Speeding traffic along Grant Circle and New Hampshire Avenue makes it dangerous for people to walk to the neighborhood park in Grant Circle, or to cross New Hampshire to access bus stops, schools, and other destinations. DC's 2009 Pedestrian Master Plan identified New Hampshire Avenue (including Grant Circle) as the priority corridor for improvements in Ward 4, both due to high volume of people walking and high numbers of pedestrian crashes, and recommended several safety upgrades which have not yet been implemented.

DDOT is now proposing to implement the first set of upgrades which will help slow traffic entering Grant Circle. We applaud DDOT for taking this first step.

However, without further traffic calming measures, we believe speeding and dangerous driving will continue, and are calling on DDOT to implement a complete plan to make it safe to walk to grant Circle and along New Hampshire Avenue. With New Hampshire narrowing to one lane north of Grant Circle, two lanes around the circle is unnecessary and unsafe for people to cross. DDOT should work to narrow Grant Circle to one lane, either by implementing the bricked inner lane of Grant Circle proposed in the 2009 Pedestrian Master Plan, or more inexpensive fixes such as adding parking and bumpouts or a protected bike lane. Grant Circle is also missing many crosswalks, which make it difficult for neighborhood residents to access or walk through Grant Circle.

Getting to our neighborhood park, schools, and bus stops shouldn't be dangerous. Let's work together to make it safer to walk for everyone in our neighborhood.

DDOT's initial plans:

For more about DC's 2009 Pedestrian Master Plan and its plans for New Hampshire Avenue and Grant Circle, click  here and here.