Testimony of Rachel Maisler,
Chair and Ward 4 Representative, DC Bicycle Advisory Council
Community Member for Transportation, Age-Friendly DC Task Force
DC Council Committee on Transportation and Environment Public hearing on:
B23-242, the Bicycle Advisory Council Expansion Amendment Act of 2019;
>B23-257, the Mandatory Protected Cycling Lane Amendment Act of 2019;
B23-288, the Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act of 2019;
B23-292, the Curb Extensions Act of 2019;
B23-293, the Cyclist Safety Campaign Amendment Act of 2019
B23-412, the Ignition Interlock Program Amendment Act of 2019; and
B23-415, the Vision Zero Distracted Driving Amendment Act of 2019
Thursday, October 24, 2019
As prepared for delivery
I’m here today because I don’t smile when I ride my bike in DC. I don’t smile as a pedestrian, I don’t smile as a driver, or even as a public transit user. Instead, I practically cower in fear that this trip could be my last. Will a driver barreling down the street crash into me? Or will I be able to complete another trip unscathed? These aren’t rhetorical questions. Our roads are a patchwork of utility cuts and ambiguous road markings, riding in our bike lanes is akin to a game of Frogger, add aggressive or inattentive drivers to this mix and you’ve got the Washington, DC travel experience.
My name is Rachel Maisler. Today I’m testifying in my capacity as chair and Ward 4 representative of the DC Bicycle Advisory Council. I also serve as the Community Member for Transportation on the Age-Friendly DC Task Force, and am on the steering committee of the newly-formed DC chapter of Families for Safe Streets. In all these roles, I’m working toward a single goal: eliminating traffic fatalities in the District of Columbia.
I applaud this Council for introducing sevenbold bills since this spring aimed at helping the District accomplish the goal of zero traffic fatalities by 2024. However, thinking about why we’re sitting here today makes me sick to my stomach and brings tears to my eyes. Not a single day goes by where I don’t think of the vulnerable road users who have been killed by drivers in DC, and one in particular.
There are many proposals in the today’s bills that the Bicycle Advisory Council supports, and even reflect some of our previous recommendations. However, there are also some gaps in these bills. Because of the time limit, I’ll provide brief insight on each bill. The BAC will submit a formal written testimony as well.
B23-242: BAC Expansion Amendment Act of 2019
In May, the BAC submitted a comment to Councilmember Todd supporting the addition of DPW to the BAC. We also recommended expanding the legislation to add a scooter rider to our Council. Between bike lane maintenance and parking enforcement, DPW plays an incredibly important role in bicyclist safety. DPW definitely needs to be at our table.
B23-257: Mandatory Protected Cycling Lane Amendment Act of 2019
The BAC’s most frequent recommendation to Council and DDOT is that paint isn’t protection and we need a connected and protected bicycle network in Washington, DC. This legislation would require DDOT to build protected bike lanes or cycletracks when they engage in road reconstruction, major repair, or curb or gutter replacement on that road segment. We urge Council to strengthen and pass this legislation.
B23-292: Curb Extensions Act of 2019
Universal design, like curb extensions that reduce crossing distances for pedestrians, makes our roads safer for all users. Curb extensions would also slow down drivers when they’re making turns – which is when bicyclists are particularly vulnerable to conflict. Many members of the BAC, myself included, support this legislation.
B23-293: Cyclist Safety Campaign Amendment Act of 2019
Quizzing drivers about bicyclist safety on their initial driver’s test is a great start, but in my opinion, this bill doesn’t go far enough. Every time somebody transfers their driver’s license from another state to DC, they should have to take a test. Every time somebody gets a moving violation in the District of Columbia, they should have to take a test.
B23-412: Ignition Interlock Program Amendment Act of 2019
I don’t see any reason not to support this legislation.
B23-415: Vision Zero Distracted Driving Amendment Act of 2019
I don’t see any reason not to support this legislation, however, recommend Council change “accident” to “crash” on all references.
B23-288: Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act of 2019
Better street design makes our roads safer for everybody. The entirety of DC is urban, and there’s no reason why lanes on Florida — or any — Avenue should be as wide as the lanes on the Florida Turnpike. Our policies and road designs should make it impossible for a driver to reach a speed of 68 or 78 miles per hour.
The Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Bill is a good start. There are many policies in this legislation that the BAC has discussed and agreed upon during my tenure, including:
- Quicker implementation of safety measures at high-risk intersections. Every summer, members of our group stand on street corners with DDOT reviewing why these intersections are so dangerous. For example, in June of 2017, I stood on the corner of 7thand K Streets NW for one of these meetings. DDOT, the Mt. Vernon BID and other attendees discussed many solutions to help make this intersection safer. As far as my naked eye can see, no changes have been made here since then.
- We support the pick-up/drop-off zone proposal but recommend said zones should not be directly adjacent to bike lanes as that would increase the risk for dooring.
- I support the Complete Streets Project delivery process.
- The enhancements to the Multi-modal Long Range Transportation plan, including the goal drastically reducing commuter trips in private vehicles.
- Lowering the speed limit throughout the District (but we need enforcement to support this change if passed)
- Banning right turns on red – If I had to pick one proposal on the table today, this would be it – second would be lowering speed limits.
- I support allowing DPW and other enforcement agencies to issue parking tickets based on photos. Far too often, I call 311 to report dangerously parked vehicles in bike lanes and cross walks, and far too often it takes DPW hours to respond.
- I support stronger efforts to get vehicles with unpaid citations off the road – why 5? Lower it to three. The ride-hail driver that tried to run me over last night has two outstanding tickets from this past month alone. We need to get these cars off the road before their drivers kill somebody else.
Ultimately, we need Council to enact and fund these proposals so DDOT and other District agencies can start delivering policies, programs and infrastructure that will save lives. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great start. But we can and must do better! Shortly/you just heard from fellow BAC member David Cranor about ways you can strengthen this legislation.
Vision Zero is very much painted as a transportation and enforcement campaign, but public health plays a huge role. We need to do a better job of quantifying the number of people injured in traffic crashes who do not file police reports. As you’ll hear from fellow BAC member Jeff Johnson, we need the DC Department of Health to establish a trauma registry.
Residents of DC need you to strengthen, fund and implement the policies that will save lives. While I hope you finalize the provision to lower speed limits throughout the District, I hope that doesn’t slow down the mark-up and final votes on these bills.
At the end of the day, we all know that to get to Vision Zero, we need to drastically reduce the number of drivers on the roads in DC. Fewer vehicles means fewer opportunities for conflicts with vehicles. While these bills all include valuable safety measures that will protect vulnerable road users, they fail at prioritizing public transportation. Affordable, reliable, efficient, equitable public transportation is what will get people out of their cars and DC to Vision Zero. Thank you.