Construction of a bike lane on M Street, NW, was to begin today, but cool weather has delayed the start of the project. When completed — in four to six weeks, “depending on weather conditions” — the protected lanes will stretch from 14th Street, NW, to 28th Street, NW, in Georgetown. Unlike the bike lanes on L Street, NW, there will be parking for cars next to the lane dividers.
Here are details from the District Department of Transportation:
“DDOT will be installing a protected bike lane (also known as a cycle track) on the north side of M Street between 14th and 28th Streets, NW. This will be the third of its kind in the District and will be the west-bound complement to the recently installed lane on L Street. The lane is designed to give bicyclists more protection from cars than a typical bike lane and to prevent delivery vehicles from illegally parking in the bike lane.
“Unlike on L Street, most parking and loading will remain adjacent to the bike lane. Like on 15th Street, NW, it will be shifted south to the outside of the bike lane. From 14th Street to 17th Street, rush-hour restrictions will be removed to allow full-time parking. From 17th Street to Connecticut Avenue, traffic volumes require removing some of the parking. From Connecticut Avenue to 26th Street, some parking will remain rush-hour restricted while other areas will change to full-time parking. Along the corridor, a few parking spaces will be removed at each intersection to accommodate turning lanes. There is no existing parking from 26th to 28th Streets. This will remain the same.
“Since 2008, DDOT has studied several alternatives for east-west bicycle facilities in this downtown corridor. It selected L and M Streets in part to minimize traffic impacts and conflicts with other plans — and because they are already convenient, popular routes for cyclists. The initial results from its evaluation of the L Street bike lane show a minimal change in the time it takes to drive from one end of the corridor to the other. Similarly, traffic modeling predicts minimal increase in delay on M Street after the bike lane is installed.”
For more information, visit www.ddot.dc.gov/bike — or contact Mike Goodno, DDOT Bicycle Program Specialist — mike.goodno@dc.gov.
