DCBAC member Jeanie Osburn (Ward 5 representative) was contacted by the public regarding the removal of bike parking racks throughout the District. It appears that the rack removal is part of street and sidewalk reconstruction but according to the complains received, the racks are not being reinstalled.
DCBAC would like the public to continue to let us know if bike racks are being removed for reconstruction and not replaced by leaving a comment in the section below or by sending an email to dcbac@dcbac.org. You can also Tweet @DCBAC or use the hash tag of #MissingRacksDC. If you notice a rack is missing, send a message with its location (nearest cross street) and if possible, please send a picture. You can post your pictures on DCBAC's Facebook page.
The missing bike rack issue may point to a more comprehensive problem in that District Department of Transportation (DDOT) appears to distinguish between sidewalk / streetscape infrastructure maintenance and bicycling infrastructure maintenance. DCBAC is concerned that this disconnect could lead to bike lanes, bike racks and other facilities being removed and not replaced unless the bicycling public brings it to DDOT's attention, creating a potential net loss of infrastructure while also being inefficient.
This week, DCBAC transmitted a letter to the DDOT Director, Terry Bellamy describing the issue and the locations of missing racks. In his response, Director Bellamy has assigned the DDOT Bicycle Program staff the task of researching our concerns and copied two DDOT engineers.
Below is a copy of the letter BAC sent:
Bike Rack Removal
DCBAC would like the public to continue to let us know if bike racks are being removed for reconstruction and not replaced by leaving a comment in the section below or by sending an email to dcbac@dcbac.org. You can also Tweet @DCBAC or use the hash tag of #MissingRacksDC. If you notice a rack is missing, send a message with its location (nearest cross street) and if possible, please send a picture. You can post your pictures on DCBAC's Facebook page.
The missing bike rack issue may point to a more comprehensive problem in that District Department of Transportation (DDOT) appears to distinguish between sidewalk / streetscape infrastructure maintenance and bicycling infrastructure maintenance. DCBAC is concerned that this disconnect could lead to bike lanes, bike racks and other facilities being removed and not replaced unless the bicycling public brings it to DDOT's attention, creating a potential net loss of infrastructure while also being inefficient.
This week, DCBAC transmitted a letter to the DDOT Director, Terry Bellamy describing the issue and the locations of missing racks. In his response, Director Bellamy has assigned the DDOT Bicycle Program staff the task of researching our concerns and copied two DDOT engineers.
Below is a copy of the letter BAC sent:
Bike Rack Removal
