Ward 7 Transportation Summit Press Hand-out

Attached is the hand-out we prepared for the Transportation Summit.

Ward7 Transportation Summit 2012_2

Ward 7 Transportation Summit Press Release

W7 Transpo Summit Press Release

Request for Information - Transportation

2 requests for input by Feb 10th

1. Questions for March Guest Speaker
DDOT Director, Terry Bellamy will be the guest speaker for the March civic association meeting.  Please email me any specific topics or questions you want him to address, so he can be prepared for answer at the meeting.


2. Transportation-related Oversight Hearings
It's that time of the year again for agency oversight w/budget hearings soon after.  The STTC plans to submit testimony for the public record for WMATA and DDOT on behalf of the civic association.  If you have any concerns, feedback, and/or suggestions for improvement for either agency, please email me by February 10th.

Last year the we submitted written testimony for DMV.


The Hearings for transportation related agencies are below (subject to change):
February 22nd - WMATA

March 2 - DDOT, Bicycle Advisory Council, Pedestrian Advisory Council


Hearing schedule attached for your information.  I also encourage you to submit your own testimony for the agency above (and other agencies too, of course).

The budget hearings are all after the Ward 7 Transportation Summit, so we have time to talk as a ward about issues we can tackle together. 

Fy11 12 Agency Performance Hearings Schedule

Save the Date!!!!

The Street, Traffic, and Transportation Committee got a lot accomplished in 2011.  Now we look toward 2012.  We have two big events planned for the first half of the year.  More to come, but for now mark your calendars.

Ward 7 Transportation Summit Part II
February 25, 2012
11:30am - 1:30pm
Benning Library

The first transportation summit really helped the transportation advocates in Ward 7 focus and work together.  We want to continue with our successes.  In Part 2 of the summit, we look back at last year's summit, pat ourselves on the back for 2011 accomplishments, and determine our priorities for 2012.


Bike Day in Fort Circle Park (more creative name to come)
April 14, 2012
Time and starting location TBD

We are working with National Park Service, local bike organizations, small bike shops to finalize the details.  We will also reach out to the other civic associations.


Want to help with any of the events, please contact Veronica at vod2@cornell.edu.

Committee Year-End-Review

The Street Traffic and Transportation Committee accomplished a lot this year.

• Worked with other transportation advocates to bring the Circulator East of the River.  Although the route isn't perfect, it's still a victory nonetheless.
• In March, we led and facilitated the Ward 7 Transportation Summit and Listening Tour, including preparing a report that was submitted to DDOT, WMATA, and the City Council.
• We arranged for the District Department of Transportation to speak at the September civic association meeting to present the recommendations from the Far SE II Livability Study.  Meeting summary here.  
• Facilitated the enrollment of Anne Beers ES in the Safe Routes to School Program
• Co-sponsored International Walk to School Day at Anne Beers Elementary School
• Announced the installation of sharrows on 38th Street SE.   This is the FIRST bike roadway infrastructure in the community.
• Testified in support of the confirmation of Terry Bellamy as Director of DDOT
• Submitted written testimony for Department of Motor Vehicles oversight hearing.
• Submitted written testimony for FY12 budget hearings for WMATA and DDOT
• Testified in support of enforcement of bicycle and pedestrian safety on behalf of the Public Safety Committee and the Street, Traffic, and Transportation Committee
• Documented the Bike Repair clinic at Skyland sponsored by Washington Area Bicyclists Association and The Bike House
• Worked with DDOT and Commissioner Jordan to get a bikeshare station installed in Fairfax Village to connect Hillcrest via three bikeshare stations.
• Started this blog to share information.  Was even able to live blog a meeting. 

More to come in 2012!!!

Public Oversight Roundtable - Taxicab Commission 9/27

We encourage residents to submit written testimony

COUNCILMEMBER MARY M. CHEH, CHAIRPERSONCOMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT,PUBLIC WORKS, AND TRANSPORTATIONANNOUNCES A PUBLIC OVERSIGHT ROUNDTABLE ON


The District of Columbia Taxicab Commission
September 27, 201110:30 amRoom 412John A. Wilson Building1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
On September 27, 2011, Councilmember Mary M. Cheh, Chairperson of the Committee on the Environment, Public Works, and Transportation, will hold a public oversight roundtable on the District of Columbia Taxicab Commission. The Taxicab Commission is responsible for rate setting and oversight for the District’s taxicab owners and operators, limousine owners and operators, and other public vehicles for hire. The roundtable will review the operation and performance of the Commission, as well as ways to enhance the performance of the Commission. The public oversight roundtable will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
The Committee invites the public to testify or to submit written testimony, which will be made a part of the official record. Anyone wishing to testify at the hearing should contact Ms. Aukima Benjamin, staff assistant to the Committee on the Environment, Public Works, and Transportation, at 202-724-8062, or via e-mail at abenjamin@dccouncil.us. Representatives of organizations will be allowed a maximum of five (5) minutes for oral presentation and individuals will be allowed a maximum of three (3) minutes for oral presentation. Witnesses should bring 15 copies of their written testimony and submit a copy of their testimony electronically to abenjamin@dccouncil.us.
If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted either to the Committee on the Environment, Public Works, and Transportation, or to Ms. Nyasha Smith, Secretary to the Council, Room 5, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004. The record will close at the end of the business day on October 11, 2011.

Video: Barriers to biking

HCCA Testimony - Confirmation of DDOT Director

BEFORE THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION

RE: PR19-0246, the “Director of the District Department of Transportation Terry Bellamy Resolution of 2011”

Friday June 24, 2011

My name is Veronica O. Davis. I’m the Street, Traffic & Transportation Chair for the Hillcrest Community Civic Association (HCCA) and proud resident of Fairfax Village in Ward 7. Today I will be submitting testimony on behalf of HCCA.

We would like to thank Councilmember Tommy Wells and the honorable members of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation for the opportunity to submit testimony in support of PR19-0246, the “Director of the District Department of Transportation Terry Bellamy Resolution of 2011”.

The mission of (HCCA) is to work “to enhance the quality of life and prosperity of residents, families, community organizations and institutions located within the designated geographic boundaries.” We look forward to working with Mr. Bellamy to enhance transportation in our community.

Our testimony will focus on five key issues we would like to see Mr. Bellamy address during his tenure as Director:

1. Genuine Community Outreach: Between the Pennsylvania Ave Great Streets construction project, the 11th Street Bridge construction project, and the Far Southeast Livability Study, our community has had increased interactions with DDOT’s staff and consultants over the last year. The experience for each interaction has varied from collaborative to frustrating.

The 11th Street Bridge construction project has a citizen’s council comprised of community leaders from the affected communities that meets quarterly. This is a great model for receiving information about the project, asking questions, and tracking specific issues from the community with the respective response.

On other projects and studies, the communication between DDOT and the community has been less than ideal. Many of the frustrations come from lack of timely information, the inability of DDOT to effectively communicate technical terms to laypeople, and an overreliance on the Internet to advertise in a ward where lack of Internet access still exists.

Moving forward, we think DDOT should engage in genuine and proactive community outreach, which includes engaging in targeted outreach to affected areas and working more collaboratively with the ward planners from Office of Planning. We believe DDOT should spend more resources on messaging to help the community understand technical recommendations and transportation programs. In addition, DDOT should utilized community advocates and leaders to assist with engaging residents.

2. Implementation: We've had multiple transportation studies in the last decade. At this point, Branch Ave has to be the most studied corridor in the City. Some of the newer studies regurgitate information from previous studies. While we understand the importance of examining existing conditions, we are beginning to suffer from study fatigue. We want DDOT to move from studies to implementation of recommendations from those studies.

3. Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety: In the last year we’ve had four pedestrians and one bicyclist hit by motorists in our community. All of these incidents occurred on Alabama Ave SE. We have a population of residents who are aging-in-place and a high percentage of young people. Our older population should be able to walk to the senior wellness center and children should be able to walk or bike to school safely. We would like to see DDOT place pedestrian and bicycle safety as a top priority.

4. Complete streets: There is an obvious link between pedestrian safety and sidewalks. Many streets in Hillcrest still lack a sidewalk on either side, so pedestrians are forced to walk in the middle the street such as Hillcrest Drive, Camden Street, Fort Baker Drive, while hoping to avoid speeding motorists. Bus riders traverse grass then stand in mud at bus stops along Branch Ave. This is an urban area and it should be treated as such. We would like DDOT to prioritize installation of sidewalks in areas where pedestrians need to access bus stops, along high volume corridors, and along routes to school and recreation.

5. Focus on public transportation planning: Since taking office, Mayor Gray has made the development of the Skyland Shopping Center a priority. A development of this magnitude in our community will become a transportation trip generator. Our road network cannot handle much more traffic without impacting our quality of life. While we wait for shovels to go in the ground, we believe DDOT and WMATA need to begin examining public transportation options to move people in and out of the shopping center.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. We support Mr. Bellamy’s confirmation and look forward to his leadership at DDOT.


Submitted by

Veronica O. Davis, PE
Street, Traffic and Transportation Committee Chair

Transportation Budget Hearings

The Mayor's proposed FY 2012 budget is currently online. Budget hearings have already started. As of April 6, 2011 here is the information on the transportation related budget hearings.


April 18, 2011
Department of Motor Vehicles: 10am-2pm Room 500
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: 2pm-end, Room 500

April 21, 2011
District Department of Transportation: 10am-end, Room 123

Persons wishing to testify about the performance of any of the foregoing agencies may contact Tawanna Shuford, Committee on Public Works and Transportation, at 724-8195 or e-mail tshuford@dccouncil.us. Written testimony needs to be submitted 2 business days after hearing.