Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s DC Slow Streets program will expand in early November, adding another five miles of streets to the program.
The result will be more than 26 miles of roadways for safe social distancing while walking, biking, and rolling through DC neighborhoods, officials said.
“DC’s Slow Streets program reflects the Bowser Administration’s commitment to reimagining public space to improve accessibility and safety for residents,” said DDOT Director Jeff Marootian. “The public’s overwhelmingly positive response to this program shows we are making it easier for our residents to enjoy the outdoors as we mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”
DC Slow Streets were installed on local streets and have a speed limit of 15 miles per hour. The streets are restricted to local traffic only and have no bus routes on them. Additionally, the streets are linked to parks or other places to bike and walk.
Installation on the next five miles of Slow Streets began at the end of October and is expected to be completed in early November. Slow Streets will be installed in Wards 1, 3, 5, and 7. No Slow Streets will be installed in Ward 8 because of an amendment to the Connected Transportation Network Emergency Act of 2020 and the Connected Transportation Network Temporary Act of 2020.
The Slow Streets initiative was announced in early June – part of Bowser’s effort to reimagine public space for safety and health during the Covid-19 pandemic and related public health emergency.