NEWS: ANC 2B to consider resolution on 16th Street bus routes

Resolution in Support of A New 16th Street Rush Hour Bus Route

WHEREAS the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission (the Commission) has received many comments from residents expressing concerns about the 16th Street bus lines (S1, S2, S4, S9), which have the most riders of any route in the District;

WHEREAS most resident comments concerned morning rush hour crowding issues and delayed commutes, though several residents also had other concerns;

WHEREAS the Commission held two community meetings in January 2013 and February 2013 between residents and the bus planners of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Administration (WMATA) and invited other ANCs bordering 16th Street;

WHEREAS WMATA, at the February 20 community meeting, proposed two options for creating a new morning-rush-hour-only route to address the morning rush hour crowding issues (the first being a route starting at U or V street, running south on 16th to H and back up 14th; the second being a route starting at Euclid street at the top of Meridian Hill Park, running down to H street and back up 15th Street)

AND WHEREAS these options are meant to be a first step toward broader solutions for commuters along 16th Street;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission supports WMATA’s efforts to address the crowding issues with the following specific recommendations:

1. WMATA, in deciding which route option to implement should carefully weigh community input, should notify the public and the Commission before implementation, and should make clear to the public that the chosen route will be monitored closely – and could be updated and expanded in the future as determined by analysis of ridership and schedule data.

2. To save time and increase frequency, the north-bound leg of the chosen route should run on 15th street instead of 14th street; 15th street already carries commuter buses which do not have any stops north of Massachusetts Avenue.

3. To minimize disruption, any layover parking spaces created by the Department of Transportation on U Street, V Street, or Euclid Street for buses serving the chosen morning rush hour route option, should only prohibit residential parking during the hours that the route is in operation (morning rush hour).

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission also recommends WMATA confirm its plans to implement a headway initiative to regulate the flow of 16th street buses next year, as stated at the February 20 community meeting. The Commission also recommends that WMATA address other resident concerns with 16th Street buses including:

1. More and larger S1 buses
2. More and larger morning rush hour buses with Federal Triangle destinations.
3. Consider resuming a route with a destination closer to the National Archives and/or Penn Quarter.