photo by Eric P.
From WABA:
“Following more than a month of rumors, signs went up on East Basin Drive last Thursday announcing that the National Park Service (NPS) intends to remove sections of the 15th Street Protected Bike Lane from Constitution Avenue to the Jefferson Memorial, beginning today, March 23rd, 2026.
On Sunday, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association sent a letter to Department of the Interior (of which NPS is a part), indicating that the organization intends to sue to block the removal of the lanes, on the basis that:
2026-03-23 WABA Complaint (PDF)
a) The agency did not provide notice, explanation, or opportunity for public comment, which the Administrative Procedures Act requires,
b) The agency did not perform an environmental assessment, also required by law, and
c) The agency ignored data and evidence that the bike lanes and travel times for all road users.
The organization sued today, a copy of the complaint is available here. The Department of the Interior agreed to halt any construction until March 30 in advance of a hearing.
“This protected bike lane is a critical part of the region’s network—it is the only fully low-stress way to get from between DC’s federal core and Virginia. The data is clear: it’s safer and faster for everyone regardless of whether you’re biking, driving, or walking,” says Elizabeth Kiker, Executive Director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
“The notion that removing this lane will somehow improve traffic around the cherry blossoms is just nonsense. No one who’s been to the Tidal Basin in the springtime has ever looked around and thought: ‘we need more cars here, that would make it better'”
A before-and-after study conducted by the District Department of Transportation reports that crashes (in all modes) declined by 46% after the lanes were installed, bicyclist crashes dropped 91%, and travel times for drivers decreased. Local elected officials have also weighed in:
● DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced in a post on X that she opposed the
removal of the bike lanes, citing reduced crashes and nearly 4,000 daily riders.
● A group in the House of Representative, led by DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Virginia Representative Don Beyer, sent a letter to the Department of the Interior opposing the removal.
DC Statehood advocates also see the move as a threat to the District’s autonomy:
“This is one part of a concerted attack on DC. They want to take the bike lane because they want to run our capital so that they never have to leave. The reason we as a community decided to put this bike lane here was to save lives. That is our decision, this our community,” said Keya Chatterjee, Executive Director of FreeDC at a rally held by WABA today. More than 200 protestors joined a rally on the National Mall this afternoon demanding that NPS halt any plans
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association empowers people to ride bikes, build connections, and transform places. The organization envisions a just and sustainable transportation system where walking, biking, and transit are the best ways to get around.”