D.C.'s Ambitious Bike Infrastructure Plans

Washington, D.C. plans to add 10 miles of protected bike lanes to its current. 24-mile network, reports Luz Lazo. The District plans to install 30 total miles over the next three years. "Building bike infrastructure has been challenging for the District, where space is tight on many roadways and replacing parking or general traffic lanes has not been an easy sell. Some advocates have complained that the city has moved too slowly toward reaching its goals."

Lazo interviews George Branyan, manager of active transportation at DDOT, to understand the District's strategy for improving bike infrastructure and making biking more appealing to more residents. According to Branyan, during the pandemic, "There was a definite shift in patterns where we had not nearly as much of the commute-to-work peaks in the morning and the evening. But there were a lot of people who were biking at other times of day and on the weekends. A lot of people use the bike lanes just spread out over more time, and we also saw increases in trail use."

Branyan describes planned bike projects, including three miles of bike trails east of the Anacostia River, 2,500 new electric bikes in the District's bike share fleet, and 1,000 new bike racks across the District.