District Department of Transportation (DDOT) officials said agency plans to install Car Free Lanes in high-traffic areas would support enhanced bus travel efficiency and create bicyclist space.
Later this month, DC Car Free Lanes would be installed at 7th Street, NW, between Massachusetts Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW; Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE between W Street, SE and St. Elizabeth’s East Campus; and M Street, SE between 10th Street and Half Street, SE.
“We know that dedicated bus lanes make public transportation more efficient and reliable,” Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “As we continue reimagining public spaces, these lanes will help us encourage bus and bicycle travel, reduce traffic, and build a greener DC.”
The endeavor is in conjunction with DDOT’s Bus Priority Program initiative to bolster bus speed and reliability across all eight wards, officials said, adding other program projects include the H/I Street bus lanes launched in June 2019; the 14th Street NW bus lanes pilot is currently under construction; and the 16th Street NW bus lanes slated for construction later this summer.
“Improving bus transit and creating bike facilities are critical to achieving Mayor Bowser’s sustainable transportation goals,” DDOT Director Jeff Marootian said. “The Car Free Lanes improve the reliability of DC Circulator and Metrobus service and create space for cyclists to safely traverse some of the District’s busiest corridors.”