If you missed the third round of public workshops for moveDC, the city’s long-term transportation planning initiative, there is still time to comment on the proposed draft. The draft proposes a blended approach (pdf) to address transportation needs in the city. The draft plan includes cycletracks along Riggs Road NE and South Dakota Avenue NE and an off-street path along Gallatin Street NE from Fort Totten to West Hyattsville. The map shows fairly high mobility around Fort Totten, but there are still holes in transportation access between neighborhoods. Take the survey to let DDOT know what you like about the draft plan and where there is room for improvement.
Category Archives: Transportation
MoveDC public workshops end this week
This week is the final week of public workshops for this round of moveDC, the city’s long-term transportation planning initiative.
Chime in on transportation issues
In June, DDOT held a workshop on moveDC, the city’s long-term transportation planning initiative, at Lamond Riggs library. I covered that workshop in this post. Residents now have another opportunity to weigh in on the city’s transportation future.
Interactive Online Survey
Throughout the month of October, DDOT is giving residents an opportunity to chime in on moveDC with an interactive online survey. The survey asks residents to (1) choose their top three transportation values or priorities for the city: citywide mobility, neighborhood connectivity, preservation and maintenance, sustainability and health, public space, or safety and security; (2) learn about and select an approach: stay the course, get to the center, or connect neighborhoods; and (3) decide how to allocate resources to different priorities. All of these ideas are explained in the survey. Respondents can see how their responses compare to those of other respondents.
I wrote about neighborhood connectivity issues in this post, so I won’t repeat what I said there. Suffice to say this is a huge issue for this area of the city and we all need to weigh in on the future of transportation in the city. Be sure to complete the survey this month!
Final Round of Public Meetings
DDOT is hosting a third and final round of public meetings on moveDC. Review the draft transportation plan, help prioritize transportation options, and learn about the moveDC local bus study during one of the following meetings:
Monday, October 21
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Union Station
625 First St NE
———-
Tuesday, October 22
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., presentation 7 p.m.
Dorothy I. Height/Benning Neighborhood Library
3935 Benning Road, NE
———-
Saturday, October 26
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
DCUSA Retail Center
(2nd Floor, between Target and Best Buy)
3100 14th St. NW
———–
Wednesday, October 30
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., presentation 7 p.m.
Petworth Neighborhood Library
4200 Kansas Ave., NW
———-
Web Meetings :
Thursday, October 24, 12 noon – 1:00 p.m.
and
Monday, October 28, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Visit http://www.wemoveDC. org for more details and to sign up.
Bikeshare headed to Takoma
As expected, DDOT recently announced that it plans to install a bikeshare station near Takoma metro. In our neck of the woods, recall from this post that JBG representatives stated the company plans to pay for installation of a station near Fort Totten Square once it is complete and that Walmart has agreed to pay for a second station near Fort Totten metro (date to be determined).
Comment on MoveDC by July 5 + Tidbits from the Lamond Riggs Workshop
DDOT held a public workshop on moveDC, its initiative to develop a long-term transportation plan for the city, at Lamond Riggs library on June 6, 2013. The agency also held workshops online and at various locations around the city. The agency has spelled out three possible approaches to the plan: (1) Stay the Course (focus on incremental improvements); (2) Get to the Center (focus on easing ways to get and travel around downtown); and (3) Connect the Neighborhoods (focus on local streets and local connectivity). DDOT is offering one more chance to provide input on this initiative. Visit the online comment portal here to learn more about the three approaches and share or concur with policy suggestions by Friday, July 5.
Riggs Park and Surrounding Neighborhoods
With a chance to focus on the Riggs Park neighborhood at the Lamond Riggs library workshop, we learned a few things about what people are hoping for in terms of connectivity in the area. Connectivity in the area was also addressed in this post previously.
Pedestrian Safety and Metro Access
Several people identified specific streets with missing sidewalks or where passage is impeded, particularly around the Fort Totten metro station. Some of the metro access issues will be addressed by the 1st Place and Galloway Street NE transportation access plan.
Bikeshare
Lots of people have provided suggestions for bikeshare locations, which would fall under Approach #1, since bikeshare already exists and incrementally adding stations is consistent with the design of the system. Currently, the closest bikeshare stations are in Brookland. A few are available across Fort Totten Park some distance away in Petworth. JBG plans to fund a station at Fort Totten Square when the project is complete in 2015 and Walmart might pay for a station near Fort Totten metro station as well. Montgomery County officials are planning to roll out bikeshare in Takoma and Silver Spring in the near future. It makes sense for the city to fill in the gaps in Riggs Park and North Michigan Park to make the system function a bit better and give people options for getting downtown and to other neighborhoods.
One suggestion made by a transportation planner was to specifically identify possible locations for bikeshare. That means it is not enough to request a bikeshare station “at the metro” since the city will likely have trouble getting the requisite authority to place a bikeshare station “at the metro.” I was told it would be more helpful to work with Aventine Fort Totten, for example, to identify space on that property for a station. One other suggestion I have made is a bikeshare station by UDC-CC’s Backus campus.
Metropolitan Branch Trail
Many people have also advocated for completion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail between Brookland and Silver Spring, to include an off-road connection through Fort Totten and Takoma. The city has provided funding for this fiscal year and next to design the Fort Totten portion of the trail, which will include a cycle staircase requiring cyclists to dismount. Funding for construction of this portion of the trail is allocated for FY2016.
Cycletracks
As part of Approach #3, a suggestion has been made to install cycletracks along Riggs Road NE to provide an east-west connection to different neighborhoods and along South Dakota Avenue NE to provide a north-south connection.
These are just a few ideas presented by residents in the neighborhood. More ideas are welcome by July 5 on the online portal.
