Rush Hour Traffic Lanes Never To Come Back?
By • March 3, 2025 3 2098
February 28, 2025
Sharon Kershbaum
Director
DC Department of Transportation
Old Georgetown Board
250 M Street, SE
1140 4th Street, SW, #650
Washington, DC 20003
Dear Director Kershbaum:
On January 20, President Trump signed an executive order requiring federal workers to terminate remote work arrangements and return to work in-person on a full-time basis as soon as is practicable.
As of March 10, DC employees can work from home a maximum of one day per week, a reduction from the previous two days per week. Last week, Metro reported that ridership has been the system’s busiest since before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
The above policy changes are why we are very surprised to see the DC Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Notice of Intent (NOI) #25-56-TPA which seeks to permanently remove rush-hour parking restrictions in Georgetown.
You cite in Section 3.4 of the NOI that the transit evaluation was taken on August 30, 2023. How can you believe that to be representative of current traffic patterns?
Are you aware the National Park Service has issued a similar NOI to remove one-way rush hour on Rock Creek Parkway? If the major commercial arteries of Wisconsin and M are clogged, it’s a safe bet that overflow traffic will end up on the residential streets of Georgetown. The overflow traffic will further compromise already overused and gridlocked Georgetown thoroughfares and side streets. Further, have you considered the climate component of higher emissions and greenhouse gases and pollutants being released into the air with cars sitting in traffic?
Have you seen the letter from the DC Police Union to Mayor Bowser which states, “M Street is the only way to get to Canal Road and Key Bridge – Wisconsin Avenue connects many NW neighborhoods. With the uptick in back-to-office policies moving to eliminate rush hour traffic rules and reduce lanes in Georgetown seems short-sighted.”
We strongly encourage you to take a step back and collect more relevant and current data before proceeding with eliminating rush hour parking restrictions in Georgetown. We look forward to hearing from you with a response to our questions and we are also available for a meeting at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Miller
Stefanie Scott
Co-Chairs
Georgetown Coalition for Public Spaces
February 10, 2025
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
Mayor Muriel Bowser
1350 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 406, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Re: Opposition to the Georgetown Business Improvement District Widened Sidewalk-
Streatery Pilot Project
Dear Mayor Bowser,
I hope this letter finds you well. As the Chairman of the DC Police Union, I am writing to express our strong opposition to the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s (BID) Widened Sidewalk and “Streatery” Pilot Project, which runs along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue in the heart of Georgetown’s commercial corridor. This temporary pandemic-era social distancing pilot has outlived its usefulness and has significant adverse effects on the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) ability to protect businesses and residents in Georgetown.
1) As you are aware, response time is critical. If the first few minutes of a call are spent trying to navigate delivery trucks and vehicles that are double-parked and then try to find an opening in the jersey barriers to get to a retail shop, we have effectively lost the ability to interrupt the crime and/or apprehend the criminal. Our officers have expressed serious concerns about the hinderance of response time that are resulting from the widened sidewalks and streateries.
2) MPD is aware that the city is considering making these structures permanent. The amount of money required to do this is unimaginable. With crumbling police stations, the need for competitive salaries to recruit new officers, and the call for upgraded technology we ask that you prioritize public safety.
3) We understand residents enjoy outdoor dining. But without a holistic approach to M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, these sidewalks and streateries will continue to jeopardize our ability to provide timely assistance to those in need. We must remember that M and Wisconsin are evacuation routes and plan accordingly.4) A February 4th article in Urban Turf citing 10 developments coming to Georgetown shows Georgetown is facing huge population growth and even more strains on traffic, congestion and parking. M Street is the only way to get to Canal Road and Key Bridge –Wisconsin Avenue connects many NW neighborhoods. With the uptick in back-to-office policies moving to eliminate rush hour traffic rules and reduce lanes in Georgetown seems short-sighted.
The city can’t afford extended sidewalks financially nor operationally. It’s time to pull them up and allow first responders access to the businesses and community that rely on them for safety and security.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to the opportunity to discuss these concerns further and collaborate on finding solutions that benefit the entire community.
Very Truly Yours,
Greggory Pemberton, Chairman D.C. Police Union
I know that a crisis is an opportunity, but using a global pandemic and the deaths of many Americans, to advance a dream of wider sidewalks in Georgetown is offensive. I have lived in Georgetown since 1989, and walked on its faux historic brick sidewalks almost every day of the last 36 years. I drive in Georgetown, I bike in Georgetown, I ride public transit in Georgetown, I don’t ride scooters in Georgetown (I want to live). The giving of public space to private businesses in the early parts of the pandemic made sense, it helped them survive under strict requirements that limited their businesses. The pandemic is over, for most of us it has been over for three years now. Return to the citizens that which is theirs. Support the businesses by eating inside at them. Rip up the empty and patchy sidewalks that do nothing to facilitate commerce all while restricting traffic, creating an eyesore and making Georgetown less and less livable.
DC counted on a Federal workforce not coming back into the office to avoid exposing the damage that the local government has done to roads by turning them over to restaurants, decks and bike lanes. While I may not agree with the current Federal administration on much, Secretary Duffy from MTV’s Real World, is right to demand DC get its infrastructure open and eliminate murals on the road, homeless encampments, and haphazard blight restricting flow. Hoping on DOGE to destroy the Federal Government to keep total gridlock from becoming the norm is a really rough position for DC to take.
We are open, get rid of the mess left with the best of intentions…before we actually reach the hell.
Residents Deserve Their Neighborhoods!
Why do we strive to facilitate car throughput as the only measure of a street’s value? It is painfully obvious from even a second of visual observation on a weekday afternoon or all weekend that Georgetown’s sidewalks move an immense amount of people that do more to support local businesses than the closed off cars that do nothing but clog streets, spew fumes into our air, wear down our pavement, and injure/murder our residents?
Who should the Georgetown environment benefit? I think the residents deserve priority. Expanding the ability of businesses to serve paying customers seems paramount – these businesses are residents too. Expanding the ability of residents to patronize these businesses is good. Expanding the ability of residents to enjoy their neighborhood is great! I’ve spent too many walks down the street dodging other pedestrians and lampposts to think that automobiles need any more space when each person driving down the street alone is allocated a six foot wide piece of prime real estate on the road. One parking spot can seat 10+ diners who earn a business more than a parking spot ever could. Why should Georgetown cater to a suburban commuter who neither lives nor works in the neighborhood using one of the least space-efficient modes of transport we have at our disposal? The people of Georgetown pay higher rents because of the value of a livable space, not to subsidize others.
I agree somewhat with some of the aesthetic drawbacks of some streateries. However, in the interest of pragmatism, is it really our top priority to renovate them now? I think that the sight of a vibrant and bustling community enjoying each other’s company does more for aesthetics than a parked car ever could. If the government wants to spend the money on extending sidewalks and installing permanent barriers engineered as suitable crash barriers, that is fine by me. But for now, let’s just enjoy the benefits of this simple and (relatively) inexpensive solution we’ve come up with and enjoy on a daily basis.
Absolutely this. Georgetown’s streets are drowning in cars while its sidewalks burst with life—proof that we’ve prioritized the wrong metric for decades. A successful street isn’t one that shoves the most vehicles through; it’s one that nurtures human connection, supports local businesses, and keeps residents safe. Every square foot wasted on parking or idle traffic is stolen space that could be cafes, seating, or pedestrian plazas. Why should a neighborhood designed for density subsidize suburban commuters who contribute nothing to its vitality? The math is undeniable: A single parking spot generates $10/hour in revenue if used for cars—or $500+/hour if converted to dining or retail. The ‘aesthetic cost’ of streateries? Please. A sidewalk crammed with people laughing over coffee *is* the aesthetic. Let’s stop pretending cars deserve default priority and start designing streets for the people who actually live, work, and spend here.