The new bike lanes are on 4th Street, SW; I Street, SW and SE; Columbia Road, NW, New York Avenue, NW; Tilden Street, NW; and Upshur Street, NW.

New Bike Lane on Columbia Road, NW

In addition there is a combination of new bike lanes and sharrows on R Street from Florida Avenue, NW to the Metropolitan Branch Trail in NE; and there are new sharrows on Oklahoma Avenue, SE.

New Sharrows on R Street, NW

That completes the lanes originally planned for 2011 – bringing the total in the city close to 55 miles – and allows us to focus now on adding more lanes. We hope to install another mile before Bike to Work Day on May 18, and we’re planning for an additional 4 to 5 miles of bike lanes and shared lanes for installation during the summer and fall.

That will include the eagerly awaited crosstown cycletrack on L Street, NW.We have been waiting on an analysis of the existing lanes on 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, before moving forward. I can tell you that study is drawing to a close and we are scheduling a public meeting on Thursday, May 3 to discuss the findings. The meeting will be held in the Community Center of the Reeves Center, from 6-9 pm. Look for additional details in the coming days.

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support of cycling in the District. Mayor Gray and I look forward to Bike to Work Day to celebrate the continuing progress we’re all making together to make this an even more Bicycle Friendly City.

Terry Bellamy
DDOT Director

Good Afternoon Chairman Cheh, members of the Committee, and District residents.  My name is Terry Bellamy, and I am the Director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT).  It is a pleasure to appear before the committee to provide testimony on behalf of Mayor Vincent C. Gray regarding the Red Top Meter Program.

I want to thank you for the opportunity to provide more information about this program and its origins, which date back more than a decade.

History

It is important to know the history of this issue to understand why the Red Top Meter program was implemented.

The first attempt to tackle this issue was in 2001. The DC Council enacted DC Law 13-279 which was intended to curb the fraudulent use of disability plates and placards by non-disabled drivers and to ensure that residential and short-term metered spaces were not inappropriately utilized for all-day parking.

That law however, was challenged in 2004 by a lawsuit alleging discrimination against persons with disabilities.

In 2006 the District enacted the Parking Amendment Act which provided for the establishment of reasonable payment and time limitations for persons with disability license plates and placards. It also called for a study concerning the number, placement and accessibility of metered spaces reserved for persons with disabilities.

In subsequent years, the District took multiple steps to settle the lawsuit mentioned above, including:

• Providing 2 accessible on-street meters per block face – these are the meters with blue domes you see today
• Replacing or retrofitting approximately 200 sidewalks, and
• Replacing or installing about 800 curb ramps.

At the same time, DDOT continued to develop a plan to implement the provisions of the 2006 Parking Amendment Act – looking at best practices in other jurisdictions, testing new technology, and identifying metered spaces that could be reserved for persons with disabilities. The result of this effort was the Red Top Meter program.

Red Top Meter Program

The Red Top Meter program sets out to accomplish multiple goals:

• To complete the implementation of the Parking Amendment Act
• To provide reserved ADA-accessible parking spaces for persons with disabilities, while preserving their ability to park in any legal space
• To increase turnover at all curbside spaces in the city which would benefit all drivers, including persons with disabilities, as well as local businesses, and
• Eliminate the prime incentive for fraud.

The lure of free parking has proven to be an enticement too many people who are not disabled cannot resist, and it has led to the excessive misuse of disability placards and plates. In addition, not only are people abusing this benefit intended for persons with disabilities, but often they are parking all day.  A curbside occupancy study conducted by the Downtown BID in 2009 showed that over 40% of the vehicles with ADA placards parked on two prime downtown corridors, stayed for longer than 4 hours, the maximum time allowed.

It is a problem documented here in the District and in cities across the country. Donald Shoup, one of the foremost experts in parking policy, wrote last year that “treating disabled placards as free parking passes has encouraged widespread abuse” by non-disabled drivers “who simply want to park wherever they want, whenever they want, without paying anything.” We are one of the first to tackle it head on, but many others are watching what happens here in Washington as they try to develop their own plans.

We fully appreciate the legitimate challenges persons with disabilities face every day; they need meters that are accessible and close by; they sometimes need more time to complete a doctor’s visit or to patronize a store. The Red Top Meter program is designed to address those unique circumstances and to make it easier for persons with disabilities to access businesses and services.  At the same time, it drives home the point that the benefits of reserved metered parking and longer time limits are intended for persons with disabilities and only for persons with disabilities.

Public Input and Outreach

In preparation for the rollout of the Red Top Meter program, DDOT held informational meetings in September of 2011 with representatives from multiple District government agencies and independent organizations that represent or provide services to seniors and persons with disabilities. More outreach occurred at the start of this year to organizations that requested additional information.

On Monday, January 9 – almost 2 months before full enforcement was set to begin – DDOT publicly announced it planned to implement the Red Top Meter program.  There was also a one-month grace period in February before any tickets were written under the program. Two reminders were sent out on February 1 and February 27, we promoted it on our social media channels and there was extensive media coverage of the Red Top Meter program prior to March 1 when enforcement began.

Having said that, we acknowledge there is always room for more outreach, especially when you are implementing a significant change in policy, and in this case our outreach may have been too narrowly focused. We have developed a more robust outreach plan that will include print advertising, more collaboration with partner agencies and a direct mail campaign to reach every disability placard or plate holder in the District.

We have also moved quickly to make adjustments to the program and to implement constructive recommendations from the disabled community. For instance, we took immediate action to deploy 1,100 more Red Top Meters in response to concerns about the reach of the initial rollout.

In addition, even before the Council voted to suspend the implementation of the program, we had delayed enforcement until more Red Top meters were deployed and we had an opportunity to conduct additional outreach.

Looking Forward

In the coming weeks, we look forward to working closely with Council and the disabled community to further refine and improve the Red Top Meter program. We strongly believe it is good, sound policy that makes reasonable changes to provide more parking for persons with disabilities, and to reduce the fraud that robs the city of revenue–that we in turn use to maintain WMATA service–and available parking for motorists who follow the rules.

Anecdotally, we think the program was already making a difference. In the limited time the program was enforced earlier this month, on street meters spaces freed up on blocks that – before the program was implemented – were parked at or near full occupancy by out of District vehicles displaying disability placards or plates and parking all day for free. Without the benefit of free parking, we think non-disabled commuters using disability placards and plates found it was more cost effective to park in a garage or to take public transit.

As we move forward with implementation, we will continue to monitor the occupancy and availability of red top meters and identify areas where more capacity may be needed to ensure both availability and turnover of all metered spaces.

We hope we can address any concerns to your satisfaction here today and agree on a course of action to complete the implementation of the Red Top Meter program. If not, a return to the status quo is likely, and the work begun more than a decade ago to address this important issue will remain unfinished.

That’s what we’re all about at DDOT:  providing mobility choices that support a safe and efficient transportation network. Carsharing, is a complement to the District’s investment in transit, bikesharing and other modes of travel, and enables residents and visitors to own fewer cars, thus realizing environmental and economic benefits.

Carsharing also provides convenient access to vehicles when they’re needed, without the costs of ownership and maintenance. As DDOT has supported carsharing over the years, we have also come to realize that people need to use cars for different reasons: sometimes they need a pickup truck for a trip to the hardware store, while other times they need one for a longer trip out of town for the weekend. Others might need a car for a quick errand or to visit a family member in the hospital. Whatever the need, we continue to work to find new ways to support carsharing as part of the broader transportation system, and to build on the success it has already enjoyed in the nation’s capital.

District’s Initial Foray into Carsharing

In October 2005, DDOT implemented a reserved curbside carsharing program to provide high-visibility access to carsharing vehicles in the District of Columbia. The program specifically reserved 86 public parking spaces for carsharing purposes, providing the carsharing companies (Zipcar and Flexcar at the time) with space and visibility to market this then-fledgling service.

Curbside Carsharing Space on 14th Street NW

The original spaces were located in all 8 Wards and each quadrant of the city. DDOT’s overarching goal in implementing the program was to provide District residents with an alternative transportation option, reduce vehicle ownership and relieve traffic congestion.

Since 2005, Zipcar’s membership has grown considerably, as has their presence both in public space and in private leased space. A 2011 Washington Post survey found that 33 percent people who had lived in the District for less than ten years were Zipcar users.

The use of curbside space for car sharing purposes has been replicated by a number of American cities, as the promise of reduced vehicle ownership and reduced vehicle trips has been realized.

District Responds to Market Changes in Carsharing Industry

In October 2011, in response to the dynamic changes in the carsharing market and the introduction of multiple carsharing providers, the District put out for bid the now-84 reserved carsharing spaces in its inventory.

As a result, in February 2012, Hertz on Demand began to operate out of 23 of the reserved curbside spaces, providing District residents with an alternative carsharing provider to Zipcar. Hertz continues to expand its fleet in the Washington region, as it looks to become a mainstay in the car sharing industry.

Point-to-Point Car Sharing Coming to the District

In late 2011, DDOT published proposed and final regulations allowing for the operation of a point-to-point carsharing program in the District. Unlike the traditional model of carsharing, the program allows members – who may be District residents or visitors – to pick up vehicles in one location and drop them off in a different location. The program is similar to models currently operating in Austin, Texas, Vancouver, San Diego, and Amsterdam.

Car2go will be the 1^st point-to-point provider to operate in the District, launching on March 24, 2012. All of the vehicles in the fleet are blue-and-white Smart Fortwo vehicles. Unlike traditional carsharing models, reservations are not required to rent a car and members are charged by the minute.

In remaining true to DDOT’s original goals of reducing vehicle ownership, the program will hopefully entice residents to forgo purchasing a new car or sell an existing one. In issuing the permits for the program to begin operation, DDOT required coverage in all 8 Wards and imposed restrictions on how cars need to be rebalanced. During the initial year of the program, DDOT will also work to evaluate the benefits and impacts to the transportation system through data on usage provided by car2go and a survey of members to understand who is using the service.

The introduction of point-to-point car sharing will provide residents and visitors to our region with another robust transportation option that complements Metrobus, Metrorail, Capital Bikeshare, the Circulator and traditional carsharing service.

Continuing to Support Innovative Programs in the Future

DDOT’s history of supporting innovative programs that help provide transportation options and help residents and visitors feel mobile without needing to own a personal car will continue into the future. As an agency, we have attempted to foster new options, allowing new vendors and operators to enter an increasingly competitive environment to provide a range of services in the District, while making sure these options are available throughout the city. And we will continue to identify and support new types of operations that add to the quality of life in the District and help us meet all of our transportation needs.

Sam Zimbabwe
Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Sustainability

Josh Moskowitz
Carsharing Project Manager

Coupled with other statistics that show over 35% of the households in the District do not own an automobile, it’s clear many residents are choosing to use Metro, the DC Circulator, Capital Bikeshare, carsharing services and their own 2 feet to move about the city.

These car-free residents include many of DDOT’s own employees. They not only talk the talk, they walk the walk, putting the programs and services they work on into practice and helping shape the Sustainable DC called for by Mayor Gray. Here are a few of their stories. As you will read, they have found their transportation choices liberating rather than restrictive.

Brooke Fossey, Transportation Planner – Policy, Planning & Sustainability Administration

Brooke Fossey

When I got rid of my car in 2004, it was both an economic and quality of life decision—I had found it costly to maintain, I didn’t use it that much, and quite frankly when I did, driving stressed me out! Moving to DC made me realize for the first time how a great transportation network can take you anywhere you need to go without driving. Sometimes it takes a little more planning, but I have found that when you let someone else do the driving, life can be a lot more relaxing.

Seven years later, I still think being car-free enhances my quality of life. I have been able to be car-free by relying on Metrobus, Metrorail, Circulator, Capital Bikeshare, carsharing services like Zipcar, my own bike, and my own two feet. I used to walk or take transit everywhere, but Capital Bikeshare got me feeling comfortable on a bike again, so I bought a bike and now I ride to work on nice days and Metro in bad weather. I’ve found that biking is not only an incredibly efficient way to get from one place to another but I also have gotten healthier and more in-shape while doing it. I use Zipcar to get to my weekly cello lesson and for the occasional home improvement project run to the hardware store, though I’ve found that most things can even be carried home on a bike—even a 1-gallon tub of joint compound or a Christmas tree! I’m very thankful for all the transportation options we have in DC that allow me to pick what’s right for me.

 Eric Stults, Projects Officer – Office of the Director

Eric Stults

Although I know how to drive and I maintain a driver’s license, I’ve never owned a car in my life, and I love living a car-free lifestyle.  I’m in my 50s now, but for many years as a boy, I had a newspaper route, enabled by my Schwinn, in my small hometown in Ohio, and it not only earned me a bit of money, it provided my principal means of exercise.  Bicycling is still my single biggest source of exercise, and although I sometimes am disappointed by the behavior of motorists or fellow cyclists here in DC, in general my daily bicycle commutes and other bike jaunts put me in a good mood, enjoying the fresh air in all seasons.  I feel like a boy again on my paper route!  And it saves me so much money.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the American Automobile Association both estimate that Americans spend around $8,000 per year per auto, for buying or leasing the vehicle, fueling it, repairing it, parking it, maintaining and insuring it.  Those costs amount to about 17% of Americans’ after-tax income…a huge drain that is outpaced only by spending on housing.  I spend only a few hundred dollars a year on bicycle maintenance and accessories….and the thousands I save can be put toward retirement, charity, vacations or other purposes.  I’m also able to rent out the parking space at my condo for $200 per month to a car owner in my apartment building, so the net benefits are even greater!  From my paper route days and my years living in frigid Minneapolis, I am accustomed to biking in all seasons, but admittedly there are some really wet or windy days when I prefer to simply walk or take a bus or Metro in my travels around the District.

 Josh Moskowitz, Program Manager – Progressive Transportation Services Administration

Josh Moskowitz

To semi-quote a favorite author, “I had and have a city kid’s indifference to cars.” Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I biked, bused, walked and took the subway everywhere. My high school subway commute to the Bronx was an hour and a half each way.  I’ve never had a license and the first time I drove a car was when I was 19. It’s hard for me envisioning ever living in a place where owning and driving a car is a necessity for functioning. Working on our Capital Bikeshare program has been a great fit, as I’ve been able to watch so many of our residents and visitors traverse our city on one our oldest transportation modes that epitomizes healthy and environmentally-friendly living.

 Kirk Benson, Contract Specialist – Contracting and Procurement

Kirk Benson

A couple of years ago I moved here from Chicago and left my car there, assuming I would eventually go back to get it. When I found my apartment, since I wasn’t familiar with the District, I purposely moved near a Metro station; because coming from a city with a robust transportation system I was used to utilizing public transportation. After using the system and realizing that everything I needed was near a Metro station or a Circulator I opted to leave my car in Chicago; and between the ease of access to the Metro and the relative ease of walking through the District it eliminates the stress of maintaining, fueling and parking a car, not to mention the costs associated with those things.

 Monica Hernandez, Communications Specialist – Office of the Director

Monica Hernandez

Two years ago I packed up my belongings, sold what had become my lifeline – my car – and moved to DC.  Since then I have been car-free and I absolutely love it.  I’m not only proud of the fact that I have decreased my carbon footprint but also very proud to work in an environment that’s responsible for creating the type of options that allow people to live a sustainable life.  On any single day I reach most of destinations by walking or taking the Metro, Circulator and/or Capital Bikeshare and on occasion use Zipcar.  Rain or shine I’ve made this lifestyle work for me and plan to stick to it.

The Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) applied for and received American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) Grants to fund three coordinated projects:  Impervious Surface Reduction, Green Median Renovation, and Tree Canopy Renovation.  These projects were all funded by ARRA via the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), and were administered by the District Department of the Environment (DDOE).

Each of these ARRA projects at UFA was designed to reduce stormwater runoff and increase the urban tree canopy. The original intent was to focus on the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) since the combined sanitary and stormwater sewers frequently have overflows during heavy rains that discharge untreated sewage into the Potomac River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay.  Over time however, projects were identified in areas outside of the CSO and the project was expanded to include work in these areas as well.

DDOT already plants thousands of new trees each year, but another way the District of Columbia can reach its 40 percent tree canopy goal is to break into areas with impervious surface and make them available for trees.  By increasing the permeable area available for urban tree canopy establishment, UFA is extending beyond a basic tree planting strategy.  Now UFA is advancing urban tree canopy into areas where it has not heretofore been possible.

Impervious Surface Removal: The Impervious Surface Removal Project has focused on increasing the green space within the public space of DDOT roadways.  This was accomplished through a combination of practices including  tree box expansion, tree box creation, continuous strip creation, and large area greening.  By removing impervious surfaces, UFA has increased the soil area for root growth to 36″ in most cases, increased the interception of stormwater runoff and obtained increased environmental benefits by planting larger canopy tree species in the tree boxes and continuous planting strips.

To date, UFA has removed more than 3 acres of impervious surfaces, converting these areas into new green space. Here are some examples of where this transformation has taken place.

Tree Box Expansions:  Expanding tree boxes results in greatly expanding the rooting zone for street trees and will provide for increased stormwater retention and allow for a larger, healthier, longer lived tree to develop, ultimately increasing the Urban Tree Canopy and providing many other environmental benefits.

Old Morgan School Way, NW - Before

Old Morgan School Way, NW - After

Tree Box Creation: The addition of 6 new tree boxes down the length of a block, like Champlain Street, NW shown below, results in a significant greening of the streetscape.  This will ultimately provide many more environmental, aesthetic and economic benefits than a block without trees.  The addition of trees also reduces the urban heat island effect.

Champlain Street, NW - Before

Champlain Street, NW - After

Continuous Planting Strip Creation: The creation of a greenway along District streets can significantly reduce the amount of impervious surface within the streetscape.  This continuous planting strip located on P Street, NW removed 7,200 sq feet of impervious surface and created numerous planting locations.  This area now  has the potential -depending on rainfall intensity – to intercept the majority of the rainfall that falls within the sidewalk dimension.  In additon, UFA was able to remove 36″ of old soil and replace it with new top soil with organic matter, therefore increasing the soil volume.

Large Area Greening:Where opportunities within public space exist to green large expanses of impervious surface there can be a significant change in the aesthetics and environmental impact of the built environment.   When contiguous areas of over 10,000 square feet of impervious surface are greened, the benefits through reduced stormwater runoff, reductions to the urban heat island effect, and increases to the urban tree canopy, are immediately apparent.

Green Median Renovation: Existing medians that are finished with a hardscape such as brick, concrete or pavers can be renovated by removing this impermeable surface, and replacing with a turf or mulched surface and planting street trees.  These changes to the streetscape will result in reductions to the amount of stormwater entering the sewer system and ultimately the District’s waterways.  The increase in planting locations will result in an expansion in the Urban Tree Canopy.  This project delivers substantial reductions in the blighted look that can result when there are multiple travel lanes which reduces the potiential for tree cover.

Bladensburg Road, NE - Before	Bladensburg Road, NE - After
Calvert Street, NW - Before	Calvert Street, NW - After

Tree Canopy Renovation: The goal of the Tree Canopy Renovation project is to improve the condition and coverage of the tree canopy so that additional rain fall is intercepted and does not enter the stormwater system.  This goal is being met by removing trees that are dead or dying and planting new trees in the now open tree boxes.  Replacing dead and dying trees which have a limited canopy with a newly planted tree with a vigorous canopy will provide for net canopy increases.  This will dramatically improve the canopy coverage for the CSO area resulting in increases in rainfall intercepted and decreases in stormwater runoff.

These are just a handful of the projects completed over the past 2 years. Here’s a link to a complete list. Some of these changes are small – just a few feet at a time – and some cover much more ground, but combined they make the District a more beautiful and environmentally friendly place to live, work and play.

In addition, as intended, the recovery money used to fund these projects, put people to work. UFA was able to to hire five full time employees to manage the three projects outlined above.  They have been employed for almost 18 months now with benefits and have been able to gain valuable experience in urban forestry, customer service skills and engineering.  It will provide a solid foundation for their careers.  The ARRA funds also allowed the contractors to keep a tree removal and a concrete removal crew on through the length of the project, including during the winter months  when construction work is otherwise limited since pouring concrete requires warm weather while concrete removal is not affected by the temperature.

John Thomas
Associate Director for Urban Forestry

New Sign on New Inbound 11th Street Bridge

The signs say “Interstate 695 to Interstate 395 Capitol Hill.” Only problem is there is no I-695 in the District, right? Maybe – some speculate - the signs are referring to the Baltimore Beltway which is also I-695.

Opening of the Inbound Freeway Bridge

Well, actually, there is an I-695 in DC and there has been on for a long time. But while residents and commuters are intimately familiar with I-295 and I-395, you can’t blame them for not knowing where I-695 is located; as far as we can tell it was not previously signed although it was shown on some maps. I-695 has been the designation for a portion of the Southeast/Southwest Freeway, beginning where I-395 enters the Third Street Tunnel and extending to the northern side of the 11th Street Bridge, a grand total of 1.4 miles.

Map Showing New Limits of I-695

In conjunction with the construction of the new 11th Street Bridges, DDOT requested and received approval to extend I-695 across the Anacostia River where it now terminates at the interchange with I-295 and DC 295. I-695 is now a full 2 miles long with mile marker zero located at the junction with I-395. And I-695 is now signed. The map above shows the new limits of I-695 highlighted in green.

There is a method to our madness – we promise – but if you’re still confused maybe Mike DeBonis of the Post or WTOP’s Adam Tuss can provide more clarity.

If only they had signed I-695 way back when the SE/SW Freeway was completed.

Construction of SE/SW Freeway in 1972

Now, who knows where to find the Dwight D. Eisenhower Freeway? Is it signed?

John Lisle
Communications Director

Ribbon Cutting for New Inbound Bridge

Following the ribbon cutting, crews completed last minute tasks and over the weekend shifted traffic to the new inbound bridge. The first vehicles to use the new crossing came across at 11:38 am on Sunday, December 18.

First Vehicles Cross the New Inbound Bridge

The inbound bridge is one of three new spans included in the $300 million project which began in December 2009. A new outbound bridge is also expected to open to traffic within days and a third bridge for local traffic is under construction and will open in 2012.

Mayor Gray noted the project is “ahead of schedule and represents a giant step forward for our transportation system. Critical for connecting one city across the Anacostia River, these new spans will serve our residents, workers and visitors for decades to come.”

Construction of Existing Bridges in July 1964

The three new bridges are replacing two 50-year-old spans that are considered functionally obsolete and structurally deficient. Also, they don’t always get you where you need to go. For instance, there is no direct connection from the old outbound 11th Street Bridge to northbound DC 295, or from southbound 295 to the inbound bridge.

The 11th Street Bridge Project will change that. New ramps will make those “missing connections” and create a seamless connection between the SE/SW Freeway and the Anacostia Freeway (I-295/DC 295). That will smooth the ride in and out of downtown for many commuters, but also will keep a lot of traffic out of the local neighborhoods.

11th Street Bridge is Now Designated as I-695

Residents will also greatly benefit from the completion of the “local” bridge. It really will function more as a neighborhood street that happens to cross the Anacostia River and will link Anacostia, Fairlawn and Congress Heights to the Navy Yard, Barracks Row and Capitol Hill. It will also include space for future transit and a 16 foot wide shared path for pedestrians and cyclists. Those multi-modal features will help draw people to the banks of the Anacostia, to explore neighborhoods on both sides of the river, and to enjoy the Riverwalk Trail, another major piece of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI).

Again, that “local” bridge and the new ramps are scheduled to be completed next year, but judging by the progress so far, the wait shouldn’t be too long. The project is several months ahead of schedule and DDOT has shaved time and money off the project by using a design-build-to-budget mechanism.

There are other reasons to celebrate the success of the project:

• Close to 400 men and women work on the job site daily, and at least 73 DC residents have been hired during the project.
• The design and construction of the new bridges have incorporated many environmentally friendly techniques, including limiting stormwater runoff and recycling debris from the old ramps and bridges for use as filler in the new structures.
• The new spans are being built between the two existing spans, which minimized the impact of the construction on traffic.
  

  New Bridges Sandwiched Between Existing Spans

Of course, no construction project is completely pain-free, and in the coming months DDOT will be asking residents and drivers for their patience as we continue to make progress on this critical project. The true value of that work will come into focus when we complete the remaining bridges and ramps, but from our vantage point, the 11th Street Bridges are already looking great.

John Lisle
Communications Director

Contractor Removing Meter

DDOT has been working with community leaders, the business development community, the ANC’s and DC Council staff to identify potential commercial corridors in Ward 8 that could and should be metered to encourage turnover in the spaces.  It is still our intent to add meters on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue after the streetscape project is finished next year, and after we have properly consulted with and notified the community.

Pay By Phone Parking

It is also our intent to install intelligent, networked single-space meters, multi-space meters and pay by cell technology to make the corridor user friendly for shoppers and the community in general.  These new meters will take credit cards in additon to cash. I am working with our staff to identify the funding for the new meters.

DDOT does not carry excess meter inventory; all of our assets are deployed in the field. It’s also worth noting that 60 percent of DDOT’s parking meters are considered beyond their useful life.  These are the coin only single space meters and they are deployed in commercial areas across the District. It is also standard practice for us to relocate these meters as needed and as more areas come online. The single space meters are also predominately used in what we call “normal” demand zones where the rate is $0.75 per hour, and newer, more expensive meters are deployed in “premium” demand zones where the rate is $2.00/hour.

Solar Powered, Networked Meters

Having said that, DDOT is looking at options to replace all of its older assets with new, networked, credit card accepting meters.  This will improve system reliability and customer service.

In addition, DDOT launched pay by phone service as a payment option for parking in July 2011.  The system has close to 165,000 customers already and has accounted for more than 650,000 transactions.  It has been the most successful pay by cell launch globally.  Customers are encouraged to use the system for parking on a regular basis, especially when they get to a meter that is not working or not accepting their preferred form of payment. We will expand the pay by phone service to Anacostia when the meters are installed after the construction is completed.

Again, thank you for being passionate about your community and for contacting me about this issue. It is our goal to provide equal service to every ward and every resident of the District, and we welcome your help in ensuring we do it right.

Terry Bellamy
Director

As this old photo taken a century ago shows, the park - in the median on 14^th Street, SE between U and V Streets – has been the centerpiece of the community for a long time. It has shown its age recently however, suffering from neglect and becoming more of an eyesore than a bustling neighborhood gathering place.

But rather than accept the park’s fate, a small group of church patrons, historians, community advocates, business district leaders, and residents banded together and decided to do something about it. They formed the Friends of Old Market House Square Park and began the arduous process of raising the funds and support needed to restore the park to its former glory. it was not an easy task. A generous offer from the nonprofit TKF foundation of Maryland came with a catch: it was a challenge grant which meant the Friends of Old Market House Square Park needed to raise more money to match that donation. They perservered though and got additional funding from DDOT and an Earmark from Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry.

Finally, in April of this year, all the pieces were in place and the group broke ground on their labor of love.

It took just 7 months to complete the work… but it was the culmination of a much longer effort.

At the ribbon cutting, Carolyn Johns Gray, a member of the community group, said, “Seven years of work here finally resulted in what you see here today.”

“It is really amazing to be here to see the transformation of the park from what it was when this project started to what it is today, said Donald Cryer, the Senior Warden at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church which fronts the square. “It is hard to believe this could be done.”

The park now boasts new lighting, benches, paths, handicap ramps, grass and trees. DDOT also installed new sidewalks and curbs and repaved the roadway around the square. Residents can match wits on the built-in chess tables, read to children on colorful mushroom shaped seats, or reflect quietly on a bench made from recycled 200 year old pickle barrel wood.

DDOT is very proud to have played a part in the restoration of the park. It looks great, but the lion’s share of the credit for this project belongs to the hardworking, determined community coalition – led by Marie Zackrie – that wouldn’t take no for an answer and kept after it, and kept after it, until they got it done.

Congratulations!

John Lisle
Director of Communications

Work on the Trail is already well underway. With more than $25 million invested, 12 of 20 miles are complete, including segments linking Diamond Teague Park, the Pumphouse, the Yards, Navy Yard, RFK Stadium, River Terrace and Anacostia Park. The rest are in planning, design or under construction in coordination with the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. DOT and other agencies.

The District trail will eventually link to 39 miles of trails in Maryland where DC Mayor Vincent Gray recently joined Governor Martin O’Malley, Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar for a ribbon cutting ceremony marking Maryland’s completion of 1.5 miles of trail near the border in Bladensburg.

The “Anacostia’s Great Outdoors” event also celebrated the progress made restoring the Anacostia River Watershed. Mayor Gray said, “Working with Maryland and our federal partners to invest in our trails and parks, we will bring new life and greater economic stability to the communities, parklands and habitat that run along the Anacostia River and in doing so, make the Anacostia a national showcase for urban parks and habitat restoration.”

The Riverwalk Trail is a key component of the larger Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI) launched more than a decade ago. The trail will allow District residents and visitors to walk and bike along the river to numerous destinations including the Fish Wharf, Nationals Park, Poplar Point, the Navy Yard, historic Anacostia, RFK stadium, Kingman Island, the National Arboretum, and the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

By Spring 2012, construction will be complete on two new pedestrian bridges on both sides of the river connecting South Capitol Street to Benning Road. Design of the Kenilworth Gardens segment, which will connect Benning Road in the District to the Bladensburg Trail in Maryland, is 65 percent done and scheduled to conclude in the summer. Construction is planned to begin by the end of 2012.

Once completed, there will be close to 60 miles of contiguous trails in the Anacostia River Watershed, an expansive transportation network for those who prefer walking and bicycling to get around the District and beyond.