Mayor Bowser and DDOT Celebrate 100 Miles of DC Bike Lanes on Bike to Work Day

(Washington, DC) Right now, in celebration of Bike to Work Day, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District Division of Transportation (DDOT) introduced that greater than 100 miles of motorcycle lanes now exist within the District, a 60 p.c enhance from when Mayor Bowser took workplace in 2015.  

“We’ve extra work to do, however I’m proud that DC has change into some of the bike-friendly cities within the nation,” stated Mayor Bowser. “We’re altering the best way folks transfer round our metropolis and constructing a greener, more healthy, and extra sustainable DC.” 

In 2015, the District had 63 miles of motorcycle lanes and fewer than six miles of protected bike lanes. Now, there are 104 miles of motorcycle lanes, together with 24 miles of protected bike lanes. The Mayor additionally put funding in place so as to add 10 further miles of protected bike lanes yearly.  

“Due to the Mayor’s help, we’ve not solely reached the one hundredth mile milestone in file time,” stated DDOT Director Everett Lott.  “We’ve quadrupled the variety of protected bike lanes in DC, making the roads safer for not solely individuals who bike, however for pedestrians and drivers too.”

To assist help using bicycles, DDOT put in 900 bike racks in 2021 and can set up 1,000 extra bike racks earlier than the tip of this yr. To additional facilitate biking and cut back automobile journey, Mayor Bowser’s FY23 Truthful Shot funds consists of $15 million for brand new Capital Bikeshare stations so that there’s a station inside ¼ mile of each resident. At the moment, there are 330 stations throughout all eight wards, with extra traditional bikes and e-bikes regularly being added. Mayor Bowser’s investments in sustainable transportation have put the District on monitor to have eight million e-bike and e-scooter journeys taken in 2022.  

This yr, DDOT can be including greater than eight miles of off-street trails for pedestrians, bicyclists, and scooterists to the 62 miles at present current throughout the District. The Malcom X Path in Southeast opened final fall and the Brookland to Fort Totten phase of the Metropolitan Department Path opened to foot and bike site visitors in April. Enhancements to the Rock Creek Path, together with a brand new bridge close to the Nationwide Zoo, is nearly full. The Mayor has budgeted for a further 17 miles of trails over the following 5 years, which can fund initiatives reminiscent of ending the final phase of the Met Department Path to Silver Spring in addition to constructing the South Capitol Avenue Path. For extra details about the DC’s path community, please go to ddot.dc.gov/web page/trails-program. 

To have a good time the 100-mile milestone and as a part of DDOT’s Spring/Summer season Bike Marketing campaign, DDOT is raffling off 100 annual memberships to Capital Bikeshare ($95 worth every) and internet hosting bike popup occasions with free giveaways all through the District. The marketing campaign runs by June 22, 2022 and in addition consists of an incentive to encourage bike commuting by offering $200 to 50 District residents as reimbursement towards buying a brand new bike for his or her commute. To study extra concerning the marketing campaign, apply for the $200 reimbursement, or to obtain the 2022 DC Bike Lane Map, please go to godcgo.com/bike. To study extra concerning the District’s biking infrastructure, please go to ddot.dc.gov/web page/bicycle-lanes.  

The celebration of DC’s 100-mile milestone and Bike to Work Day comes throughout DC’s Infrastructure Week. In March, Mayor Bowser introduced the creation of the DC Construct Again Higher Infrastructure Process Drive, which can advise on precedence initiatives to be funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation. The Process Drive is made up of consultants from District companies and exterior companions who will make sure the District’s effectiveness in securing and deploying federal {dollars} whereas creating initiatives that can influence residents throughout the District and generations of Washingtonians to return.  

Social Media:
Mayor Bowser Twitter: @MayorBowser
Mayor Bowser Instagram: @Mayor_Bowser
Mayor Bowser Fb: fb.com/MayorMurielBowser
Mayor Bowser YouTube: https://www.bit.ly/eomvideos