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 Happenings - 32nd St SE & Alabama Ave SE

The intersection at 32nd St and Alabama Ave is is dangerous because of the poor sight distance traveling North on Alabama and the long stretch without a traffic signal that encourages higher speeds. I put in a request to consider a traffic signal.

Response from DDOT:

The traffic signal analysis is still going on—there is concern about backing up traffic onto Branch with additional signal so close to Alabama and Branch and 30 and Branch ( where you turn to Market Place) …but they are working hard to look--- at alternatives ---- the other intersection they will be done this week and they will give me the report mid-week next week

Please stay tuned for updates.

DRAFT Recommendations

Some members of the Street, Traffic and Transportation Committee sat down with all the studies, presentation, and recommendations that have been provided over the last year. We prepared this presentation with draft committee recommendations. We intend to meet again as a committee to rank our priorities. Click Here to download the images with additional text.

Please provide comments via commenting on this blog or send Veronica an email at vod2@cornell.edu by January 15, 2011.





Currently, DDOT is only proposing studying Alabama Ave between Branch and Penn Ave. We proposed looking at Alabama Ave from 31st to Penn Ave. The stretch between Branch and 31st has no traffic signal, which leads to speeds above the posted speed limit. This summer two pedestrians were stuck in this area.

Far Southeast Livability Study Meeting #2

The District Department of Transportation's plans for several major streets in Southeast could improve livability and mobility in several East of the River neighborhoods.

As a part of the Far Southeast Livability Study, DDOT has identified 6 corridors for further study. They held the second of 3 public meetings on Monday.

DDOT chose the six corridors to increase connectivity, accessibility, mode choice and build upon existing plans. These are the corridors:

1. Good Hope Road and Naylor Road between Minnesota and Southern Avenues
   
2. Branch Avenue between Southern and Pennsylvania Avenues
   
3. Naylor Road between Southern and Fairlawn Avenues
   
4. Alabama Avenue between Pennsylvania and Branch Avenues
   
5. Minnesota Avenue between Good Hope Road and Massachusetts Avenue
   
6. Southern Avenue between Pennsylvania and Branch Avenues. Additionally, the study looks at extending the street to Naylor Road.

The proposed improvements ranged from new streetscape and sidewalks to creation of new bike lanes.

DDOT presented typical sections along Good Hope Road and Naylor Road for both commercial areas and residential areas. The agency also recommended implementing Safe Routes to School improvements west of Minnesota Avenue where there are a cluster of public and charter schools.

During the feedback session, members of the community brought up a number of concerns:

• Extend the Alabama Ave study to Naylor Road: The section between Branch Ave SE and Naylor Road SE was the site of two pedestrian crashes this summer. Part of the problem is that Alabama Ave widens to two lanes in each direction. The stretch of roadway between Branch Ave SE and 29th Street SE is unsignalized, which leads to speeding in this section. There are crosswalks, but it is a difficult road to cross.
• Include bus routes in the analysis: The community wants to make sure that residents have sidewalks to be able to access the bus routes. For example, there are bus stops along Branch Ave SE where there are no sidewalks. People step off the bus into the grass.
• Find streets where bike lanes makes sense: Residents who do not have a preference for bike lanes expressed concern that DDOT wants to add bike lanes when most residents use public transportation and/or walk. They were very clear that they did not want to sacrifice on-street parking for bike lanes.

  Bike lane supporters stated there are people in the Ward 7 community that rely on bicycle as the primary mode of transportation, so bike infrastructure such as lanes and racks are needed. Both sides were able to agree that major roadways, such as Good Hope Road SE, may not appropriate for bike lanes, however. They recommended DDOT find alternative routes and solutions.

• Add access through the parks: One solution proposed by a resident was creating more access through the parks owned by the National Park Service. There is currently an underutilized hiker-bike trail running through these parks. Residents suggested considering a paved path and lighting to provide a higher level of comfort and security which can encourage travel through the park.
• Enforcement is part of livability: Several residents spoke of pedestrians along Good Hope Road SE who do not obey traffic signals. This summer there were incidents where pedestrians were hit. While there are some unsignalized intersections, many pedestrians cross against the light at signalized intersections.
• Find new routes for commuter buses from Maryland: Good Hope Road SE is a main corridor for commuter motor coaches from Maryland. DDOT is exploring alternative routes like Suitland Parkway.

Much of the discussion at the meeting covered topics from the numerous previous studies already conducted in some of the neighborhoods. For example, Branch Ave between Pennsylvania Avenue and the District line was studied in 2003. The community is still waiting for DDOT to implement some of the recommendations from that report.

At the next meeting in late January, DDOT will present the draft report to the community.

Cross-posted at GGW and Life in the Village