Envision

Adams Morgan: Working Group On Transportation Issues

INTRODUCTION
The neighborhood now called Adams Morgan began to be urbanized in the late 19th century as public transportation started to make the area more accessible to the already settled areas of Washington City. Distance from the center and the rise in elevation had until then limited development in the area to large estates. With the coming of electric streetcars in 1892 the neighborhoods first housing boom took off. The history of Adams Morgan has been closely linked with transportation concerns ever since. In 2006 a comprehensive report on Adams Morgans transportation problems was done as part of the preparation for the eventual 18th Street Streetscape project. Many of the recommendations of that report regarding 18th Street were implemented or were discarded after careful study. However, the problems identified outside of the immediate streetscape area largely still exist and the study, which was funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), will serve as a baseline for the Envision Adams Morgan working group study. This note will look in turn at mass transit in Adams Morgan and then at more individual forms of transportation: private cars, bicycles and walking.
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MASS TRANSIT
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) -- provides the Adams Morgan area with its basic public transportation system in the form of the Metro Bus System and the Metro Subway System that provide service for both able bodied and handicapped passengers. A complex system of grants and payments from three regional authorities, plus that of the Federal Highway Administration and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) primarily fund the WMATA system. The US Congress, the DC Council, the National Capitol Planning Commission (NCPC) and the Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) also impact WMATAs plans and policies. WMATA is the Federal, state, and district statutory authority as the areas lead planning and coordinating body for transportation matters. The DC Public School (DCPS) system is also a major provider of bus services for school children in Adams Morgan and citywide, and various agencies, including WMATA, provide 1 18th Street Adams Morgan Transportation and Parking Study Final Recommendations Report, HNTB
District of Columbia, P.C., March 2006. This report drew on Adams-Morgan Parking, Transit and Traffic Improvement Design Project, 1991. http://www.scribd.com/collections/3615360/Transportation-and- Transit-Working-Group 2 Tables and a map from the ESRI Community Analyst on transportation in Adams Morgan will be available on the working groups website. http://www.scribd.com/collections/3615360/Transportation-and- Transit-Working-Group

special jitneys for elderly and handicapped passengers for both point-to-point travel and connections to bus stops and subway stations.

Metro Buses
Adams Morgan is presently served by 13 bus routes traveling north/south on 16th and 18th Streets and Connecticut Avenue (from California to Florida) and east/west on Columbia Road. This represents a reduction of five routes from those listed in the 2006 study and the addition of two new rush hour buses, the 43 on Columbia Road and the S9 on 16th Street. This is in contrast to the 2006 DDOT report, which recommended overall enhanced bus service for Adams Morgan. Recent developments have also featured the elimination of any non-rush hour and weekend bus service between the Taft Bridge and the Connecticut Avenue Hilton. The only positive improvement in bus service for Adams Morgan has been the Circulator connection traveling between Woodley Park and Columbia Heights through Adams Morgan (see below) to McPherson Square. Current problems with bus service, in addition to that now experienced by Connecticut Avenue residents, includes: lack of on-time buses and the absence of real time displays of estimated arrival times for all Metro buses at bus stops and shelters--like the displays at Metro subway stations. Happily, a contract was finally awarded in February 2013 by DDOT to get this service operational; morning, late afternoon, and evening rush hour problems with 42s and S2 and S4 buses that are too jam-packed to stop for additional passengers, especially on16th Street for the S buses, and Connecticut Avenue for the 42 -- and sometimes the 43, a rush hour bus that has been recently added and has served to greatly improve Columbia Road and Connecticut Avenue service. In addition, these problems are beginning to be alleviated on the S line by the addition of two southbound S2 and S4 buses on 16th Street that start at Euclid Street and terminate at Farragut Square. These additional buses operate between the hours of 7:45 and 9:15 a.m.; further, additional Metro buses, including stretch buses, are being provided for the evening northbound rush hour and late night employment shift changes along the 16th Street corridor between P Street and Park Road; scheduling changes that reflect service-worker shift changes on the 42 line are badly needed; frequency remains a problem even on the good lines, especially in the late evening-- north bound for service workers and south bound for entertainment venue travelers; bunching remains a problem on the 42/43, S1/S2/S4 and 90s lines; 2

basic maintenance of fare card machines on all of the older buses and cleanliness on the 18th and Florida/U 90 buses is poor; comfort and operating conditioning on the new Metro buses is a great improvement. Older Metro buses do not always have operating air conditioning and have very uncomfortable seats; at many of the stops, DPW has placed trash collection receptacles directly in front of where passengers get on and off the bus; there are too few bus shelters and too few bus stops. The DDOT report strongly supported more bus shelters but recommended fewer bus stops; signage, especially indicating bus routes that stop at Metro subway stations, should be improved. This was another strong recommendation from the DDOT report and remains to be implemented. The only major implementation has been the inclusion of through Adams Morgan on buses and subway stops; the absence of informational outreach informing Adams Morgan residents and visitors of the routes and schedules of such little known Metro buses as the H1 (the rush hour bus that runs through Adams Morgan on Columbia Road and Connecticut Avenue between Brookland and Potomac Park) and how to transfer to Dupont Circle buses when traveling to Georgetown and Howard Universities and to Sibley and Georgetown Hospitals using P and Q Street bus stops for the D2 and the G2, for example, and where to catch the Circulator bus to the Georgetown business district; the stop is below Dupont Circle on 19th and N Streets. the lack of traffic safety improvements, especially at the dangerous intersections of 18th at Columbia and Adams Mill Roads and that of Florida Avenue and U/Vernon Streets. There are also current safety concerns regarding the sharing of center lanes among turning vehicles, large delivery trucks, and Metro buses on 18th Street and Columbia Road. The only safety improvement dating from the DDOT 2006 report is the elimination of the slip lane for right turns from Columbia onto Adams Mill, which has the unintended consequence of making it difficult for buses turning left from Columbia Road and pedestrians crossing Adams Mill and 18th Street.

Other recent improvements have included the introduction of SmartTrip cards for bus as well as subway usage and the elimination of paper transfers.

Metro Subway System

Metros subway system is a joy for users--when it is fully operational and is running on schedule; otherwise it is simply tolerable. Fundamental problems include: poor maintenance of all aspects of the system--especially rails and switching mechanisms, passenger cars, and escalators and elevators and including, surprisingly, the integrity of subway station walls and ceilings; a poor safety record system-wide, with major incidents at both Dupont Circle and Woodley Park stations (not to mention the tragic accident in June of 2009 near Takoma Park where 9 people died); Metros unpreparedness for snow and ice, causing it to shut down above ground service while below ground continues in full operation; infrequent trains on holidays and weekends, especially when major track work and maintenance is scheduled; the failure of WMATA to aggressively lead in the development and coordination of a systematic approach to shuttle and feeder buses to subway stations; the lack of funds that would enable WMATA to run any kind of 24 hour, seven day a week schedule.

DCPS and Special Needs Bus Services

More needs to be done to ensure that safety and timeliness are at high performance levels in these important areas of bus and subway services.

Fares in the WMATA System

Only seniors and young students get good deals on public transportation fares within the District; fares are especially onerous on those who commute to work from beyond the District line. For low-wage workers, who are forced into the outer suburbs due to housing costs, this disproportionate transportation cost as a condition of work is egregiously unfair.

Circulator Bus Service

The Circulator's distinct red buses are unlike any other public transit service around townwith low floors, big windows and multiple doors for easy on-and-off service. Also, passengers don't need a bus schedule; the Circulator comes every 10 minutes and each ride only costs $1. Metrorail riders using SmartTrip cards are also eligible for discounted transfer fares. 4

The Circulator is the product of a unique public/private partnership between the District Department of Transportation, DC Surface Transit, Inc. and the various Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) throughout DC. The idea for a quick, efficient, low-cost, public-transit system originated in the National Capital Planning Commission's 1997 "Extending the Legacy: Planning America's Capital for the 21st Century" vision for the District. The Downtown Business Improvement District (Downtown BID) was an early champion of its implementation. Now more than a decade later the DC Circulator is expanding to link cultural, entertainment and business destinations within the city's central core and District neighborhoods. Two new routes were added in March 2009 and the most recent, in October 2011. Now there are five Circulator routes in all, providing easy connections to neighborhoods throughout the District and into Rosslyn, Virginia. This dynamic transit system promotes ease of movement in our world-class capital city and complements Metro's transit services throughout the region. The Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square route was added in March 2009. The route hours are: Sunday - Thursday: 7am Midnight and Friday and Saturday: 7am 3:30am. It makes stops in the following locations in Adams Morgan: Originating at Woodley Park in the direction of McPherson Square 18th St. NW/Calvert Road Columbia Rd/Ontario Street NW Originating at McPherson Square in the direction of Woodley Park Columbia Rd NW/Ontario Street Columbia Rd/18th St. NW/Adams Mill Road Since the Woodley Park/Adams Morgan/McPherson Square route began in March of 2009, the peak monthly ridership was 152,700 passengers in October 2011. The average monthly ridership on this route is about 130,000 passengers.

Streetcar Service3
In the first half of the twentieth century, the District had a robust streetcar network with more than 200 miles of track and multiple companies providing service. But, like many US cities, the District shelved the streetcars in favor of buses and the last day of streetcar service in the city was January 28, 1962.
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Sources: http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/About+DDOT/Publications/DC+Transit+Future

http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/On+Your+Street/Mass+Transit+in+DC/DC+Streetcar/DC+Streetcar+Overvie w

Today, many regret the shortsighted decision-making that silenced streetcar lines across the country and streetcars are now making a comeback. Streetcars are running once again in places like Portland, Seattle, and Tampa and theyve been credited with boosting economic development along their routes. Here in the District, the streetcar construction that is underway now is rooted in a planning process that began several years ago to shape the future of transit in the city. The comprehensive District of Columbia Transit Improvements Alternatives Analysis (DCAA) studied gaps in transit and identified ways to better meet the needs of residents. Out of that, DDOT began focusing on expanding transit service with the DC Circulator, express Metro bus routes, bus rapid transit, and streetcar. The streetcar offers an array of benefits. First, it will make it easier for residents to move between neighborhoods. It will also spur economic development. Unlike buses, fixed rail lines have demonstrated they can be catalysts to attract investments in housing, retail and commercial properties. The goals of the new DC Streetcar system are simple: Link neighborhoods with a modern, convenient and attractive transportation alternative (basically streetcar is sexy and studies have shown that people who wont ride the bus will ride the streetcar). Provide quality service to attract and reach new transit ridership. Offer a broader range of transit options for District residents Reduce short inner-city auto trips, parking demand, traffic congestion, and air pollution. Encourage economic development and affordable housing options along streetcar corridors.

Without streetcars, the prospects for public transportation in the District are much less promising. The forecast calls for a 32 percent increase in the number of transportation trips in the District by 2030. Already, many Metro bus routes and Metrorail lines are operating at or above capacity, and congestion on two Metrorail lines was expected to become unmanageable by 2013. It is clear there is a need for more transit service and the DC Streetcar is an investment that will pay tremendous dividends for District residents. The DC Streetcar Development Plan is organized into three phases: First Phase includes Anacostia Line, H and Benning Road, along with Union Station/Mount Vernon Square, K Street, M Street SE, MLK Jr Avenue, and Lower Georgia Avenue.

Second Phase includes Georgia Avenue, Congress Heights, Florida Avenue, U Street to Calvert Street (Adams Morgan portion), Rhode Island Avenue South and North and Georgetown. Third Phase includes Minnesota Avenue, Bolling AFB, Columbia Road (Adams Morgan portion), Michigan Avenue and 7th Street.

There is not a timeline yet for the second and third phases that would include Adams Morgan streets.

AUTOMOBILES
The 2006 DDOT report made clear that too many cars are coming into Adams Morgan for the street network to absorb and that there are insufficient parking spaces for residents and visitors alike. Mayor Grays transportation vision for DC also encourages less reliance on the automobile and more walking and use of public transportation. Too many cars entering Adams Morgan with nowhere to park creates a volume of traffic on the streets and aggressive behavior on the part of the drivers generating a safety problem. Many of the problems created by too many cars such as speeding, illegal turns, illegal parking, creation of ad hoc loading zones, and ignoring red lights, stops signs and pedestrian crosswalks are against the law. The view of many residents is that the Metropolitan Police Department does not adequately enforce the existing traffic laws. In Adams Morgan there has been a very limited adoption of traffic calming strategies compared to some other DC neighborhoods. Traffic calming devices include roundabouts, speed bumps, speed cameras, rumble strips, pedestrian refuge areas, raised crosswalks, and one-way streets. The 18th Street streetscape project led to some marginal improvements along that thoroughfare but otherwise calming efforts are mostly absent from Adams Morgan other than speed bumps on Lanier Place and on Champlain Street under the Marie Reed Schools overpass. In contrast, in Sheridan-Kalorama there are speed bumps on Kalorama Road and California Street. There is a limited network of one-way streets in Adams Morgan compared to the Dupont-Logan Circle area where a large number of crosstown streets are one-way. Such streets can calm traffic but the 2006 report did not recommend the expansion of the existing network taking the view that the cons largely counterbalanced the pros. However, the increasing volume of traffic has exacerbated the problems on narrow streets since that time. The one-way street in front of Harris-Teeter helped that area with the higher traffic volume. With the construction of the Adams Morgan Historic Hotel, traffic will increase on Champlain and Euclid Streets. New housing along 17th Street will also increase traffic volume. Additional one-way streets could also reduce the opportunities for taxis and others to circle the neighborhood excessively.

The 2006 report devoted considerable time to looking at the gateways to Adams Morgan, specifically the intersections of 18th Street with Columbia Road and Florida Avenue. While views differ on their effectiveness, some improvements were made at Florida Avenue and 18th Street. Except for the backlogs of cars coming north on 18th Street turning right on Florida having a problem because the right-turn lane is very short, the situation was improved in that area, particularly for pedestrian safety. However, the intersection of 18th and Columbia is still unsatisfactory. For a number of reasons including the large expanse of the intersection, cars often dont yield to pedestrians. Recently the community has learned that Columbia Road between Champlain Street and Mozart Place will become even more heavily used for loading zones with the construction of new condos and retail space at the location of the old Ontario Theater. DDOT needs to clarify the rules for loading zones along 18th Street and Columbia Road (e.g., is unloading from the middle of the street legal? Are there time restrictions?) and MPD needs to enforce the law. Parking Parking meters exist in most of the commercial areas of Adams Morgan and so there appears to be limited scope for increasing the coverage area. However, the time that the meters are in use as well as the cost could be changed. The use of peak-load pricing (also known as performance parking) has begun to be implemented in DC and would appear to be a useful option for Adams Morgan. However, peak pricing would only make sense if the meters were in use during Adams Morgans peak hours including weekday evenings and on weekends. Garage spacethere is very limited off-street paid parking in Adams Morgan. Presently there are 254 garage spaces at 1711 Florida Avenue and 271 spaces in the 18th Street garage in Adams Morgan. Given land usage there would appear to be little scope for increasing the number of commercial parking garages in Adams Morgan. However, the effect on parking should be taken into consideration as the community discusses development projects for 1711 Florida Avenue, which is currently a parking garage. In the past, the redevelopment of the Marie Reed Community Center has been discussed including the construction of a parking garage. Such a re-development project would likely face community opposition for a number of reasons. To encourage daytime business in Adams Morgan there is a daytime parking discount at the 18th Street garage. With validation from any Adams Morgan business (no purchase necessary) customers can park for up to 4 hours for $7 (5 p.m. exit required) or up to 2 hours for $3. This is available 7 days a week. In 2012, the DC Council finalized legislative changes to the Residential Parking Program (RPP) program in Adams Morgan that provides for supplying each of the roughly 7,000 households

within ANC1C (Adams Morgan) with a visitor pass putting further pressure on available street parking. The new regulations also created resident-only parking on one side of streets designated RPP. Given that RPP is only in effect during 7:30 am-8: 30 pm during weekdays when parking is not in such short supply, the institution of the residents only zones did not have a large effect. It did however put big pressure on local nonprofit organizations that rely on volunteers driving to assist them during the day. Following the community process that Georgetown used for managing its parking regulations could be a good example for Adams Morgan. Recently the DC Office of Planning has proposed to remove the requirement for developers to provide minimum amounts of parking in certain newly named zones (i.e. mixed-use transit zones and apartment transit zones) and locations close to Metro stops or high service bus corridors. This step may not be suited for an area such as Adams Morgan where parking is in short supply. However, this is consistent with the DC Office of Planning and DDOTs objectives to reduce the number of vehicles driving the streets of DC and encourage people to use mass-transit and other means of transportation. Recently the issue of valet parking has arisen in part because of the unsatisfactory conduct of one of the operators of valet service. If the vision for Adams Morgan is one of reducing the number of cars entering Adams Morgan, particularly during the entertainment zones peak hours, then increasing the use of valet parking may be questionable. Taxis would seem to be an attractive alternative. Alternatively, valet can be seen as a positive amenity that helps discourage drivers from circling looking for parking. Some high-end restaurants across the city rely heavily on valet parking to bring customers to them. Finally, the reservation of certain spaces for car-share companies such as ZipCar is a parking issue, but this subject is covered in another portion of the working groups report. Whether or not ZipCar parking should be allowed at public parking locations is a subject of controversy.

BICYCLES
Bicycles are an important and growing mode of transportation in Adams Morgan and across DC. As evidenced by DCs Bicycle Master Plan (April 2005), Adams Morgan Transportation and Parking Study (March 2006), and the Mayors Vision for a Sustainable DC, our city government is intent on promoting and expanding bicycle use throughout the District. For example, in his sustainable vision plan, the Mayor set a goal that by 2032 at least 75% of all trips originating in the city will be by walking, biking, transit, or other clean transportation alternative, and that the District will complete 80 miles of bike lanes.

The promotion of bicycles is also evident in the citys rapidly growing Capital Bikeshare program, which was launched in August 2008 and now includes over 175 stations providing over 1670 bicycles to over 24,000 annual members in DC and Northern Virginia. In Adams Morgan, there are 6 Capital Bikeshare stations. Within the last five years, other than Capital Bikeshare, the Streetscape Project has likely had the largest impact on bicycles in Adams Morgan. For example, the project created bike lanes, provided additional bike racks, and created bicycle-friendly traffic calming intersections. We now have bicycle lanes along the major streets of Adams Morgan, including the following locations: Calvert Street, going to Rock Creek Park and its bike path Columbia Road And several secondary streets, such as Euclid Street, W Street and Adams Mill Road.

One problem, though, that cyclists sometimes encounter concerns the continuity of the local bike lanes, which on occasion will fairly abruptly disappear from the street, or will shift their location on the roadway without notice. The Capital Bikeshare program of rental bikes has been expanding with stations now at 18th Street and Columbia Road; at Columbia Road and Belmont Road; on 18th Street outside of the Marie Reed Center; at 16th Street at Harvard; and at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Ontario Road. Additionally, the street-surface bike logo or sharrow has been placed along many major streets. A sharrow (a blend of share and arrow) is a shared-lane marking on a lane of a paved road's surface indicating that bicyclists may use any portion of the full width of the lane. There are also a number of bike racks throughout Adams Morgan, especially at Columbia and Ontario near the offices of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), and at the Marie Reed Center. The number of racks continues to grow. Looking to the future, bicycles offer a healthy, clean form of transportation that has the potential to ease significantly the burdens of traffic and pollution. However, this growth must be done responsibly. In a multi-modal transportation system such as ours, expanding cycling not only has costs (e.g., signage, bike racks, and bike lanes), but may also increase safety hazards and risks. Without the proper facilities and rules in place, cyclists pose increased safety risks to 10

themselves and others, including pedestrians and drivers. This safety concern is particularly relevant to Adams Morgan, which, according to the 2006 study, had some of the higher-volume bike crash locations in the District.

Other items for consideration: Bicycle Safety and Access

DC Law & Legislative History Bicycle Policy Modernization Amendment Act of 2008 Bicycle Registration Reform Amendment Act of 2008 Bicycle Safety Amendment Act of 2008 Child Helmet Safety Amendment Act of 2000 DC Municipal Regulation DCMR 18-12: Bicycles, Motorized Bicycles, and Miscellaneous Vehicles General Information DC Bike Program Fact Sheet Summer 2012 Safe Bicycling in the Washington Area Brochure Standards & Specifications Bicycle Facility Design Guide Transportation Plans & Studies DC Bicycle Master Plan

Bicycle Parking
DC Law & Legislative History Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Amendment Act of 2007 Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Amendment Act of 2010 DC Municipal Regulation DCMR 11-2119: Off-Street Parking Requirements DCMR 18-1208: Bicycles Racks DCMR 18-1209: Parking Bicycles on Public Space DCMR 18-1210: Removal of Bicycles from Public Space DCMR 18-4028: Bicycle Racks General Information FAQ: Bike Racks & Other Street Furniture Mayoral Order Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Amendment Act of 2007 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Bicycle Rack Placement in Public Space

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Standards & Specifications Bicycle Rack Design Guide Bicycle Parking Guidelines

WALKING
Adams Morgan, with its close in-town location, is an area that generally has a very good layout for pedestrian travel. The Adams Morgan locale is made up of four distinct, smaller neighborhoods which were all built up about 1900 when walking was the natural and typical way of getting around locally. Today we are also fortunate that the District government is well aware of the importance of neighborhood travel, and is in its daily operations of maintenance and improvement routinely looking out for the welfare of its walking residents. The Mayors Vision for a Sustainable DC issued in 2012 identifies transportation as one of the major components to consider when planning better use of energy. The report notes that walking and biking can reduce obesity and can help to maintain a persons overall health. As mentioned earlier, this study sets a goal of having 75% of all city trips be by walking, biking or transit. Since walking was the basic neighborhood mode of travel when Adams Morgan was first developed, all of the streets of the area were designed to have sidewalks, and over the years any new work has been generally well planned, and mostly well maintained with respect to pedestrian travel. At intersections, the corners have always been well marked and properly signed and signaled. The alleys were usually not designed for short-cut travel, but this sometimes did occur, from the beginning and happens now too, so this is a factor in alley upkeep. Currently, the District continues to maintain the areas sidewalks in a generally good manner, and to monitor the needs of walkers and wheelchairs at intersections. Unfortunately, sidewalks are almost always considered a secondary-part of the roadways in this area (as well as in most other neighborhoods). This treatment sometimes does not give walkers the priority attention they should probably have at certain key locations, in particular along the routes to the two Metro stations. There is also the issue of interactions between bicycles and walkers both needing space. Sometime bikers use the roadway, sometimes the sidewalk; the rules for all should be made plain and then followed. One way to look at the walking pattern is to break it into two parts: internal travel, and travel to leave or enter the neighborhood. Inside walking is fairly basic and straightforward. The citys system of traffic control is generally good. Going outside the neighborhood, to Metro or elsewhere, is perhaps the more important issue to look at here. The somewhat special configuration of the area streets that enclose Adams Morgan means that on all sides there are

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well-defined entrance and exit walking-routes into the neighborhood. Making these major routes each a clear and easy travel pathway is key. There are several ways of doing this, including the citys recent new use of the beige pebble-surface sidewalks here, which is definitely a good idea. Continued use of this surface on the main routes surrounding Adams Morgan would be helpful, for example, along Columbia Road, especially going toward the Columbia Heights Metro; along the rest of Calvert Street going to Woodley Park, and perhaps on a few other streets. In addition, the area has a couple of complex intersections, and pedestrians could be given a simplified walking pattern at these spots. For example, the intersections at Calvert and Adams Mill, and also at 16th and Columbia, could be reconfigured to make them more pleasant for pedestrians, and could even be designed to act as gateway entrances to Adams Morgan. The recent major reconstruction of 18th Street was very well done, and has been a nice benefit to drivers, walkers, and businesses. (If perhaps not so helpful to parkers.) For pedestrians the improvement is dramatic. The old sidewalks there were uneven, cluttered and in many spots, and very narrow. The new work is clear and cleanly constructed. Its surprising how much clearer the street view is when the sidewalk pattern is uniform and gives the walker a straight view down the street. The businesses also benefit: their shops are easier to see, and the several sidewalk cafes can now be set up without crowding out the sidewalk travel space. In contrast is Columbia Road. Today the sidewalks of this main thoroughfare through Adams Morgan are a mixture of good and bad. There are areas that have not been evenly maintained, and could use some improvements. For example, between Mintwood and 16th there are stretches that should be properly re-built to give the walkers a better travel space, and to make the walkways easier for the businesses to use. The south side of Columbia between Ontario and Champlain is a visible example of a problem spot. The city has done a good job recently of re-building the areas alleyways. These, as in most locales, are something of a continuing problem (trash, lurking, etc.), and fresh ideas about what might be done would be beneficial. With local schools, there is some walking involved, and as this function has evolved over the years, a satisfactory travel plan has naturally evolved. In addition, many students are bused or dropped off by car. Some issues to consider for walkers are: the visual pleasantness, safety, and ease of the walking. This can easily be noted with a simple stroll along the major routes. Generally, lighting is very good. But the city could check more routinely and more often to ensure that obstructions, especially with sidewalk vending, do not block, or become permanent. Broken or bent city signs should be fixed promptly, and graffiti promptly removed. Traffic signs, as needed, should be correctly re-aligned. Private signs should be monitored too, and not be allowed to block the sidewalk. When street and sidewalk construction occurs, the city should always be mindful of

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the quality of the construction being done and not accept poor, damaged, or graffiti-marred work from the contractors doing the job. Overall, the District government has done some careful planning to help support pedestrian travel in Adams Morgan, and with citizen input the city should be encouraged to look at ways of making even more improvements.

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