WASHINGTON, DC—Washington-area cyclists learned Friday at the DowntownDC Business Improvement District’s annual Bike to Work Day pit stop of city plans to immediately help protect cyclists with wheel stops along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Sam Zimbabwe, Associate Director of the Policy, Planning & Sustainability Administration at the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced on the BID’s stage at Freedom Plaza Friday plans to add “wheel stops on the rest of Pennsylvania Avenue” to protect cyclists from drivers making illegal U-turns across the cycle track.
Two hours later, the agency tweeted a photo of installations in progress.
DDOT had previously added recycled rubber “wheel stop” strips between 9th and 11th streets on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Today’s announcement marked the beginning of installations along the remainder of “America’s Main Street.”
The announcement drew wide applause from the large crowd gathered at the BID’s Freedom Plaza pit stop, where the BID traditionally erects a stage and invites guest speakers on a rolling basis to address those in attendance. Cyclists Friday also heard from the Congressional Bike Caucus co-chairmen, Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida.
Blumenauer, who was elected to Congress in 1996, noted that when he first moved to Washington, he brought a bike with him instead of a car and since then has been a consistent and vocal advocate for biking in the city of Washington, D.C.
Blumenauer brought with him to Freedom Plaza Friday a piece of ribbon from the first Pennsylvania Avenue cycle track ribbon cutting in D.C. in 2010.
Buchanan noted the high number of biking fatalities in his home state, where he said he would like to build bike lanes connecting major cities.
Lon Anderson, AAA’s Managing Director of Public Affairs, on Friday also spoke, and made attendees aware of a policy that allows any AAA auto member to receive free Bicycle Roadside Assistance from their club.
Additional speakers Friday included Victor Mendez, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Leif Dormsjo, director of DDOT, Phil Mendelson, D.C. City Council chairman, and Councilmembers David Grosso and Brianna Nadeau.
This year, around 900 cyclists pre-registered to attend the DowntownDC BID pit stop, the largest stop in the D.C. Metro-region. A total of 17,425 cyclists pre-registered for one of 80 pit stops this year, according to the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
Freedom Plaza attendees this year had their photos taken on the BicycleSPACE red carpet, entered to win prizes from BicycleSPACE, received free water bottles and water from DC Water, had bikes parked by Two Wheel Valet, enjoyed snacks from KIND and Whole Foods on P Street and were offered a chance to learn about biking and bike technology from the many groups who set up tables in the plaza.
Cyclist Nick Heyd won a blue Linus Roadster Sport 3-speed in a prize drawing from BicycleSPACE.
The BID’s entire 138-block area was designated by the BID in 2011 as the DowntownDC ecoDistrict as part of an effort to enhance living, working and visiting Downtown.
The BID supports commuting by bicycle as a sustainable form of transportation and a way to help the District meet its Sustainable DC Plan goal of having 75 percent of all commutes to be non-auto by the year 2032 and for 25 percent of all commutes to be walking or biking. The BID in February won the Washington Area Bicyclist Association’s (WABA) Bicyclists’ Choice award for “bike friendliest neighborhood or BID.”
The BID, formed in 1997, has successfully advocated for and helped implement cycle tracks, protected bike lanes and bike parking in Downtown. The BID in 2012 began working to double the number of Downtown bike parking spaces in three years—roughly 400 more places to park a bike—and is on track to achieve that goal by the end of this year. The DowntownDC BID was also home to the first bikeshare program in North America—what today is known as Capital Bikeshare.
About the DowntownDC BID
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) is a private non-profit organization that provides capital improvements, resources and research to help diversify the economy and enhance the Downtown experience for all. This special district, where property owners have agreed to tax themselves to fund services, encompasses a 138-block area of approximately 520 buildings from Massachusetts Avenue on the north to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west. As a catalyst, facilitator and thought leader, the DowntownDC BID promotes public/private partnerships to create a remarkable urban environment. For more information, visit www.DowntownDC.org or follow us on Twitter @downtowndcbid.