Judge Blocks Trump Admin’s Attempt to Demolish D.C. Bike Lane

Advocates in the nation’s capital celebrated on Tuesday after a federal judge blocked a Trump administration plan to rip out a key bike lane — but advocates across the country are warning that Trump could try again, in the nation’s capital and beyond.

The decision to save the 15th Street bike lane near the iconic Tidal Basin came in response to a March lawsuit from the Washington Area Bicyclists Association. The judge agreed with their argument that the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration had failed to articulate a “rational connection” between the targeted lane and anticipated traffic jams during the spring Cherry Blossom Festival.

In fact, a recent study from the District of Columbia’s Department of Transportation found that car traffic sped up after the lanes were installed, and bicycle crashes fell 91 percent.

In an era where the federal government often erases and ignores research on street safety, more than 100 Washingtonians showed up to a Tuesday rally ready for a fight to “Save America’s Bike Lane.” That’s where many of them learned for the first time that a judge had already ruled in their favor, and a protest transformed into a party.

“We are thrilled with this victory, with the members who support us, with our amazing legal team, and [with] the BIKE LANE, where we can continue to safely travel from Virginia to D.C. and around the mall,” said WABA Executive Director Elizabeth Kiker in a statement to Streetsblog.

By the time that judgement came down, though, D.C.’s bike lane fight had already inspired solidarity rides across the country — and many advocates chose to ride anyway to draw attention to their own threatened infrastructure.

In Denver, for instance, advocates at Bicycle Colorado warned that “the 15th Street protected bike lane in D.C. is more than a local issue,” and staged their own slow ride past sites where “previously planned safety improvements have been challenged and delayed by the City of Denver.”

Advocates in Los Angeles also planned a ride to call attention to how the Trump administration’s actions could affect communities whose bike lanes aren’t subject to the federal jurisdiction — if only by normalizing the removal of hard-fought infrastructure without public input.

“This sets a dangerous precedent for safe streets everywhere,” the group wrote.

Advocates at BikeDurham, meanwhile, reminded locals that “what happens there can happen anywhere, including here in Durham” in their announcement.

In D.C., advocates remain vigilant about the future of the 15th Street bike lane, whose eventual removal the federal judge behind the recent decision did not totally rule out. And as Streetsblog first reported following a leaked January memo, it’s only one of many potential bike lane demolitions the administration may be exploring.

Still, as the current administration claws back money for future sustainable transportation across the country, it’s heartening to hear stories of advocates who are fighting to protect the infrastructure we’ve already got — and winning.