Cycling advocates, environmentalists, and city planners are showing support for a new protected cycle track on Dalecarlia Parkway. In response to a petition signed by over 600 Northwest residents opposing the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) proposal first seen in the Rock Creek West Livability Study, advocates are working to prove the benefits outway the potential downfalls. Their main argument suggests investing in a cycle track on Dalecarlia Parkway will be an important part of the bicycle network throughout the city.

“When you’re building a network, you have to start some place. The whole network doesn’t magically appear overnight. You need to build it segment by segment,” said Josh Rising in advocating for the proposal. He pointed to the city’s investments on getting cars off the road as a means of mitigating climate change. Improving bike infrastructure, they believe, will be a significant step in that direction.

“The notion here is that we want to create a network that permits everybody: those young kids going to school, those who are able-bodied, millennials, and older folks who might want to get on a bike and do some exercise or use it as their transportation to be able to do so. Right now that’s just really not possible,” agreed Steven Seelig, a resident and member of the Ward 3 Bicycle Advocates. He pointed to the advent of e-bikes as a way to overcome the arguments that Dalecarlia Parkway and other areas of Ward 3 are “too hilly.”

“It’s almost a, ‘If you do it, I’ll do it mentality,” said Brett Young, a W3BA member pointing to why more people don’t bicycle in the city. Due to lack of infrastructure, he says, which in Ward 3 means zero protected bike lanes currently, potential cyclists feel unsafe. W3BA and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association are working with various groups to encourage people of all ages to learn how to bike, and commute to school or work in this city safely. The ability to have a connected network of lanes will provide that safety, advocates say.

“You hear a lot about, ‘Well, it is a bike lane to nowhere. There’s no connection to it.’ and that’s just simply not true,” continued Seelig. He referred specifically to DDOT’s established plans to create a network throughout the city, including those established and updated in the 2014 moveDC Multimodal Long-Range Transportation Plan. Additionally, in the Rock Creek West Livability Study, a bicycle facility is proposed along Rockwood Parkway, allowing for a protected lane from Westmoreland Circle to Nebraska Avenue, and Ward Circle to the Capital Crescent Trail.

Advocates are excited about this, and continue to advocate for more. Seelig pointed to the potential economic boom of implementing cycle tracks along business corridors such as Connecticut Avenue, and Young pointed to the network extending additionally to River Road.

“It’s a connection between the Palisades and what we hope will be a connection all the way to the Friendship Heights metro station. That cyclists will be able to use that to get to their destination, lock their bikes up in Friendship Heights, and ride that way since there’s a dearth of public transit opportunities in the Palisades area,” said Seelig. Ward 3 has historically seen a lack of transportation infrastructure in comparison to the rest of the city including car infrastructure. According to the Comprehensive Plan, approximately 23 percent of the land use in Ward 3 are roads. This is less than other parts of the city but more than most residents living in the area would assume. Advocates believe that establishing better routes to school, work, and public transportation will increase the quality of life for all.

Another argument used by proponents of the cycle track is that Dalecarlia Parkway, a four-lane stretch from Westmoreland Circle to Loughborough Road, is underutilized. DDOT’s studies from recent years say the number of daily car users researched number is approximately the same as Foxhall Road, a two-lane street.

“This is something that probably shouldn’t have been put in in the first place,” said Seelig. As someone who likes to use alternative modes of transportation, the opposing arguments about the street being a 50 mph highway in the city do not resonate. DDOT proposes to take away two lanes of car traffic and replace with a cycle track and pedestrian walkway, protected from cars by the existing median.

“If it creates a delay of an extra 30 seconds or so for someone who was previously driving at 50 mph, 60 mph — I drive too; that’s what people drive on that road — that seems a small price to pay to permit other users other than car drivers to be able to have access to that beautiful space,” continued Seelig.

Many of the advocates in support of the proposal agree with the statistics and studies provided by DDOT, sharing that it is best to conduct a study rather than be left without updated information. However, the main complaint is the extended timeline.

“We’ve seen how slowly it takes D.C. to build out any sort of bike infrastructure. I worry that my kids are going to be graduating from high school by the time we see a new off-street trail built,” said Rising. The proposal currently alots 1-2 years for study and an additional 4-8 years for redesign.

Residents who signed the petition against the cycle track suggested alternative solutions to keeping the four lanes for cars, and instead building on the land adjacent to the road, currently under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers.

“The costs of building new lanes are likely to be substantially more expensive than repurposing existing lanes,” said Andrew Heimert, a member of the ANC3D committee researching the proposal. Cost, some say, might not just be financial, but if DDOT were to approach the Army Corps of Engineers with an alternative proposal to use the land under their jurisdiction, the Corps would likely ask for a greater amount of land elsewhere in return. Currently, DDOT project needing $60,000 for the pilot and more than $1 million for the combined long-term cost of full redesign. Rising agreed that while alternative options should be discussed, currently the onus is on advocates to prove the benefits rather than, or in addition to, opponents proving the downfalls.

“I’m willing to look at that data. That’s why we should do a pilot,” he said.

ANC 3D, the commission which advises the Palisades, Spring Valley, and other neighborhoods adjacent to Dalecarlia Parkway, set up the committee Heimert sits on to discuss and establish recommendations to the ANC regarding the Dalecarlia Parkway protected cycle track following the proposal’s announcement in the final version of the Rock Creek West Livability Study in August 2019. The most recent meeting of the committee, which includes commissioners, members of the public, and representatives from potentially impacted institutions such as Sibley Hospital, was held December 9.

The committee discussed finalizing a list of data points to recommend to the ANC who will then ask DDOT to integrate into the proposal and potential future study. This is in addition to a broader document designed to gather committee and neighborhood support of various aspects of cycle facilities in Ward 3. Items the committee will likely recommend in the first few months of the year include traffic delays at the major impacted intersections: Loughboro Road and Westmoreland Circle, in addition to adjacent street traffic, speed limit changes, cross walks, and traffic lights.

“The ANC is going through this in a very thoughtful way putting together a committee that has people from different viewpoints that will be able to weigh in from various points of time,” said Rising. He also praised DDOT for the public engagement this project has seen saying, “If it’s all built, it really could change how people are able to get around this part of the city.”