Philly, New York, and Bogotá are making more streets walk/bike only. Should DC?

Cities across the world are trying out bold ideas to address the public health emergency caused by COVID-19. Philadelphia, New York City, and more dramatically Bogotá, Colombia, are closing off some streets for people on bike and foot only. Should DC and the Washington region do the same?

Philadelphia announced over the weekend it would close Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to cars. New York City will add protected bikeways to two key corridors.

Instrumental in New York was local advocacy and vocal support from leaders such as council speaker Corey Johnson, who tweeted Saturday that “We should absolutely be looking at how to let people spread out more on our streets by giving more street space to pedestrians and cyclists.” Governor Andrew Cuomo also echoed support for the idea, according to reports.

They’re not saying this just because they like active transportation (though Johnson is a strong supporter of walking and bicycling generally). In this case, it’s to give residents places to go outside, not far from their homes, where they can remain 6 feet from other non-family members. The streets, meanwhile, are largely empty of moving cars.

Temporary bikeways in Bogotá are being established at an extremely rapid rate — on top of some 550 kilometers of existing bikeways, the city added dozens of kilometers each day last week. Leaders aim to help residents get around at a time when they are discouraging taking public transportation, both to reduce coronavirus transmission and because the bus system is at capacity. (If you don’t habla español for that link, here’s Google Translate.)

It’s relatively straightforward to put this emergency measure in place, because the routes follow the Ciclovía system that the city deploys every Sunday and during special events like Christmas lights, according to New Urban Mobility Alliance’s Carlos F. Pardo.

The move also relieves crowding conditions on buses, currently a critical issue in DC as well. “[The buses] are at capacity, so they did this mostly to reduce the pressure on the BRT [bus rapid transit] routes that had the highest demand,” remarked Pardo, who also observed, “We have 500+ kms of bikeways so that helps… and of course a culture of cycling (we are at 6.6% of trips by bike now!). Maybe another thing is that trips are generally short (4 miles or so in average, but trips in the US are 3 miles or less 52% of those by car!)”

Bold approaches to promoting mobility, as well as exercise, during the crisis, could pay off in a more sustainable transportation culture in the long term. Chris Morfas, a former advisor to Bogotá-based Despacio and executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition, said, “Post-Coronavirus, the effect may be dramatic, as the new, temporary routes provide for direct, connected, efficient, and coherent bike (and scooter) travel. … Now that Bogotá’s bike riders are getting a taste of higher-quality bikeways, they may not want to go back.” He credits Mayor Claudia López for supporting this experiment.

Could more open streets help protect physical and mental health in DC?

Despite public health recommendations for physical distance, large crowds thronged the Tidal Basin area to see the peak cherry blossoms Saturday. In response, DC police and the National Park Service closed streets around the Tidal Basin Saturday and then, on Sunday, closed off access in the area to pedestrian and bicycle traffic as well.

Observers are calling for the Washington region to take a broader approach to “open streets,” to encourage appropriately physically different exercise and mobility by reallocating space typically designated for vehicular traffic (for which there should be significantly less need in the coming weeks). Advocates are circulating a petition to DC mayor Muriel Bowser and other leaders to reduce or eliminate vehicular traffic on some streets and add temporary protected bikeways along others in.

I rode on a few trails in DC and VA yesterday and it was abundantly clear that the trails are massively popular. It's a great way to get exercise while cooped up. But there's not enough space to remain socially distant. What street should we shut down in DC?

— Matthew S is dealing with a fucking global crisis (@riotpedestrian) March 21, 2020

Mayor Bowser announced Monday that she would not order a “shelter in place” at this time, but rather rely on closing off more gathering spaces. Congregating is a problem right now and it makes sense to discourage it. But we could still maintain outdoor spaces that promote physical and mental health by following the lead of other cities grappling with similar challenges.