ANC 3D10 Commissioner Joe Wisniewski advocated for a proposal about building new bike lanes to help protect pedestrians from traffic accidents at a city council meeting last week.
The proposed bike path would add three feet of concrete to existing sidewalks along New Mexico and Massachusetts avenues to provide a safe route for pedestrians, Wisniewski said, a junior in the School of Public Affairs.
Councilwoman Mary Cheh, who represents Ward 3 and heads the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, at the meeting seemed to support the proposal as a way to accommodate the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.
“I suppose you could just be brave and get out there and be in the lane, and [cars] do move pretty quickly,” Cheh said at the meeting, acknowledging that pedestrians and bicyclists often share the sidewalk to travel from Ward to Tenley Circle.
Massachusetts Avenue receives heavy traffic from AU students, Department of Homeland Security officials and bicyclists who use the Capital Bikeshare program. Cyclists tend to use the sidewalks on Massachusetts Avenue to avoid conflicts with motorists, Wisniewski said.
Wisniewski hopes the D.C. Council will consider building bike paths on New Mexico Avenue sidewalks. Citing errant light poles and large cement cracks, Wisniewski says the sidewalk is hazardous to both cyclists and pedestrians.
“It’s a terrible situation, and to expect someone to ride a bike on that [sidewalk] is ridiculous,” Wisniewski said in an interview.
Wisniewski also suggested designating a police officer to direct traffic at Ward Circle, an intersection of two major roads into the city.
ANC 3D10 recently convinced the D.C. Council to fund another transportation study that will assess traffic safety in the Tenleytown area, Wisniewski said. Although he warns progress may take up to a decade, he remains optimistic that D.C. Council will take action.
“I think the blame [for traffic accidents] has to be shared between pedestrians and vehicles,” Wisniewski said at the committee hearing. “It’s a two-way street, no pun intended.”
lsandoval@theeagleonline.com
