Washington, DC touts protected bike lane initiative

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Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser recently joined District Department of Transportation (DDOT) personnel in celebrating the completion of 4.15 miles of protected bike lanes in 2020.

The effort expands the District’s protected bike network by over 30 percent, bringing the total to 16.6 miles.

“Mayor Bowser challenged us to come up with big ideas to expand and improve the transportation network in the District, one of which is our goal to expand the protected bike lane network,” DDOT Director Jeff Marootian said. “I’m incredibly proud of the DDOT team for achieving this milestone and continuing their work to create a safe, connected bike lane network in the District.”

The protected bike lane projects are in accordance with the Bowser Administration’s commitment to installing 20 miles of protected bike lanes by the end of 2022. Since January 2020, DDOT has completed a series of protected bike lane projects.

The DDOT has installed 94 miles of bike facilities since 2001, officials noted, adding it significantly expanded the multimodal transportation network in the nation’s capital.

Additionally, the District was recognized as the fourth most bikeable city in the country by PeopleforBikes, with authorities noting the ranking is based on an evaluation of 550 cities. It assesses factors such as ridership level, system safety, and bicycling network.