ANCs Push for 16th Street Bus Lanes

An effort is underway to have local Advisory Neigbhorhood Commissions (ANCs) pass nearly identical resolutions urging more progress on proposed dedicated bus lanes on 16th Street NW.

16th Street looking South from S on a quiet morning

ANC 2B/Dupont Circle passed the resolution (available here) at its last meeting on February 17th, by a vote of 6-0 with one abstention. On February 20th, the Transportation Committee of ANC 1B/U Street voted to recommend the full ANC approve a similar resolution. The recommendation was passed by a voice vote with no audible objections. ANC1B will probably vote on the resolution at its next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, March 6, at the Reeves Center (14th and U Streets).

ANC2B Commissioner Kishan Putta (district 04) and Cheryl Cort, Policy Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, appeared before the ANC1B Transportation Committee to urge they endorse the resolution. Cort said the purpose of the resolution was to urge the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to move forward on the long series of public consultations and studies (e.g., air quality approval, environmental assessment) necessary before the lanes can become a reality.

"We'd like them to go through the whole process," Cort said.

The committee discussed the exact definition of a dedicated bus lane. Such a lane, in this case, would also allow bicycles and right-turning cars and taxis.  If not turning right, taxis would be forbidden from the bus lanes.

ANC1B Chair James Turner (district 09), although not a member of the Transportation Committee, was present at the meeting. He said he wouldn't support the resolution, because it does nothing to address the congestion problems of buses that pass through his district, for example, buses that travel on 14th Street, 11th Street, and Georgia Avenue. Cort replied improved 16th Street service would draw off riders currently taking 14th Street buses, relieving congestion.

The ANC1B version of the resolution will have some additional language in it pointing out that bus demand has exceeded capacity on both 14th Street and Georgia Avenue buses as well.

Putta has been campaigning vigorously to get the bus lanes moving forward, most recently testifying at a D.C. Council hearing on February 20.

He has also been working hard to inject the issue into the April 1 D.C. primary elections, often asking candidates for their views at public events.

Putta says D.C. Councilmember Muriel Bowser (Ward Four) has declared herself in favor of the bus lanes, after initially expressing skepticism about the proposal. Other candidates from the city council -- Jack Evans (Ward Two) and Tommy Wells (Ward Six) -- have also expressed their support. In addition, both candidates in the Ward One City Council primary -- Jim Graham and Brianne Nadeau -- have told Putta they support the proposal.

"DDOT itself did a study last year recommending a rush-hour bus lane.  Now they need to make it formal and implement it," Putta said.

The 2013 DDOT study found that bus lanes could reduce commute time by 30%, Putta said.  They could also increase total bus capacity by 10% because buses could be reused faster.

(Photo credit: Google Street View)

ANC2F Committee Supports Removal of 14th Street Bus Stop

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F/Logan Circle will likely vote at its next meeting to support the elimination of a bus stop on 14th Street NW. The bus stop in question is located on the west (southbound) side of 14th Street between Rhode Island Avenue and N Street. It is directly in front of the Ghana Cafe (1336 14th Street).

The notice posted on the bus stop

The Community Development Committee (CDC) of ANC2F unanimously passed a motion to recommend sending a letter to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) requesting the removal. Motions passed unanimously by the CDC are often approved with little or no debate at the next meeting of the full ANC.

The vote took place last night (October 23).

The owner of the Ghana Cafe appeared before the committee in support of the
request. He said local homeless people used the bus stop as a "living room", often after begging for money in front of the nearby 7-11 and then buying alcohol from the liquor store across the street.

"It's a place where a lot of nefarious activity takes place," said Commissioner Walt Cain (district 02). Cain is also chair of the CDC.

At the June ANC2F meeting, the owner of the Ghana Cafe complained that homeless people were using the bus stop as a place to have oral sex and also to harass his customers.

Another member of the community testified in favor of the elimination of the stop. He said that the stretch of 14th Street between P Street and Thomas Circle (which includes this bus stop) is the only place in the area with a bus stop every block for three blocks. The bus stop in front of the Ghana Cafe is the middle stop of the three.

"This is a redundant bus stop," he said.

Prior to the meeting, ANC2F posted a notice on the bus stop (see photo) and attempted outreach in the area likely to be effected by the proposed bus stop elimination.

The matter will likely be voted on at the next meeting of the full ANC, which is scheduled to take place on November 6 at 7pm at the Washington Plaza Hotel (10 Thomas Circle).

Q Street Metro Exit: New Landscaping Soon, Canopy Years Away

How it looks now

Nearly every aspect of Dupont Circle's heavily-used Q Street Metro exit is getting a major overhaul sooner or later. That's what Metro officials told Dupont residents at a meeting held this evening, August 13, at Johns Hopkins' School for Advanced International Studies on Massachusetts Avenue NW.

The meeting was organized by Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont.

Chisholm and McBride address the meeting

Ann Chisholm, DC Government Relations Officer for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), told the meeting that whole plaza area around the Q Street would be rehabbed over a period of 60 days, at the same time as the center escalator was being repaired. The first step would be the weeding of the cobblestone area around the escalators, which will start this weekend (17-18 August). Other landscaping will begin in two weeks' time, including the repair and replacement of cobblestones. Some of the sidewalk area is also being replaced, because it was sinking.

The escalator renovation will be finished by the end of October.

Answering a later audience question, co-presenter Michael McBride, WMATA Program Manager, Public Art and Environment Graphic Design, told residents that Metro is exploring ways to shelter the escalator from the elements. This improvement will mean that the escalators can go longer between major repairs. However, installation of a canopy over the exit is still a long way in the future.

The canopy must be clear and modular, and will probably be circular, McBride said.

Talking about the final design and installation of the canopy, McBride said, “It will be an open process. You [the public] will have a chance to weigh in.”

Q Street's recent appearances in the news were also discussed. These included the January drunken fall which severely injured a man, and the June legal difficulties experienced by a man who planted unauthorized flowers alongside the top stretch of the Q Street escalators. McBride noted that the among the types of flowers planted by the well-meaning volunteer were daffodils and other types of flora which rats find especially delicious. This is why they had to be removed.

Chisholm agreed with an audience member who said that WMATA handled the matter badly. “It's a new day,” she said. “We're starting fresh.”