How critical are protected bikeways? One street in Navy Yard tells the story.
Protected bikeways along 1200 First St SE by the author.
In the wake of Dave Salovesh’s tragic death in April, I participated in the #RedCupProject to honor the progressive activism for which Dave was known for. Of the five locations that my “cup buddy” ANC commissioner Corey Holman and I placed red cups alongside unprotected bikeways - four now have at least some protection in the form of flex posts.
Of these, the most recent and dramatic transformation was on the 1200 block of First Street, SE in Navy Yard, DC. What was once the most habitually blocked bikeways in DC, has now become the envy of most bikeways in the District.
#RedCupProject Success #4 (of 5)!
— Mark Sussman (@msussmania) August 13, 2019
Thank you @DDOTDC!! pic.twitter.com/zc8ZrELAdp
How do I know that this bikeway was one of the most habitually blocked? Because in addition to being a Red Cup Project participant and frequent visitor to the area, I’m the co-founder of the How’s My Driving app (HMD), a new tool that allows vulnerable road users to easily report dangerous driving behavior like standing in a bikeway or blocking a crosswalk. The app now integrates directly with some government services like the DC Department of For-Hire Vehicles’ complaint system for taxis and ride-hailing vehicles.
Analyzing app data from early April to the installation of the 1200 First Street, SE bikeway on Aug. 12, app users in DC submitted 10,693 dangerous driving reports, of which 3,363 (32%) were for bikeway blockages. Of these bikeway blockages, 147 (4.4%) were on the 1200 block of First St alone—ranking 2nd of all blocks with bikeway blockage submissions in DC.
A month has now passed since the bikeway installation, so let’s see what percentage of bikeway blockages the 1200 block of First Street, SE represents now:
There has not been a single bikeway violation (or any violation for that matter) submitted on the 1200 block of First Street, SE since the bikeway was installed (indicated in the graph above by the vertical red line).
Especially given that the How’s My Driving app is in beta testing and currently has a limited number of users, the data presented here does not even begin to tell the whole story. But it’s important to acknowledge that this data has never been collected in a systematic way before and without it, such a compelling infrastructure efficacy story cannot be told.
Using this case study, DDOT could use How’s My Driving app data to drive block-by-block changes throughout the city — 14th and Irving streets, NW, you’re next!