Thursday, January 8, 2009 @ 8AM - Westbound Traffic @ C & 17th Streets, NE Intersection (looking East)
Thursday, January 8, 2009 @ 8AM - Westbound Traffic @ C & 19th Streets, NE Intersection (looking East)
Two Above Photographs
Notice (1) 3 traffic lanes bumper-to-bumper all the way to the background horizon line (well beyond 21st Street intersection to the C & East Capitol Street split @ RFK Stadium) and (2) no east-bound vehicles, this clearly indicates the overwhelming morning rush-hours traffic volume (DDOT traffic volume counts) coming into and through the North portion of Capitol Hill (DDOT's Capitol Hill Transportation Study)
Click HERE to view and read our proposal for DDOT to remove (reduce) 1 west-bound traffic lane to constrict, and attempt to deter, out-of-district commuters from using C street and the subsequent Greater Capitol Hill Neighborhood Street Grid (GCHSG) to reach downtown destinations. Ward 6 CM Wells supports our proposal and has sent a letter to DDOT Interim Director Frank Seales requesting the lane reduction immediately following the completion of the Benning Road Reconstruction Project.
Here are the conceptual intersection designs, 21st & C Streets, 20th & C Streets, 19th & C Streets, 18th & C Street, 18th Pl & C Street, 17th & C Streets, 17th Pl & C Streetand 16th & C Streets, to transform C Street, NE into "Green, Residential, Multi-modal Gateway for the Greater Capitol Hill Community."
Thursday, January 8, 2009, 8AM - Westbound Traffic @ C & 21st Streets, NE Intersection (looking West)
Notice in the center background Eliot-Hines JHS. Morning commuter and commercial traffic not only effect residents quality-of-life, but students' safety to and from school (refer HERE to view DDOT vehicle speed counts). Currently, C Street, from 21st to 16th Street, is approximately 90ft wide (C Street's existing conditions), creating a grand hazardous divide between the Rosedale and Kingman Park neighborhoods and Eliot-Hines JHS and the Stadium-Armory Metrorail station.
“Architectural Blue Information Sign” (sign no. V10905) just west of 17th Street on the C Street median (East sign face, looking Northwest)
The above sign is great example of how DDOT views and treats C Street, NE (DDOT's current classification of C Street). For over two years we have unsuccessfully requested DDOT to revise the "local destinations" on this particular sign from "Downtown" to community based destinations, such as: "Eastern Market" and "Lincoln Park" (pointing toward North Carolina Ave) and "Stanton Park" (pointing straight on C Street). We also requested to have "Anacostia River Trail" added to the west sign face. The idea is to change C Street's image from a cut-through corridor to reach downtown, to a residential greenway connecting the Greater Capitol Hill community to its natural resources. Read more about C Street, NE Project's Objectives HERE.
Thursday, January 8, 2009, 8AM - Westbound Traffic @ C & 21st Streets, NE Intersection (looking East)
Nearly 10,000 daily morning commuter and commercial motorists (DDOT's vehicle counts) know C Street, NE, and the subsequent GCHSG, is one of the best paths-of-least-resistance roads between I-295/Kenilworth Ave and downtown during morning rush-hours (approximately between 6AM - 9AM). Refer HERE and HERE for more maps and information on C Street's traffic impact on Greater Capitol Hill community
Lastly, we would like to thank Allan Fye, DDOT Transportation Planner, for taking the time to walk C Street, NE from 21st to 16th Streets for almost a 1-1/2 hours in the cold to see, smell, hear and even taste the effects of C Street's morning rush-hour traffic. We look forward to working with him and continuing to work with the DDOT team to transform C Street, NE into "Green, Residential, Multi-modal Gateway for the Greater Capitol Hill Community."
2 comments:
Bravo for putting up this website.
This well-thought out and presented proposal will have wide-reaching benefits for the entire Capitol Hill community by reducing commuter traffic through the residential heart of Capitol Hill. It will also enhance DC's image as a green city that is bike and pedestrian-friendly and encourages greater use of mass transit. If implemented, it could be a showcase for other cities and communities and bolster Capitol Hill's ranking as one of the most liveable cities in the US.
I love the idea of removing one West-bound lane and converting it into a well-designed bike lane that will link Capitol Hill to the nature trail around the Anacostia.
Rob
What can we do to make this project a higher priority for the city? Should we put together a petition supporting this proposal?
If a petition would help, I’d be more than willing to draft it and have an online version and go around the neighborhood gathering signatures from neighbors who lack Internet access or do not use the Internet much. I understand DDOT and Wells have been fairly supportive and responsive to this proposal. However, it elected and appointed officials can speed things along when they see lots of names of constituents behind a proposal.
On second thought, I’ll post a draft petition in the blog and perhaps we could start signing up people during the RCA MLK event. If we get enough signatures, we could perhaps present during the next meeting with the Mayor.
Here is a draft petition. I would welcome feedback, edits, etc.
We, the undersigned residents of the District of Columbia, fully support the C Street NE Project and urge our elected and appointed officials to promptly fund and fully implement said project no later than 2011. We fully support the following general goals of the C Street Project (additional details can be found at http://cstreetne.blogspot.com/):
• TRANSFORM C St NE from a minor arterial commuter & commercial corridor into a green and safer residential, multi-modal (i.e. cars, bikes and pedestrians) gateway for the Greater Capitol Hill Community.
• REDESIGN C Street NE into a residential greenway with at least one less West-bound car lane between 21 St NE and 17th St NE with more traffic-claming features such as sidewalk bulb-outs, more vegetation and an expanded bicycle/pedestrian trial that better links Capitol Hill to the Anacostia waterfront and trail.
• REDIRECT commuter and commercial traffic from the Greater Capitol Hill residential street grid to existing east-west principal arterial and commercial corridors.
• RECLASSIFY C Street NE from a minor arterial to a residential oriented collector.
• REQUEST elected and appointed officials to continue to consult and work with the local community groups on the details and design of the C St NE Project.
NAME ---- ADDRESSS ---- PHONE NUMBER
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