DDOT officials showed off blueprints for the M St. cycle track in May. Five months later, it's still unbuilt. Photograph by Melissa Romero.
At first, the District Department of Transportation told bicycle commuters that a much-needed east-to-west commuter bike route was supposed to be finished in August. Then it pushed the debut back to October. Now it’s October 29, and Washington’s cycling community is asking: Just where is the M Street cycle track?
A year ago, the District Department of Transportation completed an eastbound lane running along L Street, Northwest, to serve downtown bike commuters, but its westbound counterpart, connecting Thomas Circle to Georgetown, has been stalled with little explanation from city officials. Last week, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association filed a Freedom of Information Act request last week demanding some answers.
In resposnse, city officials blame the delays on rain. “Rain three weeks ago set it back,” says Reggie Sanders, a DDOT spokesman.
A more credible response is that the M Street track, which would give cyclists a barricaded route along one of the city’s most clogged streets, has been a contentious issue. It was first proposed in 2005, but only seemed to be becoming a reality this year.
In August, when it became apparent there would be delays, DDOT announced the block between 15th and 16th streets would lose the barriers protecting cyclists from car traffic after the Metropolitan AME Church complained that a bike lane would cost parking spots. The owner of Camelot Show Bar, a strip club a few blocks down, voiced similar concerns, though the strip club did not get the same kind of exemptions as the historic church.
Now more than two months after the bike lane’s original scheduled completion, Sanders says the review process is still ongoing, though he says it will be completed soon. Whether the track can be installed in 2013 remains murky.
“While our construction season is starting to wind down, we are hopeful that we can still complete the project this year,” he says. Assuming, of course, the skies remain clear.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Construction of M Street Cycle Track Might Not Happen This Year
Rain, community complaints, and other delays are stalling the overdue bike lane through downtown DC.
At first, the District Department of Transportation told bicycle commuters that a much-needed east-to-west commuter bike route was supposed to be finished in August. Then it pushed the debut back to October. Now it’s October 29, and Washington’s cycling community is asking: Just where is the M Street cycle track?
A year ago, the District Department of Transportation completed an eastbound lane running along L Street, Northwest, to serve downtown bike commuters, but its westbound counterpart, connecting Thomas Circle to Georgetown, has been stalled with little explanation from city officials. Last week, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association filed a Freedom of Information Act request last week demanding some answers.
In resposnse, city officials blame the delays on rain. “Rain three weeks ago set it back,” says Reggie Sanders, a DDOT spokesman.
A more credible response is that the M Street track, which would give cyclists a barricaded route along one of the city’s most clogged streets, has been a contentious issue. It was first proposed in 2005, but only seemed to be becoming a reality this year.
In August, when it became apparent there would be delays, DDOT announced the block between 15th and 16th streets would lose the barriers protecting cyclists from car traffic after the Metropolitan AME Church complained that a bike lane would cost parking spots. The owner of Camelot Show Bar, a strip club a few blocks down, voiced similar concerns, though the strip club did not get the same kind of exemptions as the historic church.
Now more than two months after the bike lane’s original scheduled completion, Sanders says the review process is still ongoing, though he says it will be completed soon. Whether the track can be installed in 2013 remains murky.
“While our construction season is starting to wind down, we are hopeful that we can still complete the project this year,” he says. Assuming, of course, the skies remain clear.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
These Volunteers Wake Up at Dawn to Collect DC’s Dead—and Injured—Birds
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This May
Democrats and Republicans Pass Balls, Not Bills, at Congressional Soccer Game
3 New Memoirs by Prominent Women
Everything You Wanted to Know About Urban Bear Sightings but Were Afraid to Ask, Because Who Wants to Get That Close to a Bear?
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall