M St, NW
Protected Bike Lane Fact Sheet
May 2014
What is happening on M Street, NW?
DDOT has installed a protected bike lane (also known as a cycle track) on the north
side of M Street between 14th and 28th Streets, NW. This will be the third of its kind
in the District and will be the westbound complement to the existing eastbound lane
on L Street. The lane is designed to give bicyclists more protection from cars than a
typical bike lane, and to prevent illegal parking in the bike lane. DDOT is installing the
lane as a “retrofit” project, rather than a resurfacing like L Street in 2012.
What will happen to parking and loading?
Most parking and loading along the north side of M Street will remain, but
will be shifted one lane to the left of the bike lane. From 14th to 17th
Streets, some rush-hour parking restrictions will be removed to allow full-time parking. Motorcycle-only
parking will be relocated from the 1700 block of M Street to the adjacent Rhode Island Ave. From 17th
Street to Connecticut Ave, traffic volumes require removing some of the parking to accommodate traffic
lanes. From Connecticut Ave to 26th Street, some parking will remain rush-hour restricted while other areas
will change to full-time parking. Along the corridor, a few parking spaces will be removed at each
intersection to accommodate turn lanes. In total, there will be a net decrease of roughly 60 parking spaces.
What about right turns?
At most intersections, cars must yield to bicyclists. When clear, cross
the bike lane and enter the right-turn lane. This is similar to what is
occurring now on L Street for left turns, with some minor design
revisions. Right-turning cars at 22
nd
St NW will not merge into the bike
lane, but will instead follow a new traffic signal with a right arrow.
How do I ride a bicycle through the intersection of M Street, Rhode
Island Ave, and Connecticut Ave?
Follow the bike lane to the right, around the rain garden, turn left into the
curb-separated bike lane along Rhode Island Ave, and follow the bicycle
traffic signal to move through the intersection.
Will this affect traffic?
The initial results from our evaluation of the L Street bike lane show a
minimal change in the time it takes to drive from one end of the corridor to the other, and large increases in
bicycling in the corridor. Similarly, our traffic modeling predicts minimal increased delay on M Street after
installing the protected bike lane.
What are the benefits of protected bike lanes?
As shown on 15
th
and L Streets, separating bicycles from car traffic with a physical
barrier makes people feel safer about riding a bicycle, leading to significant
increases in bicycling. The M Street protected bike lane will provide dedicated
space for bicycling downtown for nearly all of the 1.3 miles of this project.
What about bus stops?
There is one Circulator bus stop at 24th Street. Rather than block the bike lane,
busses will stop at a new raised median installed to the left of the bike lane just
west of 24th Street.
Where can I get more information on this project?
Go to http://ddot.dc.gov/page/bicycles-and-pedestrians and click on the ‘Bicycle Lanes’ link, or contact Mike
Goodno, DDOT Bicycle Program Specialist at [email protected]
M St NW “mix zone” design
L Street NW protected bike lane
Bus stop median
Rhode Island Ave intersection
