D.C. Expands Sidewalks Near Certain Businesses, But Some Say It's Not Enough
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A woman runs in the newly-created "expanded sidewalk" along a half-block of Georgia Avenue outside a Safeway in Petworth. Jordan Pascale/WAMU hide caption
Expanded sidewalks are being installed in the District, seen as a win for social distancing by some, but others say the expansions don't go far enough. The added space is going around essential businesses like grocery stores and pharmacies.
Cleveland Park's service lane closed to traffic Thursday.
Today is the happiest day in the life of the Cleveland Park service lane.
— Robb Dooling (@Robb4DC) April 23, 2020
Drivers can still use one of the remaining *six* lanes of Connecticut. #WidenDCSidewalks #PhysicalDistancing pic.twitter.com/VFTfbJ0pRN
So did a half-block of a parking lane on Georgia Avenue near a Safeway in Petworth.
DDOT installing concrete barriers this morning to expand sidewalk outside of Georgia Ave. Safeway to allow more room to walk/social distance.
— Jordan Pascale🎙️ (@JWPascale) April 23, 2020
More going in in all eight wards: https://t.co/u51tyKO87Y pic.twitter.com/GHmNB8BqzC
Other locations scheduled to be finished this week:
- Columbia Heights: North side of Irving Street NW, between Hiatt Place and 15th Street
- Foggy Bottom/West End: East side of 25th Street NW, from Pennsylvania Avenue NW to the Trader Joe's driveway
- H Street Corridor: North side of H Street NE, between Third and Fourth streets NE
Residents can ask for similar treatments through their Advisory Neighborhood Commission or Business Improvement District. All eight wards will get some version of sidewalk expansion.
"While staying at home is a crucial part of flattening the curve during the COVID-19 pandemic, we do recognize residents need to make trips to essential businesses like grocery stores, and sometimes existing sidewalk space makes social distancing a challenge," D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said last week. "This tactic will allow for better social distancing as we all work together to flatten the curve."
The move comes two weeks after Bowser said she didn't want to close streets as not to create a "festival-like atmosphere."
Um. I just have to ask. You’re saying they did all this just to block off a few parking spots? That’s like 4’ of extra space, and you need to step down off a curb to get there. I wasn’t expecting much but I actually lol’d when I saw this.
— DC Bollard Dad (@wbbbmr) April 23, 2020
seriously. quit messing around and just take a whole travel lane plus the parking lane. nobody will miss it
— tomb of the unknown poster (@artisanal_toast) April 23, 2020
That’s right. It’s so bad that it makes me mad they even pretended to bother.
— DC Bollard Dad (@wbbbmr) April 23, 2020
Many clamored for more sidewalk room to keep the recommended six-feet away from others, while those in other cities were envious. Some District residents were disappointed with the implementation.
On Georgia Avenue, a crew of about a dozen people, two flatbed trucks with concrete barriers and a bulldozer took about three hours to put the barriers in place. They blocked off a parking lane and added about four-feet of space, making the entire walking area about 20-feet-wide.
Many residents wanted to see an entire traffic lane closed. Georgia Avenue remains two lanes each way.
DDOT has not returned a request for comment about the implementation.
D.C.'s efforts are bigger than some cities, but European cities like Paris and Milan are adding dozens of miles of bike lanes and closing roads to traffic so residents can walk, run and bike on the streets while gyms and other businesses are closed.
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