The federal government announced plans last week to remove the bike lanes that go through the National Mall along 15th Street.
The National Park Service and the Department of Transportation said it鈥檚 part of an effort to ease congestion ahead of the Cherry Blossom Festival and the nation鈥檚 250th anniversary events.
The Federal Highway Administration said it鈥檚 about 鈥渞eturning common sense to city planning.鈥�
Not surprisingly, cyclists don鈥檛 see it that way. Colin Browne with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association said the government鈥檚 own data shows that, since the bike lanes have been in place, travel times are down and the area is safer.
鈥淐rashes overall for all modes 鈥� that’s people biking, people driving, people walking 鈥� were down 40%. Crashes for people on bikes were down 90%,鈥� Browne said.
Hoping to delay, and potentially stop, the removal of the bike lanes, the association Monday.
Like many recent lawsuits against government agencies, this one rests on what the plaintiffs see as federal agencies acting unilaterally and without following proper, established legal procedures 鈥� especially when transparency and public input is required.
鈥淲e briefly hoped that the involved agencies might follow the process, but the East Wing of the White House provides some pretty clear evidence that without legal intervention that probably wouldn’t happen,” Browne said.
He added there is a 鈥渨ell established way that you go about making this sort of change, and just sort of unilaterally deciding that you’re going to tear out a piece of infrastructure is not the way forward.鈥�
Demolition of the bike lanes is scheduled to begin March 30.
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