Success: No bike ban on streetcar guideways

Good news! DDOT released a second draft of proposed rules regarding streetcars today. This draft no longer includes language banning bicycles from the streetcar guideway. This is good news for several reasons:

• It means that this poorly thought out policy won’t be implemented.
• It avoids setting a precedent that would allow the District to ignore its own Complete Streets policy
• It reaffirms that the public input process, though frustrating at times, does work. More than 800 of you sent emails to DDOT on this issue, and the agency listened.

This change to the regulations successfully addresses a policy problem, but it doesn’t resolve the underlying design flaw: if you’re not careful, streetcar tracks can be tricky when you are on a bicycle. Keep an eye on where your wheels are, and if you’re riding near the H Street line, consider taking parallel streets when you can. Impress your friends by showing off the nifty contraflow bike lanes on G and I Streets Northeast! It’s worth noting, too, that WABA caught the proposed bike ban in the first place because we have full time advocacy staff whose job it is to read all this fine print. If you appreciate that work, consider becoming a member or making a donation. We can’t do it without your support!