Thanks for Joining

[Ryan Velasco]

CaBi Forward Subscribers:

Thanks for signing up.  One long-ish e-mail and I promise to be brief from here on out. 

Vision for the Group and Looking ahead.

 

My point in forming this group  is to specifically advocate for a CaBi station somewhere--anywhere agreeable--in the direct vicinity of Lincoln Park.  Long-term, I'd like to find a way to establish a network to advocate for new stations across the city.  It seems that the future of a CaBi station at Lincoln Park is going to hinge on our ability to get current and potential users of the system out to the meeting October 18 meeting.  Please help spread the word through any means--twitter, blog postings, etc..

 

The meeting will be held:

 

ANC 6A Transportation Committee Meeting

October 18, 7:00 PM

Community Room of the Capitol Hill Towers, 900 G St. NE;

Note:  A photo Id is required for entrance to the building.

 

One of our group members who is unfamiliar with the ANC system asked me what to expect at that the October ANC 6A meeting.  For those unfamiliar with ANCs, each Ward in the District is subdivided into separate Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.  Each Commission is divided further into Single Member Districts (SMDs).  Each SMD--about 2,000 people-- is represented by one representative for a 2-year term.  The rulings of an ANC are given "great weight" before Council and DC Agencies---which essentially means they can weigh in on any issue and the Commission's concerns are (in theory) to be addressed by DC agencies.  The way in which ANCs conduct their business differs from commission to commission.  ANC 6A and 6C, for example, both use a process of subcommittees tasked with specific areas of governance---Licensing, Planning and Zoning, Transportation, Education, etc.  Subcommittees are comprised of unelected volunteer Citizen Members.  This system affords greater public participation in community-based decision making processes.  ANC 6B has "Executive Meetings" where issues are discussed among Commissioners prior to the monthly meeting.  They do not provide opportunities for Citizen Member participation.

So where are we now? 

When the CaBi station issue at Lincoln Park surfaced, the pedestrian island at the SE corner of the park  (in ANC 6B) was the site that generated controversy with neighbors immediately across the street.  Since that time, our focus has shifted to the northeast pedestrian island (in ANC 6A), along with several other locations.

There has been little in the way of outreach from ANC 6A--aside from a few signs posted in the vicinity of Lincoln Park--to encourage public participation in the October 18 meeting.  Based on what I've heard, DDOT will be present to address community concerns.  Chris Holben, DDOT's CaBi Program Manager, has joined the CaBi Forward distribution list, and perhaps he can fill us in on what he has received, in terms of an agenda and objectives for the meeting.

Should we as a group develop some sort of consensus message before we head into the meeting on the 18th? 

How can we leverage our networks to encourage a good pro-station turnout at the meeting?

 

I'd like for this to be collaborative, so I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and ideas.

Thanks for joining,

Ryan



--
Ryan M. Velasco

118 Tenth Street, SE
Carriage House
Washington, DC 20003

Phone.  202.413.7202         .

[Cody Rice]

In preparing for the ANC committee meeting, I think it might be
important to think about some of the following issues:

Use of public space: The proposed location is in public space and the
decision about placement should be based on what is in the best
interest of all DC residents rather than vetoed by the preferences of
a few (if that many) adjacent residents. Would this happen for a bus
stop? (Well, maybe it would, unfortunately.) I don't think there is
necessarily wide understanding in the general population of how a
bikeshare system works (and the need for both density and dispersal of
stations), but the ANC 6A T&PS committee is fairly up to speed.

Safety/accidents: I wonder if DDOT thinks it would be safer at the SE
or NE island location. It was originally planned for SE. At the SE
location, it seems like there might be more issues related to
visibility because E Cap, 13th and Mass all converge there. At the NE
corner, it would be less of a visual obstruction since traffic on 13th
would still have an unobstructed view of N Carolina. If there is
similar aesthetic opposition from residents at the NE corner, they
might feel better knowing that the station was moved for legitimate
safety reasons. If the two locations are the same from a safety
standpoint, then it's just about who has more political influence to
have it located elsewhere. (Full disclosure--I live closer to the NE
corner and have a weak preference to see it there. The 13th & D NE
location is actually much closer than either of these two.)

Ability to move the station: I think this can be a major point that
allows acknowledgment of concerns, but allows for a "test period." If
the station causes all sorts of problems, or if a terrific location
opens up in the park, the station can be picked up and moved. It might
be attractive for the ANC to say "we'll take it at this location now,
but we want to re-evaluate in one year."

ANC territorial sensitivity: The ANC 6A committee may feel constrained
because the NE location is in ANC 6A, but the SE location is in ANC
6B. They may limit their recommendation to an up/down vote on the NE
island or a recommendation for a nearby location in ANC 6A. They may
avoid a recommendation to put it back at the SE corner to avoid
stepping on ANC 6B's toes.

DDOT process: I think DDOT (Chris) is going to have to answer some
questions about the process for selecting locations (and responding to
opposition for specific locations). Of course there are growing pains
with any new system, but I think there is general agreement that the
process has not worked here. As CaBi moves into more uniformly
residential areas, I think this may happen again. Focused opposition
usually trumps more diffuse support, unless supporters have time to
rally.

Just some food for thought in preparation.

-Cody Rice
12XX C St NE

[Ryan Velasco]

Thanks for posting Cody.

I totally agree about the lack of understanding--- I think DDOT's
presentation needs to educate the larger community on how the system
works. Bikeshare 101. There have been some posts over this issue
where it is obvious the individual has no clue as to how bikes are
redistributed through the system. There also needs to be an emphasis
on the benefit cost analysis that was completed to counter the
"fiscally responsible" argument against the system.