Streetfilms: D.C. DOT Director Talks ‘Transportation Freedom’

Meet Gabe Klein, who was appointed to direct Washington D.C.’s Department of Transportation (DDOT) in December 2008. With a background that includes four years working for Zipcar, Klein was brought in to look at the city’s mobility problems from a fresh perspective. As he says:

Cars are a part of our daily life here in D.C., but what we want to do is try to equalize the playing field. Encourage people to walk, to bike, to bike share; or instead of owning a car — car share.

D.C. already has one of the lowest household car-ownership rates of any major U.S. city, so actively promoting these modes is essential — as Klein points out — to helping people move about with freedom.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Streetfilms: Bill Lind, a Conservative Voice for Transit

|
At last month’s Rail-Volution conference in Boston, Streetfilms was able to grab a few moments with William Lind, a politically conservative transit advocate. Lind aims to provide "liberal transit advocates" the language to build support for public transportation (okay, just rail) in terms that conservatives can relate to. Some of Lind’s arguments don’t reflect our […]

Seeking Stimulus Money For Bike Sharing, D.C. Looks Beyond Cutting CO2

|
The Transportation Planning Board (TPB), the Washington D.C. area’s metropolitan planning organization (MPO), recently made a pitch to the U.S. DOT for a share of the economic stimulus law’s $1.5 billion in innovative transport grants. Among the suggested projects was $13 million for bike sharing, enough to expand the D.C. program into a regional network […]

Streetfilms: Blumenauer Bikes New York City

|
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) is one of Capitol Hill’s strongest voices for walking, biking and transit. Soon after arriving in Congress in 1996, he started the Congressional Bike Caucus, now more than 160 members strong, and he’s the founding chairman of the House’s new "Livable Communities Task Force," which he announced two weeks ago here […]

Streetfilms: Voices From the National Bike Summit

|
Last week, hundreds of bike advocates descended on Washington D.C. for the tenth annual National Bike Summit — the largest one yet. Hosted by the League of American Bicyclists, the summit is always a great opportunity for advocates to share ideas and make the case for cycling on Capitol Hill. This year attendees encouraged their […]

A Look at D.C.’s Contraflow Cycle Track

|
While we were down in Washington D.C. for the National Bike Summit, Streetfilms got the chance to check out some of the innovative bike infrastructure. Tops on our list: the city’s first protected, contraflow lane for bicyclists. The D.C. DOT has redesigned 15th Street NW between U Street and Massachusetts Avenue to accommodate two-way bike […]