2022 Washington DC Bike Infrastructure - How did they do it?

I explored the protected bike lanes of Washington, DC in March of 2022. I was shocked at how much the city has been able to achieve in a short amount of time and wanted to learn more about it. The is obviously a lot more under the surface than one video can share, but hopefully, this shows you what is possible with some political will, advocacy, and good planning!
Bike route: ridewithgps.com/routes/38984767
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→ PROJECTS MENTIONED →
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DDOT Bicycle Lanes: ddot.dc.gov/page/bicycle-lanes
Washington Area Bicyclist Association: waba.org/
Contraflow on I St: ggwash.org/view/33669/stripin...
Rain, art installation under NoMa bridge: dcist.com/story/18/10/24/the-...
West End/Foggy Bottom Protected Bike Lane:
ddot.dc.gov/release/west-endf...
Frederick Douglass Bridge: www.newfrederickdouglassbridg...
DC Mayor's 2023 Budget: mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bo...
Products used to make this video:
The main footage is from the Insta360 One X2: geni.us/BSG-insta360onex2
Hero 10 action cam: geni.us/BSG-Hero10
Nutcase Helmet: geni.us/nutcase-vio
Electric Bike: • Tern Quick Haul E-Bike...
→ CAMERAS USED →
Insta360 One X2: geni.us/BSG-insta360onex2
Cycling Camera Handlebar Mount: geni.us/handlebar-mount
GoPro Hero10: geni.us/BSG-Hero10
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Introduction
04:20 Top Tips
10:38 Disc Brakes?
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→ ABOUT →
Hey, I'm Arleigh aka Bike Shop Girl!
I owned an e-bike shop, now a bike mechanic and educator empowering daily life by bike. By day, I work for Tern Bicycles in marketing and service.
More in-depth articles: bikeshopgirl.com
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↣ MY DISCLAIMERS:
1. All of these videos contain products, logos, or mentions associated with Tern Bicycles. Whether or not the video itself was sponsored by Tern Bicycles, I do work for them, and by extension, every video on this channel is supported by them.
2. Some products are provided at no charge for review. I'm not paid or bribed for reviews, and they will be as honest as possible. Additionally, some links are to affiliate advertising where I may make a few pennies from your purchase.
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→ CHAPTERS →
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0:00 Introduction
00:42 Contra Bike Lane
01:02 24 miles of protected bike lanes
01:11 Rain, art at NoMa
01:41 2020 - 20 miles
02:10 Vision Zero Law
03:10 2023 Budget
05:56 Frederick Douglass Bridge

[@melaniegardner8766]

Protected bike lanes are a deal-breaker for this formerly-timid cyclist. I love them! Car drivers have grumbled about the reduced lane widths and parking, but I don't think they realize more biking/less driving is the way of the future.

[@uhohhotdog]

Deal breaker? I think you have that backwards?

[@nicolethoff2920]

And once again i realise how spoiled i am with all the separate bike lanes in my country. Greetings from the Netherlands

[@kennotis929]

Great video. But. You need to go back well before 2020 to understand how all this was possible. For years bike advocates pushed, and often got 2nd rate results. Door zone paint only bike lanes or good infra that was disconnected. But over time, and in part due to those small wins, more people rode bikes. More voters, even more politicians. I don't think the changes in and since 2020 would have been possible without that.

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

100%. WABA has been so important for 20 years!

[@Victor-kh5rh]

This is the top reason why I’m trying to move from nova into the district despite working fully remote. The quality of life that living car free provides is enormous, there is nothing like starting the day with a a bike ride, and proper infrastructure makes biking a joy. I’m not a cyclist, but I like biking to get from point A to point B,. To me biking is not recreation, it’s transportation.

[@kennotis929]

@@Victor-kh5rh Where in NoVa? I'm active in Alexandria Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee. We are trying to push things forward here and people are doing so in Arlington as well.

[@kenbob1071]

Very cool. DC is currently considering a bill that lets bicyclists do "Idaho stops" and that bans right turns on red for cars. I got a new bike so I definitely will try some of these routes!

[@karlInSanDiego]

Thank you for sharing this. It's an admirable set of upgrades. But it does make me wish that we'd have a more comprehensive strategy in all our cities to rework streets with a consistent pattern that is predictable for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. The patchwork of quickbuilds we create in these pivotal years of smashgrowth will be looked back on as necessary but chaotic. 2 way Cycle path in the center of lanes of motor traffic on Virginia Ave looks sketch, like the distracted drivers' ability to jump those separators and hit a group of cyclists head on is ignored.

[@kai663]

Yes. And don’t forgot public transit. All new developments need to corporate thought through planning

[@JSS822]

Just returned from Barcelona where protected bike lanes are a dream for cyclists. DC has a ways to go but the future looks bright.

[@jfj794]

“Bike more and worry less” love it! ✌️

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

It certainly is a nice state of mind

[@jfj794]

@@CargoBikeLifecom so true. 🙂

[@Penguinsix]

It has been a rather startling change. I think COVID and Work from Home also had a pretty major impact in that the overall traffic levels on some roads are down from pre-COVID times and the loss of some lanes of cars to bicycles hasn't been noticed as much.

[@willhandsfield]

Great coverage of all our new bike infrastructure in DC!

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

Thanks for all your hard work!!

[@KJSvitko]

Walking, running, bicycles, escooters, green open spaces, electric buses and trams are all parts of a good transportation system

[@temitayoisme]

Wow, bike trails take precedence in most provinces in China. The lanes are well demacated and secured, the fine is huge for a car owner if they in any way get on the bike lane. Good video

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

Oh wow, that’s amazing to hear.

[@hemaccabe4292]

Really cool video. Now I want to go bicycle around DC!

[@TalwinderDhillonTravels]

Some of those bidirectional bike lanes are scary tight

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

100% but I would rather dance with another bike than a car 😬

[@villeikonen6221]

Great progressive news from US! 🤘😃🤘

[@lyssasletters3232]

AWESOME to see! Thank you for sharing!

[@jayw553]

This video has convinced me to make plans to move to DC.

[@StreetfilmsCommunity]

So excited to see the Virginia Ave 2-way track since it was one I didn't get to ride or see the lanes underneath the bridges! Very cool!

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

It is so long!!! How does this all compare to NYC?

[@nuwayser]

This was such a fun day. Thanks for making the trip up!

[@darkrising8280]

I just went to DC and as someone that lives is in suburban hell I’m just amazed at how well built and designed it is for American cities. I hope they move to this type of design for the common man

[@jonathanroberts7649]

Nice and very detailed look into this infrastructure! Thanks for putting this together.

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

Glad you liked it! Let me know what else you would like to see as I finally start exploring towns

[@therebelwithoutacar]

This is so interesting! I imagine that DDOT is much more efficient than that of many states given the size and urban makeup of DC. Here in South Carolina, our DOT owns a majority of our roads, even inside city limits, which adds a lot of complications to implementing new/different/modern designs. There’s also a lot of prioritizing of car speeds, since in many parts of the state we don’t have the density and/or political will to prioritize mass/multi modal transit. A year ago, SCDOT did pass a Complete Streets policy, so hopefully that will have a positive impact on some of our problems here!

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

We have the same problem in NC…

[@GordonChaffin]

As a D.C. bike commuter and advocate, the local "state-level" authorities are key. We have problems building protected bike lanes outside that downtown area Arleigh rode through, but overall it's much easier to organize a movement and momentum compared to Arlington, VA across the Potomac. VDOT makes it extremely hard for Arlington folks to get similar facilties.

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks for the fun ride! 😀❤️

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

Thanks, John! Feedback always wanted ;)

[@BikePortland]

Great video! Learned a lot and felt like I was riding with you!

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

Can’t wait to explore Portland with you

[@samstarr2959]

Nice work!!

[@Clklom]

Good one...

[@PeterSdrolias]

Way to go DC!!!

[@JoeBManco]

If only we could get the same in the Wichita Metro Area. It looks great.

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

I hope we can start see it trickle down across the country!

[@tthomas184]

'There are 24 miles of protected bike lanes ! ' To put this in perspective,, there are nearly 1500 miles of streets.

[@thomfult7956]

Wide streets to start with!

[@realityblooms]

what a cool vid, I go to DC just to bike there lol

[@realityblooms]

why can't philly have this :(

[@1038bro]

personally I think there is still too much asphalt in DC and that there needs to be more things like trams and bike infrastructure and more roundabouts where possible

[@moony2703]

Love the law changes!!!!! Now we just need everyone else to follow!

[@michellesharpe6159]

Thank you so much for sharing this route! I do work in DC a lot and have started using their CapitalShare bikes to get around (Which are great BTW, the 3-speed hub gears actually do make a difference) I'm going to try and do this whole route if I have spare time the next time I'm in town. Now what can we do to get more NC cities to pass this kind of law?

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

Where in NC are you exactly?!

[@michellesharpe6159]

@@CargoBikeLifecom Durham! They've done a lot these past few years which has been awesome.

[@WillMahler]

Great coveage!

[@aeiouaeiou100]

Shame they are not implementing protected intersections. It's the most important thing probably.

[@laptv2144]

Other US cities implemented all of this years ago so it’s not really that surprising to find in America. The Twin Cities and Portland have long had the best biking infrastructure

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

I would say they both have great options but nothing in the heart of the city like this. MN has great paths. Portland had great neighborhood boulevards. I haven’t seen such a dedicated network like DC rolled out so quickly.

[@ace13jk]

very interesting with the bike lane in the middle of the road, is that a good solution in your opinion?

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

Think of them as highways for bikes. It gets you in a truly protected bike lane and away from all the entrances on the right side of the road. You get off the “highway” at the major intersections and ride side streets

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

Washington DC has insanely wide roads. every road should have bike lanes. plenty of space it's still bad compared to what it should be, and it's not quick enough

[@HoopHopi]

Love to see the bikelanes. But why are some of them in the middle of the street? That wouldn't make me feel safe at all. Cars at both sides would make me feel vurnerable as a cyclist. And how do you change lanes? Cross over car traffic? Not bad for a car centric country though ; )

[@michellesharpe6159]

The center lane bike lanes are actually great, from my experience. ALl of the ones I've used have concrete barriers for added protection and I felt very safe. To change lanes for most of them you get to use the crosswalk. There's signs that tell you what to do at intersections.

[@demyandanyluk7399]

Well... bike lanes in the middle of the street - ain't bicycle infrastructure for regular people, who just want to try using a bicycle for their everyday needs. It's... emmm... cycling highway for sports-cyclist (which is not bad, if it appeared on roads between the cities, not inside of it). How to turn right at 4:00 if I live or work down that side street? What about left turns? Impossible :(

[@fenderOCG]

You've got to celebrate the baby steps. It's rare that any person involved in bike infrastructure ever rides a bike so you get some weird shit.

[@samc5933]

regular person (and dc cyclist) checking in about the Virginia Ave cycle track routed down the middle of the street. I'm a slow bike commuter, not at all a sports cyclist, and I like this middle of the road route a lot--it feels safer than it looks in the video. Getting on and off is the only potentially hairy part, as you note, but there are big gaps in traffic on that street because of the way the lights are timed and so, again, it's not that bad. That said, putting the bike lane in the middle wouldn't work for every street because of the concerns you cite, but for Virginia Ave at least, it seems to me like it was a good choice.

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

Think of them as highways for bikes. It gets you in a truly protected bike lane and away from all the entrances on the right side of the road. You get off the “highway” at the major intersections and ride side streets

[@RashawnBlue1]

@@fenderOCG Sometimes "baby steps" just makes things worse, this will have to be "fixed" at some point and it also ruins potential for a bus lane too. I dont get why these planners don't just copy+paste The Netherland's guidelines, they are fairly ahead of everyone else right now. Like, its an unnecessary "experiment" because we see how good infrastructure is done already. Running it continuously on the side and adapting the intersections to accommodate bikes would be a lot safer and still allow for more continuous flow. Like the previous guy said, many people are not going to feel comfortable riding in the middle of the road and its definitely not meant for regular riders who arent exactly confident in the safety of doing so, so it is kind of harming the goal of encouraging biking there.

[@jyutzler]

How did they do it? Easy, they had ample carriageway available and they just did it. It's not complicated, folks.

[@amenra13]

“ample carriageway” even though DC traffic has some of the worst traffic in the country all the while the area is undergoing and unprecedented population and real estate growth??

[@Khris618]

Looks like you were using both sides of the two-way lane in one direction? Were the lanes closed to other cyclists for this event?

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

We were riding on off hours and folks would come back on the right if there were others 🙌🏽

[@KJSvitko]

Bicycles, ebikes, electric cargo bicycles, robo taxis and escooters are great options for last mile, short distance travel. Reduced transportation costs and fossil fuels free transportation. Cities need to do more to encourage people to ride bicycles by providing SAFE, PROTECTED BIKE LANES and trails. Every adult and child should own a bicycle and ride it regularly. Bicycles are healthy exercise and fossil fuels free transportation. Electric bicycles are bringing many older adults back to cycling. Ride to work, ride to school, ride for health or ride for fun. Children should be able to ride a bicycle to school without having to dodge cars and trucks. Separated and protected bike lanes are required. It will also make the roads safer for automobile drivers. Transportation planners and elected officials need to encourage people to walk, bike and take public transportation. Healthy exercise and fossil fuels free transportation. In the future cities will be redesigned for people not cars. Crazy big parking lots will be transformed with solar canopies generating free energy from the sun.

[@Thatsme849]

But why do Americans have such a weird style of bicycle? They have the most weird looking contraptions lol. - coming from a dutchie:)

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

🤣

[@maaiker2977]

Exactly. They look "trendy" but they aren't practical nor durable/sturdy. And they could be a lot saver. But to each their own I guess. -coming from another dutchie. 😂

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

because there's still a mindset for many that it's a sport. you've got to remember they're a few decades behind the Dutch in making cities bike friendly. they're not seen as everyday transport like they are in the Netherlands

[@RashawnBlue1]

Much of the bikes sold in U.S are for sports and looks rather than practicality because most people do not commute and run errands using a bike to realize how badly designed and unreliable the bike will be if used more frequently.

[@charliesimar7541]

Why are there riders in the wrong direction bike lane? This is dangerous and disrespectful. Bikes are vehicles and should respect local markings as cars do.

[@tthomas184]

Some bike paths go against the direction of car traffic.

[@RashawnBlue1]

@@tthomas184 He means that some riders are riding on the incoming bike side of the bike path. To be fair to them, these bike paths are extremely narrow.

[@bryansmith1920]

Is it a human thing that all cyclists can't ride in the correct lanes

[@filthypirate]

Rule #1: not get shot in DC

[@CargoBikeLifecom]

That’s basically rule #1 in America.