photo by Gary House
Toni shares an email sent to WABA:
“I am reaching out to seek your assistance in addressing a critical issue affecting bicyclists in our neighborhood of Bloomingdale. Currently, First Street NW serves as the primary north-south biking thoroughfare sharing the lane with motor vehicles. It is a precarious situation, but First Street NW offers the only safe route for cyclists in a neighborhood that has many cyclists but lacks biking infrastructure. Additionally, First Street NW is the only viable biking access point to the brand new Reservoir Park and Community Center and the development that is underway at the former McMillan site. There are no alternative north-south streets in Bloomingdale: North Capitol is a highway hostile to bikes and 2nd Street cuts off at Bryant Street in the north and Florida Avenue in the south. However, there is a proposed bus route in the “2025 Better Bus Network” from WMATA that threatens to compromise the safety and accessibility of this route for bicyclists.
The proposed C55 route would have buses circulating along First Street NW and would make it impossible for bicyclists to safely share the road, thereby endangering cyclists and undermining the meager biking infrastructure that our community relies on. As someone who commutes daily and enjoys biking in the area, I am deeply concerned about the impact this could have on our ability to travel safely by bike to and from our home.
I kindly request and implore the Washington Area Bicyclist Association’s support in advocating against the proposed bus route along First Street NW and in protecting the integrity of First Street NW as the only safe and accessible biking route to and from the new Reservoir Park, while supporting more suitable alternatives for an equitable public transportation option. Your expertise and advocacy are crucial in ensuring that the voices of bicyclists are heard and that our concerns are addressed in the decision-making process. WMATA’s community engagement process ends on July15th. The Bloomingdale Civic Association tonight has unanimously voted against the proposed plans, and has urged our ANC commissioners to adopt a motion in opposition as well.
Please let me know how I can assist in this effort and if you can connect me with other bikers in Bloomingdale to join forces. I look forward to working together to safeguard biking infrastructure in Bloomingdale and beyond.”