand-blown Italian glass mosaic, and it definitely does a lot to liven up the not-so-lovely underpass.

The ceremony will be attended by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Takoma Park Mayor Bruce Williams, Councilmember Muriel Bowser, and even Mayor Gray, who reportedly announced a few days ago that he was backing out of attending the ceremony, but did an about-face pretty quickly once he started hearing that people in the neighborhood were peeved by his decision. The power of community outrage prevailed.

Sam Gilliam will be on hand to speak, and entertainment will be provided by the Takoma Baptist Church Choir and the Calvin Coolidge Senior High School Drum Line.

It's the Official Ward 4 Bike to Work Day convoy

Our Councilmember is going to bike to work tomorrow, and she'd like you to join her.

When: Tomorrow (Bike to Work Day!), 7:00 am
Where: Highlands Café, 4706 14th St. NW
(There's a Capital Bikeshare station right in front of Highlands, so if you want to ride CaBi, it's a very convenient meeting spot.)

More info from a press release:

Bowser to pace the peloton on Bike to Work Day
Washington, D.C. – In support of Bike to Work Day tomorrow, Councilmember Bowser will lead a group of cyclists on a bicycle ride from Ward 4 to Freedom Plaza.

When: Friday, May 20, 2011
Time: 7:00 A.M.
Where: Highlands Café, 4706 14th St NW

For more information, or to join the ride, please contact Brandon Todd at btodd@dccouncil.us, or by phone at 202-664-7594. If the Councilmember’s ride is cancelled due to inclement weather, notice will be posted on Ward 4 listservs by 6:15 A.M.

Changes planned for 70/71 bus lines

Dr. Gridlock reports on some proposed changes to the 70/71 bus lines, which could be approved by the Metro board at hearings this week, and which would go into effect in September. The plan:

Shorten Routes 70 and 71 to operate between the Silver Spring and Archives Metrorail stations at all times and reduce peak period frequency.

Metro proposes cutting off the southern portion of the heavily used line and adding a new route, Route 74, to serve the area between Chinatown and Buzzard Point/Fort McNair.

The existing routes carry nearly 11,000 riders a day, making them among the highest-ridership routes in the Metrobus system. The problem, Metro says, is that the routes are long and spend a lot of their time stuck in downtown D.C. traffic, with the usual results: Some passengers get a very crowded ride. Many wait a long time for buses to arrive, only to see them arrive in bunches.

Shortening the route and widening the arrival times are standard tactics in attempting to make a bus line more reliable. In this case, all the buses would go by the 70 designation, and they would be scheduled to arrive every 12 minutes during rush periods, rather than the current 10 minutes.

The new Route 74 would operate from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays. Buses would travel between Chinatown and Buzzard Point every 18 to 20 minutes during peak periods and between Chinatown and Fort McNair every 24 minutes during off-peak periods. Route V8 would be rerouted to operate via Fort McNair and extended to Gallery Place Metrorail station after 8 p.m. on weekdays and weekends.

This plan also eliminates the K1 bus line, which travels between Walter Reed and the Takoma Metro. If this change won't take effect til September, it will align perfectly with the closure of Walter Reed, planned for that same month.

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Speaking of Ward 4 transportation issues, GGW is having a lively debate, sparked by our Councilmember's feelings about increasing residential parking permit fees.

DDOT says traffic study for proposed Ward 4 Walmart site is seriously flawed, recommends putting Large Tract Review on hold

This post has been updated.

Summary from ANC Sara Green: "Bottom Line: Walmart did not provide traffic/transportation data for 7 out of 10 categories DDoT asked for (during December 2010 meetings). Therefore the city cannot approve the project at this time."

What follows is a memo from Office of Planning director Harriet Tregoning outlining the details of DDOT's concerns.

OP Walmart Document

"Hawk signal" DDOT pilot program at Georgia Avenue & Hemlock Street

In her excellent piece on the challenges of encouraging walkability and bikability in the District's farther reaches, Lydia DePillis mentions a transportation innovation that's going on in our area that I wasn't even aware of:

Something as simple as letting pedestrians walk before the light turns green for cars can cut pedestrian accidents dramatically, since drivers see people in the crosswalk before turning right. DDOT has installed some 50 of these “leading pedestrian intervals." They’re also piloting what’s called a “hawk signal," for intersections that don’t have a full stoplight, at Georgia Avenue and Hemlock Street NW. A pedestrian pushes the button, and one bulb flashes yellow before another bulb starts flashing red, which means cars stop briefly and it’s safe to cross. For the least busy streets, there’s a simple flashing LED light that pedestrians can activate to notify cars at night.

This isn't an intersection that I use regularly, so I haven't seen it personally. But I'll be taking a walk up there to check it out.

20 new Bikeshare stations coming this spring; send in your location recommendations!

Via WashCycle, I found Smartplanet.com's
interview with Capital Bikeshare project manager Chris Holben. In it Holben reveals that 20 more CaBi stations will be added this spring:

There are 100 stations now. What’s the plan for expansion?

We’re looking to add about 20 more this spring and then it’s really more an issue of political will and how the budget looks. I know we’re interested in expanding. I’ve worked for D.C. government for close to 10 years and usually things work very slow here, which is typical for big projects like roads and bridges, so being able to install this many of anything in a month is remarkable. The system is so elegant that you can put down one [station] in an hour, and you flip the switch and it’s online. You bring by a truck an hour later and deliver the bikes.


I asked Holben if DDOT is taking suggestions from citizens for locations for those 20 new stations, and he said indeed they are!

My ideas for expansion into Ward 4:

• 14th & Colorado
  
• Georgia & Missouri
  
• Georgia & Piney Branch
  
• Takoma Metro station
  

What's your CaBi station location wish list? Post it here, or send it directly to chris dot holben at dc got gov