Why Trump’s War on DC’s Streets Matters
The federal effort to remove a popular bike lane in Washington, DC, is part of a broader campaign to impose control over the city’s streets — and sideline its residents.
A ride organized by Washington Area Bicycle Association protests a federal proposal to remove a protected bike lane near the National Mall in DC.
Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North AmericaOn March 20, the National Park Service announced that it would dismantle a critical piece of Washington, DC’s bike network. Federal officials are targeting a short section of protected bike lanes on 15th Street NW that traverses the National Mall, connecting downtown with neighborhoods in the city’s southwest quadrant, as well as the Tidal Basin and Northern Virginia. The cycle track, which NPS installed on federal land five years ago, would be sacrificed to pursue the Trump administration’s stated goals of reducing traffic congestion and “returning common sense to city planning,” as the Federal Highway Administration put it.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser blasted the move, noting that 4,000 people use the cycle track daily and that its installation reduced bicyclist injuries by 91%. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George implored the feds to reverse course, posting a video of herself cycling along the threatened lanes. “So many people use this — not just District residents, but tourists,” she said. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association sprang into action, organizing protest rallies, distributing a petition and filing an emergency lawsuit that has forced the Trump administration to at least temporarily hold off. As crowds pack the Mall and Tidal Basin this week to view blooming cherry blossoms, 15th Street’s fate remains unclear.