A driver hit Huseynov, a 24-year-old grad student at George Washington University, riding his bike crossing Connecticut Ave on Oct. 17. He later died from his injuries.听

DC Families for Safe Streets, an organization of volunteers personally impacted by traffic violence and fighting for improved safety, helped organize the bike memorial. Christy Kwan is the volunteer co-chair of the group.听

“A ghost bike is also a memorial and a visual reminder that a crash had occurred there at that specific location,鈥� said Kwan.听

Huseynov鈥檚 death is one of 45 in the District in 2023. The number of deaths is up 55% from December 2022, when 29 people died. This year also marks the highest number of traffic deaths in D.C. in the past 16 years.

Mayor Muriel Bowser launched Vision Zero in 2015. At that time, the Mayor established 2024 as the goal year for eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The city has since fallen short.听

The initiative 鈥渁ims to improve pedestrian and bicycle transportation safety by showcasing effective local actions, empowering local leaders to take action, and promoting partnerships to advance safety for all traveling on District streets,鈥� according to Vision Zero鈥檚 .听

Advocates like Kwan want to see the city do more to correct this trajectory. Kwan points to a D.C. from March that cited a lack of funding as a major reason why the road safety initiative has yet to be successful.听

鈥淚 think what has frustrated us as people personally impacted by traffic violence is we will go through the motions to testify at District Council hearings about what we see on the ground and how we have to always speak up for safety, but what we see in terms of parties in the budget is that routinely, things will be not fully funded,鈥� Kwan said.

最新蜜桃影像ington Area Bicyclist Association also urges DDOT and the Mayor鈥檚 Office to make changes such as building more protected bike lanes, enforcing bus-only lanes and improving post-crash care. Advocacy Director Jeremiah Lowery said he wants a safe commuting space for all in the city. Lowery said there isn鈥檛 one right now.听

鈥淔rom my perspective, we’re failing,鈥� said Lowery. 鈥淚 mean, bottom line, you know, we’re failing because the goal is zero.鈥澨�

The District government is still committed to making Vision Zero successful. The District Department of Transportation is working to redesign roadways, use and expand traffic cameras, and prioritize transit. DDOT and the Metropolitan Police Department meet and follow up on possible safety after every fatal crash in the District.听

MPD also performs weekly traffic safety checkpoints at locations prone to crashes.听

The Dupont Circle ANC, which neighbors the ANC where the intersection of L Street NW and Connecticut Ave NW is located, approved a in November honoring Nijad Huseynov and calling for DDOT to correct weaknesses at the intersection where Huseynov died as well as others around the District.听

Commissioner Jeffrey Rueckgauer sponsored the resolution and chairs the Dupont Circle ANC Mobility Committee. Rueckgauer said it’s infuriating to see traffic deaths increase instead of decrease in the city. He also expressed his concern to DDOT about the dangers of L and M Streets NW during a Mobility Committee meeting Monday night.听

鈥溾�嬧�媃ou’ve got to focus on putting people first,” Rueckgauer said. 鈥淪o it’s a whole series of missed opportunities, frustrations and things that have resulted in a no-improvement situation.鈥�

The Dupont Circle resolution also calls for 鈥渟pecial attention to those interacting with bike lanes, to improve safety for all, especially the most vulnerable non-vehicular users.鈥�

Rueckgauer said that in addition to increased funding for DDOT鈥檚 projects, he wants to implement lower-cost improvements, such as adding flex posts at dangerous intersections to help slow people turning.听

鈥淵es, it costs for the labor, but compared to people losing loved ones, or the city being sued for injuries or wrongful death, it鈥檚 a lot cheaper to be proactive with these things and they’re just not,鈥� Rueckgauer said.听

The DC Council is currently considering four . The bills include one that would suspend licenses immediately for people with offenses like impaired driving and negligent homicide and another that would make drivers鈥� violations captured by traffic cameras the same as violations enforced through police. The other two bills would strengthen enforcement of drivers with a record of putting people in danger and the final one would strengthen enforcement of people with fake license plates.听

Kwan said traffic deaths and injuries result from transportation failures and thus must be addressed to eradicate the need for ghost bikes.听

鈥淲e learn because of why we come to this group that crashes are not accidents,鈥� Kwan said. 鈥淭hey’re a result of failures and policy failures and design failures and I would say even broader at our culture about cars and efficiency and how to get to places quickly.鈥�

The post Death of cyclist reveals cracks in DC鈥檚 Vision Zero Plan first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Harmful content has pushed educators to devise a plan to put a stop to disinformation.听

This podcast was reported and produced by graduate journalism students of American University鈥檚 School of Communication: Alex Angle, Daniela Lobo, Julia Mouketo, Lauren Spiers, and Nicole Wiley.

Thank you to the experts who shared their time and knowledge with the reporters of this podcast:听

American Hospital Association; Public Service Announcement

Kurt Braddock, American University School of Communication & Faculty Fellow Center for Media and Social Impact听听

Andres Ilves, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Director Near East Region听

Jakub Tesar, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, Fellowships and Academic Relations Officer听

Anita Varma, The University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism and Media听

Damika Walker, PHARMD, & Chair, Immunize DC听听

Valerie Wirtschafter, Brookings Institution, Fellow-Foreign Policy, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative听听听听

Supervising Faculty: , SOC Professor 听

The post The Fog of Disinformation: A podcast on the spread of disinformation in the age of social media first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Two children have been hit crossing streets near the school since 2021. Neither were seriously injured. A driver hit a child in a crosswalk at the intersection of 17th Street and R Street NW in September 2023, and the other was hit in a crosswalk at the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and S Street NW in 2021.听

Adrian Snead walks his son to school at Ross Elementary every day. Their commute might be short, but Snead said it’s a dangerous daily occurrence.听

鈥淲e only have to walk about a block and a half, but I’m always scared with them crossing,鈥� Snead said.听

Snead isn鈥檛 the only parent concerned about safely getting their children to school in Dupont Circle. Voters elected Ross Elementary parent Kyle Mulhall to ANC Commissioner in 2020. He said during his time on the commission, parents and the community noticed the speeding happening around the school, especially on 17th Street and wanted to start doing something about it. However, three years later, not much has been improved.听

He said it’s important that more changes are made on the roads to protect the neighborhood鈥檚 children.听

鈥淭he people commuting through the neighborhood are pretty aggressive drivers,鈥� Mulhall said. 鈥淪o I think that’s why you’ve got real concern because of the vulnerability of the children there.鈥�

ANC Commissioner Vincent Slatt has also been pushing for these safety improvements from DDOT. He said he鈥檚 frustrated with the lack of action from the department.听

鈥淒emanding speed bumps in front of a school where, for 20 years, I’ve walked by and I see them speeding, and kids have gotten hit, like, is that a crazy irrational demand?鈥� Slatt said.听

The District Department of Transportation created the Safe Routes to School Plan in 2020. It involved 鈥渞eviews of the built environment around schools, focusing on transportation infrastructure that provides traffic calming and safety improvements,鈥� according to the District’s .听

The Ross Elementary plan calls for a multitude of improvements on streets around the school, such as raised intersections, new school zone signage, crosswalk markings and sidewalk repairs. The plan is marked on DDOT鈥檚 website.听

DDOT did not respond to 最新蜜桃影像鈥檚 request for comment on the status of the Ross Elementary Safe Routes to School Plan. However, Gina Arlotto, a Safe Routes to School planner at DDOT, said at Dupont Circle ANC鈥檚 November Mobility Committee meeting that the short-term improvements laid out in the plan were implemented. These plans included new school zone signs, restriping lanes, among others.听

Arlotto also said at the meeting that DDOT plans to install flexposts at the intersection of 17th Street and R Street NW and a speed zone flasher in the 1600 block of R Street. She said she did not have a timeline for when those improvements will be made in the neighborhood.听

The Dupont Circle ANC and some parents disagree DDOT has done enough. The ANC voted unanimously last week on a resolution calling for specific safety implementations of the Ross Elementary Safe Routes to School Plan.听

The Dupont Circle ANC鈥檚 resolution calls for flexposts at the intersections of 17th Street and R Street NW and New Hampshire Ave and R Street NW, removing parking spaces at a couple of intersections, and improving school zone signs, among other requests.听

Snead said the traffic on 17th Street is particularly concerning for those going to and from school.听

鈥淭here’s a lot of on 17th in particular, there’s a lot of obstructions, visual obstructions, either delivery trucks or lots of cars in the way,鈥� Snead said. 鈥淚 love the bike lanes, but that means cars are parked further out. It’s harder for everybody to see.鈥�

Slatt鈥檚 district includes the intersection of 17th Street and R Street. He’s witnessed a dangerous driving pattern.听

鈥淭hey are picking up a lot of speed because they want to hit that green light at 17th and R and when they hit that green light at 17th and R they’re already going 35-40 in front of that school,鈥� Slatt said.听

Slatt said getting flexposts at the intersection of R Street and 17th Street NW is critical for the safety of children and those walking there daily. He said he will continue checking in with DDOT and the ANC for an update on when the posts will be installed at the intersection.听

Slatt, Snead and Mulhall said they all want to see DDOT take action and make improvements to ensure kids in Dupont Circle can get to school safely.听

鈥淭hey still make you argue and fight item for item for every improvement at any intersection you ask for, why it’s particularly sensitive here is that’s obviously a very dense traffic of small children,鈥� Mulhall said.

The post Frustration mounts in Dupont Circle after another child gets hit around Ross Elementary first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

During the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, each museum is offering programs and support for their communities.

Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians killed in the initial attack. In retaliation, Israel launched attacks on Gaza and cut off humanitarian aid, some of which has now been restored. Israel has now started its ground invasion in Gaza. In Gaza, more than 8,500 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.听

The walls are filled with art, clothing and posters detailing the history and current experiences of Palestinians. In addition to the permanent exhibit, the visiting exhibition titled 鈥淗una Al Quds: Palestinian Art and Culture in Jerusalem during the early 20th century鈥� looks at life in Jerusalem under the British mandate.

“Our mission is to humanize Palestinians to show that we have history that goes back thousands of years,鈥� Founder and Director Bshara Nassar said. 鈥淲e also have our rich culture and history, but also we are people living under occupation.”

Nassar also said his museum is a space where people can grieve with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war and a place where people can learn. He said since the start of the war, the museum has seen more people coming to visit.听

“The museum really seeks to create a safe place not just for Palestinians, but for everyone, for Palestinians to come and share their story like the daily life of Palestinians, the culture, the history, and dedicate time for other people to ask questions,鈥� Nassar said.

Nassar鈥檚 family is still in Bethlehem. He said it鈥檚 difficult to operate the museum and also think about his family and how they鈥檙e doing during the war.听

“It’s been very hard to do all of this and be with family and check on them and just make sure that they’re okay,鈥� Nassar said.

Only four blocks away in the same neighborhood, military regalia, artifacts and posters line the walls at the (NMAJMH). The museum offers visitors two floors of exhibits highlighting the role Jewish service members have played in the American military during wars going back to the American Revolution.

Michael Rugel, director of programs and content at the museum, said most of the museum’s content focuses on American history. Still, he said it recognizes the role it plays in being a space where people can come and reflect on current events that impact the Jewish community.

鈥淲e’ve always wanted to be a place for community but to be able to respond specifically to what’s going on in Israel and maintain a place in the community,鈥� Rugel said.听

The National Museum of American Jewish Military History is associated with the , headquartered in the same space as the museum. The National Executive Director, Kenneth Greenberg, said the organization advocates for veterans and their families and stands against anti-semitism.听

鈥淲e stand strong against all kinds of bigotry and hatred, and believe that there’s no place in the United States, no place in the world for discrimination and bigotry,鈥� Greenberg said.听

Rugel said a recent program discussing the 40th anniversary of the bombings of the Marine barracks in Beirut also turned into a discussion on the Israel-Hamas war. The bombings in Beirut killed 241 U.S. military personnel, 58 French service members and six Lebanese civilians.听

鈥淭his was planned well before the Hamas attack on Israel, but since we were talking about terrorism, that certainly was where everyone’s thoughts were,鈥� Rugel said.听

During the ongoing war, the museums share similar concerns on safety and taking care of their communities. The Anti-Defamation League and the Council on American-Islamic Relations have reported increased instances of attacks and harassment against Arab and Jewish people.

鈥淭here is greater awareness about security with our building in particular, with our staff, ” Greenberg said. 鈥淲e’ve talked to everybody and I think that that’s important and I think that there needs to be greater awareness on both sides.鈥�

Greenberg said the organization also has close contacts with the Metropolitan Police Department and he said the department has increased its presence.听

“As Palestinians in the United States we see attacks on Palestinian communities, I think it’s scary,鈥� Nassar said. 鈥淚n general of course we are just cautious and just monitoring the situation even in the United States as we see increased attacks on Palestinians and so that’s something of course we consider.”听

Rugel said he hopes the museum continues to be a space ready to stand with the Jewish community.

鈥淲e want to focus on being a place where community can come and people can reflect, people can discuss what’s going on, our audience, most of which is Jewish, not exclusively, are still really upset, many people with close ties to Israel and everyone having seen these appalling images and heard reports that are difficult to deal with on a personal level.鈥澨�

The Museum of the Palestinian People also has a similar mission. Nassar said he wants the museum to be a place where people can show their support for the Palestinian community and a place where people can get a more full understanding of their lives.听

“There’ve been many people coming to the space to grieve with Palestinians, as we’ve seen more than 8,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, so many people are coming to grieve with us,鈥� Nassar said. 鈥淢any are coming to ask questions.鈥�

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Protesters, many dressed in black T-shirts with slogans like 鈥淛EWS SAY CEASEFIRE NOW,鈥澨� held up signs that said 鈥渃easefire鈥� in the Cannon rotunda.

In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, U.S. Capitol Police said, 鈥淲e warned the protestors to stop demonstrating, and when they did not comply, we began arresting them.鈥�

We warned the protestors to stop demonstrating and when they did not comply we began arresting them.

鈥� The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice)

U.S. Capitol Police also on X that 鈥渁mong the arrests, three people have been arrested and charged with Assault on a Police Officer during processing.鈥�

Arrested protestors, with hands zip-tied behind their backs, were lined up outside the Cannon House Office building Wednesday afternoon, waiting to be put into U.S. Capitol Police buses. Police said it won鈥檛 have the final number of those arrested for a while as it continues to process arrests.

Hundreds of protestors gathered outside Cannon and the Capitol and chanted and sang 鈥淐easefire now鈥� and 鈥淔ree Palestine.鈥澨�

Jewish Voice for Peace organized the protest, and demonstrators then went inside Cannon after a rally on the National Mall, according to the organization’s on X. Jewish Voice for Peace describes itself as 鈥渢he largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world,鈥� according to its

Rebecca Ennen joined the protest outside. She said she came to call for an end to the war.听

鈥淚’m Jewish, I’m a mom, and the attacks by Hamas were completely horrific, and everyone should be horrified by that,鈥� Ennen said. 鈥淚 just see that war is not going to create safety; it鈥檚 not going to create justice.鈥澨�

HAPPENING NOW: Hundreds are outside the Cannon House Office building calling for a ceasefire in the

鈥� Alex Angle (@alexangle_)

President Joe Biden wrapped up his visit to Israel Wednesday, where he expressed support for Israel and laid out a plan to get humanitarian aid to people in Gaza.

President Biden also on X today, stating, 鈥淭he vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas.鈥� 鈥淎nd Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people.鈥�

Hundreds were killed in an explosion at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, causing protests throughout the Middle East and shortening Biden鈥檚 trip. Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians. In retaliation, Israel shut off all supplies to Gaza and claims to be planning a ground assault to root out Hamas fighters in the coming days.听

3,478 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.听

Gabriel Connolly traveled from Massachusetts to join Wednesday’s protest. As a father, he said it’s difficult to think about the reality of families experiencing the Israel-Hamas war.听

鈥淚 can’t imagine the horrible pain that these parents are going through, wanting to keep their children safe and not being able to. They’re being told to go somewhere else, and you go there, and you get bombed there, so there’s no safety,鈥� Connolly said.听

Another protestor, Isa Cano, came from New York to join the protest calling for a ceasefire.

鈥淪top dehumanizing certain groups of people; everyone deserves the right to live,鈥� Cano said.听听

The protest wrapped up around 5 p.m., and Capitol Police reopened the roads around the Capitol.听

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Dozens of people stop, meander and look through all the items on sale at the weekly Dupont Little Flea Market. John Harvey is the proprietor of the market and rents spaces to other vendors, focusing on hyper-local Dupont sellers.听

鈥淭his is our main livelihood,鈥� Harvey said.听

Harvey has operated the market for almost five years. He has added more vendors since opening, but said he is limited from growing much more. The market is limited by available physical space on the sidewalks and by economic factors impacting his ability to open up a brick-and-mortar store.听

鈥淚 think it’s really impossible for a business like mine, as successful as it is here, to do this sort of thing storefront-wise the city just doesn’t to my knowledge, it doesn’t really work with us,鈥� Harvey said. 鈥淐ertainly, the landlords don’t.鈥�

Harvey said the rent prices in Dupont Circle are too high for his local business to succeed in a retail space. He said he鈥檚 seen landlords asking for $10,000 in rent, which is not plausible for his business.听

鈥淚鈥檓 just not willing to take that risk,鈥� Harvey said.听

A retail advisor at Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) in the District, Reilly Hudson, said the retail market in D.C. is coming back strong after COVID-19, so it can be difficult for local businesses to compete with more prominent brands for retail space.听

鈥淭here’s national credit tenants that are coming in,鈥� Hudson said. 鈥淭hey’re very attractive to landlords, they offer awesome use that people love, and there are credit-worthy tenants. So yeah, it does create some challenges for more local users.鈥�

A recent CBRE found 143 select retail openings in the district and 72 closings this year. A similar retail by real estate company JLL found Dupont Circle had 21 retail openings in the neighborhood and 19 closings since 2022.

However, walking through Dupont Circle, empty storefronts still line the streets three years after COVID-19.听

“It’s a busy corridor – but during the pandemic – it really did, like all parts of the city, take a hit,鈥� said Ann Blackwell, the executive director of Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets.听

The Dupont Circle Business Improvement District Executive Director Bill McLeod said in an email that most rent prices in Dupont Circle range from $10,000 – $24,000, making it hard to fill some empty storefronts.

McLeod also wrote that landlords face a number of challenges that make it hard for them to lower rent for tenants. He cited high mortgage payments for landlords who bought commercial real estate in the years before the pandemic, high commercial building taxes and in Dupont Circle, he said small building owners also rely on rent payments for income and lowering it could have a 鈥渃atastrophic impact on the family鈥檚 income.鈥澨�

Hudson also noted the retail business always presents challenges to keeping storefronts filled.听

鈥淩etail is still a cutthroat business,鈥� Hudson said. 鈥淚t’s hard to run a store for a number of years. So there’s always going to be vacancy in our world.鈥澨�

Blackwell said Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets offers multiple services to help support small businesses in the neighborhood.听

“We offer consulting on DC grants and opportunities for small businesses,鈥� Blackwell said. 鈥淲e recently added social media and security consulting; business people want to know more about how they can better market their business or make it safe using security practices.鈥�

The JLL report noted that the new business openings in Dupont Circle in the past year have mostly been food and drink establishments, which reflects the D.C. market as a whole. In the District, the report found that 71% of new businesses were bars and restaurants, while only 8% of new businesses sold apparel or accessories.听

Harvey said online shopping has also made owning a retail space difficult because the prices he sells his items at wouldn鈥檛 be enough to compete with the rent prices.听

鈥淚t’s really, really hard,鈥� Harvey said.听 鈥淵ou want extravagant rents, but I can’t ask a lot because all they have to do for this Italian oil is go online and order it from Amazon tomorrow. So I can’t even get the prices that would allow me to pay rent and pay my staff,鈥� Harvey said.

The post Small businesses can鈥檛 compete with high rent in Dupont Circle first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

鈥淚t’s meant different things to me every year, but having that kind of calendar date of something鈥檚 coming up, it鈥檚 part of the holiday season is a lot of fun,鈥� Slatt said.

Slatt has attended the race for the past two decades. Every year participants run down 17th Street adorned in jewels, bright colors and wearing heels. However, Slatt said this year鈥檚 race holds even more significance for the LGBTQ+ community.听

鈥淎s drag has really become a contentious issue on the national level and a lot of vitriol towards drag storytime and people in drag and calling us recruiters and groomers and all of these really homophobic tropes that have been used to hurt my people for a very long time, I hope that at this year’s race, we can highlight some good stories of drag,鈥� Slatt said.听

Slatt, a Dupont Circle ANC commissioner, said because of the attacks on the drag community this year, ensuring everyone stays safe at the 2023 race is paramount.听

鈥淭he number one fear is the personal safety of our community,鈥� Slatt said.听

An Institute for Strategic Dialogue found more than 200 instances of anti-drag mobilizations from June 2022 to May 2023 in the United States. The report noted the threats in the U.S. came from multiple groups, including far-right groups and politicians, parents rights activists, and Christian nationalists.听

The Mayor鈥檚 Office of LGBTQ Affairs puts on the race. The office provided multiple statements to 最新蜜桃影像 on its safety concerns this year.听

鈥淚t is the unfortunate truth that crime targeting the LGBTQIA+ Community has increased. However, we have established a close collaborative partnership with MPD and FEMS to implement and uphold effective safety protocols. This collaborative effort includes our work with the LGBTQ Liaison Unit within MPD. Our strong rapport with the businesses along the 17th Street Corridor enables us to address any unexpected situations promptly,鈥� the office wrote.听

Specifically, the office plans to use barricades to separate runners and spectators at the event.听

“Additionally, we have stationed approximately 2 to 3 emergency vehicles at different points throughout the event to provide coverage and swift response in case of any unforeseen incidents,鈥� the office wrote.听

Shirley Naytch, a drag artist who has performed in D.C. for six years, has experienced safety concerns firsthand this year. Naytch said the Imagination Stage, a youth theater organization, planned drag storytimes for January and February. However, Naytch said the drag storytimes were pushed back because of anti-drag sentiments and anti-drag legislation circulating around the country.

The ACLU is tracking 496 anti-LGBTQ laws during the 2023 legislative session, according to its

鈥淲e didn’t know if the Proud Boys were gonna just show up at Imagination Stage and bring holy hell on to these kids that moms and dads and caregivers are bringing their children to these events wanting to celebrate love and pride,鈥� Naytch said.听

However, Naytch said the postponed story times gave them more time to prepare and allowed the organizers to be on the lookout for any possible detractors.听

鈥淲e were ready to stand up to the hatred and allow kids to be kids and experience a sense of their own wonder and joy and just learning about who people are,鈥� Naytch said.听

Naytch said the 17th Street High Heel Race is a fun, organized event and is confident people will look out for one another.听

鈥淵ou have to work with each other to keep everyone safe and that’s a two-way street,鈥� Naytch said.

Jeff Donahoe, a board member of the Rainbow History Project, an organization dedicated to preserving the history of LGBTQ+ people, said 17th Street, where the race takes place, continues to be a special place for the queer community and a place where people should feel safe and accepted.听

鈥淚t has like a major, major role to play for our community in terms of commerce being welcoming spaces, and hangout spaces and spaces that have given a ton of back to the community in different ways,鈥� Donahoe said. 鈥淪o it’s a really significant four or five blocks.鈥�

Slatt said as the race draws near, he wants to ensure the safety aspect of the preparation remains at the forefront for the event organizers and those coming out to the event.听听

鈥淲e never know what’s going to happen, but that’s why we’re hoping to have a broad perimeter of safety around the area so that people know they can come and feel safe and feel supported,鈥� Slatt said.听

The Metropolitan Police Department said it does not share specifics of its safety operations at events like the High Heel Race.听

鈥淲e will continue to monitor and plan accordingly with our law enforcement partners, and other city services, to ensure the safety of the community,鈥� wrote Officer Hugh Carew. 鈥淭he public is also reminded that if you see something, say something.鈥�

The Dupont Circle ANC also approved a resolution in September, sent to the Mayor鈥檚 Office of LGBTQ Affairs and the District Department of Transportation, showing the neighborhood鈥檚 support for the race and asking the government to create a safe space for participants and spectators.听

鈥淢y number one concern is making sure that people can come and celebrate the community, have the drag queens and feel safe from any threats of violence,鈥� Slatt said.

The 17th Street High Heel Race will take place on Tuesday, October 24.

The post Safety top of mind ahead of 17th Street High Heel Race first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

鈥淵ou have to be head on a swivel, paying attention to everything that’s going on and anticipating what not only the car that’s three spaces in front of you is going to do but the guy who’s coming up behind you as well,鈥� Carros said. 鈥淚 have redundant systems to call for help for one day when I expect to get hit, and that’s the reality of riding in D.C. is at some point, something like that is going to happen to us.鈥澨�

Carros and cycling advocates call on the District鈥檚 Department of Transportation, or DDOT, to upgrade Q Street NW/NE and R Street NW/NE bike lanes to protected bike lanes. The streets connect Dupont Circle to the Metropolitan Branch Trail. A urging the city to do so has gathered more than 1,300 signatures.

Carros and about a dozen other cyclists rode to the DC Family Bike Fest event at Alethia Tanner Park on Sunday to help raise awareness of the efforts aimed at adding protected bike lanes on Q and R streets. The group also reminded people about the ongoing petition that鈥檚 been circulating on the issue.听

The current bike lanes on Q and R streets are painted and do not have any extra barriers to protect cyclists. Carros said upgrading the lanes to protected lanes, also known as cycle tracks, would improve cyclists’ safety.

鈥淓verybody becomes a lot more aware that there is a third mode of transportation,鈥� Carros said.

Protected bike lanes allow for physical separation between bike riders and others around them. According to the website,听separation can be 鈥渁 row of parked cars, a concrete curb, and/or flex posts and wheel stops.鈥�

Garrett Hennigan with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association said that adding protected bike lanes on Q and R streets would allow the city to have an east-west low-stress bike corridor, connecting north and south streets with protected bike lanes.听

鈥淭his is a place where tons and tons of trips could be made by bike, but the limiting factor is most people look at the streets outside their door or between their door and where they’re going, and they say that is way too stressful for me to hop on a bike for myself and certainly not with my kids,鈥� Hennigan said.听

The push to add protected lanes on Q and R streets has been going on for more than a year. Hennigan said advisory neighborhood commissions in Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Shaw have also asked DDOT to look at adding the protected lanes.听

DDOT did not respond to 最新蜜桃影像鈥檚 requests for comment on its status of looking at adding protected bike lanes to Q and R streets NW/NE.听

In 2020, the District planned to build 20 miles of new protected bike lanes over three years, according to its website. Q and R streets NW/NE were not on that list.听

However, the push for adding more protected bike lanes in the city also has opposition. Nick DelleDonne with the Dupont East Civic Action Association said protected bike lanes usually mean losing parking or driving lanes, and he said both are greatly needed in D.C.听

鈥淚t’s not good news for businesses or automobile traffic, and people will get a headache just thinking about trying to find a place and how to get around in the district,鈥� DelleDonne said.

DelleDonne pointed to problems he said people have encountered with protected bike lanes on 17th Street that were constructed in 2021. 17th Street is home to many businesses.听

鈥淚t is so difficult for the delivery drivers to find a place to park that they are parking in the intersection, they are unloading their cargo in the intersection, and you can’t tell me that it is safe or that is the result of a plan,鈥� DelleDonne said. 鈥淚t is an accident.鈥澨�

DelleDonne said DDOT needs to look at other ways to keep everyone on the roads safe and said more emphasis needs to be put on improving public transit instead of adding more protected bike lanes.听

Hennigan said the Washington Area Bicyclist Association presented its ideas for the protected bike lanes to DDOT earlier this year but said the group has not received an update from the department since then.听

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