Is it official?

I found this on my door yesterday. It looks to be an official notice of the work to begin the improvement of the intersection of 37th and Tunlaw. Looks like it’s really happening!

After a handful of delays, Glover Park is finally getting some relief at a particularly bad area for drivers and pedestrians. The angles of the intersections are such that cars can’t tell whose turn it is at the four-way. Pedestrians trying to navigate are actually in the crosshairs of cars driven by confused motorists. Any time of day, you can hear angry horn-honking.

This intersection had been problematic for years and years. When the Glover Park/Wisconsin Ave. Streetscape project start date was announced last year, it came to my attention that no other areas of Glover Park with traffic safety needs were being addressed. The traffic studies conducted in the mid-00′s most definitely suggested fixes for that and other danger spots. I set to find out from DC officials why only the main corridor was being fixed, and the rest of our streets ignored. The answer was that it was not in budget (but somehow there was plenty in the budget for those shiny historical streetlamps, each one costing thousands!) or that the money allocated was federal money and only for a major road such as Wisconsin. Be that as it may, I found it hypocritical that so much was made of the dangers of Wisconsin Avenue, with no regard to the other parts of the neighborhood. It didn’t make sense that the ripple effects of changes on the main thoroughfare were not taken into consideration.

But here we are now. We’ll have the nuisance of dust and congestion for a few weeks, to be sure. But when it’s done it will be a huge improvement and add to the walkability of our neighborhood.

Updates, recaps, and same-old

37th and Tunlaw

Surprise – yet another delay on the project to fix the dreadful intersection of 37th and Tunlaw. At last Thursday’s ANC 3B meeting, Paul Hoffman of DDOT assured us that the work will definitely be done. One day. Soon. It remains unclear when, because of ongoing bureaucratic hold-ups. But Hoffman recognizes the dangers and problems of the intersection, and has done a good job of keeping us posted. Still, it is very frustrating, especially since this problem has been around for years and years, and now exacerbated by the increase in traffic caused not only by the lane reductions on Wisconsin, but the growing population of the Washington DC area.

Committee on Transportation & Environment, Public Oversight Roundtable

On May 1st, Mary Cheh hosted the Committee on Transportation & Environment, Public Oversight Roundtable. You can watch it at this link.

My comments and observations:
Cheh did a great job of asking good relevant questions of witnesses who presented. Witnesses included ANC members, citizen association members, and private individuals from Georgetown, Burleith, Glover Park, and Cathedral Heights. Cheh noted one thing I’ve always said:  Why not implement all the other traffic-calming measures available (better crosswalks, timed lights, sidewalks etc) but without the lane reductions?

Of the dozen witnesses, three felt that the Streetscape’s lane reductions have resulted in improved pedestrian safety. I think those benefits are overstated.

We can all agree that pedestrian safety is important. The wider sidewalks at the gas station and cemetery that were part of the Streetscape project are fabulous. It’s definitely easier to walk in those bits. The bright new crosswalks – wonderful. These are the things that have helped pedestrian safety. But with the lane reductions, what I’ve seen is crazier driving as motorists jockey for position, trying to beat the lights, and ignoring the median markings. How is this safer for pedestrians? A few of the Roundtable witnesses made that same observation.

Expressed were micro-local concerns, parking concerns, diverted traffic concerns. Some have a problem mainly with the reduced parking, some with northbound lanes. Some, like me, dismayed that the effects of the Wisconsin Avenue lane reductions on other streets were not considered before the project commenced.

More than one witness pointed out how the reductions have increased cut-through traffic, not just in Glover Park, but also the adjoining neighborhoods to the north and south of us. For me, cut-through traffic itself is not so much the problem, but rather the dangerous driving of angry motorists looking for short-cuts.

One witness claimed that the new Streetscape has made it so that almost all storefronts have filled since DDOT broke ground on this project. I had to replay that a couple times to make sure I heard it right. Hmm, let’s see, new businesses, new businesses…oh yes, we got a nail salon…and, um, oh right, JP’s will open any day now. OK to be fair, at some point, a high end furnishing store moved in. Mayfair and Pine came, but then went. Sprig & Sprout came and stayed. But to attribute any new businesses or dwellings to Streetscape – that is really reaching.

The good news is that DDOT continues to monitor traffic to collect data. We’ve been assured that the 37th and Tunlaw intersection redesign will happen. There is talk of making that stretch of 35th at Wisconsin a two-way, with a traffic light, and this may help alleviate some of the crush there at the British School and Safeway. Some of the parking that was eliminated north of Calvert will be put back. Hopefully, in time, maybe the lanes on Wisconsin Ave. will be restored, and other traffic calming measures that don’t snarl traffic will be stepped up. That way, we will have a whole neighborhood that is safer, not just the commercial strip.

37th and Tunlaw Intersection updates

The progress on 37th and Tunlaw is…not progressing.

At last week’s ANC meeting, a DDOT community outreach representative was on hand to tell us the project is still in the throes of contract/paperwork/budget matters. We continue to be assured that the project, a much needed fix to the dangerous intersection of 37th and Tunlaw, will go forth at some point.

The project had been planned for last year, then delayed until March 28th, then pushed to mid-April.

Unrelated, but also postponed–the Charles Glover mural project by local GP artist Jarrett Ferrier. The plans call for a mural at the wall of concrete steps that connect W Place, in addition to a decorative ironwork.

Updates of 37th/Tunlaw intersection and more

Intersection of 37th and Tunlaw

At Thursday’s ANC3B meeting, Paul Hoffman of DDOT was on hand to present some new information:

• Construction work at 37th and Tunlaw should begin around the 28th of March.
• Work is expected to take about 4 weeks.
• Wisconsin Avenue will serve as the detour, and DDOT will work with the contractor to try to minimize rush hour inconveniences. There will be signs posted well before construction begins to alert drivers to the changes.

Yes, it will be messy and annoying, but the end result will make our neighborhood safer for pedestrian and autos at that unnerving dangerous intersection.

Wisconsin Avenue Streetscape

Councilmember Mary Cheh is hosting a roundtable about the Streetscape on May 1st. Here is the official notice with lots of contact info. This is yet another chance for residents to voice their opinions on whether they see the lane reductions as beneficial or detrimental to our length of Wisconsin Avenue.

Notice of public Oversight Roundtable on
The Wisconsin Avenue Upgrade/Streetscape Project

Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 11:00 A.M.

in Room 412 of the
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC  20004

On May 1, 2013, Councilmember Mary M. Cheh, Chairperson of the Committee on the Transportation and the Environment, will hold a public Roundtable on Wisconsin Avenue Upgrade/Streetscape Project. The Roundtable will begin at 11:00 a.m. in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.   This notice is revised to reflect the new date and time for this roundtable.

In 2006, the Office of Planning issued the Glover Park Commercial District Analysis Report, which included a set of recommendations for improving Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park.  Through the Wisconsin Avenue Upgrade/Streetscape Project, the District Department of Transportation has sought to implement the goals of this report and to improve the safety, traffic, pedestrian mobility, and retail accessibility of Wisconsin Avenue from the intersection of 34th Street to the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue.

The Committee invites the public to testify or to submit written testimony, which will be made a part of the official Hearing Record. Anyone wishing to testify should contact Ms. Aukima Benjamin, staff assistant to the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, at (202) 724-8062 or via e-mail at abenjamin@dccouncil.us.  Persons representing organizations will have five minutes to present their testimony.  Individuals will have three minutes to present their testimony.  Witnesses should bring 8 copies of their written testimony and should submit a copy of their testimony electronically to abenjamin@dccouncil.us.

If you are unable to testify in person, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record.  Copies of written statements should be submitted to Ms. Aukima Benjamin, staff assistant to the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 108, Washington, D.C. 20004.  They may also be e-mailed to abenjamin@dccouncil.us or faxed to (202) 724-8118.  The record will close at the end of the business day on Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

Georgetown ANC meeting notes

Here are a couple of links to reports about the Georgetown ANC meeting that occurred on Monday. The Wisconsin Avenue lane reconfiguration was a major topic.

http://www.thegeorgetowndish.com/thedish/evans-cheh-discuss-wisconsin-avenue-traffic-anc

http://georgetown.patch.com/articles/wisconsin-avenue-requires-near-term-fixes-additional-study

This is a pre-meeting piece: http://georgetown.patch.com/articles/anecdotes-dominate-in-wisconsin-avenue-reconfiguration-debate

Reminder:
ANC-3B meeting this Thursday March 14th, 7pm at  Stoddert will feature a discussion of the construction work to occur at the intersection of 37th and Tunlaw. This is an improvement that has taken far too long to occur, but will hopefully solve a number of chronic and recently added problems.

Councilmember Cheh’s letter re: Streetscape

In case you hadn’t seen this, below is a letter from Mary Cheh with are a few details on what DC gov/DDOT will be doing to measure outcome of lane reductions  (aka Streetscape). I believe this was circulated to affected neighborhood listservs.

There has been a great deal of discussion on the listservs over these past weeks related to the Glover Park Streetscape project and its impact on traffic both on Wisconsin Avenue and the in the surrounding neighborhoods.  As you may know, now that the restriping of the street is complete, DDOT has begun to analyze the new traffic patterns and identify problem areas that resulted from the modifications.  At this point, I have scheduled a Roundtable on the matter for May 1^st at 11:00 a.m., where DDOT can come forward with the results of their analysis and where residents can provide their feedback on what has worked and what has not.

In the interim, I have asked the Department of Public Works to increase enforcement against double-parking along Wisconsin Avenue.  I believe that aggressively moving violators out of the lane of traffic will keep cars moving and discourage unsafe behavior.  I have also provided DDOT with a list of specific areas to consider: ensuring that any traffic counts begin at 3:30 in order to cover the after-school traffic; determining how signal timings are coordinated and how has that coordination or lack of coordination affected both automobile and pedestrian traffic and safety; updating construction information on the reconfiguration of 37^th and Tunlaw (I was recently informed that the work will be completed this spring) and identifying the effects that construction has or will have on traffic patterns in the neighborhood; and assessing the impact of signage-such as the “One lane” sign at R and Wisconsin-on traffic flow.

Councilmember Jack Evans, DDOT Director Terry Bellamy, and I will all be attending the meeting of ANC 2E on Monday, March 4^th.  Please feel free to join us there to share your thoughts and comments.  If you are unable to attend the ANC meeting, please consider signing up for the Roundtable in May.

Regards,

Mary M. Cheh

I don’t think enforcing against double-parking works in the long term – only works at the moment when a police is there to ticket or coax a driver along. How does that help the next day, when it’s a new batch of drivers with deliveries, drop-offs, pick-ups, or drivers who don’t read the signage and park?

The conversation continues…

It’s been a few months now since the new lane configurations on Wisconsin Avenue were completed. The opinion on their efficacy is roughly divided 50/50. Conversations have continued in the Glover Park listserv, the Georgetown Patch and the Georgetown Metropolitan. The Glover Park Gazette published excerpts from comments on the GP listserv. And a local businessman started a Facebook page collecting comments about the Streetscape.

On Monday, the Georgetown ANC meets, and the main topic of discussion is the Streetscape, and how it has affected their part of DC.

What continues to bother me is that much of the talk is focused on drivers losing time stuck in gridlock. What about the effects the lane reductions have had on the other parts of Glover Park? Traffic and tension has increased on both 37th and Tunlaw. The plan to fix the intersection may help…we’ll see when it is completed, won’t we.

Pro-lane reduction people feel Wisconsin is now safer. Anti-lane reduction people (yours truly included) feel it is worse.When I’m walking on Wisconsin, I see traffic getting stuck in the middle of intersections, and cars zipping around each other on the painted medians, or at red lights, because the drivers don’t want to get stuck in already slow moving traffic. So I fail to see how the lane reductions have calmed traffic and improved pedestrian safety.

Today’s Message: The Medians

As threatened promised, the medians have been painted onto Wisconsin Avenue. So far they are only up to the freshly repaved area, from 34th up to Hall Place. Reports coming in are that traffic has slowed, but not in the “traffic-calming” way, and more in the gridlock way. Could be due to ongoing construction, could be because Wisconsin Avenue is a major busy thoroughfare (not to mention an emergency evacuation route) and reducing lanes isn’t helping anybody!

Common sense would tell you that going from 6 lanes to 4 on a busy road, in a part of town underserved by public transportation, is just not going to work. The saying goes that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Well, you can reduce traffic lanes, but you are not going to suddenly have people hopping on bikes to get to work, or tacking an extra hour of bus waiting time to go run an errand. Good on you if those are viable options–we need you! But residents cannot be forced not to drive by simply reducing lanes–they are just going take another route. Such as through other residential or collector roads ill-prepared for the increased volume of vehicles.

What do I know? I’m not a traffic engineer. Maybe this will all work out. Somehow. We”ll see. Then I can publicly admit that I was wrong, and I will parade down Wisconsin Avenue wearing a traffic cone as a dunce cap.

ANC3B Meeting recap

First off, my apologies to those of you who received the strange post that read, simply “post.” I’m working on a website for the dog park, and hit some unfortunate series of keys while I was testing pages. But good news if you have a dog-the renovation of the dog park at Guy Mason is moving right along!

                                                       

Last week’s ANC3B meeting was sparsely attended, but a source of some interesting information.

37th and Tunlaw Intersection

Don’t look for construction to begin anytime this year. The main Streetscape work had been delayed to allow work from Washington Gas utility. There is still repaving to be done on Wisconsin Avenue, and nothing can be done at 37th/Tunlaw until Wisconsin is completed. This is because the detour during construction at 37th/Tunlaw would be Wisconsin Avenue. The good news is that Washington Gas project manager Frank Frost reports that they are on schedule and expect to finish very soon. But as the weather cools, there is only so much work that can continue.

OK, I can deal with a delay. But what is frustrating is that a “change order” (the latest set of plans/budget for 37th/Tunlaw) is still pending approval. And it’s been in the pending approval purgatory for several weeks now. Remember, we were told work would begin on October 1st. What worries me is, what if it is not approved? It’s true DDOT has done a good amount of research and planning for this intersection, but I wouldn’t say it’s a guarantee that this will go through. It’s irksome, as the traffic on 37th and Tunlaw becomes heavier. I do not believe that the increase in traffic is only because of the construction on Wisconsin. For one thing, DC population continues to grow. I don’t see how traffic counts will “normalize” when Wisconsin is complete and they’ve removed two through-lanes. And I sure don’t see how it’s not going to affect 37th and Tunlaw adversely.

Parking

DDOT’s Angelo Rao led a discussion on the always hot issue of parking. He talked about the visitor permit parking program, which is still in test phase. The visitor parking permit is that card many of us got in the mail, and your guest can place in their car and park indefinitely. These cards I believe are currently one to a household, and free. They are looking at a fee based model to come.

Performance parking was also discussed. This is for commercial zones, and works through “smart meters” that can determine “demand” for spots at a given time, and thus charge accordingly. Not clear if that is going to happen on our slice of Wisconsin Avenue.

Mr. Rao began the evening by noting that “parking is a fabulous problem to have.” I agree, and that’s because, as he pointed out, demand for parking is a barometer of economic success. We have popular businesses and a wonderful neighborhood, so a lot of people want to be here. We have adequate, but not great, public transportation, so that often means guests to Glover Park end up driving. Add that to the number of group houses with multiple autos, and there you have it, no place to put your car. I think the WellsFargo bank has done great for loaning out their space in the evenings to patrons of Surfside. There are creative solutions out there…

If parking is your thing, please note that there will be a Parking Summit held on Tuesday December 4th from 6-8 pm at 441 4th Street NW (1 Judiciary Square). DDOT will present the findings of the six think tanks that occurred over the summer and fall, and prepare a conversation about setting new parking strategy. Look for more details in the next couple of weeks at:  http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/Services/Parking+Services/Parking+Think+Tanks

ANC3B meeting reminder

It’s that time of the month again, when the Walnut reminds you of the ANC3B meeting. Election results are in, and we have two new members in our ANC–Joe Fiorillo will represent 3B01 (formerly Ben Thielen’s post), and Mary C. Young will take over 3B04 (formerly Howie Krietzman’s.) Jackie Blumenthal, Brian Cohen, and Charles Cinque Fulwood continue serving. Not sure if the newer members will be presiding at this meeting, or if that comes in January. Welcome, Joe and Mary.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 8th at 7 pm at Stoddert Elementary School. We are still not 100% sure what is going on with the redesign of 37th and Tunlaw. Final drawings were presented at the last meeting and you can view the 26 pages of diagrams here. Yet, we remain in a fog about the timeline, because at the last meeting, DDOT informed us that they were waiting for approval on change orders.

The agenda for the meeting:

• Police Report
• Discussion of Proposed City-Wide Parking Changes with Angelo Rao,DDOT Program Support Manager, Parking and Street Lighting
• Discussion with Washington Gas Representatives on work in Glover Park
• Update on Wisconsin Ave. Streetscape Project and 37^th and Tunlaw Intersection Modifications
• Discussion of Location of Guy Mason Rec Center Capitol Bikeshare Station

• Open Forum

• Administrative Business
• Approval of October 2012 Meeting Minutes
• Approval of October 2012 Financial Report

NEXT MEETING:  Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.