The city of D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare website says a “#GoneFlyGreen” policy was implemented starting on Friday, Nov. 16, to remove wheeled storage and recreational bike storage from Georgetown and Kenilworth, as they were in the course of rebuilding the streetcar track. This means the vehicles can’t park where they normally would because the track is taken up and will be moved to adjacent open space.
This idea, however, seems a little out-of-place.
Usually, the D.C. Department of Transportation “utilizes curbside parking as a means of circumventing development or public right-of-way” or paying for space in public lots, per the website. This seems weird to me, though, because the only car and cycle space new or on-street parking is available in our shared park is the curb, and since the tracks are currently taking up some of that space, curbside storage probably seems a better option than having it be free of purpose and barrier and probably built as a parked car space.
But the website also points out that a “Gone Fly Green” initiative was implemented for Capital Bikeshare locations in August and that “we will continue to adjust this policy as needs change.” So, it seems like the city will make sure that things stay easy for commuters through bike storage options or public facilities, so it makes sense that during construction the previous storage areas will stay in place for a little while longer to make sure the travelers have as much choice as possible.
I actually live in this exact exact area of the new tracks and the street work. We were pretty lucky that the work was finished for a weekend but I think curbside storage is a better option than trash dumping on the curb, though.