D.C. is marking a record year for bike lane construction.
The ribbon was cut on the Fourth Street Northwest to Southwest bicycle route along Independence Avenue, capping a big year for bike lanes in D.C. Nine miles were built this year, so the District now has 69 miles of bike lanes in all eight wards. Six of those miles are protected bike lanes, meaning they’re shielded from car traffic.
"I definitely prefer the protected bike lane, but I will take what I can get," says Todd Curtis, a Maryland resident who takes Metro into D.C. and then hops on a Capital Bikeshare bicycle to complete his commute. He says the city’s growing network of bike lanes is turning him into a cyclist.
"Definitely feel a lot more comfortable the more they put in, especially with this recent connection they just had, especially with this recent connection they have. The bigger the network, the easier it is to get somewhere and not have to be in the regular lane with traffic," he says.
The District intends to add more protected bike lanes, but such projects are difficult. They require extensive engineering because they take up more road space than a regular bike lane of white stripes painted on asphalt.
But, say officials, they are more popular. District officials say that despite the cold and rain on Tuesday, more than 1,300 bike trips were counted on the protected 15th Street cycle track downtown.
