To ease congestion during SafeTrack, the District plans to make more room for buses, allow shared taxicab rides and encourage cycling through Capital Bikeshare, officials said Thursday.
She emphasized the likely impact of SafeTrack, Metro’s extensive maintenance plan that is set to launch Saturday and last through March, at an afternoon news conference outside the Eastern Market Metro station. The first phase of SafeTrack will involve 13 days of continuous single-tracking from East Falls Church to Ballston, impacting the Orange and Silver lines.
“I want to stress something very important. The project will affect every single commuter,” Bowser said. “And no matter if the surge is happening in the District proper or not, we think that Washington D.C. will be affected by all 10 months of the work.”
To meet increased demand, the D.C. Taxicab Commission will allow shared riding, allowing drivers to pick up multiple fares within one mile of a Metro station. The option allows cab drivers to pick up multiple passengers who don’t know each other and are going to different locations. Private ride-hailing companies are making promotional pushes centered on their own pooled riding services.
Meanwhile, traffic control officials and police will establish a shared traffic control headquarters to monitor and reduce congestion. And more traffic control officers will be put on the streets, officials said.
Bowser said officials are exploring extending the D.C. Circulator’s operating hours until 3 a.m on weekends to make up for Metro’s early closing. The system will shut down at midnight on weekends during SafeTrack and there will be no early openings or extended closings for special events.
Under the District Department of Transportation plan, rush-hour parking restrictions in several bus corridors will be extended by a half hour in the morning and evening. Restrictions will be in place from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. — rather than their normal ending time of 9:30 — and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. — rather than 6:30. The first such program targets east-west routes beginning this month, while north-south route changes will be added later in the summer. Temporary signage will be posted along affected corridors, according to DDOT.
Bowser said it was likely the city would be “adding or tweaking as we go along” to ensure the plan sufficiently managed traffic.
DDOT Director Leif Dormsjo, said the decision to emphasize Bikeshare was made after ridership during Metro’s March 16 emergency shutdown resembled record numbers on “Bike to Work” day, when many ditch their normal modes of transportation in favor of two-wheeled commutes. DDOT said Bikeshare capacity would be expanded within the District. Many jurisdictions are promoting biking as an alternative during Metro’s yearlong maintenance blitz. Arlington officials, for example, said a new BikeShare station will be installed at the East Falls Church Metro station to coincide with the first phase of SafeTrack that starts this weekend.