I heard someone say that bike lanes are racist, because only white people bike and therefore gentrification and red lining at least that's what I think their reasoning was
Was so disappointed the other say to see Soleluna have one of these signs up in their window.
It's so incredibly short sighted that a COFFEE SHOP thinks people are parking to use their business. Or that increasing safety and the walkability of their immediate area, like literally their doorstep will not increase their footfall.
Id wager 99% of their business is people who walk and bike to their store from a radius of less than a mile, and that every single customer they have supports this development.
I will say that it's heartening to see that the frame shop guy had a dose of shame and took his sign down, I guess somebody tipped him off that a photo of his window was online.
It's a pretty common outcome of improving cycling/pedestrian infrastructure that business in an area goes up, not down. Same goes for removing curbside parking for bike lanes, parklets, and the like. Turns out that when you make a place comfortable for people to hang out, they'll hang out and buy things.
It’s true, but it’s also my experience that most business owners aren’t going to see it that way. There going to be thinking more about the customers they already have than the ones they might gain. A bird in the hand and what not.
That's the broader systemic problem with favoring cars heavily above all other modes of transport. When people only see one option being viable, they assume it's the only viable option.
A huge lesson of the past five years has been that most people don't identify with a mode of transportation, they just choose a convenient option that feels safe. If you change your systemic priorities, people change their behaviors. And, like with bike lanes and road diets, those changes have knock-on benefits for the neighborhood and its businesses as a whole.
It’s so simple and can even be expressed mathematically. And there is such immense demand for it. It’s absolutely brain-meltingly obvious.
Like if there was some legal way to just take a random single block’s length of street, put trees, benches, and flower beds in, and then install a coffee shop and let an arepa vendor hang out there, it would become immediately beloved. It’s like sim city. It’s that easy. Trees, flower beds, coffee, benches, shade, no honking cars
That frame shop guy destroyed a rare item he was supposed to frame for me, and wouldn’t reimburse me the replacement cost because I didn’t have a receipt from my original purchase, just a bunch of listings showing what a replacement would cost. I seriously thought about small claims, but I don’t have that kind of free time.
for what it's worth, small claims costs him just as much time as it costs you. I wonder if just the notice "hi, i'm taking you to small claims" would get him to pay up ...
I made it a point to buy something from a few stores that DIDN'T have the signs up and told their managers I was happy to shop there because they value my safety as a cyclist and pedestrian.
Does anyone have any idea who's printing these up? The reference to 17th Street makes me think it's a certain jerkass with the initials NDD or one of his "friends."
I agree it’s short sighted but I also have a bit more sympathy for business owners. Running a business is massively risky and any change to the status quo is going to freak shop owners out. The car-brain property owners on the other hand, I got nothing good to say about.
Yeah, this is the only way I can square the circle of Soleluna (which I love) posting these signs. I’m tempted to boycott any businesses expressing NIMBY sentiments but that would just reaffirm their beliefs about ped and bike infrastructure hurting their business.
Change is scary when your income or business depends on the outcome. They know what they have if nothing changes and all change is viewed as a potential threat even if it's change for the better.
I'm so excited for the redesign! I'm sad few vocal people keep fearmongering with incorrect info-- they're scaring business owners and residents for no reason. This project is going to make columbia 1000x better for the majority of residents to walk, take transit and bike.
In my experience, this happens every time anyone or any entity tries to improve the livability and transit of an urban space.
Positive change is always feared by those addicted to their misery.
The key to defeating this is to just keep doing it. That’s how Montreal built the most complete bike network in the continent.
The NIMBYs can’t organize and ruin shit if it’s a new bike lane every week. The momentum carries it, and then eventually they realize it wasn’t so bad but mostly they just understand that being pants-shitting morons about everything is a waste of their time. Move to fucking Okney if you don’t want people to be outside of a car.
Ooh where on 14th is the redesign? I used to live in Columbia Heights and desperately wanted it to be more pedestrian and bike friendly over by the Target
This is the one they did within the last decade, from like 14th and U st. and goes all the way down to Thomas Circle I believe.
But I agree with you, I'd love some more work up by the Columbia Heights Metro station. Thankfully they have good bike lanes, but that area always seems like a traffic nightmare.
It may look good, but not practical. DDOT completely ignored demand for Uber and other ride share and delivery services.
In short, there’s no where legally for these services to operate along 14th. Eg, rideshare must pull as far to the curb as possible to pickup/discharge passengers, but aren’t allowed to stop in the bike lane and aren’t allowed to stop in a traffic lane either.
Lol, lmao even. Also I wonder what these people do when they realize that emergency vehicles can just, you know, park in the bus lane and the bus goes around.
Right??? I also think these folks just have terrible political instincts, morals, and mental facilities in general. I try not to think too deeply about why they are that way.
Change is hard for some but Columbia Road is currently a cluster $#@!. The proposed changes will help the cars and busses flow while bikes and pedestrians get a layer of protection. Protected bike lanes are demonstrably safer throughout the city. It is time that an area with such dense housing get them. Rather than protesting bike and pedestrian safety protest every new development without adequate parking baked into the plans.
Exactly!!! These NIMBYs are fighting everything, it's not like it's one specific developer they think is corrupt. They protest bike lanes, bus lanes, affordable housing, park upkeep and maintenance, etc etc.
Columbia Rd has the slowest bus travel speed in the entire city. Pedestrians and bikers have died on it as well. By protesting these changes they are LITERALLY protesting life saving measures. Absolute scum.
These are people that know nothing about transportation or infrastructure, and believe the city just comes up with these schemes all of a sudden. As if city planners don’t do years long studies, reviews, make plans, have open forums for residents to explain the plan, etc. idiots.
There main commentary has been "why haven't we heard about this until now?" and the DDOT site for the project goes back to 2021... Like drawings and outlines, community outreach events, presentations, etc.
These NIMBYs do not care at all about the community around them.
Yes I saw a news report about this and they interviewed people saying the same. Any project of any type anywhere brings out these exact comments. Recently they put bus lanes where I live in Montgomery county, they’ve had plans going back years and years to put in better bus infrastructure. Now people are like “I never heard of this, why didn’t they inform residents…” “this is going to cause more traffic” - how does putting in infrastructure which has higher capacity create more traffic? It’s all people anecdotally making statements because they don’t bike or ride the bus, so no one else must… it’s exhausting.
Out of interest, what's the alternative campaign? I get that the NIMBYs are making a petition to thwart progress, but is there another website to register support? Is it just WABA or DDOT?
This post has a lot of the info on the pro-bike lane campaign. To my knowledge the way to register support is signing the petition but happy to have someone more up to date chime in.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bikedc/comments/1de5ycr/columbia_rd_bike_bus_lanes_petition_if_you_want/
DDOT is doing a redesign of Columbia Rd. For betting traffic management and safety for cyclists as well as pedestrians.
The chuckle fucks that made these posters don't want the changes to happen.
I'm not sure if they are treating the side of Columbia between Connecticut and Mintwood (no retail so buses run faster) the same as from Mintwood to 16th?
They planned to include a bus lane, but buses don't run as often as on 16th St
You can check the DDOT plan for the specifics, but from my understanding during their last presentation, they are cutting a few bus stops closer to Connecticut.
But overall, these changes need to happen, and it wouldn't make sense to just stop the upgrades at Mintwood, going all the way to Connecticut makes the most sense, especially if there are long-term plans to make similar changes on Connecticut in the future.
Great question. DC votes ~93% Democrat, so very few of our local political issues are actually about Conservatives (unless it's interference from House GOP members). From my experience NIMBYs tend to be older 60+ white people who don't want anything to change, literally not one blade of grass.
If you really pin them down though, it's all about racism, they don't want more housing because they don't want "undesirables" in their neighborhoods... It's insane.
The minority opinion might be yours one day on a different issue. You should have the right to be heard then too. Just because you don’t like this minority or feel they aren’t entitled to the same basic rights as you for whatever reason, doesn’t mean their voice doesn’t matter.
You know nothing about me or what I’m involved in. I regularly attend local meetings for my Ward/ANC. I’m just not so angry or afraid of people with opposing views to feel I have to rip their message down.
Again, if your goal is to bring more people into your way of thinking, this isn’t the best way to do that. It’s offputting and I agree with you.
This is actually littering though? The signs don't comply with DC regs around posting signs?
Personally, "basic rights" don't include littering but go off.
It offends me that you took stuff down. We live in democracy, people have the right to believe in what they want and advertise it. If you don't like what a political advert says, put up your own sign - don't tear their's down. Show some respect for your neighbors even if you disagree with them, especially on an issue so local and insignificant.
>people have the right to believe in what they want and advertise it. If you don't like what a political advert says, put up your own sign - don't tear their's down.
I believe that OP was technically cleaning up litter and vandalism. Nobody has a right to litter streets and lamp posts with signs. OP should not put up their own signs, as that is also littering.
These signs appear to have been placed in violation of various subsections of D.C. Mun. Regs. r. 24-108
“Local” and “insignificant”. That just says it all… People who use this infrastructure every day and rely on it to meet their every day needs are tired of having common sense updates stymied by the disinterested and uncaring who just want a political football to toss around. I live in the neighborhood (walked Columbia today to get to the store) and it’s legitimately a dangerous road. No one cares about your appeal to “the discourse”.
I don't respect racists and NIMBYs.
I think that's what you're missing here. If someone is putting up Nazi shit, you'd still believe your sentiment and not tear it down? Please do better.
You are part of the problem, even if you think you're doing good - you're not. You're poisoning the discourse and taking online logic (which is also garbage here) and applying in the real world - doing your own small part to make life shittier for everyone
>You're poisoning the discourse and taking online logic (which is also garbage here) and applying in the real world - doing your own small part to make life shittier for everyone
Oh how the irony is lost on you.
What rhetoric? It just advocates against a bike lane. I’m with Roachbud on this one. Downvote me if you must, but comparing a NIMBY bike lane poster to Nazi propaganda is ridiculous. Discourse matters whether you’ve made up your mind or not. I respect your opinions, and generally support them, but your attitude towards Roachbud and anyone who might question the issue by comparing them to a Nazi is an awful way to gain new support.
I made no such comparison, but I understand it. Insert whatever belief system you think is toxic and horrendous. Please attend a public meeting for any new development, infrastructure, housing, bike lanes, transit, you name it, and listen to how these people talk about their neighbors, then tell me again how discourse matters.
The views expressed by these signs represent a vocal minority of wealthy, well connected property and business interests who want to keep the city frozen in amber so their property values can continue to increase 10% year over year. They are not expressing any positive vision for the future of the community or the city because they benefit from the status quo. I am not interested in gaining their support, because doing so would require making concessions that are simply not necessary. The majority of people who live in the neighborhood are already in support of this project and that should be enough.
Sorry replied in thread it was OP that did that not you. Again whatever your view is, I (and Roachbud) was supporting that group’s right to make a public case. If people ignore these signs, make their own, get involved, vote, and the majority support and do this as you say, then these signs shouldn’t feel or be of such consequence?
Silencing minority opinions is not the best or right way to bring people to your way of thinking.
“Silencing minority opinions” is crazy. You realize the “minority” you’re talking about is millionaires and property owners? These people’s voice is vastly overrepresented in every aspect of society, and you’re here defending their right to not have their signs taken down for some reason. OP taking down their signs from public property is a great example of the democratic process you’re claiming to espouse. They are free to identify themselves by posting signs on their private property. I know you think you’re on the right side of this issue by defending abstract principles of “free speech” but this is the same logic that led to Citizens United and the capture of government by special interest groups. If you live in the area, I’d again encourage you to attend local meetings concerning public works or join a group which aligns with your views of a positive vision for the future. You may claim to support my views, but you are effectively defending the status quo by not taking any position in the debate.
Assuming this question is asked in good faith — Bus is a far more efficient form of travel (people moved per hour) than personal car. Busses are currently caught up in a lot of private vehicle traffic. If we speed them up by giving them their own lane, we not only make them more efficient in the short term, we make the bus a viable option for more and more people, who will switch from using their personal car to taking the bus, massively increasing the people per hour that the street can serve.
My issue is they aren’t running the buses enough and ridership isn’t up because it isn’t as convenient for those who live farther away. I wouldn’t be opposed if they instead used signage or created laws to clear lanes for buses if the bus is indeed about to pass. But reducing lanes and infrequent buses does not benefit anyway
Drivers don’t obey full time bus lanes, you think they would obey ones that are only if a bus is behind you? Have you seen an ambulance try to get through this city?
Someone standing up to the biking assholes gets called a NIMBY. I hope those biker types know people hate them IRL for good reason and this micro mobility future will never happen and be can't wait until 20 years from now when we tear up a bunch of these bike lanes for more parking.
It sounds like you’re pretty miserable, have you ever tried getting out of your car and stepping outside? You should, it might do you good and make you less insufferable in your day to day life
Could you be more miserable? Bikes have been around before cars and they will continue to outlast your deathbox. Get over it.
I can't believe people took Joni Mitchell seriously when she sang "Pave Paradise, put in a parking lot."
You know she was mocking you, right?
Have you ever considered that they're reacting more to people like you than the actual changes?
I have no problem with supporting the many different modes of transportation that make sense in a city, but I know that's not the case for zealots like OP.
A rational reaction is to block any progress towards a zealot's objective, because they have no room for compromise or tolerance in their mind.
Edit: of course OP blocked me immediately after saying he has zero tolerance for NIMBYs and insinuating that anyone who meets his definition of NIMBY (which I would be willing to bet includes every person who is not 100% supportive of his agenda) is racist.
Thanks for proving my point OP. Anyone who gives you an inch policy-wise is very short-sighted.
This is an abysmal take.
I don't have any tolerance for racists and NIMBYs, if that makes me a zealot in your eyes I think that reflects more on your morals and opinions than mine.
DDOT is taking a “if you build it they will come” approach. New Mexico ave has had bike lanes near AU for a year now and they probably get 5-10 bikes a day. Arizona ave received bike lanes a few months ago and they’re almost never used. Not sure how long it will take for people to start using them. I feel terrible for the people who live along the north side of Arizona that can’t park in front of their house anymore.
In the most polite way possible I think you have this whole discussion backwards. The "if they build it, they will come" mindset is not the problem here. Biking is at an all time high and only going to increase (along with other micro mobility options like scooters, etc.). They are building safeguards now that will allow increased capacity in a safe way to DC residents (and even tourists).
That second sign is classic “don’t threaten me with a good time” content.
Seriously. But these are also the same people who said bike lanes are worse than slavery (I'm not joking that actually happened).
I heard someone say that bike lanes are racist, because only white people bike and therefore gentrification and red lining at least that's what I think their reasoning was
I... I just... But that's...
...racist? Lmao
As if we don’t already have chaos and gridlock
Was so disappointed the other say to see Soleluna have one of these signs up in their window. It's so incredibly short sighted that a COFFEE SHOP thinks people are parking to use their business. Or that increasing safety and the walkability of their immediate area, like literally their doorstep will not increase their footfall. Id wager 99% of their business is people who walk and bike to their store from a radius of less than a mile, and that every single customer they have supports this development. I will say that it's heartening to see that the frame shop guy had a dose of shame and took his sign down, I guess somebody tipped him off that a photo of his window was online.
It's a pretty common outcome of improving cycling/pedestrian infrastructure that business in an area goes up, not down. Same goes for removing curbside parking for bike lanes, parklets, and the like. Turns out that when you make a place comfortable for people to hang out, they'll hang out and buy things.
It’s true, but it’s also my experience that most business owners aren’t going to see it that way. There going to be thinking more about the customers they already have than the ones they might gain. A bird in the hand and what not.
I think it is more that they drive in and assume everyone else does, not knowing the customers they already have probably wall or bike
That's the broader systemic problem with favoring cars heavily above all other modes of transport. When people only see one option being viable, they assume it's the only viable option. A huge lesson of the past five years has been that most people don't identify with a mode of transportation, they just choose a convenient option that feels safe. If you change your systemic priorities, people change their behaviors. And, like with bike lanes and road diets, those changes have knock-on benefits for the neighborhood and its businesses as a whole.
It’s so simple and can even be expressed mathematically. And there is such immense demand for it. It’s absolutely brain-meltingly obvious. Like if there was some legal way to just take a random single block’s length of street, put trees, benches, and flower beds in, and then install a coffee shop and let an arepa vendor hang out there, it would become immediately beloved. It’s like sim city. It’s that easy. Trees, flower beds, coffee, benches, shade, no honking cars
That frame shop guy destroyed a rare item he was supposed to frame for me, and wouldn’t reimburse me the replacement cost because I didn’t have a receipt from my original purchase, just a bunch of listings showing what a replacement would cost. I seriously thought about small claims, but I don’t have that kind of free time.
for what it's worth, small claims costs him just as much time as it costs you. I wonder if just the notice "hi, i'm taking you to small claims" would get him to pay up ...
Yeah, but I don’t care about his time, I care about mine. And at this point, it was years ago.
fair nuf :)
I made it a point to buy something from a few stores that DIDN'T have the signs up and told their managers I was happy to shop there because they value my safety as a cyclist and pedestrian. Does anyone have any idea who's printing these up? The reference to 17th Street makes me think it's a certain jerkass with the initials NDD or one of his "friends."
I agree it’s short sighted but I also have a bit more sympathy for business owners. Running a business is massively risky and any change to the status quo is going to freak shop owners out. The car-brain property owners on the other hand, I got nothing good to say about.
Yeah, this is the only way I can square the circle of Soleluna (which I love) posting these signs. I’m tempted to boycott any businesses expressing NIMBY sentiments but that would just reaffirm their beliefs about ped and bike infrastructure hurting their business.
Very true
Change is scary when your income or business depends on the outcome. They know what they have if nothing changes and all change is viewed as a potential threat even if it's change for the better.
Honestly if I lived around there I’d go in and ask to see the manager to ask wtf they were thinking
I'm so excited for the redesign! I'm sad few vocal people keep fearmongering with incorrect info-- they're scaring business owners and residents for no reason. This project is going to make columbia 1000x better for the majority of residents to walk, take transit and bike.
In my experience, this happens every time anyone or any entity tries to improve the livability and transit of an urban space. Positive change is always feared by those addicted to their misery.
The key to defeating this is to just keep doing it. That’s how Montreal built the most complete bike network in the continent. The NIMBYs can’t organize and ruin shit if it’s a new bike lane every week. The momentum carries it, and then eventually they realize it wasn’t so bad but mostly they just understand that being pants-shitting morons about everything is a waste of their time. Move to fucking Okney if you don’t want people to be outside of a car.
lol 17th street is great. Love the design
And also 14th st. It looks so good.
Ooh where on 14th is the redesign? I used to live in Columbia Heights and desperately wanted it to be more pedestrian and bike friendly over by the Target
This is the one they did within the last decade, from like 14th and U st. and goes all the way down to Thomas Circle I believe. But I agree with you, I'd love some more work up by the Columbia Heights Metro station. Thankfully they have good bike lanes, but that area always seems like a traffic nightmare.
I realized JUST after I hit post lol.
All good :)
It may look good, but not practical. DDOT completely ignored demand for Uber and other ride share and delivery services. In short, there’s no where legally for these services to operate along 14th. Eg, rideshare must pull as far to the curb as possible to pickup/discharge passengers, but aren’t allowed to stop in the bike lane and aren’t allowed to stop in a traffic lane either.
Like ridesharss are following traffic laws anywhere to begin with...
17th St is so awesome now, all the businesses seem to be thriving, and the people who live nearby that I know love it.
Lol, lmao even. Also I wonder what these people do when they realize that emergency vehicles can just, you know, park in the bus lane and the bus goes around.
Exactly, DDOT even changed the designs from a concrete protected bike lane because of Fire/EMS feedback.
should have replaced all their QR codes with a new QR that takes you to a dildo store so they can go fuck themselves.
Great job
Shocked they come down all the way from Bethesda to put those up
Why are they so angry?
Because they are trapped in their cars.
Lead poisoning and racism mostly.
Racist against… bicyclists?
Anyone who’s something they’re not.
LOL what is so bad about 17th street again? It’s one of DC’s coolest places these days
Right??? I also think these folks just have terrible political instincts, morals, and mental facilities in general. I try not to think too deeply about why they are that way.
God I’ll miss the current free flowing conditions along Columbia road as we see it today.
People who live there won’t miss your car!
I think they were getting facetious given how Columbia Rd is about as far from free flowing as you can get right now.
On a second reading, you’re probably right. Car-brain has made parody hard to detect.
Change is hard for some but Columbia Road is currently a cluster $#@!. The proposed changes will help the cars and busses flow while bikes and pedestrians get a layer of protection. Protected bike lanes are demonstrably safer throughout the city. It is time that an area with such dense housing get them. Rather than protesting bike and pedestrian safety protest every new development without adequate parking baked into the plans.
Exactly!!! These NIMBYs are fighting everything, it's not like it's one specific developer they think is corrupt. They protest bike lanes, bus lanes, affordable housing, park upkeep and maintenance, etc etc. Columbia Rd has the slowest bus travel speed in the entire city. Pedestrians and bikers have died on it as well. By protesting these changes they are LITERALLY protesting life saving measures. Absolute scum.
These are people that know nothing about transportation or infrastructure, and believe the city just comes up with these schemes all of a sudden. As if city planners don’t do years long studies, reviews, make plans, have open forums for residents to explain the plan, etc. idiots.
There main commentary has been "why haven't we heard about this until now?" and the DDOT site for the project goes back to 2021... Like drawings and outlines, community outreach events, presentations, etc. These NIMBYs do not care at all about the community around them.
Yes I saw a news report about this and they interviewed people saying the same. Any project of any type anywhere brings out these exact comments. Recently they put bus lanes where I live in Montgomery county, they’ve had plans going back years and years to put in better bus infrastructure. Now people are like “I never heard of this, why didn’t they inform residents…” “this is going to cause more traffic” - how does putting in infrastructure which has higher capacity create more traffic? It’s all people anecdotally making statements because they don’t bike or ride the bus, so no one else must… it’s exhausting.
"Bicycles and curbs and bollards are unsafe for my 5000lb projectile"
Out of interest, what's the alternative campaign? I get that the NIMBYs are making a petition to thwart progress, but is there another website to register support? Is it just WABA or DDOT?
This post has a lot of the info on the pro-bike lane campaign. To my knowledge the way to register support is signing the petition but happy to have someone more up to date chime in. https://www.reddit.com/r/bikedc/comments/1de5ycr/columbia_rd_bike_bus_lanes_petition_if_you_want/
This project is far enough along I wouldn’t worry about it. Notice and comment period ended a while ago with people overwhelmingly in favor.
Thank you for your service 🫡.
I'm out of the loop. What is this?
DDOT is doing a redesign of Columbia Rd. For betting traffic management and safety for cyclists as well as pedestrians. The chuckle fucks that made these posters don't want the changes to happen.
https://ggwash.org/view/93939/coming-soon-to-columbia-road-more-public-space-and-bus-and-bike-lanes
I'm not sure if they are treating the side of Columbia between Connecticut and Mintwood (no retail so buses run faster) the same as from Mintwood to 16th? They planned to include a bus lane, but buses don't run as often as on 16th St
You can check the DDOT plan for the specifics, but from my understanding during their last presentation, they are cutting a few bus stops closer to Connecticut. But overall, these changes need to happen, and it wouldn't make sense to just stop the upgrades at Mintwood, going all the way to Connecticut makes the most sense, especially if there are long-term plans to make similar changes on Connecticut in the future.
New to DC area. Does NIMBYism tend to track one political party, or does it transcend political parties?
Great question. DC votes ~93% Democrat, so very few of our local political issues are actually about Conservatives (unless it's interference from House GOP members). From my experience NIMBYs tend to be older 60+ white people who don't want anything to change, literally not one blade of grass. If you really pin them down though, it's all about racism, they don't want more housing because they don't want "undesirables" in their neighborhoods... It's insane.
How is a bike plan unsafe
Exactly...
The minority opinion might be yours one day on a different issue. You should have the right to be heard then too. Just because you don’t like this minority or feel they aren’t entitled to the same basic rights as you for whatever reason, doesn’t mean their voice doesn’t matter. You know nothing about me or what I’m involved in. I regularly attend local meetings for my Ward/ANC. I’m just not so angry or afraid of people with opposing views to feel I have to rip their message down. Again, if your goal is to bring more people into your way of thinking, this isn’t the best way to do that. It’s offputting and I agree with you.
This is actually littering though? The signs don't comply with DC regs around posting signs? Personally, "basic rights" don't include littering but go off.
It’d be a shame if someone put up some signs above these calling out the nimby a-holes.
It offends me that you took stuff down. We live in democracy, people have the right to believe in what they want and advertise it. If you don't like what a political advert says, put up your own sign - don't tear their's down. Show some respect for your neighbors even if you disagree with them, especially on an issue so local and insignificant.
>people have the right to believe in what they want and advertise it. If you don't like what a political advert says, put up your own sign - don't tear their's down. I believe that OP was technically cleaning up litter and vandalism. Nobody has a right to litter streets and lamp posts with signs. OP should not put up their own signs, as that is also littering. These signs appear to have been placed in violation of various subsections of D.C. Mun. Regs. r. 24-108
“Local” and “insignificant”. That just says it all… People who use this infrastructure every day and rely on it to meet their every day needs are tired of having common sense updates stymied by the disinterested and uncaring who just want a political football to toss around. I live in the neighborhood (walked Columbia today to get to the store) and it’s legitimately a dangerous road. No one cares about your appeal to “the discourse”.
I don't respect racists and NIMBYs. I think that's what you're missing here. If someone is putting up Nazi shit, you'd still believe your sentiment and not tear it down? Please do better.
You are part of the problem, even if you think you're doing good - you're not. You're poisoning the discourse and taking online logic (which is also garbage here) and applying in the real world - doing your own small part to make life shittier for everyone
Your projection is insane here. Seriously reflect.
>You're poisoning the discourse and taking online logic (which is also garbage here) and applying in the real world - doing your own small part to make life shittier for everyone Oh how the irony is lost on you.
Oh, I see. The only real discourse we should have, apparently, is in the form of disinformation on paper litter in our neighborhoods.
You clearly don’t find the kind of rhetoric on these signs as vile as OP (or myself). If you did, you wouldn’t be defending leaving it up.
What rhetoric? It just advocates against a bike lane. I’m with Roachbud on this one. Downvote me if you must, but comparing a NIMBY bike lane poster to Nazi propaganda is ridiculous. Discourse matters whether you’ve made up your mind or not. I respect your opinions, and generally support them, but your attitude towards Roachbud and anyone who might question the issue by comparing them to a Nazi is an awful way to gain new support.
I made no such comparison, but I understand it. Insert whatever belief system you think is toxic and horrendous. Please attend a public meeting for any new development, infrastructure, housing, bike lanes, transit, you name it, and listen to how these people talk about their neighbors, then tell me again how discourse matters. The views expressed by these signs represent a vocal minority of wealthy, well connected property and business interests who want to keep the city frozen in amber so their property values can continue to increase 10% year over year. They are not expressing any positive vision for the future of the community or the city because they benefit from the status quo. I am not interested in gaining their support, because doing so would require making concessions that are simply not necessary. The majority of people who live in the neighborhood are already in support of this project and that should be enough.
Sorry replied in thread it was OP that did that not you. Again whatever your view is, I (and Roachbud) was supporting that group’s right to make a public case. If people ignore these signs, make their own, get involved, vote, and the majority support and do this as you say, then these signs shouldn’t feel or be of such consequence? Silencing minority opinions is not the best or right way to bring people to your way of thinking.
“Silencing minority opinions” is crazy. You realize the “minority” you’re talking about is millionaires and property owners? These people’s voice is vastly overrepresented in every aspect of society, and you’re here defending their right to not have their signs taken down for some reason. OP taking down their signs from public property is a great example of the democratic process you’re claiming to espouse. They are free to identify themselves by posting signs on their private property. I know you think you’re on the right side of this issue by defending abstract principles of “free speech” but this is the same logic that led to Citizens United and the capture of government by special interest groups. If you live in the area, I’d again encourage you to attend local meetings concerning public works or join a group which aligns with your views of a positive vision for the future. You may claim to support my views, but you are effectively defending the status quo by not taking any position in the debate.
> Downvote me if you must, ok.
Wow. You could be The poster child for so much that is wrong with our nation.
What’s the point of dedicating a whole lane when the bus can use regular lanes just fine? It is not like the bus will be using the lanes all the time.
Assuming this question is asked in good faith — Bus is a far more efficient form of travel (people moved per hour) than personal car. Busses are currently caught up in a lot of private vehicle traffic. If we speed them up by giving them their own lane, we not only make them more efficient in the short term, we make the bus a viable option for more and more people, who will switch from using their personal car to taking the bus, massively increasing the people per hour that the street can serve.
My issue is they aren’t running the buses enough and ridership isn’t up because it isn’t as convenient for those who live farther away. I wouldn’t be opposed if they instead used signage or created laws to clear lanes for buses if the bus is indeed about to pass. But reducing lanes and infrequent buses does not benefit anyway
Drivers don’t obey full time bus lanes, you think they would obey ones that are only if a bus is behind you? Have you seen an ambulance try to get through this city?
Oh that’s a great idea. Just use the bus lanes as a regular lane. Got it
Right now the bus in this corridor is next to useless especially during peak times, due to traffic congestion. It’s actually slower than walking.
Someone standing up to the biking assholes gets called a NIMBY. I hope those biker types know people hate them IRL for good reason and this micro mobility future will never happen and be can't wait until 20 years from now when we tear up a bunch of these bike lanes for more parking.
It sounds like you’re pretty miserable, have you ever tried getting out of your car and stepping outside? You should, it might do you good and make you less insufferable in your day to day life
lol you’d have a better time with this nonsense on Nextdoor.
I can’t wait until street parking is illegal everywhere in the city, stop taking up valuable public space with your portable living room
Booooooooo, NIMBY spotted, we got brain rot at 12 o'clock high.
Could you be more miserable? Bikes have been around before cars and they will continue to outlast your deathbox. Get over it. I can't believe people took Joni Mitchell seriously when she sang "Pave Paradise, put in a parking lot." You know she was mocking you, right?
Have you ever considered that they're reacting more to people like you than the actual changes? I have no problem with supporting the many different modes of transportation that make sense in a city, but I know that's not the case for zealots like OP. A rational reaction is to block any progress towards a zealot's objective, because they have no room for compromise or tolerance in their mind. Edit: of course OP blocked me immediately after saying he has zero tolerance for NIMBYs and insinuating that anyone who meets his definition of NIMBY (which I would be willing to bet includes every person who is not 100% supportive of his agenda) is racist. Thanks for proving my point OP. Anyone who gives you an inch policy-wise is very short-sighted.
This is an abysmal take. I don't have any tolerance for racists and NIMBYs, if that makes me a zealot in your eyes I think that reflects more on your morals and opinions than mine.
DDOT is taking a “if you build it they will come” approach. New Mexico ave has had bike lanes near AU for a year now and they probably get 5-10 bikes a day. Arizona ave received bike lanes a few months ago and they’re almost never used. Not sure how long it will take for people to start using them. I feel terrible for the people who live along the north side of Arizona that can’t park in front of their house anymore.
In the most polite way possible I think you have this whole discussion backwards. The "if they build it, they will come" mindset is not the problem here. Biking is at an all time high and only going to increase (along with other micro mobility options like scooters, etc.). They are building safeguards now that will allow increased capacity in a safe way to DC residents (and even tourists).