The District Department of Transportation wants to build a bike lane in front of the Capitol Building, but Congress has not authorized the change because of complaints about losing parking.
Washington, D.C. is having trouble getting the federal government on board with its plans for a bike lane. "More than three years after it was proposed, a 0.6-mile cycle track on Louisiana Avenue between Union Station and the U.S. Capitol awaits a green light from the Hill," Luz Lazo reports for the Washington Post.
While local activists complain the local road should be subject to local oversight, this particular bit of road falls under federal jurisdiction, and some federal employees are worried about losing the parking spaces the bike lane would replace. "Thirty-seven parking spaces, to be exact. The road is only 0.4 miles long stretching from Constitution Avenue NW at the foot of the Capitol to Columbus Circle NE across from Union Station," Lazo writes.
Read the full story: The District’s long road to building a half-mile bike lane leads to the U.S. Capitol
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
Non-stop party: Chicago voters weigh permanent festival grounds
A stable place for bleachers, stages and drainage may streamline the setup and teardown of large events.
Metra may invest $9.1 billion in regional rail
The agency released a draft of a study examining potential ways to offer more frequent train service.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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