Recording in progress.

Good morning, everyone.

I'm Charles Allen, award six council member and chair of the Council's Committee on Transportation and the Environment today is Monday, April 27th, 2026.

We are meeting both in room 500 of the John A.

Wilson Building and via the Zoom virtual platform.

The time is now 9 40 a.m.

and I'm calling to order this budget oversight hearing of the committee.

This is the committee's second budget oversight hearing of the mayor's proposed budget for fiscal year 2027.

Today the committee will receive testimony from the public witnesses regarding the proposed budget for the District Department of Transportation, otherwise known as DDOT.

D DOT's stated mission is to equitably deliver a safe, sustainable, and reliable multimodal transportation network for all residents and visitors of the District of Columbia.

Pursuant to that mission, DDOT designs, constructs, maintains, and repairs alleys, sidewalks, streets, bike lanes, bridges, and tunnels throughout the district.

The agency administers the district's automated safety camera program as well as the bus lane enforcement and freight vehicle camera systems.

DDET also plays an important role in school safety through its safe routes to school and school crossing guard programs.

DDOT has exited the role of directly managing public transportation systems with the termination of the DC circulator bus service and DC streetcar service.

Nevertheless, the agency supports Wamada's Metro Bus and Metro Rail services in several ways, including the bus priority program, and by improving connectivity to stops and to stations.

Beyond managing transportation projects, DDOT is also one of the primary agencies involved in public space management.

Whether it's street closures for a parade or a farmer's market or issuing permits for streeteries or blocked parties, the agency's urban forestry division also cultivates the district's urban tree canopy, which beautifies the city while offering residents and visitors much needed shade.

And when the sun goes down, DDOT is responsible for illuminating the district with the streetlight program.

In sum, DDOT's functions are far reaching, and while it's fair to characterize DDOT as the district's transportation agency, the agency also has tremendous influence over the use and allocation of public space in the district, not just our roadways.

The mayor's proposed FY 2027 operating budget for the agency is 151.1 million dollars, representing a decrease of 14.3% from its FY26 approved budget of 176.2 million dollars.

The funding supports about 765 FDEs, a reduction of roughly four FTEs from the FY26 approved budget.

And the D DOT proposed capital budget is 867.8 million, a 24.7% increase from the FY26 approved capital budget of $695 million.

The capital budget supports 24.7 FDEs.

For any public witnesses who wish to submit retin testimony, you can do so through the council's hearing management system at LIMS.dc council.gov backslash hearings until Monday, May 11th, 2026.

So with that said, we are going to turn to our public witnesses.

We have a combination of folks that are here in the chamber with us, as well as folks that are joining us online.

So what I'm going to do is call out names and hopefully it works out that we'll have about four people since we have four chairs at this table.

We'll also have folks that are online and we'll go through one panel.

When you finish your testimony, please stay seated or remain in the Zoom so that we can uh turn and ask you questions afterwards.

Uh so let me call Andy Renard, Associate Director of Policy and Political Affairs with the DC Charter School Alliance.

Helena Deseme or Des Demise, sorry, student at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.

Rahel Guyo, a student at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, and Ada Ba, a student at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.

Also Michelle Robinson, who's a student at Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School, Amani Johnson, a student at Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School, who I think are online.

So we're Helena Rahel or Ada here.

How about this?

Do I have Deborah McQueen here?

All right, if you'll come on up, please.

Do I have Rosa Garcia?

Is Ashley Simpson Baird here?

Yep.

Ashley, come on up, please.

Okay.

Actually, I think we have Helena online and Rahel.

All right.

So Andy, we're going to start with you, and then we will work our way through a combination of folks that are here in person and folks that are online.

So Andy Renard, I'll turn it to you for your testimony.

Good morning.

Uh good morning, Chairman Allen and members of the committee.

Uh, my name is Andy Renard, and I'm the associate director of policy and political affairs at the DC Charter School Alliance, the local nonprofit that advocates on behalf of public charter schools and their students in the district.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the Adult Learner Transit Subsidy, a program that is critical for the success of adult learners across DC and one that demands our attention this budget cycle.

DC's adult charter schools serve more than 5,000 adult learners across nine campuses.

These students are completing their high school equivalency, earning industry recognized certifications, and building key workforce skills for careers in high demand fields like healthcare, IT, early childhood education, and construction.

Over 50% are parents of school-aged children themselves.

And the evidence is clear, investing in adult education has a generational impact on DC families.

Transportation is one of the most persistent barriers to consistent attendance for adult learners, and the adult learner transportation subsidy is currently falling short.

The current $70 monthly benefit has not been increased since 2019.

Peak hour metro fares now range from 225 to 675 per trip.

A learning is a learner attending class three days per week can face monthly transportation costs between 80 and up to 200, depending on the distance.

School leaders consistently report that students face a monthly gap of up to $50 between the subsidy and their actual costs, a gap that grows even larger for parents who must make additional trips for child care before class.

The consequence is direct and measurable.

Adult learners regularly regularly exhaust their transportation funds by the second or third week of the month.

When that happens, they face an impossible choice.

Miss class, arrive late, cut back on food, rent, or child care to cover their fare.

When students miss class, can stall their progress.

Program completion rates fall, and the district's much larger and critical investment in adult education fails to reach its full potential.

Nearly 80% of adult learners who complete these programs, secure employment or enter post-secondary education.

These are workers that are earning family sustaining wages and contributing to DC's workforce and tax base.

A stronger transit subsidy is not small.

It's a key part of the return on investment.

We're asking for two things.

First, increase the adult learner transit subsidy to $100 per student per month to better align with current transportation costs.

Second, index future adjustments to metro fare increases so this benefit does not erode again over time as it has the past six years.

Adult learners are demonstrating a real commitment to self-improvement.

Transportation should not be what stops them.

Thank you, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Renard.

Um, let me turn to Helena who's joining us online.

Good morning, Chairperson Allen and members of the committee.

My name is Alina Demessy, and I serve as a student service director at the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.

In my role, I oversee the Student Service Department at the Harbor Street campus, supporting other learners as they work to build a better future for themselves and their family.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I'm here to urge you to increase that at learner transit subsidy from $70 to $100 per month in the fiscal year 27 uh budget.

Uh, Carlos Rosario, we saw other learners who are deeply committed to improving their life through education.

Many of our students are parents.

Some are unemployed and have no steady income.

Others are working one or even two jobs, but still struggle to make the aim due to the high cost of living in the district.

Transportation is one of the most consistent and significant barrier our students face.

The transit subsidy is not a luxury.

It's essential.

It's often the only way our students can get to the school.

However, the current $70 monthly benefit is not enough.

In our daily work, we see that students regularly exhaust their funds just three weeks into the months.

What happened when that happened?

At that point, they're forced to wait until the next month to receive additional funds.

When students cannot approach transportation, they cannot attend school.

And when they cannot attend school, their education and their pathway to the economy mobility is disrupted.

We see this reflected in attendance pattern, specially towards the end of the month when funds run out.

Our school does everything we can to fill the gap.

We provide limited best tokens when available and in some cases emergency gift cards.

But these are a short-term solution and cannot meet the full level of needs.

We also conducted a survey of more than 700 students to better understand their experience.

The results were clear.

91% of respondents receive this transit subsidy.

More than 70% of say that $70 per month is not enough.

And nearly 90% said that increasing the benefit to $100 per month would benefit their needs.

These findings reflect what we see every day.

When they succeed, our city succeeds.

But they cannot succeed if they cannot get to the school.

Increasing the other learner transit subsidy to $100 per month is practical, targeted investment that will directly improve attendance, persistence, and student outcome.

It will ensure that other learners can contribute their education without interruption.

I respectfully urge the council to make this increase in the fiscal year 2027 budget.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I'm happy to answer any question.

Thank you very much.

Next, let me turn to uh Rahel Goyo, who is also online.

Good morning, Chairman Alan and member of the committee.

My name is Rahel Guyo, and I am a case manager and retention specialist at Carlos Rosario and Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

In my role, I work directly with adult learners every day to help them stay enrolled and succeed in school.

I connect students to crucial resources like health insurance and public benefit.

Help them navigate the complex system and provide the support they need to remain focused on their education.

I also manage the distribution of smart trip cards through the adult learner transit subsidy program.

For our students, transportation is not a small issue.

It is one of the most important factors in whether they can consistently attend school.

The adult learners transit subsidy is an essential support that allows students to get to class each day.

Many of our students are immigrants who are new to Washington, D.C.

They are learning how to navigate the city often while balancing family responsibilities and rebuilding their lives.

Having access to smart trip cards, give them the ability to travel independently and reliably to the school.

I see firsthand how it's a how the support contributes to students' retention.

When students have access to transportation, they show up, they stay engaged, they continue working towards their educational and career goals.

However, the current subsidy of $70 per month is not enough.

Students regularly come to me concerned that their cards are not working, only for us to discover that the funds have already run out before and before the end of the month.

Others tell us directly that the subsidy is simply doesn't cover the full cost of getting to school consistently.

When this happens, students are forced to make difficult choices.

Some rely on limited emergency assistance when it's available, and others have to wait until the next month to receive additional funds.

These gaps in transportation access can disrupt attendance and put students at risk of falling behind of leaving or leaving the school altogether.

We have also heard directly from students through survey that an increase in the subsidy would make a meaningful difference.

The message is consistent.

$70 is not enough to meet their transportation needs.

If we are serious about supporting adult learners and ensuring they are persistent, they are persistent in their education, we must ensure they can physically get to school every day.

That is why I respect you, I respectfully urge the council to increase adult learner transit subsidy from $70 to $100 per month in the physical year 2027 budget.

This investment would strengthen student retention, support consistent attendance, and ultimately help them more district residents to complete their education and contribute to our workforce and economy.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you very much.

And next let me turn to Ada Ba.

Good morning, Chef Alan and member of the community.

My name is Aida Ba, and I'm a student at Carlos Rosario International Public Church School.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I come to Washington, DC many years ago as a single mother, leaving a difficult situation in starting over with my younger daughter.

At that time, I was living in the shelter with no support, and I did not believe that I could achieve much for myself or my family.

Everything changed when I found Carlos Rosario.

From the first day, the school welcomed me, support me, and help me believe in myself.

I start in an English class, improve my English and complete ESL level 8.

Then with encouragement from my teacher, I want on the earn my GD.

After that, I continue building my skill.

I complete an IT credential and I also complete the small business certificate that helped me start my own business.

Just last week I opened my own dojo where I teach fitness and martial arts with children in my community.

Today I'm also a college student at the University of District of Columbia, student psychology.

I want to become a professional coach for young people and support them both physically and mentally.

None of this would be possible with our college rosario.

The school is not just a place to learn.

It's like a family.

They support me with education, with guidance, and even with basical need when I was struggling.

One of the most important people I received is transportation at the time.

Like many adult learner, I really am learning transit subject to get to school and take care of my family.

Every day, I take the bus to drop my daughter at school, then travel to my classes and later return to pick up.

Sometimes I take the bus four, five or even six times on a day just to manage school and parenting responsibility.

I couldn't the consentity of $70 per month is not enough.

It often uh before the end of the month.

When that happened, I have to work long distance.

Sometimes make me late to classy, or I have to carefully plan every trip and every dollar.

Even today.

I'm testifying with child because taking the bus to attend this hearing in prison will do a trip that I need later in the week to get to school.

That is how closely we have to calculate every ride.

An increase the 100 pen month would make a real difference.

It would help me and other students get to school consistently, stay on track and continue building better future for our family.

I'm here today.

Because I believe in the opening that adult education provide, I'm leaving proof that one student is supported.

We can success give back and shrink our community.

I respectfully ask you to increase the adult learn transit from $70 to 100 per month so that students like me can continue education and achieve our goal.

Thanks you for your time and for your support.

I'm happy to answer any question.

So thank you.

Thank you very much.

Next, let me turn to Michelle Robinson, who's also joining us online.

Good morning, and thank you for allowing me to speak today.

My name is Michelle Robinson, and I am here to testify in strong support of transportation assistance for students at Academy of Hope Public Charter School.

And to respectfully ask that this funding not only continue but be increased to better meet the real cost of getting to school.

I stand before you today, not just as a student, but as someone fighting every day to build a better future through education.

I am currently experiencing homelessness, and there are days when I do not know where I will be staying or where I will sleep next.

That uncertainty affects every part of my life.

But even through that, I still choose to show up to school to keep learning and to keep pushing forward.

The truth is that many students are doing everything that they can to succeed, but determination is not enough when basic barriers stand in the way.

To some people, $70 may seem like a lot, but in today's economy and with the actual cost of consistent travel, it is not nearly enough.

An increase in this subsidy would mean more reliable attendance, fewer missed class, and less stress for students who are already carrying financial hardship.

It would mean not having to choose between adding money to my smart trip, buying food, hygiene products, or paying for temporary shelter.

When students cannot afford transportation, they are not just missing class.

They will be missing access to food pantries, safety, support systems, and life-changing resources.

Nationally, public schools identified more than 1.5 million students experiencing homelessness in the 23-24 school year, the highest number on record.

Nearly 47.7% of homeless students were chronically absent, and graduation rates remain far below the national average.

Do I buy a meal today or do I ride the train to school?

Do I save money for where I'm going to sleep tonight or do I pay to get to class this week?

Do I survive today or invest in tomorrow?

No students should have to make these choices.

Academy of Hope serves for students who are trying to change their lives.

Some are returning to school after setbacks, and some are working while studying.

Some are facing homelessness like myself, family hardships and financial struggles.

But what we all have in common is that we are trying.

We are trying to earn diplomas, gain skills, secure jobs, go to college and become stable.

You are not just investing in attendance.

You are investing in our graduation and jobs and stability and people who simply need a fair chance.

So I ask you today to continue this program and increase the amount so that it truly reflects the cost students face today.

Please do not let transportation be the reason that someone loses access to school support and help.

Thank you for your time, compassion, and support.

Thank you very much.

The next, let me turn to Deborah McQueen.

If you're ready, if you'll push buttons of red lights on.

There you go.

You're all set.

Oh, thank you.

Good morning, uh Chairman, Chairman Allen and members of the committee on transportation and environment.

My name's Deborah McQueen, and I am a student at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.

Transportation is a big part of whether whether I can make it to school.

I use but use both the bus and metro to get there.

During rush hour, the costs are higher.

When I we first receive my smart card through the adult learning subtransit subsidy, I'm I apologize, I'm nervous.

You're doing great.

You're doing great.

The $70 did not last a month.

I ran out of money.

I had to use some of my rent to get to school.

I even had to borrow $20 from my uncle to make sure I kept attending classes.

For students like me, the cost of transportation adds up quickly.

Depending on the month, and I often I travel to travel, the subsidy does not cover everything.

When that happens, we are forced to make difficult choice between transportation, rent, and other basic needs.

That is why I'm asking you to increase the adult learning subsidized from 70 to 100 per month.

This change could make a real difference.

It helps students stay in school, reduce federal financial stress, and make sure the transportation is not a barrier to complete our education.

Adult learners are working hard to improve our lives, even when we are facing difficult situations.

With the right support, we can succeed.

Thank you for your time and for supporting adult learners like me.

You did great.

Thank you.

And then Ashley Simpson Beard, let me turn to you.

Good morning, Chairman Allen and members of the committee and staff.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Ashley Simpson Baird, and I have serve as the director of research and policy at Brea Public Charter School.

Brea is a two-generation school where parents and their children attend together.

Children receive early childhood education while their parents are enrolled in English, digital literacy, high school diploma, and workforce training programs.

Like adult learners across the district, our students are balancing school, work, parenting, and caregiving responsibilities, and they are deeply committed to their education.

Transportation is one of the most immediate and persistent barriers that they face.

This year alone, 679 BRIA students have access to the adult learner transit subsidy.

Our data show that more than 85% rely on bus or metro to get to school, and 73% of those report the subsidy of $70 a month does not last them the full month.

This is not surprising.

The subsidy has remained at $70 since 2019 while transit costs have increased significantly.

Even students attending class just three days a week can face monthly costs exceeding 120, or as Andy mentioned, $200 when they combine bus and rail trips together.

For parent learners, the cost is even higher.

Many must take multiple trips each day to drop off children before attending class.

These are not optional trips, they are essential.

And the current subsidy does not reflect that reality.

The result is predictable, as we've heard from other students this morning.

They run out of funds by the second or third week of the month, attendance drops, lateness increases, and students are forced to make impossible trade-offs between transportation and basic needs like food, rent, or child care.

When students cannot get to school, the district's investment in adult education is not fully realized.

It's important to remember that this program exists because of adult learner advocacy.

Students organized, testified, and work with the council to first establish the subsidy at $50 per month, then successfully advocated for an increase to $70 in 2019.

That progress mattered.

But six years later, it's time to update the benefit to reflect today's cost of living.

We're asking the council to increase the subsidy from 70 to 100 per month.

We estimate this would cost approximately 1.5 million dollars a year, a modest investment relative to the district's overall education and workforce spending.

This is not about expanding a program, it is ensuring that existing program functions as intended.

A $30 increase will directly improve attendance retention, program completion, and workforce entry.

Adult learners who complete programs earn credentials to curm secure employment and contribute to the district's economy.

Increasing the subsidy strengthens, not expands the district's return on its existing investments.

I also want to thank you, Chair Allen, for your partnership on this issue.

We look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that this program meets the needs of students as it is designed to serve them.

In the longer term, we encourage the district to align this program with the kids ride free program.

In DC adult education is public education.

Our vision is simple.

Students ride free, regardless of age.

Integrating these programs would reduce administrative burden and ensure long-term stability for adult learners.

Transportation should not be the reason an adult learner misses school.

A modest increase in the subsidy will make it possible for students to get to class and stay there.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I'm happy to take any questions.

Excellent.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

And I know our next panel is going to focus a lot on this topic as well.

But I do have some questions for this group.

So first off, thank you all for your testimony and sharing your own experience, uh, which can sometimes be hard to do or intimidating in this setting.

So you did great, and thank you very much for that.

Um, as much advocacy as we have seen um on this issue and how clearly laid out the need is and what the impact can be.

I was certainly hopeful that we would see this included in the proposed budget that came to us.

Um is there, I guess briefly, was there any conversation with the mayor from uh our charter schools that were was hoping to see the funding included and just kind of curious to see if there was any conversation or any context there.

Um so yes, definitely uh earlier this year, you know we visited you in your office.

We also um sent emails and reached out to the the DME in particular.

We met with him several times and his team.

Uh we also reached out to D DOT with a letter with this request as well.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um to help, I mean, I I I think this is a priority.

Like you don't have to convince me, right?

You're doing a great job of helping lay out the case of what the need is, and then our job is now to go see how how we can add this to the budget in a challenging budget.

But I think this is exactly what we're here to do and for these adult learners and how much of a difference this can make.

So we're gonna work hard on that.

Can I maybe Mr.

Renard?

And anybody else wants to jump in as well, please.

But one of the things that I've had some people say is well, we already have programs like MetroLyft, or we have other um programs or subsidy programs.

Can you talk about does that program work, or maybe what are the shortcomings of a program like that?

Or do we have students that are able to pair a MetroLyft and an adult learner subsidy?

Anything you can share about kind of the ways that this and I think I guess to your last point around, wouldn't just be easier to consolidate things into something where just all learners have a uh maybe we have to change the name Kids Ride Free to students ride free.

But I think you know I know what you mean in terms of kind of the the savings that could be there.

But curious how you how does it work today in terms of combining either MetroLift or other subsidy and assistance programs?

Can you ask the lead for that?

Why don't I Helena?

Maybe I'll kind of ask that to you if you have any kind of experience or kind of advice from what you're seeing there.

And then Mr.

Renard, I feel like you might you look you want to jump in too, so maybe you'll jump in after that.

Sure, yeah.

Um so in order to qualify for the Metro Lift.

Um I think participant has to participate in some type of um public benefits.

Either they need to have like a SNAP or um, they need to receive other benefits.

So that is one of the reasons some of our students are not qualified for that one, but we also you know, um promote the that program.

Okay.

Nothing.

Okay.

All right.

Um I think that um the other thing we would figure out is the cost and so what we're looking for.

So uh Ms.

Barrett, can you talk a little bit more about how did you develop your estimate of the approximately I think you said 1.5 million?

Can you help us walk through kind of how did you cope with that number?

Yeah, so I assumed roughly 75% of the 5,000 students are um accessing the um adult learner transit subsidy multiplied by 10 months out of the year.

Because most of them aren't using it this summer.

Okay.

And then to try to help give confidence to our numbers.

So the 75% is based off of the survey data that you and some of our other schools have done.

So it feels like a fairly reasonable uh or high confidence estimate.

Fair to say?

Uh yeah, so that's based off of BRIA data, but we also have sort of checked in with other schools and that seems on par with what they're seeing for their students too.

Got it.

Okay, that's helpful.

Um so then let me go back to any of our other students and adult learners.

Do you want to share anything else about the combination of either MetroLyft or other programs, how it works for you?

Are you kind of piecing together these different um elements to help provide for that transportation?

Or in other words, is there is that not really a resource that you're using MetroLift, and it's really focused on the adult learner transit subsidy.

Excuse me, what is MetroLift?

MetroLyft is Wamata's subsidy program, which lowers fares for income eligible riders.

So for individuals that have I don't have all the data in front of me of what the eligibility criteria is, but for um for many riders who might need it, it provides a discounted fare.

Okay, so it doesn't come to your house.

You have where do you where would you meet it?

Where would you meet the van?

Um how does that work?

It gets uh your metro card would be uh would be all you'd need.

So it's just uh it's an eligibility program.

Um for example, if somebody's already enrolled in SNAP or TANF or anything else, would be able to be eligible for the for the benefit itself, which then lowers the cost of fares.

And what I'm kind of trying to get at is if we have people who this isn't gonna be everybody, but for some population, if that metro lift helps already lower the fares, then the adult learner transit subsidy on top of that, does that help amplify and cover more people and help provide more transit subsidy?

I've got a couple of hands online, but let me see uh if you had anything else to add to that.

Okay, question.

So suppose certain people don't have SNAP.

Correct.

That's that's something it won't cover everybody.

Just kind of curious for anybody who's experienced.

Let me turn, I see Ms.

Ba and then Miss Robinson both have their hand up.

So Ms.

Ba and then Ms.

Robinson after that.

Thank you.

So yes, you right that's I face on the struggling too, because the last time I was trying to be qualified on that.

They didn't they didn't accept me because my SNAP and my video was not accepted was not being the certificate.

I was struggling like seven six a month to not get my snap and my medicate, so I was not qualified.

But Carlos Rosale school that was giving me uh Uber or leave to stop so I can do my transportation because without it, I couldn't drop my I told them I'm gonna miss the class like a month.

And I was in my GD program.

This was my last exam.

I was about to do my last exam is with the NLA.

So I couldn't make a month if I don't have transportation because I have my drop my daughter five years old and come back to school.

So what they was doing, Carlos Rosario, they was giving me transportation like uh sm uh Uber so I can do the classic.

And that was not possible for me to be qualified for that.

Got it.

Okay.

Thank you.

Ms.

Robinson, did you want to add to that?

Um, yes, so thank you for that question first.

Um I want to say that I was not even aware of that type of subsidy on with the MetroLyft.

I will say that I think the main issue with programs like MetroLyft um is that some students do not qualify for that, and not every student is able to easily access that.

Um some students may not meet the eligibility requirements, even though they are still facing barriers getting to school.

Others may struggle with literacy technology, language barriers, as well as complete and complicated applications.

Some students just simply do not know these programs exist, like myself or where to start.

So on paper, while these resources may sound good and they may be available, in real life, many students cannot access them.

And that is why school-based transportation is so important and imperative for us.

Um when assistance comes directly through a school like Academy of Hope, it's easier to understand, it's easier to apply for, and the students students can get the help that they need from the staff that they already trust.

Um thank you.

Yeah.

Uh that's perfect, and thank you.

And you know, I I guess I'll use as a quick opportunity to promote MetroLyft, just so for anybody who doesn't know about it.

So for anybody in DC, Maryland, or Virginia who is enrolled in SNAP, you're automatically eligible for MetroLyft, which is a 50% discount on all Metro fare costs.

So Metro Rail and Metro Bus.

So it lowers that fare by 50%.

Um and it's uh it is an enrollment that's linked within a SNAP benefit.

So I just kind of put that out there, and at least because we're gonna deal with the budget that best case scenario would be implemented next fall.

So for people who have transportation needs right now, want to make sure people know about this.

So that any again, it does not cover every adult learner here, but for those that are enrolled in SNAP, MetroLyft can do a 50% reduction immediately on our Metro fares, both bus and rail.

That said, that's a student, and it still may not cover everything.

And so as we are trying to put it all together so that um we can have everyone be able to move around the way they need to, that's why this still remains a significant priority.

Perhaps there are some efficiencies we can look at about how do we make sure people can get that Metro Lyft benefit and the adult learner uh transit subsidy to cover more and more of our overall costs.

Um I just want to make sure I do that as a little bit of a PSA for anybody looking for MetroLyft.

All right.

Um I don't think I have any other questions.

I know I can continue to work with all of you as we go through the budget cycle over the next couple of weeks and incoming months to really fine-tune exactly what the dollar amount is that we're looking for, how we help rationalize and justify that to the budget people that we've got to go to, and then how we then start working on solving this.

Because um, again, I think this remains a significant priority and appreciate all the testimony.

So thank you.

And thank you to everybody online.

Thanks.

You get absolutely our second panel of witnesses.

Um I called earlier Amani Johnson, and I just want to make sure that some folks came in afterwards if Amani Johnson was here.

Excuse me.

All right.

Let me turn to Rosa Garcia, who's a student at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.

Roccio Quello, who's a student at Brea Public Charter School.

O'Nelia Romero, who's a student at the family place public charter school.

I think is online.

I have ANC Commissioner Drewti Patel with ANC2A.

Do I have Claudia Sosa with Brea Public Charter School?

Is Sandra Rodriguez here?

BRIA Public Charter School.

Francisco Hernandez.

All right.

Do I have Ophelia Lopez?

All right.

Ms.

Lopez, what I'm gonna do is have you come take a seat just right on the edge here, and then I'm gonna bring you on to the table just as one person finishes.

I'll bring you on so we can have your testimony here.

Gabriel Galino Correra, who's a student at the Next Step Public Charter School.

All right, you're here in person too.

Do I have Sergio Mendez, a student?

Okay, all right.

Three people.

All right, here's what I'm gonna do then.

I'm actually gonna save the three of you since you're here in person for the next panel, um, so that way all three of you can come up at the same time.

Okay, I think that's who I've got here.

So, I have got RS um Rocio Coelho is online, and I think I've got everybody else here in person.

Um, Commissioner Patel, why don't I start with you?

Um, and please share your testimony, and then I will move to our next witness.

Okay.

Uh good morning, Chairperson Allen and members of the committee.

My name is Tripti Patel, and I submit this testimony regarding the performance of the district uh department of transportation, affectionately known as DDOT.

As the committee considers the fiscal year 2027 budget, this is a critical moment to ensure that transportation investments are directly aligned with measurable performance outcomes.

Capital planning and operating funds must translate into timely maintenance, consistent service delivery, and equitable infrastructure.

Conditions across all residential areas of the district.

DDOT has a fundamental responsibility to maintain the district's transportation infrastructure in a state of good repair in order to protect public safety, neighborhood stability, and long-term preservation of housing stock.

In ANC2A, particularly within Snow Support Corridor, that responsibility has not been adequately met.

Over a five-year period, ANC2A has convened multiple sidewalk Palooza events to support residents and collectively submitting 311 requests and traffic traffic safety invest investigations related to sidewalk conditions, traffic safety concerns, and broader infrastructure maintenance needs.

Despite these coordinated efforts to engage existing district systems in good faith, many of these requests remain unresolved or have not been addressed in timely or comprehensive manner.

And as you know, this is personal because I fell and shattered my less left elbow.

So please fix the side box.

The continued deterioration of Snowscourt Corridor functioning as a residential alley has moved beyond quality of life concerns.

Failing sidewalks, deteriorating pavement, and inconsistency agency responses now present a direct risk to long-term viability of residential housing stock located along this corridor.

In response to sustained ANC2A advocacy, Councilmember Pinto conducted a site visit to Snow's Court and subsequently established the Snows Court task force, which has since sunset.

This following multiple ANC2A performance and budget oversight resolutions in fiscal year 24, documenting persistent cross-agency service delivery failures impacting this area.

While the creation of the task force represented a meaningful step, residents still lack clear information regarding project scope, implement implementation timelines, and ongoing agency accountability.

These challenges are further compounded by inconsistent service delivery.

Department of Public Works does not provide the Snows Court corridor with the same baseline services afforded to street facing residential blocks, including routine street sweeping, leak collection, snow and ice treatment.

This disparity underscores the need for clearer classification of the corridor and coordinated interagency responsibility.

Accordingly, ANC2A respectfully requests the following actions.

First, that the DC Council formally recognize the Snow Squirt corridor as a residential alley, ensuring that maintenance obligations and service delivery standards reflect its residential character.

Second, that this committee adopt and advanced recommendations and next steps from this former Snow's Court task force, including clear project scopes, transparent timelines, and public reporting mechanisms consistent with the district's broader commitment to preserving house housing stock.

Third, that the DDOT preserve prioritize all outstanding 311 service requests within ANC2A and strengthen coordination with sister agencies to ensure timely repair and maintenance of sidewalks and related infrastructure across the commission.

Performance oversight must be measured in outcomes, not process alone.

While Snow's court has been studied, discussed, and repeatedly documented, sustained maintenance and timely execution have not followed.

As the fiscal year 2027 budget is finalized, ANC2A urges this committee to ensure that DDOT's resources are explicitly tied to performance and accountability and timely delivery delivery in neighborhoods like Snow's Court.

And I'm gonna take a point of privilege and say I attach myself to their ask.

I really, really think that it's important that you do increase their subsidy as someone who relies on public transit just to take two trips five days a week.

I'm spending 80 to 100 a month.

So just know that cost of transit is going up, and unfortunately, wages are not going up.

Um two suggestions I would have for you.

If the kids are going to the same school as their parents, maybe it's making sure like their cards are attached so that when they're going back and forth, like it matches with the kids.

And I did send ANC2A did send a resolution around around MetroLift a year ago, and I did suggest like you emulate what Mayor Mamdani did in New York.

Um, make these programs automatic enrollment.

A lot of a lot of people don't know about Metro Left.

Um, and we know SNAP has changed on the national level of who qualifies, and a lot of people fell out of that safety network.

So I think these a lot of these students would qualify pre-Trump for a lot of these benefits.

And I hope the district can try to take some of the angst and anxiety that these students face.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Um, all right.

Next, let me turn to Rosio Quello, who is, I believe, online.

Yep.

So we're gonna turn to you online and I'll come back and we'll go through our panels that are here.

Um real fast, uh, Ms.

Lopez, what I'm gonna do actually, if you don't mind, I'm gonna have the thing you, Mr.

Carrera, and Mr.

Mendez testify together as one panel.

So if you want to um sit over there, you're good to go, and then we'll pull you up in just one second for the next panel.

All right, so let me turn to Ms.

Quello.

Whenever you're ready.

Okay.

Good morning, Councilmember.

My name is Rafia Cuego, and I'm an adult learning in the advanced English class at Rilla Public High School.

I'm also the mother of a job's in full interest school abridged.

Coming to a school together with my son is very meaningful to me.

Please allow me to show him that education is important at ABS stage of life.

I want him to grow up seeing that learning does must stop and that working hard in the school can open many opportunities.

I'm very grateful that my classmates and I have access to mental um smart.

So they add to learn and transide program.

We support may be possible for many of us to attend a school.

Whoever, many students who now fall who now will come before the end of the month.

When that happened, it become difficult to come to class because transportation become an extra financial boredom.

Or no, uh, on all uh all uh sorry allowing adult education, understand how important this program are for our future and for our family.

That is why I think fully asked to you, ask you.

Increase first, increase the Abu education way from one to 1.3, or provide a shorthand crumb to support this program that gives us the support when we need it.

Second, increase the adult learning transit supply from seventy dollars to one hundred dollars so students the alloy get to a school.

And three restore social safety net program that families like mine depend on to remain a stable while we push our education.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and for your continued support for adult learners and family like mine.

Thank you very much.

Next let me turn to Claudia Sosa.

Good morning, and thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Claudia Sosa and I am adult learner A Briya Purple Charter School and also a parent.

I like and like many families and I'm working hard to build a better future for my child.

Coming to Bria has changed that way.

I see education.

Before I know school was important, but now is truly understand how much important how much involvement matter I am more engaged in my child learning and communicate more with teachers and I feel more confident supporting my child education.

BRIA has helped help me grow not only as a student but as a parent.

However, getting to school every day is a real challenge.

I depend on the adult learning transit society to attend a school.

I go to the school five days a week and my commit commit costs two dollar fifty cents each way.

Five dollars per day.

That end up to about hundred dollars each month.

Right now, the seventy dollar subsidies is not enough.

I run up a fund of my smart car by the third week is the in the m of the month in this and uh I struggle for getting to school.

This support is not extra, it's essential without relief transportation.

It becomes very difficult to continue my education.

That is way I respectfully ask the council to increase the adult learning weight in the universal per student funding formula, increase the adult learning trans transit suicidi for $700, $200 per month maintained, and a strong social safety net for DC families, including DC Healthcare Alliance, SNAP and TAF.

Fund charter school equally in the fiscal year 20 2027, budget by fully coverage costs like staff compensation and utility through the universal per student funding formula.

Investing in adult learning is investing in families.

When a parent learn, children succeed.

Thank you for the your time and supporting students like me.

Thank you very much.

Next, let me turn to Sandra Rodriguez.

Good morning.

My name is Xenia.

I'm sharing this on behalf of a classmate.

Good morning, council members.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

My name is Sandra Rodriguez, and I am an adult learner at BriA Public Charter School, where I am in the advanced English class with my teacher Marley.

Getting to school can be a challenge for me.

I depend on the adult learner transit subsidy to travel to and from my classes.

Without this support, it would be very difficult for me to continue my education.

In my case, my monthly transportation costs are sometimes smaller than 100 because I rely more on the metro than the bus.

While the current $70 subsidy is helpful, it's not enough to cover my full commute.

I run out of funds before the end of the month and struggle to afford getting to school consistently.

This support is not extra, it is essential.

Reliable transportation allows me to attend class, stay on track with my education and work toward a better future.

That is why I respectfully ask to counsel to the council to number one increase the adult learner weight in the universal per student funding formula from 1.0 to 1.3.

Number two, increase the adult learnable transit subsidy from $70 to $100 per month.

Number three, maintain a strong social safety net for DC families, including DC Healthcare Alliance, SNAP and TANF.

Number four, fund charter schools agreeably in the FY27 budget by fully covering codes like staff compensation and utilities through the UPSF, FSF.

Thank you for your time and for supporting students like me who are working hard to succeed.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

And then next let me turn to Francisco Hernandez.

Yes.

Good morning, Constant members, and thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

My name is Francisco Hernandez.

I am student at Bria Purdue Chartel School and a single father of two.

In my home country, I was a family lawyer now at Bria.

I am working hard to improve my English so that I can find better job opportunities and continue my professional career here.

I depend on the adult learning classes subsidy to attend classes.

I go to a school five days a week, and my commute costs about $6.75 per day, which adds up to 33.75 per week, approximately 135 per month.

This is a seven if you can expense for me as I work to support my family.

When I must take the metro instead of the bus, my transportation costs are higher.

And I often run out of funds by the second week of the month.

After that, it becomes very difficult for me to afford getting to school consistently.

This support is not extra.

It's essential.

It allows me to continue my education, improve my skills, and work to work, contributing more fully to my community.

That is why I respectfully ask the consulate too.

First, increase the other learning transit subsidy from $70 to 100 per month.

Second, increase the other learning way in the in the universal per student funding formula from 1.3.

First, um mounting a strong social safety net for DC families, including DC Hardcore Alliance is not in time.

Thank you for your time and for supporting students like me who are working hard to build a better future.

Thank you very much.

Um I know Commissioner Patel had to leave, but I appreciate her testimony uh before she left as well.

Um thank you all very much for your testimony.

Again, very consistent with our first panel.

Um I would ask are you familiar with the MetroLift program at all, or is that something you heard about for the first time here?

First time, okay.

Okay.

Um again, it's not going to work for everybody, but I do think it's a way that we can try to get uh I I don't think people know this program exists, and it's basically half-price metro.

Um so your MetroRail, Metro Bus can be half the costs uh for folks that are eligible.

So on the kind of as I my brain will work with on the short term, long term.

So on the short term, I want to make sure that people know this benefit exists and we can try to help reduce costs for people right now, and then also be able to work so that we can fill this gap so that people can have the full hundred dollar adult learner transit subsidy.

Um when both of those things get paired together for anybody who's eligible, that's a 200 a month transit subsidy.

Um, which I think as we think about what the total cost of our transportation are, that that would be deeply significant and really help us address a lot of our concerns.

So I want to spend the next few weeks seeing where we can kind of pair these things together so that we can get the most amount of help to the people that are looking for it.

Um I really appreciate your testimony today.

Again, it just kind of drives home why this is so important and how we can kind of make these programs work a little more efficiently together to help deliver the biggest benefit possible.

So thank you very much.

Absolutely, thank you.

Um, all right.

Next, let me turn to now Ms.

Lopez, Mr.

Carrera, and Mr.

Mendez.

And I just want to check to make sure um we didn't miss anybody.

I had Rosa Garcia who had testified, who had signed to testify earlier, I don't think it's here.

And Amani Johnson.

We have other witnesses.

This is just focused on the adult learner piece, so make sure I cover that.

Okay, all right.

So I think we've got everybody here.

So Ms.

Lopez, we will turn to you to kick us off.

Uh good morning, Chairman Allen and members of the committee.

My name is Ofelia, and I'm studying at the next public charter school.

I'm originally from Guatemala before coming to the United States.

I finished high school in my home country.

When I arrived in DC, I came to the next step to continue my education and improve my English.

I completed my GD in Spanish and now I'm studying English.

So I can continue building my future.

My goal is to work with young children.

I used to teach children who who were five and six years old.

And I want to continue working in early childhood and education here in the United States.

Right now I'm preparing for that the next step and working toward opportunities in that field.

Every day I take the bus to school and from there I take the metro to work.

The school provides me with a smart trip card, which helps a lot.

But right now, the car only has $80 per month, and that is not enough for me.

The money usually runs out after two weeks.

After that, it becomes very difficult.

But I don't all I don't always have the money to pay for transportation.

This creates stress and makes it harder to stay consistent with my classes.

I know I am not the only one.

Many students at my school depend on public transportation to get to school.

And they face the same challenge.

When transportation is not affordable, it becomes a barrier to education.

We are coming to school because we want to learn, improve our lives, and contribute to our communities.

But we need to re real transportation to do that.

That is why I'm asking you to increase the learner transit subsidies from $70 to $100 per month.

This change will make a real difference.

It will help students like me to get to school every day.

Stay focused on our education and continue working toward our goals.

The next step has given me the opportunity to keep learning and moving forward with better transportation support.

I know I can continue on this path and achieve my goals.

Thank you for your time and for supporting a student like me.

Thank you very much.

Next, I'm going to turn to Mr.

Correra.

Good morning, Mr.

Allen and members of the committee of transportation and environment.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Gabri Galino Correa.

I'm a student at the Next Step Polish Artist School.

I came to the United States two years ago because of the violence, lack of safety, and limited opportunities.

I came here to build a better future to improve my English and to continue my education.

This I'm planning to attend the UDC to study business administration.

I choose this major because it will allow me to be a career here in the US, but also give me skills that I can use everywhere, including my home country if I ever have to go back.

Right now I'm working hard to prepare that future.

And I think I'm attending a school three days a week.

And I commute about 45 minutes each way using the metro.

It cost me about six dollars a day to get to and from school.

With the current 70 monthly uh transit subsidy, my benefit runs out in about three weeks.

Uh when that happens, I have to pay out of my pocket.

I work in West End restaurant to support myself.

I live alone.

So I'm responsible for rent, food insurance and all my expenses.

Even though transportation may seem like a small cost, it has up.

And it makes a real difference uh in my ability to stay in school.

There have been uh many times where I didn't have enough money to get to school.

When that happens, I try to join Zoom sessions, but it's not the same.

Being in the classroom or hearing others speaking and interacting with my classmates is essential, especially as I work to improve my my English.

If the transit subsidy were increased from uh $70 to 100 per month, it will make a meaningful difference for me.

It will help ensure that I can consistently get to school, stay engaged in my learning and continue working toward my goals.

I also want to show that having the opportunity to testify today means a lot to me.

When I was a student in Ecuador, I want to visit the National Assembly.

It's like the converse in my country.

So I was sitting there in the presidential seat, but I didn't have a public to be heard.

I had a lot to say.

I didn't have anything to listen.

I'm grateful to have that opportunity here in Washington DC to share my experience and advocate for something that will help not only me, but many other students like me.

I respectfully ask the council to increase the other learning transit subsidy to 100 dollars per month.

This investment will help students like me, save one track, complete our education and contribute to our communities.

Thank you for the time and consideration.

Thank you very much.

And then last on this panel, let me turn to Mr.

Mendez.

Good morning, Chairman Allen and members of the committee.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Sergio Excoimendez, and a young student at the next step fully chartered school.

I am originally from El Salvador.

And when I came to the United States, I made a decision that my priority will be my education.

I enroll in English classes right away because I know that learning English is the first step to achieve my goals.

Today I am studying ESL and I hope I hope to enroll in college to continue and study agricultural engineering.

I was studying agricultural engineering in my country, but I was not able to finish my degree.

To get closer to that drawing, I go to school every day.

And it goes about $5 per day.

That adds up to around $100 per month just to get to school.

Right now, the adult learner transit society provides $70 per month.

And I am very grateful for the support, but it is enough to cover the full cost of transportation.

When the funds run out, I have to pay off of pocket.

On days when we have filters or need to use the train, the cost is even higher.

Even when it is difficult, I always find a way to get to school because my education is too important.

But not every student can do that.

Increasing the subsidy to $100 per month would make a real difference.

So that transportation is not a barrier to education.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you very much, and thanks to all three of you for your testimony.

Are you familiar at all with the Metro Lift program?

Is that something that you've seen or are aware of?

No, we're not.

It's the first time we heard that.

Got it.

And again, it may it may not work for every single person, but just it's it's a possibility for some help, but that does not take away from the need to fill to get to the full hundred dollars.

But for somebody who is eligible, what that really translates into is a $200 benefit because the Metro Lift will take it'll make all fares half price, and then with a full hundred dollar adult learner transit subsidy, that then really means $200 worth of a benefit per month, which I think really could make a big difference in the ability for folks to have that transportation cost covered, getting to and from class and moving around our city.

So we're going to continue to work on both tracks and see what we can do to grow that.

And I really appreciate the way you've outlined the need here.

All of our students that have testified today have done a phenomenal job.

Um you're effective advocates for what you need.

It takes a little bit of guts to come up here and kind of share your own experience.

I don't know who all's testified at a hearing before.

So to all of our students that have come up and done that, thank you.

You've done a great job.

You've really laid out the case of why it's needed, what the impact would be.

You brought the data, you brought the receipts, um, and that really helps us then now figure out how do we help find the dollars that are necessary to make this work, not just for yourselves, but for all the other students that couldn't show up today, um, which I know is thousands, so I really appreciate it.

So thank you all very much.

All right.

We're gonna transition now to our next panel of public witnesses, and we have a combination of folks that are both here as well as online.

Uh so I have Robert Schott, who's the Chief Operating Officer for Casey Trees, Chris Weiss, public witness, Mike Litt, Chapter Chair and Sustainable Transportation Committee Chair with Sierra Club DC chapter.

Brenda Richardson, coordinator with APACC.

Nicole Rutland, president of the Graceful Green Spaces DC Gogo Trails Collective East of the River.

Excellent.

Dolly Davis, President and Environmental Sight Leader with Pope Branch Park Restoration Alliance.

Frederick Allen, public witness.

All right, hold tight just one second.

All right.

Sorry, I'm just conferring here since we have a few folks that we've called that aren't here.

Just want to use our time best, so I might call up a couple other names to go ahead and make sure we can hear from everybody and respect everyone's time.

Gabe Klein, independent board member with Automotis Inc., who is online.

Lara Miller Brooks, Director of Transportation Infrastructure with the Federal City Council, who I think is joining us online.

Talib Kareem Mohammed, who's the executive director of the DC Muslim Chamber of Commerce.

Who I think it signed up to be online.

All right.

And we've got a couple of folks online.

We've got you.

And if I called someone's name, they're not here right now, don't worry.

We'll come back around and if they show up in a little bit and make sure that they have a chance to testify.

But I've got Robert Schott who is here, Brenda Richardson here, Nicole Rutlin who's here.

So why don't we go ahead and get started there?

So I've got Robert Schott, who I think is online.

Perfect.

Thank you.

All right, Robert, we'll turn to you.

All right, awesome.

Good morning, Council Chair Allen, members of the committee and staff.

My name is Rob Schott.

I'm the Chief Operating Officer at Casey Trees.

We're an urban forestry nonprofit with the mission to restore enhance and protect the tree canopy of our nation's capital.

I'd like to start by thanking you, Chair Allen and the committee for supporting the passage of the tree preservation enhancement amendment act of 2025, expected to become law sometime next month, which protects more of our city's special trees, allowing them to become the mature tree canopy for the next generation.

This law will increase the special tree inventory by about 40,000 trees, which will increase the scope of work for the urban forestry division and should be considered during future budget cycles.

Lastly and importantly, the amendment reestablishes the tree fund as non-lapsing fund.

In the current budget, the tree fund is listed as a lapsing fund, which will be swept into the general fund at the end of the fiscal year.

This undermines the intent of the tree fund and permit fees collected for tree removals, which is to plant and care for newly planted trees in replacement of removed trees.

Instead, necessary tree planting dollars may be used for other purposes, exacerbating the net uh canopy loss in the district.

The tree fund is also critical because it supports tree planting on private lands, where our city's urban forestry division cannot work.

Private lands are the greatest opportunity and represent the greatest need for tree planting in the district.

The tree fund supports the River Smart Homes Program, the DC State Nursery, and the Income Contingent Hazardous Tree Removal Program.

Casey Trees works in partnership with the city on both River Smart Homes program and host the DC State Nursery.

Collectively, 1.5 million of those funds helped us plant 7100 trees across the city.

We urge the mayor and council to ensure the integrity of the tree fund is non-lapsing, giving residents confidence that every dollar collected supports a more resilient canopy for the for the DC's future.

We'd also like to recognize our partners at the urban forestry division that work tirelessly to ensure our city is green and growing.

The district is facing many challenges in the fiscal year 27 budget and speaks to the significance and competence with which our urban forestry division operates, that their overall level of funding remains slightly above last year.

This level of funding and staffing is critical to supporting our city's urban foresters and ensuring our city meets the 40% tree canopy goal by 2032.

I'd also like to note the district collects and analyzes data every five years to assess the growth or loss of our city's overall tree canopy.

This is vital in understanding where the tree canopy stands in the face of significant development pressure.

We applaud the city for investing in this analysis, and we look forward to the 2025 Canopy Analysis release in the coming months.

Washington, DC has been named the best city in the United States for our city's parks.

And this didn't happen overnight in DC Parks or Integral Park of our history, dating back to the Linfont plan.

These green spaces were strategically located in the original layout of the city.

Street trees were incorporated as many parks throughout the city to offer myriad of benefits that we know and appreciate.

We have a history of prioritizing trees in our communities across DC, and that requires continued investment and attention, even in challenging years.

The investment we make today in our city's tree canopy will compound in future public health, community and climate resilience benefits far into the future.

It is imperative that we prioritize protecting and funding our tree canopy as an integral infrastructure for the benefit of our residents and future generations.

Thank you for your time, attention, and the opportunity to testify today.

Thank you very much.

All right, next I'll turn to Brenda Richardson, who's also online.

And then after that, Ms.

Rettlin will come to you.

Um day, Chairperson Allen.

Um thank you so much for this opportunity.

My name is Brenda Lee Richardson.

I am a ward eight resident and coordinator of the Anacostia Parks and Community Collaborative, which we call APAC.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify about the Department of Transportation under the amazing leadership of Director Kirschbaum.

I want to begin my remarks by praising the entire urban forestry team, including associate director Earl Yustler and Supervisory Forester Duff McCauley for their leadership and commitment to growing the tree canopy across our city and especially east of the river.

Encouraging more tree plantings in our parks and public housing communities not only creates more inviting spaces that attract birds and other wildlife, but also helps the district achieve its 40% tree canopy goal.

The kind of heat we are having now in the district isn't random.

It's climate change showing up first and worst in the communities already experiencing the highest levels of pollution and asthma.

Did you know urban heat islands can raise temperatures enough to push seniors and other vulnerable residents into heat stress?

It is when that extreme heat hits you, you realize things like air conditioning and the cooling shade of trees aren't a luxury but a necessity.

In closing, I uh APAC applauds the district commitment to funding urban forestry while the uncertainty around federal grants continues.

We must continue to support climate resiliency to reduce health and environmental risks, especially as extreme heat as extreme weather like flooding and heat waves become more severe and costly.

And we must prioritize tree plantings in communities that still lack equitable canopy, so everyone may enjoy the same benefits, mature trees provide in favored neighborhoods.

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much, Ms.

Richardson.

And next let me turn now to Ms.

Rutland.

Good morning, Chairman Allen and members of the committee.

My name is Dr.

Nicole Rettland.

I'm a Ward 7 resident of 25 years, a doctoral graduate of Howard University, and president of the DC Gogo Trails Collective East of the River.

It's a community-based initiative working to create safe, interconnected network of land and water trails in Ward 7 and 8, ultimately connecting all residents to parks, nature, and each other.

Our vision is a thriving, healthier and more connected community east of the river.

We believe that equitable trail access fosters joy, social connection, improved health outcomes, and community of pride.

We do this by advancing this work through community walks and connecting with small business.

In fact, this sad this past Saturday, we held a walk hosting about 22 residents from wards 13, 5, and 7.

We walked along what would be the Shepherd Branch Trail.

I should emphasize a portion, 1.3 miles on Saturday.

The full trail is to measure 3.1.

Currently, DC Gogo Trails Collective is receiving technical assistance from the National Park Service, Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Proport these efforts.

We also collaborate with the coalition of community organizations and agencies.

You've heard from my colleague today, Brenda Richardson from the Anacostia Parks and Community Collaborative.

We coordinate with Pope Branch, Park Restoration Alliance, Fairland Citizens, Citizens Association, DuPont Park Civic Association, as well as WABA.

Today, I strongly am urging you to prioritizing the act the acquisition of the Shepherd Branch Trail.

It is currently in the mayor's proposed budget as a new trail in the Capitol Project's budget.

What we would like to see is the acquisition of that trail.

It's been in the works for 20 years.

We would like to see that implemented in terms of the acquisition being in prioritized.

The trail follows an inactive CSX rail corridor adjacent to I-295 and South Capitol Street near JBAB and Blue Plains and has the potential to connect surrounding neighborhoods to Anacostia Park and major economic corridors.

Currently, CSX CSX is at the table and engaging the community through quarterly meetings where D DOT is represented.

These meetings are coordinated by APAC.

The trail has the potential to serve people across all ages, abilities, and income levels, supporting daily transportation, physical activity, recreation, and mental well-being.

The proposed Shepherd Branch Trail represents an opportunity to transform a historic discontinued rail corridor into a safe, accessible, and connected commuter and recreation trail.

Again, the Shepherd Branch Trail will provide critical east to west connectivity linking neighborhoods directly to the Anacostia River Walk Trail, Anacostia Park, local schools, transit stations, and major commercial corridors, including Minnesota Avenue Southeast, Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast, Martin Luther King Junior Avenue Southeast, and Marion Barry Avenue Southeast, as well as connecting us to the developing RFK campus.

This connectivity supports safe commuting, youth mobility, senior access, and everyday walking and biking, especially for residents without reliable access to vehicles.

Moreover, it would support environmental resilience and storm water management.

Currently, my neighbors who live along Fairlawn Avenue experience flooding and there's flash flooding.

Warts ward seven and eight face persistent challenges related to stormwater runoff, flooding, erosion, and water pollution, as well as air quality challenges.

Integrating green infrastructure into trail design will reduce runoff and improve water quality entering the Anacostia River, mitigating localized flooding, especially along Fairlong Avenue, and strengthening climate resilience in neighborhoods most vulnerable to environmental impacts.

Today I am requesting that we fulfill a vision, a 20-year-old vision, by transforming a dormant rail corridor into a safe, vibrant, and life-enhancing community asset that benefits generations of residents east of the river.

Thank you again for your leadership and your commitment to building a healthier, more connected District of Columbia.

Great.

Thank you, Dr.

Redlin.

Appreciate it.

All right, let me ask a couple of quick questions.

I think let me start, Mr.

Schott.

Uh your testimony.

Sounded like you were saying we need to kind of advocate a lot for maintaining budget, not necessarily more budget, although I'm sure you've never turned down more budget.

Um, but I also heard you talk about ensuring the tree fund is non-lapsing.

That's that was one of my big takeaways.

That's correct.

Correct.

Okay.

Um and then, while I agree with you, just give you a chance.

Why is that important?

Why do we need to make it non-lapsing and make it clear that the tree fund is non-lapsing?

Sure.

Well, I mean, the funds for the tree fund, you know, come in when there's permits and when trees are removed.

And the idea is that those funds will then be directly utilized for tree planting, tree maintenance, and increasing the canopy.

And uh, you know, I think it would just be unfortunate to push those into other buckets when they're you know should be designated uh for for tree planting maintenance and you know the district's canopy and all the benefits that trees provide for all the communities and you know to Brenda's point specifically east of the river where there's at times you know less investment.

Yep, absolutely.

Well, I agree with you, I just want to make sure you get that on the record, so thank you.

Um we are also certainly hoping to fund the tree preservation enhancement amendment act of 2026 that we had worked on with KC Trees and DDOT and Urban Forestry.

Um as well.

But I I hear you on the non-lapsing, and we definitely will make that a priority.

Um to Ms.

Richardson, great to see you, and I appreciate your testimony.

We'll be following up with DDOT when we get to the uh and hold the government portion of the hearing.

But I believe there's a large capital project for Suitland Parkway in FY29.

And didn't know if there's is that a project anything you want to add about that project, I guess is what I was gonna ask you.

Um council member, we're just very, very anxious for that to happen.

It's been a long time coming.

And um we'll be happy to see when the ground when they can break ground.

And also, while I have you, we'd love for you to come to our CSX quarterly meeting when your schedule allows.

Would love that.

Absolutely.

I appreciate it.

If you'll send me a note about um when the next ones are coming up, I'll do my best to see which one we can find that works.

Thank you.

Um, and then to uh Dr.

Nettlin or Dr.

Rutland, um the Shepherd Branch Trail.

Yes, that is it is funded, or we need to ensure there's funding.

We need to ensure that there's funding.

Okay.

It is unclear.

So I in the budget when I reviewed it, it looked there's a list of trails, but we don't know how much has been allocated per trail.

It just says needed.

And 120, I think 120 million or so allocated for trails.

Got it.

Okay, so we need to give it more specificity about which trails as well as a schedule, what year.

Yes, that would be excellent.

Thank you.

Not my first time, so I know uh they can promise a lot of things way out in the capital plan that may or may never actually come to fruition.

Okay.

That would be good.

Um then does this with the Shepherd Branch Trail connect to any other part of our trail network?

Yes, and which where would you, if you want to highlight just kind of where those connections would be?

So absolutely.

So they're near the Joy Evans Therapeutic Center, there's an access point into Anacostia Park that would connect us to the Anacostia River Walk Trail that would give us access to the 20 miles.

Which opens up everything, yeah.

Everything, right?

Opens up everything, and then it would go the terminus point is South Capital, so it would connect to the South Capital Trail.

Okay, perfect.

Um, all right.

We will make sure we take notes so that as we go into the D DOT government portion, we'll follow up on that to make sure we track down where those are and get more specificity around them it overall.

And I have a hunch someone from D DOT is listening to the hearing.

So um they will give the director a heads up that that's what we're gonna ask so that they can have that prepared for us.

All right, thank you, Steve.

Absolutely.

All right, thank you very much, and thanks to everybody uh on this panel for your testimony.

All right, I'm gonna go back and call some names that I called on earlier panels just to see if they are here now, and we'll keep moving.

I have Chris Weiss, public witness.

Mike Litt with Sierra Club DC Chapter, who I think is here now.

Dolly Davis with Pope Branch Park Restoration Alliance.

Frederick Allen, public witness.

ANC Commissioner Ashley Ruff.

ANC Commissioner Jamila White.

Gabe is already on the call, actually.

All right, and we've got Gabe Klein.

President.

All right.

Um Laura Miller Brooks with Federal City Council.

Who is here?

Talib Kareem Mohammed with the DC Muslim Chamber of Commerce.

I don't think is here.

All right, I do know I because I see them over there.

I see Colleen Hawkinson with the DC Bid Council.

If you want to come up, Ms.

Hawkinson.

I see Deborah with the Georgetown Bid.

If you want to come up, and I see Andrew Huff with Golden Triangle bid.

So since you're all sitting here and I got three seats, I'm happy to bring you guys on up right now.

All right.

I believe this looks like a good panel here.

So Mike Litt will turn to you first when you're ready.

Sounds good.

Uh well, good morning, Chair Allen.

Uh my name is Mike Lid.

I'm a car-free renter in Ward 6 and chair of the Sierra Club DC chapter.

I also chair sustainable transportation committee.

I'm going to walk through the top lines of many of our recommendations from my more detailed written testimony, starting with Vision Zero and Road Safety.

We support the proposed funding increases for capital bike share, bus priority, trails, and metro.

However, we are concerned by the 22 point one million dollar cut to safety and mobility, which supports Vision Zero projects, including bike lanes.

After seeing fatalities drop to 25 last year, we are saddened to see that numbers this year have already rebounded to 2024 levels.

This is a matter of life and death.

We've got to increase, not decrease this investment.

There are a number of laws on the books you have led that need full funding for the coming uh fiscal year.

We urge full funding for the Steer Act.

We are encouraged to see the attorney general using it to sue out-of-state repeat offenders.

And we have to maintain that and all the tools in the Act to take dangerous drivers off our roads and hold them accountable.

We also ask for the continued implementation of the Plaza Act to create car-free pedestrian corridors and the EV charging law to accelerate the installation of more EV charging stations across the district.

And finally, uh please maintain the electric bicycle incentive program.

It's a proven popular tool to help residents afford e-bikes with vouchers.

Next, uh I would like to address electrification delays.

The Budget Support Act currently proposes a retreat from our climate goals.

It suggests delaying the district's transition to zero emission vehicles by five years.

We cannot afford this.

The American Lung Association once again gave DC an F for ozone levels.

Delaying the transition of our public buses and large fleets from 2045 to 2050, or pushing back the district's own fleet requirements for purchasing EVs from 2026 to 2031 is the choice to settle for poor air quality.

Now on to the RFK stadium site.

We must prioritize transit-oriented design from day one.

Metro Rail must uh be ready to handle more than half of all game day attendees by opening day.

Uh additionally, frequent and electrified transit service to the site must be planned to replace the DC streetcar.

We support the funding and accountability necessary to ensure timely completion of the study for a second metro rail station and improved metro bus service to serve the stadium site.

Next, uh it is time to look forward on congestion pricing.

After being withheld for years, the 2021 DDOT report was finally released uh this past March.

We urge an immediate update to this study.

Uh charging a fee to enter our most congested zones at peak hours is a triple win.

It reduces traffic, slashes pollution, and creates a dedicated revenue stream for Metro, which is constantly uh fighting budget shortfalls and still, after 50 years, does not have that dedicated long-term uh source of funding for its operations budget.

And finally, protected bike lanes.

We've got to address the pace of our infrastructure build-out.

Uh last year, DDOT installed less than four miles of protected bike lanes against a goal of 10.

Uh, we've got to resolve that holdup.

Uh, we urge this committee to fully fund the forthcoming strategic bikeways plan and ensure it is implemented equitably to ensure permanent physical protection for all cyclists across the district.

We look forward uh to continuing to work with you, uh, your staff and the committee and all of council to uh turn these recommendations into action and create a more sustainable transportation future for all residents.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Litt.

Next, let me turn to Gabe Klein.

And Gabe, I'm I think I'd call you on the last panel than just completely skipped over you, so I apologize.

No, it's totally fine.

Uh thank you so much, uh Chair Personnel and members of the committee.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak today and just send a side note.

It was so wonderful to hear kids testifying earlier that is democracy at its best.

So thank you for all the work you do.

Um, my name is Gabe Klein.

I'm a DC resident.

I'm also a former director of the District Department of Transportation.

And I've worked uh in my career to help cities to modernize their mobility systems from right here in DC to Chicago, and then most recently at the federal level.

And I'm here today to speak directly to the district's fiscal picture and share my view on the opportunity that a well-implemented curb management system represents.

First of all, I think the curb is an undervalued asset.

DC's curb space is among the most valuable real estate, actually in the entire country.

And historically, this asset has been undermonetized both here in DC and nationally.

Every commercial block generates demand from delivery fleets, TNCs, you know, Uber and Lyft, food couriers, and visitors.

And we saw this spike during COVID, and it has not gone back down.

This is the new normal.

And this activity continues to increase exponentially.

And now with the entry of autonomous vehicles, robo taxis, and so forth, DDOT must consider how to monetize its curb space and how to manage it to meet current day demands while also future proofing.

DOT's already made tremendous strides on this front, implementing performance pricing zones, deploying designated curbside pickup drop-off spaces that are designed to both improve safety, reduce traffic congestion, and manage curb space for ride sharing, taxis, commercial deliveries.

But without appropriate pricing and technology to automate payments, that demand goes under monetized and ultimately undermines the policy imperatives.

Nationally, for loading zones, for instance, we see about 4% compliance with payments before any form of AI and automation, afterwards, about 94%, 95%.

So it's a huge difference.

Automated curb management really changes that equation entirely by deploying camera-based systems, usage-based pricing, automated payments.

The district can convert a currently undermonetized public asset into a reliable recurring revenue stream without raising taxes or cutting services.

The reality, in my opinion, is that people want to pay for what they use, but we lack a frictionless system in most places to make it simple.

So in terms of what other cities are seeing, cities that have embraced automated curb management are seeing first and foremost meaningful behavior change and meeting their policy outcomes, including dramatically reduced double parking, up to 95% reduction, which changes the whole dynamic in terms of throughput, but also the blocking of bike lanes, blocking the box.

But as a byproduct, they're also seeing meaningful financial returns, enabling them to reinvest the revenue in programs and interventions that further support their policy goals.

So to give the committee a sense of the scale in Philadelphia, automated curb management and enforcement and smart loading zones will generate over 20 million dollars in new revenue for the city in 2026 with a relatively modest initial implementation.

In Pittsburgh, smart loading zones and automated enforcement are getting or generating a 3x return on investment annually, enabling the city to reinvest in key safety programs and all the other impacts I talked about earlier.

And these are not projections, these are like audited results.

So what does this mean for DC?

The district has unique characteristics to make the on-street impact and associated revenue opportunity particularly strong.

We have high commercial density, a large and growing delivery ecosystem, the coming arrival of autonomous vehicles, specifically robo taxis, large numbers of vehicles from Maryland and Virginia daily that need to be charged, and a downtown core that's actively working to recover foot traffic and economic activity.

While the priority is payment for space, the automated enforcement component also dramatically reduces the cost of compliance and is a proven behavior change tool that aligns with the district's safety and mobility goals.

And as an example, data shows 80% 87% of offenders in other cities do not re-offend.

So in closing, uh when I led DDOT many moons ago, we were always looking for ways to make the district's infrastructure work harder to create more value out of existing assets rather than asking taxpayers for more.

What DDOT is working to do now with automated curb management is exactly that type of investment.

At a time when the district faces real budget pressures, this is a rare opportunity for a win-win-win, a modernization initiative that improves street operations for all, helps businesses with turnover, and strengthens the revenue base.

So I urge the committee to support full funding and implementation.

Thank you for your time.

Sorry, I'm over time, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

No problem at all.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Next, let me turn to Laura Miller Brooks.

Good morning, Chairperson Allen and members of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment.

My name is Laura Miller Brooks, and I serve as the Director of Transportation and Infrastructure for the Federal City Council.

I'm here today to testify on behalf of Federal City Council's 250 trustees, civic and business leaders who are deeply invested in the long-term success of this city.

I want to begin with a hard truth before we talk about our buses, bridges, and roads, and to raise a broader concern the Federal City Council has about fiscal conditions shaping this budget proposal.

The district's fiscal situation is not a temporary rough patch.

The challenges we face are not cyclical or short short term.

They are structural conditions with lasting implications for the district's financial position.

In recent years, the district has balanced its budget by drawing down fund balance and enacting tax increases to support new spending.

Repeating this approach will only reinforce downward pressures the district faces.

The path forward is not to make DC a city, the path forward is to make DC a city that works by strengthening core systems, removing barriers to housing and economic activity, delivering services reliably, and building infrastructure that signals to the world that Washington, D.C.

is open for business.

This is the broader context, which brings me to my comments on DDOT's FY27 budget.

On the operating budget, DDOT is being asked to do more with less.

The 14.3% reduction in DDOT's operating budget from FY26 to FY27 is significant, and FC2 recognizes that DDOT leadership is making difficult responsible choices.

FC2 supports continued resources for all six of DDOT's major divisions, especially transportation planning and the Traffic Safety Administration because investing in DC's planning today helps our city avoid far more expensive problems tomorrow, and the safety of residents and visitors is priceless.

We also support the chief advisor for economic development, a role created just last year that is already proving its worth connecting DDOT's role in our economy.

We want to see that role protected and for DDOT to have more capacity to focus on the role between transportation infrastructure and economic development.

Where DDOT simply doesn't have the capacity right now, DC sustainable transportation can be a partner.

We encourage council to consider DCST as an entity that's here to help add capacity to DDOT to keep critical analysis moving forward on updated issues such as road pricing, curbside automation, and innovative safety policies, and any questions that we have about new evolving policies so that we can maximize taxpayer ROI and set DDOT up for success.

And finally, we urge DDOT and the Council to work together on autonomous vehicle legislation that supports DC to be a leader on new mobility.

On the capital budget, DDOT's capital budget has grown 24.7% from FY26, and the Federal City Council believes that growth is justified.

These are not just expenditures, their investments with direct economic returns for every resident in this city.

We support 92 million for the bus priority and efficiency program and the $2 million for a crosstown bus rapid transit system study.

But we want to be clear, the crosstown BRT should be ambitious, and we urge DDOT to evaluate full deployment of a crosstown BRT program from Minnesota and Benning Avenue all the way to Georgetown or even Roslin.

We support 202 million for multimodal improvements around the RFK Bridge or campus, including $18 million for RFK Bridge improvements and Benning Road improvements.

And we also support DDOT's investment in DC water infrastructure.

But one item that is not in the 27 capital budget that the Federal City Council cares deeply about is DDOT's commitment to the H Street Bridge reconstruction.

This project is a catalytic investment and directly unlocks the Union Station Expansion Project.

It's a key that opens a much larger door, and we ask the council to treat it that way.

I want to close by thanking Director Sharon Kirschbaum, Chief Project Delivery Officer at DDOT and the entire DDOT leadership team.

They're being asked to build the city's infrastructure under real constraints, and they're doing it with real purpose.

The Federal City Council stands ready to support, and we uh urge council to do the same.

Thank you, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you very much.

Next let me turn to Colleen Hawkinson.

Good morning.

Good morning, Chairperson Allen.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.

My name is Colleen Hawkinson, and I'm the executive director of the DC Bid Council.

For 30 years, bids have provided core services in the mixed-use neighborhoods they serve.

Many of these services align with those provided by the District Department of Transportation, such as men maintaining a clean and safe public realm and supporting innovative solutions for the efficient movement of goods and people.

Bids often carry out long-term maintenance of public infrastructure projects that are constructed by DDOT.

The bids and DDOT continue to enjoy a productive partnership that directly benefits residents, visitors, and workers in DC.

Today I want to take the opportunity to focus on two specific programs.

The first, which is the reimbursable management agreement.

This is a prime example of the effective outcome-based partnership that bids and DDOT have together.

The program allows for each bid to enter into an agreement and provide services on behalf of DDOT that benefit the community.

One really good example of this is Georgetown's brick replacement program.

Through the RMAs, Georgetown BID is authorized by DDOT to maintain, repair, and replace bricks in the public space.

The Georgetown bid has the capacity to fix displaced, missing, and broken bricks within 24 hours of notification.

This quick, cost effective turnaround helps to keep sidewalks in Georgetown safe and accessible and allows DDOT to focus efforts on other maintenance projects in other areas.

This is just one example of how the RMAs are effectively used.

The bids believe that the RMA program can and should be expanded to cover additional services.

Currently, the list of DDOT approved services is very limited.

The bids have the capability and the resources to expand what they are able to do in partnership with DDOT.

Second, historically, funding for these program has been limited to 250,000 for a single year divided among all the bids, which today we are at 13 bids.

The legislation allows for 250,000 per bid.

So we are asking for the um what is allotted in what is allowed for in the legislation to move forward.

This is an efficiency project that again helps DDOT to focus on other areas and allows the bids to use their flexibility and complete projects on time and under budget.

So we strongly urge the RMA program to include the 250,000 per bid and expand the scope of services that bids are allowed to do.

A second area that I really wanted to focus on today is snow removal.

Among the many activities that the clean teams, important part of the bids undertake, is preparation for snow and the removal of snow during storms.

Prior to any storms, the clean teams from all bids, pre-eye sidewalks, crosswalks, and areas around bus stops.

The teams are out in the elements during all types of weather, including the snow, to ensure that the public space is accessible and safe, and that people can get back to their homes, offices, and daily activities as quickly as possible.

Because of the immediate response during the storms that clean teams are known for, bids now receive requests from neighbors to help for additional clearing of public spaces.

Not only the sidewalks, but requests have been coming in for alleys and bike lanes.

The bids help where they can.

And the bids continue to work closely with both DDOT and DPW in owner's storm to coordinate these efforts and expanded services and supplemental funding from DDOT and or DPW for snow removal would be a more efficient way of removing snow as quickly as possible.

The RMAs and snow removals are just two simple but important examples of services that bids partner with DDOT on.

We look forward to advancing additional fundamental services, our partnership with DDOT, and serving the neighborhoods where bids exist.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you very much.

Next, let me turn to Deborah Billett with the Georgetown Bid.

Good morning, Chair Allen.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify with many of my colleagues today.

As you know, my name is Deb Kirsten Billick, and I'm the CEO of the Georgetown BID.

Our mission is to keep Georgetown clean, safe, accessible, and economically strong.

And as a result of our work and the work of many others, Georgetown is the most visited neighborhood in DC with more than 13 million visitors last year alone.

But Georgetown can sometimes feel separated from the rest of the district.

It is the bid's goal to both strengthen access and connectivity between Georgetown and the rest of DC and to create greater circulation within Georgetown.

These two goals form the foundation of my testimony to you today.

Public transit access to Georgetown is extremely limited.

Since the termination of the circulator program, Metrobus is the only remaining option that provides access, and existing bus service cannot support the growing numbers of visitors, residents, and employees, particularly given that the number of bus stops servicing the commercial area of Georgetown was reduced with the rollout of the Better Bus Network this year.

The bid is encouraged to see $92 million in the mayor's budget designated for the bus priority and efficiency program, as we heard earlier, with an additional $2 million to study a crosstown rapid bus transit service.

We urge DDOT to evaluate the full deployment of this crosstown VRT program from Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road all the way to Georgetown, rather than focusing solely on the Union Station to RFK segment.

Doing so ensures actual crosstown service, allowing for greater east-west connectivity throughout the entire city.

We are also supportive of the Wisconsin Avenue bus priority lane study, which is a critical project because it will evaluate safer and more efficient use of the roadway for all modes of transportation on a major north-south arterial.

GBID has already invested heavily in engineering, showing the feasibility of curb extensions and alternative lane alignments that correspond to the study's scope.

And so it is in our shared interest to ensure that this study and implementation remain fully funded.

Micromobility also matters for Georgetown, and the bid would like to remain a partner with DDOT to evaluate and improve capital bike share stations, including exploring public-private partnerships for scooter and micromobility docks and corrals, and continuing to test micromobility parking enforcement.

We ask for your continued support and investment in the expansion of the Capital Bike Share Program and the use of micromobility vehicles and of course funding for in-street corrals as well.

Most notably, we are grateful for our partnership with DDOT that allows the bid to provide an extension of city services through the RMA that you just heard about a moment ago.

Just to provide some color, since 2016, this agreement has enabled the Georgetown bid to install or repair more than 250 bike racks and replace or reset more than 20,000 bricks on city sidewalks, which helps when people potentially can avoid tripping hazards.

It's important.

And still, there are challenges with the RMA program.

It is administratively burdensome, underfunded, and constrained to specific criteria that limits the impact that the bid can have on the neighborhood.

Expanding the RMA funding and flexibility will it would enable the bid to expand our scope of street services and potentially conduct them beyond our boundaries and in the neighborhood, which could be particularly helpful in times where a quick response is needed, such as the recent Snow Creek snowstorm.

We invite a conversation with you about this to evolve this policy and hope that this year's budget cycle might be the opportunity to make interim steps toward doing so.

We are pleased that ANC2E supports this approach, and we stand ready to work with city agencies and your office on productive next steps.

Finally, we encourage the committee to ensure that there are adequate resources for DDOT staff to quickly process and review administrative and permitting requests.

With this investment, all contractors through this program can keep efficiently can efficiently keep the city safe, clean, and accessible.

We thank you for championing this work for your continued support and for your consideration.

Thank you very much.

And Mr.

Huff.

Good morning, Chairperson Allen and Committee staff.

My name is Andrew Huff.

I'm the Associate Director of Member and Government Relations at the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the FY27 budget for DDOT this morning on behalf of our president and CEO Leona Agaritas.

The Golden Triangle neighborhood is fast evolving from a traditional daytime office district into a vibrant mixed-use community.

The area south of DuPont Circle is emerging as a residential and hospitality node, featuring 326 residential units currently under construction and a recently opened 73 key hotel.

Throughout the neighborhood, the Golden Triangle is expecting nearly 1,500 new residents and 353 new hotel rooms by spring of 2028.

With the influx of new residents, this area has an increasing need for programmable public spaces for residents to gather.

Although DuPont Circle and Longfellow Park are nearby, ownership by the National Park Service drastically limits programming and events in these spaces.

Building on the momentum of the ongoing Connecticut Avenue Deck Over project north of DuPont Circle, the Golden Triangle Bid has previously discussed with the district a targeted investment into the design and construction of the DuPont South Overlook Plaza, located in the slip lane at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and the South Side of DuPont Circle.

This project would incorporate design elements of the Deckover project, creating a complementary streetscape on both sides of DuPont Circle.

In 2022, DDOT closed this slip lane, and the bid added jersey barriers, simple furniture, plants, public art, and paint to create a temporary proof of concept plaza.

This pilot project demonstrated viability for a community gathering space at all hours of the day.

However, the temporary plaza has uneven surfaces, features an unsightly jersey barrier perimeter, and lacks unified seating.

The construction of a permanent DuPont South Overlook Plaza presents opportunities for upgrading the area into comfortable programmable gathering space.

This revamped plaza would include a uniform height surface, additional planting areas around the perimeter, power for lighting and programming, space for public art, and terrace seating with an elevated perspective overlooking DuPont Circle and Connecticut Avenue.

The Golden Triangle bid, which has over two decades of experience creating lively, safe and clean urban spaces would oversee the programming of the plaza to establish an active gathering space for residents, a place of respite for nearby diners and shoppers, and a welcoming gateway to the rapidly growing residential and hospitality node south of DuPont Circle.

The bid has been in discussion on this project for several months with district officials and is hoping this committee will include funding for it in the out years of the district's capital budget.

We estimate a total budget cost of 1.9 million dollars, assuming maintenance of the existing curb lines and no green infrastructure requirements due to the small project area.

Programmable meeting and gathering spaces remain essential to revitalizing our neighborhood, attracting new businesses, and supporting the city's broader economic recovery.

We look forward to working with you to ensure the continued progress of the Golden Triangle and downtown DC, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you.

Excellent.

Thank you all very much for your testimony.

To Mr.

Litt online, you always use your five minutes so efficiently.

You've talked through so many projects.

Thank you very much.

The one I did want to ask for a little clarification around was what your specific recommendation was on the congestion pricing study.

I think I heard your recommendation was that the council, the committee should update the congestion pricing studies, I think is the way you phrase that.

Could you just elaborate a little bit more about what you're recommending or what you're asking for the council to fund or look at doing it.

Sure thing.

So for this, I would actually like to defer uh to my colleagues over at the DC Transportation Equity Network, of which the Sierra Club DC chapter is a member.

I know that their testimony uh goes into more specifics about updating the study.

Got it.

All right.

Well, I know they are testifying a little bit later, so we'll make sure I will ask them that question then.

So thank you.

Um Mr.

Klein, I appreciated your testimony.

Um there was a figure you cited that I it was jaw-dropping, and I want to make sure that I heard it correctly.

And that was that with the implementation of automated curbside management, compliance with parking and parking rules increased from 4% to 95%.

Did I hear that correct?

Yeah, so that's that's a national there's two different figures.

That's a national figure.

So about 4% of drivers comply with payments for loading zones.

Uh if there's no uh way to pay that's automated.

When you put in an automated system, it goes immediately.

The number I remember is 94%.

Um there's another uh number, which is reduced congestion and double parking, uh, which reduced in Pittsburgh on their major corridor by 95%, which is obviously a complete game changer when it comes to moving uh vehicles in an organized fashion, particularly at rush hour.

So it reduces emissions, congestion, so on and so forth.

They are staggering numbers, but when you think about the fact that before there's no camera, and then after there's a camera, it just changes behavior dramatically because they know that there's going to be enforcement if they don't pay.

Right.

And obviously, changing parking rules is one of the more non-controversial things that you can do in government.

Um to re-emphasize this, though, um, what does this mean for local businesses, for example?

I mean, one of the arguments you always hear is, but wait, you know, I need to be able to stop at that local business.

I don't want to hurt that local business.

I gotta throw the hazards on and double park.

Um the experience with better curbside management, managing that parking is that I have more parking availability for those trips that I'm making by car to support those businesses, correct?

That's backed up by the data.

That is absolutely true.

Um and in the case of like loading zones in Philadelphia, they saw an 82% increase in commercial vehicles using loading zones because they weren't blocked by anybody just throwing in their hazards and sitting in that in that zone.

So it's incredibly important for turnover for the businesses, but also reduces double parking congestion and safety risks as well.

Excellent.

All right.

Thank you very much.

I appreciate it.

Um I look forward to continuing to partner with you on this.

Um let me turn to Laura Miller Brooks.

Um I never want to minimize the impact to an agency cut, um, especially one that I oversee.

So we're gonna be digging in on the D DOT budget.

I will say that at least as of right now, the D DOT director has kind of uh framed that the reduction that we're seeing in operating cost is mostly associated with the funding that had previously been associated with the DC streetcar operations, and since they terminated that operation earlier than they had planned last year, that's what that reduction represents the most of.

We're still gonna obviously dig through, um, but I take your point about trying to do more with less or even doing the same with substantially less.

Um I am disappointed and frustrated with any loss of funding for the H Street Bridge.

Uh I appreciate you, Federal City Council has been a really strong partner in advocating and pushing for a just must-have to be able to unlock what can happen at that site, which I think is transformative for our city, not just because it's a bridge, but what it represents of really the redevelopment of Union Station and that area to the north.

Um, if we want to be ambitious and build housing and jobs and transportation, we're talking about something that is akin to a regional airport.

That many people move through union station.

Um really appreciate your advocacy and push on that.

Um I guess I don't think I had any questions necessarily.

Yes.

Really appreciate you, council member.

Um to Ms.

Hawkinson, um RMAs, reimbursable management agreements.

I think well, this will this is my tie-in to Lara's.

Laura mentioned we need to be cognizant of overall economic conditions, right?

That we are in a challenging economy, the destruction and devastation that the Trump administration has caused on not just DC's economy, but our regional economy is significant.

So government's got to think about every way to try to be as efficient as possible and use that dollar to go as far as possible.

I frankly see RMAs as one of the ways to be more efficient.

Um I feel like what we've seen, like legislatively with the authority to do up to 250,000 per bid.

Well, DDOT's choice is just do one 250, and then you're just having to sprinkle that across bits, which means we're much less efficient with what we can do.

Um but the experiences I have seen with our RMAs, be it a brick uh on a sidewalk, be it uh you know you know a bike rack replacement, the other things, those are things that take DDOT a very long time to get done.

And we're not talking like they'll get to it next week.

Like it's it's months, yeah, months to replace a brick, one brick.

Um so I think this is actually part of my argument around this is that this is actually us just being more efficient with your public tax dollar.

And it's a great partnership with our bids who are on the ground able to do it.

So we have an agency, an entity that has capacity, and an agency that can put the resources where we can get some really good return on investment, and frankly, just be much more efficient with your tax dollars as we can.

Is the is the way it's working right now with the 250, is it split evenly between the bids?

Like are we seeing like each bid gets $19,000, or is it just we kind of sprinkle it across like who has capacity or who gets to it first?

Like, how's that working?

That's a really good question.

And it's split, it's not split evenly, but it is split based on a the requests that the bids provide to DDOT, knowing what the issues are on the ground, but then it gets a little bit murky into how that approval on D DOT side gets gets done.

Okay.

Um I'll kind of bring in Miss Billick on this then.

So do you start your year knowing and able to count on and say, okay, I know I'm gonna be able to count on, because you've got to do a budget every year.

This is how much I'll be able to get back from DDOT with an RMA.

Is it kind of an unknown that you just kind of feel out as you go through the year?

Like how what type of certainty do you have about it?

I would say the best answer to that is a yes and answer.

So looking back on my one year of tenure, we set our budget last year prior to knowing what the RMA disbursement would be funded at.

We guesstimated based on previous years.

We were a little bit off.

We estimated more than we received by a little bit.

One thing that was a little bit surprising though that I'd mention that's worth noting is this past year we were surprised to find that there were different insurance requirements for the administration of the RMA.

And so what that meant for the bid is in addition to having just a little bit less funding than we were expecting, our uh our costs associated with engaging in the program increased, which means that ultimately it's um harder and harder to make sure that we are managing our resources as best as possible.

And I think to your question around um what we can estimate, our hope would be to estimate that we can have as much funding as possible to accomplish the work that we want to accomplish.

Ultimately, though, we are able to finish the work for that distribution before the end of the fiscal year.

So there's more work we could be doing if we had the funding available to us.

Is it um I don't want to put you on the spot too much here?

So if you don't want to answer, that's okay.

But I know that in some spaces we have um organizations that actually partner with other bids.

I'm thinking, for example, our clean and safe team with Ready Willing and Working or other ideas like that.

Georgetown bid seems to have developed a bit of an expertise with the the bricks in the sidewalk, for example.

Is that type of work that you're doing scalable?

And what I mean by that is if we had additional resources or for the bids that do have brick sidewalks, not every bid does, but um that is that the type of thing that you would be able to invest in training and workforce to be able to scale up where you're also creating perhaps or sustaining a couple more jobs, but also you now have kind of developed a bit of a niche that other bids are able to then partner with the expertise you're building.

So uh Chair Allen, you've named it exactly.

And that's not only uh a vision that I have, but it's something my board has charged me to do as the new CEO of the bid.

We've hired a BRIC Mason.

He is someone who um is so skilled, he was taught by his father.

There is more work than uh can be done uh throughout the city, but ultimately we're constrained as to where he can work.

So we have had opportunities to partner with other bids to use the reimbursable maintenance or management agreement to fix bricks in other geographies that are bid specific where there are bricks.

But to the extent that we could expand, we are ready, we want to to your point around job training and development.

This is a great opportunity to do so, and we would love to be able to.

Yeah.

I I know that um in previous conversations with the Department of Transportation, they have not wanted to expand the scope of where the bid can work.

So we're saying, you know, you could do it on the commercial corridor, for example, but one block up all of a sudden it's off limits to you.

It's got to be done by D DOT.

And it's gonna take about 18 months to get that brick repaired, perhaps.

But that I I struggle with the logic of that one.

Um I understand that they necessarily don't want to have you just doing bricks for the whole city, but it feels like there's got to be some common ground that we can find of a a block off, two blocks off.

Then there's some efficiencies gained with that.

Because the commercial corridor itself, something we want, high pedestrian use.

We want to see a lot of people walking in our commercial corridors, and by its nature, that means they're probably walking a block or so off as well.

And so we want to ensure that in these places with high foot traffic demand and impact, I want it on every block.

I mean, we heard Commissioner Patel who's testifying earlier talking about um how she you know still has chips of bones floating around her elbow from falling on on a sidewalk.

We have to maintain them.

I don't know why we wouldn't want to embrace that and work with the bid and others to do more.

And frankly, I think we'd be more efficient with it.

I mean, we share that vision with you.

Thank you for naming that out loud.

And I I think um it's worth noting that ANC2E also supports the idea of having the ability to have bids manage such work on residential streets.

We would like to try, we're constrained by um the way the RMA reads right now, which is why we're open to evolving the program.

And thank you for your leadership there.

Okay.

All right, well I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um then to uh Mr.

Huff.

Uh Golden Triangle bid is interesting because traditionally, not necessarily a big residential area, um, but as we are really trying to create a different downtown experience, as you noted, more and more residential.

What are some of the things that the Golden Triangle bid has learned from working with some of your colleague bids that have that kind of mix of residential office, commercial park space?

Um, what are some of the things that have helped inform the way you're looking at the growth for the next five years of the Golden Triangle bid?

Yeah, mainly the the fact that we've been so limited basically to the hours of nine to five in terms of what we're able to offer the community, other bids.

I mean, downtown bid, which is just right on the other side of 16th Street.

They're programming at nights on weekends, etc.

We've dipped our toe into that a little bit with very little with limited success.

Um so far.

Uh I think it might just be a little bit early.

But we do know that they are coming.

We've got lots of projects currently under construction and several others in the pipeline.

So we're kind of um looking at everything we do through the lens of the fact that we will soon be a residential neighborhood.

And one of the things that we need more of is gathering spaces.

We work really closely with NPS like all the bids do.

We have a great relationship.

But as you know, there's a lot of rules.

You know, the little triangle park on the corner is regulated just like the Grand Canyon.

Yeah.

And uh it makes it difficult.

I had a conversation with the National Park Service not too long ago.

They said, you know, we we have all these pocket parks.

I was like, just give them to us.

Give them to us.

Um because yeah, why would I treat that little tiny space with the same thing like the Grand Canyon?

Good point.

Uh well, I appreciate I could definitely tell in your testimony as you talked about those public spaces or gathering spaces that those are sounds like a very key lesson from working with your colleagues.

Uh, and I want to support that as much as I can because I think those are really important ways that we grow not just the Golden Triangle, that's how we grow our city.

We make it an attractive place to want to live.

Uh play, work, everything.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Yeah.

All right.

Uh well, thank you all for your testimony and for your recommendations.

I appreciate it.

All right.

I'm gonna call our next panel.

All right, we've called some names previously.

I'm gonna kind of work my way through folks to make sure we have an opportunity to see if they have joined us now.

I believe I've got uh Chris Weiss.

Dolly Davis with the Pope Branch Park Restoration Alliance.

ANC Commissioner Ashley Ruff from 7F02.

Hey.

ANC Commissioner Jamila White with 8A05.

Talib Kareem Muhammad with the DC Muslim Chamber of Commerce, who's online, Mara Brofi with the NOMA bid, who's here in person.

Bill McLeod with the DuPont Circle bid.

Is he online?

Yep, okay.

All right, joining us online.

I have Waping Zhu, public witness.

Eddie Camacho, public witness.

And Jeff Cole's public witness.

All right.

I think between folks that are on Zoom and Ms.

Brofi, who's here in person, we've got a full panel.

So let me go back and see where we were in terms of our order.

Commissioner Ruff makes you miss your lost.

Okay.

All right.

So uh ANC Commissioner Ashley Ruff is here.

So Commissioner Ruff, why don't we turn to you to kick us off?

Good morning, Chairman.

How are you all?

And how's the rest of council this morning?

Um I had originally written down my thoughts, but I just want to speak from the heart today because I sat back and I listened to the last panel.

And I know I'm probably gonna take some heat for the word that I'm using, but it sounds like privilege.

And when I say that, I don't say that in a rude or nasty way.

I say that respectfully.

The reason why I say privilege is because everything that everyone has been asking for, we've been asking for just minimal of that east of the river.

And we can't even get those things.

And then here's a here now we have a decrease in funding for transportation.

We lost the streetcar, which we never got the expansion on to Minnesota Avenue for, even though the ANC approved it and other people approved it, but we never saw that.

We saw that money being allocated to the K Street expansion, all of those things.

We still have crack sidewalks.

Um if you come down off a ridge road in East Capitol, that whole sidewalk on the right hand side is messed up.

We don't even have access for our seniors to come down in a wheelchairs.

All they can do is come out of their senior buildings and sit right there in the front.

We have dead trees that D Dot was supposed to partner with another agency and have those fixed in front of the McDonald's on Minnesota.

It's been over three years.

I think the wall in front of McDonald's has been knocked down for getting ready to go on three years.

And those trees still have not been repaired.

Two of them are sick.

It's a gate still around one of them.

You know, and I just I I'm listening to everyone ask for money, money, money, money, money.

But here it is, east of the river hasn't even got half of the money that the other wards have gotten, specifically speaking about Georgetown, um, which is accessible.

But here it is, we have the better bus uh thing going on here, and it's a long ride for people to get to work, even for me.

I'm not driving anymore.

My car was stolen.

And I, you know, I actually like you know, taking transportation.

I don't want to have to use a car again if I don't have to.

But transportation is not accessible east of the river.

I have to wait long times for buses.

Well, I have to take long walks to get to Metro.

It's to the point now that I walk halfway through the city just to make my meetings.

My child is taking metro right now, which means he's coming across all different types of paths of people.

Um, we need bus shelters.

Here it is, Randy Clark is his name for Womata.

You're getting all of these all of these money from us, millions and billions of dollars, even on the contract for RFK.

You want to do an expansion on the stadiums, I mean on the um metro centers, but we can't even get simple bus shelters, and you're telling me that oh, you're only gonna have them outside, or you're only contracted to have them outside of the metro centers.

But I got seniors that ride your buses every day that are paying to ride the bus.

And the bus should be free.

Now that was not great.

And then just to hear other people again being so privileged that here it is again, we don't even have, we're not even afforded those privileges.

So my thing that I was thinking about in my head is can we get some of that money from these other wards?

They have already been receiving these funds east of the river, because everybody comes through east of the river to get where you gotta go, whether you're going home, whether you're going to work, whether you're shopping at certain amenities down there, including in board six where you are, because you and I are nothing but five minutes away.

But everyone has these privileges.

And shout out to um Dr.

Rutlin asking for the money for the park.

Our kids ride bikes too.

We want bike lanes too.

We just want input with D Dot.

So when everyone is getting this money, my same thing every year when I testify.

Don't forget about East of the River.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Ruff.

Next, let me turn to you, Talib Kareem Mohammed.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Uh chairman, members of the committee.

My name is Talib Kareem Mohammed.

I'm an engineer, an attorney, the CEO of a tech platform called Abe Legal that makes connecting and scheduling appointments with seasoned legal professionals as easy as getting a ride share uh or vehicle through a ride share app.

I also served for the last decade uh as the executive director of a nonprofit organization STEM for us, which connects and creates mentoring relationships between our youth and seasoned professionals, uh particularly in the science, technology engineering, and math uh fields.

Uh I've served as a counsel to the DC council uh and as uh the chief of staff of the district's largest agency under the Gray administration.

I'm also the founder of the newly created uh DC Muslim Business Chamber of Commerce, which represents over a hundred and ten thousand Muslim consumers and hundreds of businesses that serve consumers both in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

Finally, with the help of the Almighty, on November 3rd, I will be the next mayor of Washington, D.C.

So I'm also testifying today as a proud member of the DC Safe Streets Coalition.

I'm here to speak for the majority, the residents that is, who actually live, work, and drive in the district, particularly those east of the river, who are currently being ignored and penalized by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy and Environment.

Here's the problem.

We have a war on residents.

Um, we must address the failures of D Dot.

DC has become a playground for the wealthy elite and well connected.

D DOT is systemically removing critical traffic lanes and resident parking to install protected bike lanes that sit empty for hours.

Just last night I drove to a local Islamic center on Georgia Avenue only to find that the parking spaces that our seniors rely upon to visit their places of worship and others have been replaced by plant boxes and invisible white phones to protect unused bike lanes.

Furthermore, the disastrous snow removal this past winter proved that D DOT is failing our neighborhoods.

Our seniors and disabled residents were trapped in their homes.

Instead of taking responsibility for the sidewalks and the streets that the government actually owns, the district shifted the burden and threatened heavy fines on to residents and small business owners.

In your own ward, Chairman, I had a conversation with Kamal from Vince Chilibull, who worked diligently to shovel their own snow, but was deeply concerned about smaller retail outlets who could not afford to hire the extra labor, which was also very uh difficult to find in order to avoid the punitive fines that the mayor threatened.

Secondly, our regulatory agencies are actively crushing entrepreneurs they claim to want to support.

I am uh entering for the public record the case of Brother Khaled Hassan and his business 3923 LLC.

Hassan invested his hard-owned service hard-earned savings to revitalize a commercial property on 12th Street Northeast.

He discovered historical dry cleaning contamination on the site, operating it in good faith.

He voluntarily disclosed this to DOEE.

How is he rewarded?

DOEE is now attempting to force him to bear up to one million dollars.

One million dollars in cleanup costs for a decade-old mess that he did not create.

This isn't environmental justice.

This is regulatory extortion.

Under the Mohammed Administration, the era of government working against the people is going to end.

Under a Mohammed Administration, we will overhaul these agencies with clear resident first mandates with a specific focus on equity for Ward 7 and 8.

For the Department of Transportation, we will repurpose street cards and make them uh available instead of scrapping them for Ward 7 and 8 residents, throwing away millions of taxpayer dollars on a failed limited streetcar project.

Second of all, we will restore access and parking and create parking garages.

We will stop punishing drivers.

We will restore vehicular access to our streets and construct dedicated parking garages in our major commercial quarters like Georgetown.

Second of all, we will lead a snow removal that is second to none.

We as the government will own the streets and sidewalks, not just both in our paper, but also in our talk.

We will guarantee immediate snow removal, especially for our residents who are the most vulnerable, and we will stop issuing punitive fines to taxpayers and small businesses for the government shortcomings, smart infrastructure and tech accountability.

We will install smart traffic lighting to keep our commutes moving safely.

We will also require all e-bike and scooter companies to register vehicles, mandate helmets, cap speeds at 15 miles an hour, and keep our sidewalks clear and uh they will be uh or else they will be barred from uh operating.

We will make sure that our transportation system uh provides for equal food equity.

Uh it is unacceptable that Ward 3 has an abundance of groceries, but yet in um Ward 7 and 8, we suffer food uh deserts, mainly and partially due to the uh uneven allocation of the transportation infrastructure.

Ms.

Rowley, we're about a minute over, so I'm gonna ask you to please wrap up, please.

Absolutely.

On behalf of the Chamber, we demand a DOEE to immediately grant Hassan College hardship relief.

And on behalf of all of the people of the District of Columbia, we uh urge our D DOT and DOE to return to the time of Mary and Barry, where the agencies were serving the people, not harming the people.

And prayerfully, after November 3rd, that's exactly what you get under the Mohammed Administration.

Thank you, and I'm here for uh questions.

Thank you very much, sir.

Um next, let me turn to Maura Brofi with the NOMA bid.

While I do that, um Huaping, we have sent a couple of requests to promote you onto the panelists, so we just need you to accept that, and that way it will put you onto the panel, and then we will be able to hear your testimony in just a little bit.

But uh let me turn back to Ms.

Brofi.

Thank you.

Good morning, Councilmember Allen and staff.

Um as you know, I am Mara Brofi, I am the President and CEO of the NOMA Business Improvement District.

Um, and I'm here today to testify in enthusiastic support of the mayor's inclusion of $50 million across fiscal years 27 and 28 for the construction of the Third Street Metro entrance in NOMA.

I've been advocating for this project since 2021, and I can tell you with confidence that the need for this project has never been clearer.

It's hard to imagine now because there's so much commercial development in NOMA, but once upon a time that was not the case.

And many people thought that when the station was proposed, it was an absolute crazy idea.

Wemada defended the project with projections saying that one day 10,000 people would eventually pass through the station on a daily basis.

Last year we hit 30 K in one day.

In fact, we saw that level of ridership th uh 13 times in 2025.

And so far, in the first four months of 2026 alone, we've hit 30,000,000, 30,000 ridership uh 11 times.

We're thrilled but not surprised, due in large part to the station itself.

NOMA has become a destination neighborhood in DC.

The problem is that Wamada designed a station that was intended to serve 10,000 daily passengers.

Now that the station is seeing more than triple the amount of anticipated ridership and still growing, the fact of the matter is that the station is simply not keeping up with demand.

Thankfully, the new entrance on Third Street will help to solve this capacity issue.

The NOMA bid has worked diligently with local stakeholders, DDOT, and elected leaders like yourself over the last several years to address these challenges and develop plans for the pedestrian tunnel that we are exceedingly eager to see to fruition.

We have also garnered support from the surrounding communities in wards five and six, as well as the immediately affected advisory neighborhood commissions ANC 5D and 6C, which have previously passed resolutions endorsing the project.

We're extremely grateful that this funding has been included in the mayor's proposed budget, and we understand and appreciate the increased challenge of managing this year's budget.

But we urge the council not only to maintain this funding, but to keep it as proposed at 5 million in FY27 and 45 million in FY28.

The project has been in development for several years and will ensure that we leverage an existing public asset to advance the district's vision zero goals, expand our transportation network, and foster continued economic growth and development in the NOMA neighborhood.

The ability to maintain mixed-use transit-oriented neighborhoods throughout the city is key in the overall resiliency of the district for the coming years.

And the construction of the Third Street Metro entrance will contribute significantly to the district's ability to do so.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I am happy to answer any questions that you have.

Excellent.

Thank you very much.

Next, let me turn to, I believe we've got Bill McLeod next year.

Good morning, uh Councilmember Allen and members of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment.

My name is Bill McLeod, and I'm the executive director of the DuPont Circle Business Improvement District.

Our small bid includes 22 face blocks and 240 retail businesses along Peace Street, Massachusetts Avenue, and Connecticut Avenue.

DuPont Circle is in the midst of a streetscape project encompassing five blocks and a new CAP park.

The project has been very difficult for businesses who are recovering from COVID and the new spending habits by the public.

As you know, the business environment is terrible between the government shutdown, freezing cold winter, snowstorm, and the streetscape construction sales are way down.

The Streetscape project has been underway for 10 months and 12 more months of construction remain.

I'm here today to ask for grant money to assist small business owners survive construction.

This project is all consuming, sometimes six days a week with jackhammering, utility upgrades, and sidewalk replacement.

The Streetscape project will be transformative with the new sidewalks in Camp Park, but we need more financial assistance to small businesses.

We are asking the DC government for two million dollars for grant money to assist DuPont merchants on Connecticut Avenue to survive construction.

With your support, the majority of our small businesses will survive.

I want to thank you for listening to me today and for your support of small businesses in Ward 2.

And thank you again for your time.

And I'm happy to answer any questions.

All right.

Thank you very much, Mr.

McLeod.

Uh next, let me turn to Jeff Coles, and after that, Qua Ping.

Uh hello, and thank you for your time.

Uh dear Chairperson and members of the committee.

My name is Jeff Coles, and I'm the owner of the Golden Age, a cocktail bar located in DuPont Circle for the past three years.

Our small business employs 15 people, the majority of whom live in the district.

And our diverse staff includes at-risk individuals, including returning citizens who have paid their debt to society and are seeking to reenter society.

One such employee has already become homeless living on his vehicle due to the reduction in hours necessitated by the massive reduction in business due to the persistent access issues associated with the streetscape project.

We've always been happy to donate to various charities and nonprofits in the neighborhood as we seek to integrate ourselves into the fabric of culture of DuPont Circle.

I've been in DuPont Circle since 2005.

Moved here from New Orleans, and I worked for seven years in the Universal South building at the Academy for Educational Development.

During that time I've seen the neighborhood grow and change for 20 plus years, and I'm devastated to see the ravages of pandemic era impacts on the business community here.

I was deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to be part of revitalizing DuPont Circle by opening a small cocktail bar that is popular and well reviewed.

We've seen three years of consistent growth, even while navigating economic headwinds.

But the current construction situation has led to a catastrophic drop in revenue in guest traffic.

Yes, simply cannot access my business by ride share due to the Jersey barrier that extends for over 100 meters, blocking the entirety of the block.

It's scheduled to stay up through July.

Everyone keeps talking about the sidewalk being almost done, but then they're going to start on the bike lanes.

That means I can't sell food to go.

I can't have guests get dropped off by car.

I can't have guests leave by ride share.

The uh foot traffic is is completely falling off a cliff.

My revenue is down 42% since the start of construction.

My guest count is down 61.6%.

This is directly related to the construction project, and the management ethos seems indifferent to the prolonged impact this project is causing.

This is not sustainable.

And the sharp drop in revenue exactly corresponds with the start of construction on our block.

We've reduced staffed hours, we've reduced operating hours, we've cut our menu, we've taken on high interest loans in an attempt to stay afloat.

I'm now leveraged to the hill, and there's no end in sight.

Even with a $1 million fund as originally asked, there will not be anywhere near enough money to mitigate the financial damage caused by the impact to local businesses.

My impact alone is over $50,000 a month.

And if this continues through July, as DDOT has indicated it will, then the impact will exceed a quarter million dollars for my business alone.

The first fund of $1 million was distributed to 57 applicants for an average reward of 17,500.

Strangely, no mitigating fund is even remotely corresponded with the timing of the impact.

Money was distributed before the impact, and apparently there may be some money distributed afterwards.

The current situation feels as if no one in the city cares about the impact this is having on businesses.

I have a petition signed by 14 of the business owners on our block requesting someone do something.

I understand there are budgetary constraints, but then why not postpone the project until the city can afford to handle the true economic cost of construction?

I urge the council to support the DuPont Circle's bid to request an additional two million dollars to assist small businesses like ours on Connecticut Avenue so that we can keep our doors open, survive construction, and continue to serve our customers.

I further urge the council to approve even more funding so that support can closely align with the real effects of the construction project.

I also urge the council to explore options like small business loans or other mitigating and uh helpful impacts that they can provide to the business community.

Thank you for your time and your leadership on this issue, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Coles.

Um, and then next let me turn to Huaping.

Uh Hi.

Um Hi, dear uh chairperson and member of the community.

My name is Hua Pin Shu.

Uh, I'm the owner of the DuPang Nash Ember.

We located Dupont Circle for the past uh four years.

We have uh we are more like a retail uh services for the neighborhood.

Uh since the Connecticut Avenue Street can construction has directly impact our business by significant reduced working in 22 uh 30% decrease.

And also for the past uh this couple months.

We are clients, it's harder to park in the our neighborhood.

And also it's harder to gather our door so that the impact that they are schedule, also make the schedule is harder to manage, and also because the back of the noise and uh the inconvenience, this really do impact our uh specific business as well.

Sorry, English is my second language.

Anyways, we know this project will bring us the grip of the future and then more easy for the this neighborhood.

Anyhow, for the construction continue, it does impact our specific the small business.

I think the I really urge the council to support the dupang circle beats to giving those uh two million dollars for the grant to assist our small business, even if not in enough, but uh we hope this is the more good way to support for us together.

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

I appreciate that.

Um again, everybody appreciate your testimony.

So let me turn to a couple of questions here.

Um to Ms.

Brofi, you know, I am very excited uh to have the funding in for this entrance at the NOMA station.

It was in, it was out, it was in, that it was out, then we had to put it back in.

So it's in.

Do you feel like you've been on this roller coaster for a little bit?

What feels different this year than maybe past years around your certainty this is finally moving forward.

Um to your point, there has been a lot of uncertainty in past years about the availability of this funding.

We were thrilled to see the mayor put it in her budget for the first time last budget cycle, and we're thrilled to see it in the budget again this year.

Um I think that there's been a lot of momentum building for support behind the project.

Um I also think that it's it's so clear today that the station needs more capacity.

Um we when the station opened, it was the 84th busiest in the station as in the system.

Today it's number six.

Um we are the we're no longer the only station that's beating pre-pandemic ridership levels, but we're beating pre-pandemic ridership levels by 140%.

So I just think that the the need has never been more clear.

We've seen the need coming for years, but we can actually see on the ground today the lines at the Fairgates, we can see the congested sidewalks.

And so I think that um the neighborhood is ready for this, and the longer we wait, the longer the the less able the station will be to meet the growing demand.

Yeah, got it.

Um well, I agree, and thank you.

Um I've been proud to help fight to keep put the money back in when it got taken out and continue to advocate this is beyond needed.

Um, and it is if if we want to be growing, this is the type of investment you make because we need people to be able to move around by transit.

Um I will you kind of talked about like when we first built that NOMA station, it was kind of in the middle of uh it was isolated.

There wasn't what you see today around it, and I think transit drives growth, and that's a good thing.

Um, well outside your bid, but this is why I think when I think about the RFK site, for example, it's why we have to make sure we're investing in transit there, both at Stadium Armory and I think a new station at Benning and Oklahoma.

Um, you know, the arguments I hear is that the track curves a little bit uh there.

So gosh, we can't build a station with a curve.

It sounds like somebody who's never been to Europe or seen any other transit system in the world, um, and that we somehow can only build in straight lines and perpendicular.

We build things that curve all the time.

Um so I think that it's wrong and really unambitious to not think about how we can build transit.

And it does take a little vision though, because you gotta see what that future looks like 10, 20 years from now.

But I think NOMA has shown us when we invest in transit and then help think about all the tools around it to help create housing and jobs and exciting spaces.

We can do it.

So um I'm really proud of what you and the bid have been doing uh there in the NOMA community as well.

I'm excited about this project.

Um I think to uh Commissioner Ruff, who I know I had to leave, but to her point early on too, an investment in NOMA shouldn't compete against an investment in the type of bus transit connections and others that she was advocating for in Ward 7, because she's 100% correct.

Those are important as well.

I know we can do both, and that's really important.

Um I've walked East Capitol Street with Commissioner Ruff.

I've seen firsthand the um the lack of investment that she's talked about in terms of the sidewalks and the roadways, and we're working together to push on a lot of those things.

But I do still want to say like we we gotta be able to do both, we can't just do one.

Well, and worth noting the district invested 50 million dollars towards the development of the station.

And by by this year, by 2026, the district will see 2.6 billion dollars worth of economic return as a result.

So a great example of how very smart investments can yield tremendous benefits that can then deliver revenue for other projects in other parts of the city.

Completely agree, completely agree.

I appreciate it.

Um Mr.

McLeod, I appreciate your testimony.

Um I definitely hear your advocacy.

I guess I might turn to Mr.

Coles actually, who sounds like he's one of the businesses right there on the corridor.

Um, Mr.

Coles, I certainly whenever we have major projects, it absolutely is disruptive and can be struggling for our businesses.

Um was there, I mean, we knew this project was coming too.

So what in what ways did DDOT work in advance?

Or like I'll give an example.

I we have a project coming on Barracks Row in Ward Six where it's going to have an impact.

So even though we haven't broken ground on it, I put money in the budget last year to help create small business supports so we'd be ready when it was time.

Um why didn't that happen here?

I think that in large scale projects like this, the city has a duty to try and you know do deeper outreach to the affected parties.

We knew that there was a streetscape project going on.

Our general sense was that it was happening on blocks.

Certainly some of that responsibility for awareness falls on us, but we're just trying to run our own business.

We don't have time in the city.

And it construction starts due diligence is I think absurd.

Uh the city.

To be clear, I'm not putting that on you, because you're you're busy trying to run a business.

I mean, uh it feels like that type of support should have been organized in advance um of a project coming.

So now, and let's see what we can do to try to help create those tools uh to be supportive of our businesses there.

Um and to Huaping Zoo, sounds like your experience is very similar to Mr.

Cole's about the the impact on your business and your workers.

I guess one other question is there anything more that you you to be communicating proactively with you, as disruptive as this is right now.

Is there anything more that you believe they could be doing to be helpful uh to at least make sure you have full and clear up-to-date information?

Um definitely the community uh like DuPang circle beats, they do help us a lot.

Um also they do all they can to even fix the sum because the construction make the buildings some damage.

They try to fix it.

Most likely they doing that part, stay up pretty good and they also very open resource to know we know what was going on.

Uh I think most uh just like uh those kind of a funds make us feel like the government care about our small business.

And we can have those confidence to be concrete, this kind of a situation so that it can help us to because Duban Circle is a great neighborhood.

And uh those kind of a thing just show we are not the omni software.

The government want to for the great and want to do we can be survived.

Like we penetrate, they used to take now they only can take employee convenient, they come back.

Um I'm happy to follow more timely and I've worked on a number quicker.

Got it.

Okay.

I appreciate it.

Well, we'll certainly follow up with you, and when the uh government version comes to testify, uh, we'll make sure we do that.

So thank you.

Thank you all very much for your testimony.

Uh I appreciate everybody uh uh witnesses today.

I I just wanted to put back again uh on your radar the case of Mr.

Hassan Khalid, another business owner uh that we represent.

Uh I think that the way that he's being treated is not a aberration, but is this the status quo?

Small business, bus district governmentally uh the uh department of vote.

If you could personally intervene on his listening.

If you could, Mr.

Uh either with one or next panel.

Um I also have Kai Hall, Seth Grimes.

I have Richard Wetzman, uh Frederick uh ANC commissioner from it's now.

So we will bring the commissioner onto this one as well.

All right, excellent.

So um we'll follow the order that I called, I guess.

So Eddie Camacho will turn to you first, who's joining us online if you are ready.

Hi, good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

How are you guys doing today?

We're doing well.

Whenever you're ready.

Um, I do want to start off with the intentions of the project.

I think it's a great idea.

I think what they're trying to do is definitely scale Deepon circle and bring it back to life again.

Um I do believe in terms of informing businesses of what will be impacted at the duration of the construction.

And the construction workers definitely place those in position closed.

Um we've got calls, emails that are we open.

We've had private events where people would tend to think that we are closed.

Um, we had construction workers leaving bags, lunch boxes, um, all of their belongings in front of our doors sometimes to give us that signal like, oh wow.

So we don't care specifically on how we want to navigate our customers to these businesses.

Um the sidewalk is very misleading, showing that the sidewalk is completely closed off for people to walk into.

So it means it misleads our customers to go somewhere else.

Um I don't know anything else that I want to add on to it, especially for the impact for my restaurants and other restaurant owners or bar owners, delivery.

It's been delayed plenty of times.

Uh food delivery cannot come in due to the blockage of the street.

Um the parking is definitely something that's been an impactful for a lot of our customers and guests.

And uh, we've had to cut in so many hours of our staff.

We had to change the duration of our lunch hours because there's just not enough foot traffic coming into our door.

I don't think I have anything else I want to add on top of that.

But I do believe there just needs to be a better communication and to just an understanding where is the support for us in this case because we're swinging left and right trying to navigate what we could possibly do just to pull in our guests to come in, but the the noises is very disruptive.

The science is very misleading.

And then uh there's just no way of this being very friendly to our guests or to anyone just to come onto our block.

From our street to S Street, just that specifically is just ridiculous.

Um, from the hotels or from places where guests do stay, we just look like a place where nobody wants to come into because it's just very disruptive.

Got it.

Okay, I appreciate it.

And so your testimony is definitely sounds like it's in uh support and solidarity of the previous panelists as well, talking about their shared experience.

Yes.

Okay, excellent.

All right, I appreciate it.

Um thank you for your testimony.

Um because I've got two extra seats here, and I think I've got two people that are in the chambers that I would call next.

Joey Davis from AFJE and Marsha Mayo, I believe is with AFSMA.

Um I'm gonna keep working through our witness list, but just let you know if you guys want to come on up and grab a table or grab a chair at the table, then we'll call you up just and we'll call for your testimony in just a moment.

All right, so let me turn next to Kai Hall.

Awesome.

Uh good afternoon, Chair Allen and members of the committee.

My name is Kai Hall, and I'm the coordinator uh for the DC Transportation Equity Network.

The DC 10 is a cross-sector coalition of nonprofit and labor organizations advocating for transportation policies that rectify historic disparities in access to opportunity, health and leisure, uh, and expand opportunity for those pushed to the margins of a thriving city.

Uh, we are heartened to see that funding for Wamata remains consistent, recognizing that transit is the backbone of our region's economy and increases access to opportunity for all district residents.

We urge the committee to continue maximizing its return on investment in MADA bus service by protecting funding for DDOT's bus priority program, which reduces the transportation time tax for all road users, but especially for transit riders.

DDOT's bus priority team does an incredible job, and their work moves us closer to the mayor's mode shift goals of 50% transit, 25% walking or biking, and 25% driving by 2032.

Two million dollars of the capital funding for the bus priority program is allocated for crosstown BRT.

Uh crosstown BRT planning connected to the redevelopment of the RFK campus.

As the agency plans for a much needed crosstown rapid transit, this committee and agency leaders should be careful to avoid repeating the same poor choices that cause the DC streetcar to fail.

Namely, number one, starting with a minimum viable segment.

The starting line needs to be long enough to be useful to residents and game day visitors alike, starting by connecting bending bending road metro rail station in the east to Union Station in the West at the very least.

We would like to work with the committee to identify additional funding for the crosstown BRT and FY27 so that the project can perhaps move more quickly.

Secondly, uh the long suppressed taxpayer-funded road pricing report included a number of road pricing scenarios that warrant further study.

We urge the committee to fund an update to the study to further explore those scenarios, namely cordon pricing, area pricing, arterial toll roads, on-street parking pricing, and bridge tolling.

Accordon is likely to be the best fit to reduce trips by single occupancy vehicles, encourage residents, workers, and visitors to shift to a more sustainable travel mode and raise revenue.

However, DDOT should have a well-informed, robust suite of congestion management tools at its disposal, especially as the district prepares to allow uh autonomous vehicles to operate here.

While many obstacles lie ahead for any road pricing program in the district, we should not comply in advance to federal interference and local affairs, especially for policies that have the potential to reduce traffic, boost business, improve our air quality, fund transit, improve safety, and allow us to reimagine how we use our street space.

Uh the buck stops with local authorities with respect to DC residents' safety, access to opportunity, and quality of life.

At the very least, we should be able to study our options to have an informed debate.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Next, let me turn to Matthew Girardi.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Chair Allen and members of the council listening.

Thank you for the opportunity to share a perspective.

My name is Matt Gerardi, and I'm here testifying as DC organizer on behalf of Greater Greater Washington, founded in 2008, Greater Greater Washington, or Gigi Wash has been a leading voice for urbanism throughout the DC region.

Namely, we focus on advocacy and sharing perspectives on how to make the city and region better through improved land use, housing, and transportation policy.

From that perspective, GigiBosh is broadly satisfied for D the budget proposed for DDOT.

Specifically, we are pleased to see robust funding for the bus priority program and the proposed project of bus rapid transit to replace and fill the void left by the shutdown of the streetcar.

Additionally, I will note that we are relieved to see that the executive has decided to finally release the report conducted on road pricing, but believe as my colleague Kai Hall just said, that uh this step needs to be followed through.

To take the first topic, though, it is abundantly clear that the district needs to protect bus priority and expand ways to reliably, quickly, and safely navigate our streets for transit users and all non-drivers.

Uh, as you know, at the conclusion of DMV moves last year, it was clear that rail expansion for WMATA does just not have the regional consensus we need for it yet.

Likewise, only last month, our own light rail system, DC streetcar was shut down.

So that leaves the bus as our main transit tool for improving frequency speed and accessibility throughout our city.

And to further underscore the need for BRT and bus priority, one of the few actionable steps that did come out of DMV moves, besides a plan for renewed DITK capital funding was a set of major interjurisdictional bus priority corridors.

As such, we are glad to see that this budget has the bus priority program fully funded, and we are heartened to see that $2 million set aside in the capital budget for the study of crosstown BRT as DC streetcar is shelved and infrastructure begins to be built at RFK campus.

District residents deserve world-class transit, and through working with our friends at WMATA, we can achieve that goal.

But that means learning from the mistakes that said projects like the streetcar back, namely a lack of dedicated lanes, routes too short to be truly useful, and no easy connection to metro rail stations.

Bus priority and BRT need to be taken seriously.

We would like to work with the committee to find additional funding in FY27 for crosstown BRT to enable faster project delivery and demonstrate that the district can expeditiously build transit infrastructure.

Crosstown BRT should be a prototype for future lines, not the sole route of its kind operating by 2030.

To pivot, though, I would also like to discuss road pricing.

Earlier this year, after repeated stalling, the executive finally released its report on road pricing.

Unsurprisingly, it showed results fully in line with what we have seen in New York, where it was recently implemented.

Revenue went up, transit reliability went up, congestion decreased, emissions decreased, and transit frequency increased.

Going forward, road pricing is a tool that the district government should explore using.

We know that the first step to getting this will be an updated, detailed study of how road pricing could be implemented.

That includes cordon pricing, area pricing, arterial toll roads, on-street parking pricing, uh, and even bridge tolling.

And even in this tight budget year, that means that the district must find funds to further study this to position us to act on this major long-term revenue raiser.

Furthermore, Gigi Wash understands that road pricing will take time to roll out.

And as a result, it is in the district's best interest to begin these initial steps as soon as possible.

Especially with the potential rollout of autonomous vehicles on our old our roads, we need options to reduce congestion, promote mass transit, and improve accessibility.

Uh for our climate change, public health, and even fiscal concerns, road pricing is a powerful tool.

Uh, one that can be supercharged by investments in a BRT network prior to its implementation.

I thank you for listening to our thoughts and considerations on this matter, and we'll stick around for questions.

Excellent.

Thank you very much.

Next, let me turn to Seth Grimes.

There we are.

Thank you, Chair Allen.

I am Seth Grimes, Washington, D.C.

organizer with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

Uh pleased to speak on behalf of our 5,000 members.

We at WABA thank Mayor Mural Bowser and members of the D.C.

Council and Director of the Department of Transportation, Sharon Kirschbaum and her staff for their work and support in the fight to preserve the district's 15th Street Cherry Blossom bike lanes in the face of a Trump administration attack.

WABA sued the Federal Government, and we won.

More broadly, WABA has been proud to stand with D.C.

leaders, Free D.C.

and our fellow advocates to combat federal attacks on DC traffic safety on no turn-on-red and automated traffic enforcement.

These are among the many egregious attacks on D.C.

home rule, and we stand with you in opposing them.

Local context.

Sixteen individuals have been killed on the district's streets in 2026 through April 27 today, six of them pedestrians, one bike rider, one scooter rider.

We're on a pace for 50 road deaths in 2026, up from 32 last year in 2025.

Yet D DOT has underperformed, particularly in building out Move DC's bicycle priority network.

DOT delivered just 3.4 miles of protected bike lanes in fiscal year 2025, one-third of their stated 10-mile target.

D D DOT is on a pace to underperform again this year in federal fiscal year 2026, given their pause at Western Avenue, Northwest, Jennifer Street, 44th Street, 23rd Street, and E Street projects and their slowness, advancing projects that are in design stages.

DDOT further weakened their 2025 record by removing several blocks of Arizona Avenue Northwest bike lanes.

The Washington Post headline was DC is removing bike lane barriers for the first time calling them ugly.

In her April 21st, 2026 opinion and joining federal removal of the district's 15th Street bike lanes, Judge Amy Berman Jackson stated, beauty is in the eye of beholder, I'm quoting.

And it is not up to the court to quibble with the Federal Government about whether helmeted cyclists and spandex or automobiles fitted with exhaust pipes are more pleasing to look at.

Nowhere does the National Park Service, and she could have been referring to DDOT, explain how removal of the lane advances the stated aesthetic objectives.

Jackson's opinion and district officials cited the district, I'm sorry, DDOT's uh 15th Street before after study, showing that the 15th Street lanes reduced roadway crashes by 46 percent, bicycle ingredient crashes by 91 percent.

DDOT did not perform a fore-and-after study for Arizona Avenue in controversion of their own standards.

And they cited aesthetic reasons for the removal of the bike lanes on Arizona.

What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander?

We expect more of DDOT.

DDOT needs to change course to revert to a safety-first transportation policy.

An immediate step DDOT can take to rectify the agency's FY25 and FY26 underperformance is to unfreeze the paused Western Jennifer 44th Street, 23rd Street, and East Street Northwest project.

The Council should fund development of these projects through completion in the FY27-32 capital budget.

Looking ahead at 27 and beyond, WABA asked the Mayor and Council to fully fund ambitious implementation of DDOT's yet-to-be-release strategic bikeways plan.

The council should insist on SBP inclusion and funding for East Capitol Street protected bike lanes, that is east of the river.

Commissioner Ruff referred to the underinvestment in Ward 7, that is Ward 7.

DDOT had planned to put bike lanes on that project until last fall when Director Kirschmaum said they were going to be removed, without stating any reasons that were good from our point of view.

We asked the council to explicitly fund QR Street Crosstown bike lanes, 11th Street, Southeast Protected Bike Lanes, as requested by Hill Family Biking and other protected bikeways in accordance with Move D.C., Taylor Street, 11th Street Northwest, and other bicycle priority network routes identified in Move DC in 2021.

We are deeply concerned that DDOT's proposed safety and mobility six-year capital budget funding drops 22.1 million dollars.

This includes bicycle and pedestrian safety vision zero, despite the high number of deaths on D.C.

streets, infrastructure near schools.

A headline in today's Washington Post says analysis of accident data shows pedestrians near schools are 24 percent more likely to be hit than elsewhere in the city.

This is unacceptable.

Given D DOT's underperformance, WABA encourages council members to include explicit funding for specific priority projects in their wards and citywide in their requests.

Further, we support funding an update to the DC decongestion pricing study and implementation planning, RFK site transportation planning to include in Infill Metro Rail Station, capacity upgrades to the Stadium Armory Station, express or bus priority projects, and so on.

And then we ask funding for a DC 311 upgrade in coordination with the Office of Unified Communications for locating reports by dropping a pin on a map, which thousands of applications can do without having to specify his pre-address.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify today.

Thank you very much.

Next we're going to switch to Richard Wetzel, and he is joining us online.

Good afternoon, uh Chairman Allen.

Good afternoon, Council members.

My name is Richard Wetzel.

I'm testifying as a DC resident and a member of the East West Low Stress Biking Coalition that has gathered more than 1,500 signatures for our petition asking D D DOT to build protected bike lanes on Q and R Streets from Connecticut Avenue Northwest in Ward 2 to the Metropolitan Branch Trail in Ward 5.

As Seth just mentioned, uh DDOT's capital improvement budget for FY27 to 32 is set to increase by about 4.5%.

Yet funding for safety and mobility, which crucially includes cycling and pedestrian safety, and the mayor's proposed budget is set to drop by more than 22 million dollars.

This does not make sense.

Bike and pedestrian safety should receive more, not less funding, because traffic deaths in 2026 are on the rise.

We've already had 16 traffic deaths so far this year.

At this pace, there will likely be more than 50 traffic deaths this year, up from 32 last year.

That would be a huge jump.

So this should be a red flashing warning sign that we need to do more to address safety.

Meanwhile, as Seth Grimes just mentioned, DDOT has actually underperformed on the building of protected bike lanes in fiscal 25.

Instead of the projected 10 miles, they only built about three and a half miles.

And DDOT is also on track to underperform again in FY26.

So what we would like to argue here is that given the disturbing trend in traffic deaths, the upward trend, the construction of protected bike lanes should be accelerated, not slowed.

It should get more attention and more funding, not less.

Staff positions for the bike planners at DDOT who do excellent work not be reduced but held steady so that these lanes can be planned and built.

Beyond that, and more specifically, the East-West Coalition would like to request that the DC Council include dedicated funding for protected bike lanes on QR streets in the upcoming budget.

The existing unprotected lanes, as I know you, Chairman Allen know, uh on Q and R are wedged between the car travel lane and parking and present a serious danger to bicycle riders who have to navigate stopped vehicles, uh, drivers veering into the bike lane, and the threat of being hit by opening doors on parked vehicles.

I ride on these lanes uh almost every day myself and see how dangerous they are.

Some of us would argue uh painted lanes that provide no protection uh and situate you between moving traffic and parked cars are actually almost worse than no lanes.

And for beginners, they're certainly extremely dangerous.

Um, in addition to over 1,500 signatories, our petition uh to have protected bike lanes on QR has been endorsed by four ANCs in wards two and five, by the DC Bicycle Advisory Council, by the Eckington Civic Association.

We've done our homework, we've built the community support.

This should be a project that's ready to go.

Um, the use of bike share to use one metric is strong and growing in QR, which is home to 20 of the hundred busiest cabby stations.

Uh the 25 cabby stations within a quarter mile of QR with a start or end point of 64,000 bike share trips as of December 2024, accounting for more than 2,000 trips each day on average, and that's about one of six trips system-wide.

So this is a corridor that's very much being used.

Um but the painted lanes, as I mentioned, really are substandard, and in fact, they're substandard by DDOT's own uh rules.

If they were built today, they would have to be built as protected bike lanes.

In conclusion, we would like to request that the DC Council include dedicated funding for the upgrading of the bike lanes on QR Street Northwest Northeast in the upcoming budget, and that the committee ask DDOT to place this project at the top of the priority list in the new strategic bike plan and to start the process of outreach study and planning without delay.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Next, let me turn to Ezra Hollander.

Uh good afternoon.

My name is Ezra Hollander, and I represent the D.C.

Trail Ranger Program, a DDoT grant-funded program run by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

DC Trail Rangers go out each day on electric cargo bicycles to service over 32 miles of DC owned paved trails, taking care of infrastructure that serves as vital transportation and recreation resources for DC residents in every quadrant of the city.

The DC Trail Ranger program is requesting an increase in our annual grant allotment from $680,000 per year to $1,065,000 per year.

DC's trail network is growing, as are the costs of running a program that provides DC residents with stable, green jobs that pay a living wage.

The DC Trailinger Program needs additional funding to continue maintaining our consistent and high quality trail stewardship over the next five years.

The DC Trail Ranger Program was established in 2013 after members of the DC Council and D DOT leadership recognized that the district was committing more funding to trail projects year after year, and the city did not have a clear plan for maintaining trails or other dedicated bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

The existing maintenance teams at the Department of Public Works and Department of General Services were not well positioned to audit or service these off-road areas with their work trucks.

Trail rangers in their green shirts are an immediately identifiable, consistent, and approachable presence on DC trails.

We deal daily with safety issues such as trash, broken glass, and encroaching vegetation, and because the team bikes on each trail regularly, we are able to prioritize and address these issues from the same perspective as community members who are walking or rolling on the trails.

Over the course of a standard day caring for DC's trails, trail rangers often go from picking up litter to reporting a broken streetlight to DC 311 to removing scooters from the middle of a path to giving a trail user directions all within the span of half an hour.

Trail rangers also spend significant time each month maintaining the vegetation along the edges of trail corridors.

Trail rangers cut back vegetation to maintain sight lines along the trail and also work to remove invasive species and preserve the city's native tree canopy, which provides invaluable shade in the summer and helps to prevent erosion on the banks of local waterways.

Trail rangers also host recurring community events such as monthly free community coffee hours on the Met Branch Trail in Ward 5 and show up to support large-scale community events across the city's trails, such as the recent Oxen Run Pink Nick in Ward 8.

Trail Rangers are consistent, friendly presence, encouraging more people to get outside and get active by utilizing trails.

In fiscal year 2022, the DC Trail Ranger program received its most recent grant allocation increase to $680,000 annually.

At the time, this was sufficient funding to maintain trails year-round and provide up to nine program staff a living wage and a reliable green job that they could continue working year over year while gaining new skills and building deep community relationships.

From fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2025, the Trail Rangers biked over 30,000 miles on DC trails, collected over 4,500 bags of debris, and engaged with over 13,000 people on the trails and at community events.

Trail rangers also submitted over 600 reports to DC 311 over the past four years, making sure that major safety hazards are reported to the correct agency and promptly resolved.

In the current fiscal year 2026, rising program costs will stretch the current grant allocation to the absolute limit, and without additional funding, the Trail Ranger program will have to reduce will have to reduce staffing in fiscal year 2027.

This would come at a time when the city has continued significant new trail projects in the past seven years, so has constructed significant new trail projects, such as the new Met Branch Trail extension from Fort Totten to Tacoma in the 295 trail, which connects the Congress Heights neighborhood in the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Ward 8.

DC also has miles of new trail projects currently in various stages of development, such as the Michigan Avenue Northeast Side Path in the South Capitol Street Trail.

The DC Trail Ranger program is requesting an increase in funding to 1,065,000 per year to allow the program to add two additional full-time trail ranger positions as well as fund seasonal rate seasonal summer rangers.

This would allow the program to meet the maintenance needs of DC's growing trail system.

Moreover, adding these additional staff positions would allow the program to work with D DOT to take on additional maintenance responsibilities, such as creating a weekly bike lane sweeping schedule.

If funding for additional staff positions is not available this budget cycle, the amount of money the program needs to run at its current trail service level while keeping up with predicted inflation over the next five years is 940,000 per year.

The D.C.

Trail Rangers fulfill a huge range of key municipal functions for the District of Columbia each week, and a growing trail network deserves a dedicated maintenance team that grows along with it.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Hollander.

Next, let me turn to Joey Davis.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Ellen and members of the committee, as well as my fellow panelists.

My name is Joey Davis, and I am the President of AFGE Local 1975, proudly representing employees across multiple district agencies, including the District Department of Transportation.

I want to be direct about what is happening right now.

The District is considering delaying cost of living adjustments in fiscal year 27 while employees are still waiting on negotiations for a cost of living increase for fiscal year 26, which is seven months overdue.

That is unacceptable.

And it raises a fundamental question.

How can the district claim there is no money for employee compensation while continuing to expand administrative structures within agencies like DDOT?

Because once again, this is not a workforce problem.

It is a prioritization problem.

At DDOT, employees are being told that there is no funding available to implement career ladder advancements for positions that are clearly eligible and performing at higher levels.

At the same time, the agency created a new administrative position for its former chief of staff.

So employees are left asking a very simple question.

How is there no money to invest in the workforce, but there is money to create new layers of management?

This is exactly the kind of imbalance that is driving morale down and pushing experienced employees out of district government.

And that has real consequences.

If the district continues down this path, delaying raises, limiting career growth, and expanding administrative overhead, it will not retain the most capable and dedicated workforce.

Instead, it will simply be left with whoever is willing to stay under those conditions.

That is not a sustainable model for delivering critical city services.

It is a recipe for decline.

Nowhere is this more concerning than in the area of safety.

On major infrastructure projects, including current work on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, contractors have been permitted to operate 24 hours a day.

At the same time, DDOT employees responsible for oversight of those contractors in inspection of the work they are doing have not been provided equivalent coverage.

That creates a serious and unacceptable safety risk.

Our employees routinely identify and correct issues during their shifts at these construction sites, issues that could have significant safety implications if left unaddressed.

So the question now becomes what is happening during the hours when no DDOT personnel are present?

What mistakes are not being caught?

What risks are being allowed to continue unchecked?

That is not a theoretical concern.

That is a real safety issue affecting infrastructure that the public relies on every day.

Compounding that issue, contractors on these projects have been observed wearing DDOT vests, creating the appearance that they are representatives of the agency.

Chairman Allen, they are not.

These are not separate issues.

They are directly connected.

So when we talk about budget priorities, we need to be clear about what is at stake.

This isn't just about compensation.

It is about whether or not the district is making decisions that support a functional, effective and safe government.

Right now, the answer is no.

The continued delay of cost of living adjustments, combined with the failure to implement career ladders and the expansion of administrative roles sends a clear message to employees.

They are not the priority.

And if that message continues, the workforce will respond accordingly.

This council has the ability to change that trajectory by ensuring that resources are directed toward employee compensation, career development, and proper oversight of agency operations, and by taking a hard look at whether additional administrative positions are actually improving outcomes or simply adding costs.

Because at the end of the day, the district doesn't have a funding problem.

It has a prioritization problem.

And until that is addressed, both service delivery and public safety will continue to suffer.

Thank you for your time today, and I'm happy to answer any additional questions.

Thank you very much.

Good afternoon.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak, Council Chair Allen.

This testimony is offered on behalf of Deborah Walker, union president and proud member of Ask Me Local 709 safety technicians, formerly known as school crossing guards.

Safety technicians have the critical job of ensuring their school children and the parents who accompany them safely cross streets on their way to and from school.

It is a job which safety technicians take tremendous pride.

But it also can be dangerous as evidenced by safety technicians who have been injured and worse by speeding motorists.

My name is Marcia Mayo, shop steward, and I am here today on behalf of ASME Local 709 to offer our test testimony about the 127 million in funding for our workers' compensation that was removed from the mayor's fiscal year 2027 proposed budget.

We, the members of ASME Local 709, are counting on DC City Council to restore this important funding.

The members of local 709 oppose several additional items proposed by the mayor to be removed from this budget that will potentially harm district government workers and their families.

First, eliminating funding for future pay increases from collective bargaining agreements.

This impacts members of ASME Local 709 since the union reached out to the District Department of Transportation, DDAP management to renegotiate our contract.

The union looks forward to negotiating with management and good faith unencumbered by budgetary restrictions proposed by the mayor, combating low retention, targeting new hires, also with the agency, instructed to reduce overtime work.

It puts the strain on the union members when we're called at the last minute to work special events as part-time employees.

This budget also imposes harmful cuts to pay family leave, medical leave, cutting family care, leave from eight weeks to two weeks in the proposed budget.

Respectfully investing in this union workforce is the foundation of operation for gov for DC government, and failure to restore these funds risks the long-term stability and health of our essential labor force.

Thank you for your time and consideration of these critical matters.

Best regards.

Thank you very much, Ms.

Mayo.

And then let me turn to Frederick Allen and Jamila White who are joining us online.

So we'll do Frederick Allen first and Commissioner White right after that.

Actually, it looks like he may have dropped off.

Commissioner White, are you there?

There we go.

I see Commissioner White.

Well, why don't we turn to you then?

Okay, can you all hear me?

Yes, we can.

Okay, thank you so much, Councilmember Allen and other members of the council for um hosting this hearing today.

I am going to testify on a couple of issues, some concerning Metro and some concerning um traffic safety improvements uh in AA.

I'm Commissioner Jamila White, I represent ANC 8A, excuse me, single member district 8A05, and also the chair of ANCAA.

So I'm going to start with Metro.

So recently we actually sent your office to email Councilmember Allen in conjunction with our State Border Education Representative and families in DC Prep talking about those changes to Wamada bus services for our students and families who live in AA and rely on that bus service.

Since the consolidation of and route changes to C25, C26, C27, C29, C31, C41, W2, W6, and W8, students in our community have been impacted to get to school at DC Prep.

DC Prep used to have two locations, one in 8A05, and then one off a more uh one in 8B, and they've consolidated to one campus in 8B.

So now families um in Anacostia who rely on getting to the new school, they don't have the bus routes anymore to get there.

It has actually started causing attendance to decrease from these families and several issues.

We sent a letter asking that there either be some type of transport provided for students in Anacostia needing to go to DC Prep, or that Wamada can re-look at the bus routes and the consolidation and provide access so that students from Anacostia can get to DC Prep.

Um, this is a letter we sent to our office a couple of months ago and testifying today to come back to that um to work with D Dot to be able to provide uh transportation.

That's the first issue.

The other issue I want to come back to you.

Thank you.

You know, you could have been to AA several times.

We took a wonderful community walk a couple of years ago, and during that time, we um pointed out several bus shelters, excuse me, several bus stops that needed infrastructure improvements, particularly shelters and seating.

Um, along American Carrie, um along where along Martin Luther King Jr.

Avenue, residents are regularly seen sitting on the ground or leaning against buildings waiting for the buses.

This disproportionately impacts seniors, um, individuals with different uh abilities and people just tired from a long day of work.

As we continue to promote bus and metro uses, the infrastructure should align with that goal.

We are coming back to you again to ask for the installation of shelters at those major bus stops along Martin Luther King as well as seating options so that it can reflect the wonderful community we have.

Another little pet it peeve we have is that some at some of the bus shelters we do have, their advertisements for pet adoption in Virginia and other kind of irrelevant and culturally irrelevant advertising.

And we can use this opportunity while people are waiting at the bus stops to actually promote the new Anacostia Arts and Culture District and all of the wonderful things that are happening in Ward 8.

We've also flagged this with D D DOT for considering changing whoever is putting the shelter advertisements up.

Um, I'm gonna go to two quick safety things.

One is on Morris Road, which is um uh uh main street right off of MLK.

Residents on Morris Road has been impacted by both commuter traffic from Suitland Parkway because people cut through Morris um to get off of Suitland Parkway to get to MLK to cross over the bridge to get to the rest of DC or to get to 295 so that they can get to Virginia, right?

And um, because of this, it's like a raceway, and we've talked about this too too when you come.

Residents have been hit by cars.

Um, many residents on Morris Road do not have all-street parking.

So not only have they even hit themselves, but their vehicles are constantly damaged because of the speeding up and down Morris um road.

We've asked for D D DOT to install install speed reduction measures.

Um, they have told us that the only thing they could do was put uh speeding cameras, which they have installed, and four-way stop signs at the intersections, which they have installed installed.

Unfortunately, we have not seen a reduction in speeding nor uh speeding related incidents that are happening.

And so we're coming back asking for DDAC to go back to Morris Road and come up with interventions that can really reduce um speeding along Morris Road.

Additionally, on the east side of Moores Road, there is no sidewalk.

So residents will either walk in the street on this, you know, kind of major thorough street, right?

Or they'll have to walk on the other side of the street, the west side of the street, but then cross in the middle of traffic to get to the bus stop because right after, like just kind of a block of just grass, there is a bus stop.

So if you want to take the bus stop, you have to cross in the middle of the street.

If you want to access the bus stop, you have to cross in the middle of traffic.

There is no crosswalk, or you have to walk in the street.

And so this is creating a major issue on Morris Road.

So improve creating a sidewalk.

We asked for a sidewalk to D DOT on that east side of the street and traffic um safety measures along Morris Road.

And then the other improvement we've been asking for, and this is something new I'm coming to you with.

D DOT right now is advancing a traffic safety plan for Pennsylvania Avenue and Minnesota Avenue.

Much of this work is in Ward 7.

However, there's a portion of the work that is in 8A.

Proposed changes include mandatory right turns onto Minnesota Avenue and eliminating a right turn onto 25th Street.

I won't get into all the details.

However, um at our last ANC meeting where the D DOT attended and talked to our commission about the changes, the community had an upward.

Many residents, it was the first time for them hearing about it because much of the advocate, excuse me, much of the community engagement was focused in War 7 and not in 8A.

And D DOT informed us that there is no more time for community engagement.

They're going to be moving forward with the design.

So we're asking the council to um have DDOT do actual engagement with AA residents to talk about how this design will impact them because we're very much concerned that this new design and the changes to 25th Street in particular will create more danger than is actually there.

And this is a major route that students walk to school to access Boone Elementary because this is right off of Boone Elementary School.

And then finally, in terms of DDOT safety improvements, for the last three to four years, DDOT has been working on uh uh Martin Luther King Jr.

Avenue um traffic improvement plan and historic anacastia transportation improvement plan.

We are grateful for the engagement.

There has been lots of engagement with both of those two studies, but they haven't moved anywhere, right?

There were some um uh uh improvements that could be made without major infrastructure changes, it just has not been done.

So we don't know what's the status, why they aren't moving, but asking that within this budget that we actually see those two um plans implemented.

Historic Anacostia and MLK Avenue.

So thank you so much, Councilmember.

I realize I'm over time.

I do have more, but I'll include them in my um testimony, written testimony.

Excellent.

You're actually not over by as much as you might think uh because as a commissioner, just to have a little more time, so you're good.

Um my last point there.

No, sir.

No, no, no, Commissioner Now, you you were technically still over.

I'm just saying you weren't as over, so you're okay.

Okay.

Uh let me turn to Frederick Allen now.

Good afternoon, uh, Mr.

Chairman, and thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

Um I'm Frederick Allen.

I live in Ward 3, and I'm a veteran of the ANC 3D uh Transportation Committee.

I've submitted I've submitted written testimony, which I will summarize for you now.

I'm here to tell you that the council needs to fix the funding problem for maintenance of green infrastructure for stormwater and help D DOT uh clean up a mess that it has created.

I've testified on this general subject at your DDOT oversight hearings in each of the past two years.

Um but since January, there have been some new developments that uh uh require the council's assistance.

Our neighborhood has DDOT's Spring Valley Green Infrastructure Project with curb extensions to keep stormwater out of the sewers.

D D DOT has a federal mandate to do this citywide.

We worked with D DOT on design.

Neighbors accepted disruption on their streets in good faith.

In March, D DOT stopped installation because of uncertainty about funding for maintenance.

It says it has no plans to complete the project as originally proposed, or to remove the partially constructed infrastructure, or to provide maintenance for what has been installed.

Instead, D DOT says that they have finished curb extensions will stay for traffic calming.

No new notice of intent, no community input, no reference to the federal mandate.

This is likely a legal violation.

And you can imagine our frustration.

On April 8th, ANC 3D wrote a strong letter to D DOT saying that any installed infrastructure that does not match the original plans should be removed.

Any traffic calming measures should be studied from scratch, and most likely will not involve what has already been constructed.

Now, the council needs to help D DOT clean up its mess, and if you want the original project to proceed, you need to help D DOT do so.

But we do know that the amount will be an appealing target for budget cutters.

And it turns out now that that is already happened.

Fortunately, there is a way to take maintenance off the annual budget.

The special fees that every DC water customer already pays to fund stormwater infrastructure should be modestly increased to cover green infrastructure maintenance.

And I've explained that in more detail in my written testimony.

To do this, the council will have to work with DDOT, DOEE, DC water, and citizens.

But I urge the council to make this happen.

Thank you.

And I'm happy to answer questions.

Excellent.

All right.

Thank you.

Thanks to everybody on this panel.

I'm going to work my way through folks with a few questions.

I'm going to go back up to the top.

So Ky Hall and Matt Girardi.

A couple of quick questions.

Ky Hall in his testimony earlier, I had asked Mike Litt about what he meant necessarily when he said we need to revisit the congestion pricing study.

Updated data.

He then said I should ask that question to you.

So an effective handoff to point that towards you, but what do you what do you think needs to happen next when it comes to congestion pricing study?

Is it a we need to redo it with current data?

Talk to me a little bit more about what you think we need are we need to be thinking about.

Yeah.

Thank you, Councilmember.

So I don't think we need to redo the study that was done that the mayor withheld for five years.

So rather than assessing a wide range of options, as the first one, uh the first study did.

Um I think you know, if we want to uh you know use current data, we should be digging into the uh recommended scenarios, specifically cordon pricing, uh bridge tolling, arterial road pricing, um tolling, and you know, I I included it all in my uh written test community as well.

But yeah.

Got it.

All right.

So that that's what you recommend is the next step, not a go back and do it again.

It's a follow follow-up on the next stages with the those focused elements.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um I also want to ask you, you know, we talked you you talked a good bit about the need for better westward connection in our bus rapid transit plans.

And also from the start.

Laura Miller Brooks and her testimony as well talked about, for example, if all we do is just think about Union Station down H Street Embedding Road to RFK, it could have a good impact for H Street and Bidding Road, but that's not a network.

Feels like it's the exact same conversation we had around a streetcar, where if you don't build a network, it's very different than just building a little section and then calling it a day.

So while the RFK campus provides maybe the kind of the it's it's the catalyst, right?

It's kind of helping push the conversation.

How aggressive and grand do you think we need to be thinking for an actual and true east-west connection for bus rapid transit to actually make a system, not just a corridor?

Yeah, uh that's a great question.

Um I think you know all of the elements of a good network, I think are included in uh Jarrett Walker's you know human transit book.

If you haven't had a chance to read it, highly recommend.

Uh but basically you need to connect where people live to what the destinations they want to go.

Um and the you know, connecting Union Station to Arctic campus serves a particular purpose.

Uh it serves you know, getting some folks from Union Station to Game Day, basically.

Uh, but to have a truly successful system, you want it to be used by all different types of people for many different types of trips, whether that's going to the grocery store, visiting friends, going to the work, going to visit uh you know the clinic, what have you.

Um so I think uh, you know, I'll defer to the planners, but I think at a minimum you need to connect more residential areas to Union Station, particularly eastward.

Uh, you know, uh Friends of the DC streetcar is a member of the 10.

Uh we've advocated on behalf, you know, to extend the the streetcar east of the river as was promised for so many years, and I think part of the reason why the streetcar failed was it failed to connect residents who lived like these pretty dense neighborhoods uh to connect them to the other destinations that uh the line had access to the okay.

Okay, that's excellent.

And Mr.

Girardi, were you going to jump in there?

I was in that I I believe as well from listening to I believe the Georgetown bid was here and testifying earlier, and they were talking about the lack of circulator routes that were, you know, kind of isolating that from the city.

I mean, one option that we're not saying like is the definitive option is to I mean, look, we did have a plan for streetcar network, you know, hearkening back to that.

So why don't we take that blueprint and work off of it and update it at this point?

And also, I mean, we have the priority corridors that have been identified through DMV moves.

Those should be real BRT that we're talking about here.

Those shouldn't just be you know bus lanes at that point and their paint on the ground and else happening.

We have the real chance, and again, because we know that and I I want to see an info station at Oklahoma Avenue and uh Bending Road, but nonetheless, like I know that a big rail expansion isn't in the cards right now.

We gotta get BRT right in the near and uh medium-term future.

Yeah.

Um agreed.

I think it's important for everybody to recognize the difference between a bus lane with some paint on the roadway that's mixed up with parking and car, like that doesn't move the bus fast.

It may incrementally can speed up.

Dedicated bus rapid transit is dedicated bus lines with the frequency and reliability that people need and um and deserve.

And so I think that that really is a huge option.

And I want if you can imagine a bidding in an H Street corridor, especially bidding road, which has such width from curb to curb, we can have truly amazing center-run bus rapid transit that helps connect people and neighborhoods in a way um that could be really exciting and transformative, and then don't stop there.

It's gotta be a network.

It's gotta be a network, or else we kind of are destined to repeat some some failures there.

Um, thank you both very much on that.

Uh Mr.

Grimes, uh, first off, I'll start with a congratulations uh and a gratitude.

Uh really appreciate successfully defending for now the 15th Street bike lane.

Um that is uh uh you know, I've I've had gone with a couple of the bike uh protests and bike down there with my own kid down there with hundreds, maybe thousands of others.

Um somebody did joke to me, you know, uh bike lanes sometimes are divisive, but somehow this one's actually bringing everybody together.

Uh so that speaks though to the power of what has been created there of a safer space and a better connection and the reduced fatalities and injuries.

Um again, just to you and your colleagues, thank you uh for taking on that fight and have been doing so successfully.

Appreciate that.

Um you mentioned funding requests for some discrete projects.

Um I don't discrete in a small number, I mean like you listed specific a lot of them, but specifics.

Um can you talk a little bit more about your thoughts around funding a an adequate and visionary bike strategic plan and where do we look at the and we talked about this a little bit in the oversight hearing about this um strategic plan process.

And while I think we all enjoy a good strategic plan process, does it get used as a way to stop investing in planning because we all have to wait for this plan that slowly moves its way through a system?

Can you talk a little bit more about where do you think that we should be looking at as this uh in the budget in front of us, where we should go ahead and put investments, where does it make sense to do now?

And what should we look at?

And so you know what?

Let me let that plan help guide what the next set of investments are gonna be.

Thank you, uh committee chair Allen.

Uh let me digress personally for a moment to say that as a member of the Transport Workers Union represented in my workplace by local 320.

I'm very happy to be sitting at the table with representatives of ASME and the American Federation of Government employees.

Uh speaking on behalf of WABA, uh, we know that just as we need a bus network, we need a bicycle network that individuals are not going to uh few individuals are going to ride from point A to point B if they feel unsafe for a segment of that route.

So we need a network that is uh complete, comprehensive, and safe.

I spoke about funding from council members for individual projects specifically because I used the word underperformed for D DOT several times.

D DOT has underperformed.

They have not built what they promised to build.

They have not built what they uh committed to building via Move DC's 2021 update.

Uh in fact, they've moved backwards.

So uh Council Member, your colleague, Councilmember Zachary Parker has put funding in the budget, for instance, for South Dakota Avenue and for connections, important connections to the Capitol Crescent Trail.

I did a bike ride in Ward 3, which has the second fewest number of bike lane miles in the district after Ward 8 on Saturday with local advocates.

They recommend the sorry, they recognize the contribution that your colleague, Councilmember Matt Freeman had had in advocacy for his ward and for remediation of these gaps.

So we are looking for funding, and I heard a district, a senior district department of transportation official last week talk about not liking specific projects called out by council members, but we are forced into this situation because of DC's under uh performance on meeting their commitments.

We do understand that there are political, uh high-level political reasons behind that underperformance, and that's why we look to you, Council members, to compensate for uh the lack of commitment uh from coming from the administration.

So I have not actually answered your question and called out specific routes as I did in my testimony.

Uh but you know, uh I would say that personally I take an incrementalist attitude that we should build pieces whenever feasible and justified, and we should also look at corridors, just as we should for bus rapid transit.

Uh Georgia Avenue is a great example for bus rapid, I'm sorry, for a bus priority.

I'm not sure that's rapid transit.

Uh we at WABA favor that, and we also favor building out the bicycle network.

Yeah.

I appreciate it.

I mean I understand and can appreciate they don't like it when the council singles out and uh funds one project, but the reason the council does it is because they're not seeing the action that needs to take place.

Uh I'm pretty sure if we all saw the things moving forward that we want to see them forward, we wouldn't be singling these things out in the budget.

So that's helpful.

I appreciate it.

I might I'm gonna pull Mr.

Uh Wetzel in here as well.

Both you and uh Mr.

Wetzel talked about rising traffic fatalities, which we all want to take very seriously.

Um are we seeing them in a certain mode?

Um you listed in your testimony, I think I I think I remember hearing you say this of um the number and you broke it down by different modes.

Are we seeing any particular modes increasing or decreasing, staying the same while the overall number is going up unacceptably I identified that uh 16 traffic deaths this year.

There were six pedestrians, one bicyclist, and one scooter rider.

Uh others were people in motor vehicles.

Uh but this is highly typical, and I think nationwide, I'm sure you're aware, uh, nationwide, the uh statistics are horrible for pedestrians in particular, especially with the adoption of larger vehicles, heavier vehicles, larger vehicles with lower visibility.

I myself was hit in the District of Columbia on my bicycle in a marked bike lane by a driver in a huge pickup truck who was cited for failure to yield.

That was a couple of years ago.

Um, and fortunately I walked away.

I didn't exactly walk away.

Uh well, in any case, I was on my feet again three days later.

Uh so uh pedestrians are disproportionately victimized by in traffic carnage of this type, and we need to do what we can uh to protect them.

Part of my written testimony that didn't have time to say was that we appreciate your leadership and the council's leadership on developing sensible policy for the district on autonomous vehicles.

Uh we understand the uh pressures to uh to get them on our streets now.

Uh safety is a prime consideration there, but we shouldn't lose sight that these are more vehicles on the road and that not the only vehicles on the road.

And the way to improve our safety is by better infrastructure that separates uh that protects pedestrians, that separates bicyclists that encourages people to use transit uh and not to get in privately owned motor vehicles of any type.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

And Mr.

Wessel, I think you would add to that in terms of um the data than what you're seeing.

I I will just add that you know, all the data shows that um everyone is safer is if all different modes have separate areas in which to ride.

I was just reading an article this morning that looked and looked at other cities, right?

So cyclists will be safer if they have protected bike lanes, and I would also argue pedestrians are going to be safer if all traffic, you know, is separated and also hopefully slowed down a little bit.

Of course, you know, speed limits are also important.

Um and the last thing I want to add is you talked about connectivity several times.

I think absolutely right, and just as connectivity is crucial for a functioning bus network, you know, it's crucial for a functioning um uh protected bike lane network, and we've made the case, as you know very well for many years, and I think D DOT has not disagreed that Q and R is a crucial East-West connection.

And on your point about specific projects, this is exactly where we're at.

You know, you've seen me at these hearings for at least three, if not four years.

If DDOT had been responsive to, you know, that this is an important part of the network that does lots of support, I would much prefer not to have to be here.

But we are here and we're calling for the council to you know include dedicated funding because nothing has happened on this project.

Thank you.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

Um Mr.

Hollander, thank you for your testimony.

I want to make sure I heard correctly because I've kind of thought I've heard kind of two different things.

So one was funding our DC Trail Rangers at their current level.

And then I heard you talk about obviously with increasing trails and increasing networks, what it's going to take to actually continue to the same level of service, just for a much larger scope that you'll have.

Um are you saying that we need an additional $940,000 just to maintain the current level of service?

Help break that down for me.

Yeah, I can break that down a little more clearly.

Um so we have sort of uh proposal A and then a backup proposal because the reality is it is a tight budget cycle as it has been for the past several years.

Um the $940,000 number is what we would need to maintain our current staffing level uh over the next year.

An additional $940?

No, it would be raising the annual allotment from $680 to $940,000.

So it's an additional $260,000 a year.

That's the number I'm looking for.

Okay.

All right.

So that's that's what you need to be able to maintain existing and current.

Exactly.

And then um our proposal uh and our request is for additional funding up to $1,065,000, which is an increase of a little under $400,000.

I guess that's like three.

Make me do math on the spot.

Um around $380,000.

Yeah.

Um that would allow us to add two additional full-time staff positions and commit to additional maintenance responsibilities uh as contract contracted by the city.

One example of that is uh getting uh bicycle-mounted bike lane sweepers and being able to commit to doing work that we're already doing in our day-to-day, like if we pass by an issue on 15th Street or 9th Street on the Irving Street Cycle Track, we stop and we deal with it, but to have that explicitly in the grant agreement and have the appropriate funding to be able to do that on a consistent basis.

Right.

And to be clear, that also includes the maintenance uh for the Anacosta River Trail, Metropolitan Branch Trail.

Yes.

Uh Marvin Gay Trail up in Ward 7 by Deanwood, Oxen Run Trail and Oxen Run Park and Ward 8, the new 295 connector trail, which runs uh along 295 beside the Department of Homeland Security campus, um Klingle Valley Trail and Ward 3.

Um DC currently has 32 miles of paved uh grade separated trail.

Um and there are many more miles in various stages of planning.

The reason why I wanted to make sure we named that out loud is that uh I don't want people to think that this is only for dedicated like downtown bike lanes where it's it's cyclists and cyclists only, which is important.

But the trails you're describing are where thousands and thousands of people who aren't on a bike.

They're out for a walk, they're out for a run.

These are trails that are huge parts of how our city gets out.

And so the work you do to maintain it is obviously very good for the cyclist who's on that trail, but it's also very good for the pedestrian who's walking who might be jogging.

Um those are just it it improves it for a lot of people.

Yeah, and to be clear, we intentionally do not call them bike trails, at least within the Trail Ranger program, because that's not what they are.

They're paved trails.

So therefore, people who walk and roll and roll can mean a whole bunch of different things, whether rolling a stroller, rolling a wheelchair, or on a bicycle.

Yes.

Um, we really do try to take the approach of uh when we're servicing trails of looking out for every type of user who's gonna be coming through there on a daily basis.

Completely agree.

I think there may be some people who think that they're just a bike trail.

Um that's the only thing you do because they see the WAB on your sleeve.

But the reality is it's for a heck of a lot more people than that.

Yeah, and I think it's also reflection of how WAB as an organization has developed over time in saying that maybe at first it was a bunch of cyclists who wanted to ride their bikes more places, but now it is definitely a more uh I don't know, a more intersectional approach of understanding how transit and uh pedestrian access and cycling and vehicle traffic all uh have to exist in relationship, and so how do we uh make sure that specifically with trails that these super valuable public green resources uh remain in good condition and are accessible to every DC resident?

Excellent.

Well, thanks for the hard work that you're doing.

I appreciate it, and we'll take that.

Ums May, I'm gonna ask I'm gonna ask some specific questions about your testimony, but on this question, if you want to jump in on this as well, please feel free.

So it's kind of to both of you.

Um if the budget's passed as is, as came to us, and specifically I'm talking about the impacts on um on our bargaining.

Does bargaining essentially halt?

Does the does the impact on not putting funding in for future pay raises?

What does that do to your bargaining right now?

Like how does that impact your ability to bargain for a fair fair paycheck for your workers today?

So the contract uh actually expired in September 30th of last year.

This is a negotiation for the next four years.

Uh so essentially, in our opinion, it really takes good faith bargaining out of the picture because regardless of what proposals we have submitted or what proposals we intend on submitting throughout this process, um, which is unfortunately confidential.

I wish I could speak more about it.

But regardless of what position or proposals we end up submitting as a result of this, it would essentially be overridden by the parameters of the budget.

Right.

So even if you were an arbitration going back and forth, you're it's stuck.

Essentially, yes.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um I know I've talked with um I know our our firefighters, local 36, they are deeply concerned about this.

I think you know, probably I'm assuming that uh in solidarity, every local is going to be concerned about this because it impacts everybody.

Um so it is it's a serious concern.

I know it's one my colleagues and I are have definitely heard, and it's uh you know one of the top priorities we've got to figure out.

Ums Mayo, I did wonder if you could talk a little bit more about the workers' compensation fund you were talking about.

I think if I if I heard it correctly, you were talking about from the safety technician standpoint, the obviously risk to injury, the risk to um to Robert they're standing in the roadway.

Um what what was reduced in the compensation fund?

Well, we'll it wasn't actually reduced.

We won't be able to get it if it is if the um if the money is taken out of the budget won the 127,000.

Got it.

Okay.

So you believe the funding is there for the compensation fund, but your concern is that without it, if someone's injured on the job, they're not just not gonna have the resources to to be able to help pay damages and and help.

Exactly.

Okay.

Yes.

Got it.

Okay.

Um maybe we can follow up after the hearing too to make sure we get the details on on what we need to be looking for there.

You also advocated around um proposal to cut leave from eight to two weeks.

Yes.

It is going to be cut from eight weeks to two weeks.

We currently get eight weeks.

But if the um money is taken out of the budget, then they're gonna cut it down to two weeks for um pay family leave.

Yeah.

Um than eight weeks.

It's a serious cut.

Okay.

Um we certainly will work with you on that and follow up.

And I appreciate your advocacy on behalf of I know uh you got several folks in the room, and I know there's a lot of folks that are probably uh well, it's 130, so they're maybe getting ready to go on shift in just a little bit as we letting out.

And um and I appreciate their work.

I know as a dad myself, who's got um kids that I depend on, their ability to walk to school and all their friends to get there safely, our safety technicians.

We can't have enough of them.

Uh, we really appreciate the work you do.

I appreciate you.

Absolutely.

Um Mr.

Allen, uh your frustration is shared here around the uh we we build stormwater infrastructure and then we can't manage it and maintain it.

Um I will say this is a big part of every year, at least the last few years, the mayor keeps sweeping stormwater management dollars away, and it's leaving our agencies with very little capacity to actually do that stormwater management.

And then I can tell you as a ward council member, what I then get is all the folks that say, what's going on with this thing you built?

It's just filling up the trash and weeds and it doesn't look good, and it why did you do this?

Because we're not managing it and maintaining it.

So um I very much agree and share your concern around um the lack of maintenance and management.

It's important to build the stormwater management.

It's just we've got to also maintain it.

So thank you for bringing that up.

Uh agree.

And that's why I'm suggesting that the just take it out of the regular annual budget process and uh uh fund it uh through the fees that are all that we are all of us are already paying on uh uh on our DC water bills.

But those fees come through the annual budget process as well.

That I promise you the fees that people think they're paying for one thing, they get swept up as well.

And then um yeah.

That's one of the reasons why, for example, the the fees that everybody's been paying, we all pay it for the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund, for example.

Then every year the mayor was swiping that to pay for the electricity costs of the city when it's supposed to be going towards investments like um energy and environmental investments across our city.

So we we decided let's let's rename it, the mayor's energy surcharge, because that's what it is.

Just constantly pulling it pulling it away.

Um it is still gonna have to go through the to the annual budget process.

So that's why we have to fight for it, but your testimony is helpful because I need people talking about it so that when I go try to help restore it, I'm able to point to your testimony.

So thank you.

Well, well, thank you.

And if if they're gonna continue to swipe it, um I think it is to take away what they built.

Um it didn't take them that long to put those things up in our neighborhood.

It wouldn't it would take even less time to uh cover them over, you know, to take them down, cover them over and be done with it.

There's good reason we actually build them.

That stormwater management is an important part of what we got to do to help uh clean up the Anacostia River, help clean up the Potomac River.

So there's a reason for that.

Let me turn to Commissioner White uh if I can as well.

Um Commissioner, I appreciate your testimony.

Certainly, I mean I remember walking with you to look at some of the bus shelter needs.

Um of them are challenging just of terms of enough sidewalk space, but I hear you on that.

On the advertising, I think you had a great point.

I if we're gonna be using public space, be it a bus shelter or anything else.

I want to see messages that come back that are that are a part of the community promoting the Anacostia arts and others, I think is a really smart idea, and so we can follow up with DDOT on that because they manage the contract for the the advertising that that takes place in the shelters.

Can you share a little bit more?

The Morris Road requested speed reduction measures.

You said you the cameras were placed, but can you remind me what were the other pieces that you're advocating for on Morris as well?

So there's not a sidewalk on the one like block of Morris Road, the probably like 1330 block of Morris Row.

There's only one sidewalk on one side of the street.

So residents have to actually walk in the street, because right after like a block from no sidewalk, there's a bus stop.

All right.

So they either walk on the street to get to this to the bus stop, or when they get off, they have to cross in the middle.

The speed cameras, um, they are not reducing the speed.

I don't know if there are examples in the city or other places where there is some type of elevation on a heel where they have speed, reduction measures, and addition that's not just cameras, but we've been pretty much told that because it's a hill, we can't do anything but a camera because it will make it too um dangerous.

So those are the two issues or more's road specifically.

And is that something you you have put in for with DDOT?

Is it the whether it's a TSI request for the sidewalk, for example, or not here?

We've passed resolutions.

We have put in a 311 request and a resolution for traffic safety, and they came back with cameras.

That was the answer to the traffic safety.

Got it.

Well, I again I know that um somebody from D dot is was assigned to sit and watch this hearing.

So um to that DDOT employee, uh, if you could get us an answer on what D Dot can do about the sidewalk in particular, I appreciate that.

And then I you the Pennsylvania Avenue project intersection about engagement with 8A.

Um I will make sure that we reach out to the director as well and ask what can be done to ensure engagement with our our ANCs and our communities there.

And not just the engagement, but also more creative design, because here I've been on the you know hearing on and off for three hours, but it just seems like sometimes there's a lack of creativity when looking at transportation design and what's happening, and it's just not listening to us because having another two town halls and saying, okay, thanks.

We're gonna just do it anyway, is a waste of our time.

Yep.

Got it.

Okay, I appreciate that.

And then you would uh at the end there, you'd asked if you had a second longer to talk about something else, so I was just gonna give you a chance if there's anything else you wanted to make sure you highlighted before we move on to the next panel.

Just very quickly, we want to advocate for updating um of our naming throughout Metro.

So Anacostia, as you know, the council has uh renamed and awarded Anaclassia to Arts and Culture District.

We think that that should be reflected throughout the entire metro system so that people know this is the district's only art and culture district.

This is so much history, and having that across Metro, we think bring a lot more attention to our community, especially if people are looking on, you know, where is this arts of culture district?

So changing the name to Anacosti Arts and Cultural District um across all of Metro.

Got it.

Okay, I appreciate that heads up on that.

All right, thank you very much, and I appreciate this panel.

Appreciate your testimony.

Thank you.

All right, we're gonna move to our next panel.

And I think we've got again a combination of people that are in person as well as online.

But I've got Benjamin Finkel, public witness.

Who I think is joining us online.

Tim Hampton, public witness.

If you'll just come up to the table, Mr.

Hampton.

Chuck Elkins, public witness, who I believe is online.

Salim Adopo as a public witness, no?

Cheryl Tracy, public witness.

Nicholas Deladan, president of the DuPont East Civic Action Association, who I think is joining us online.

Silva Walker, a trustee with Michigan Park Christian Church.

I don't think is here.

I'm going to call it since we have a few people that aren't here yet.

I'm going to call a couple more names.

Louis Santucci, public witness.

Tanya Martin, public witness, I think is joining us online.

Laura Richards, public witness.

Richard Lawrence, member with Protect Missouri Avenue.

Thomas Fields Public Witness.

And Navellan Jones Public Witness.

All right, I think that should give us enough folks for a full panel between a few folks that maybe aren't here yet.

So Ben Finkel, I'm going to start with you and you're joining us online.

So let me turn over to you for your testimony.

Hello.

I'm uh Ben Finkel, and I'm the president of the Aspen Square HOA at the parks at Walter Reed.

We are a community of 50 recently built town homes on the southern edge of the parks along Aspen Street Northwest, and we're in Walter Reed Special Zone 7.

I'm testifying here today to bring your attention to a parking issue impacting our community.

First, I just want to say that I think the city and the developers of the parks, and just I'm an organization, so I'm hoping to have five minutes.

I see the timer there.

It would mainly help people like us that are located in a zone on the edge of campus designed for residential development distance from the mixed use areas in the center.

If we can't be included in the zone four, then I propose that all of Aspen Street Northwest should not have zone four restricted parking, and it should not require payment.

So we have the necessary overflow parking available to us as residents in the neighborhood.

And if our proposal to remove zone four restricted parking on all of Aspen Street isn't possible due to zoning or regulations, at a minimum, all of the parking on the north side of Aspen Street Northwest should be available to us to park and without payment and without restrictions.

Sorry, lost to say.

That's all right.

So the whole north side is part of the Walter Reed special zones, according to the Office of Zoning Official Zoning Map.

So why would that be zone four restricted when it's not in zone four?

Also on the south side of Aspen Street from 13th Street Northwest to Luzon Avenue Northwest, there are currently no zone four restricted signs, and a few of our residents rely on those parking spaces every day.

I believe there are no signs there because there are no homes that face Aspen Street Northwest on that block.

There are also no homes that front to Aspen Street Northwest from Luzon Avenue all the way to the alley between Luzon and 14th.

So that block should not have RPP restrictions either.

Why would they be added during the rehabilitation?

I understand there's a long history of community concerns about the impacts of the development of Walter Reed, and that led the developer to add significant parking to the site.

All of that parking plus the additional parking being added to Aspen Street means that if we are given the right to park in zone four RPV spots, it would have a very minimal impact to those that already have the right.

So, council members, can you please ask D DOT why we are treated differently than our neighbors when there would be plenty of parking available to everyone if it was equally accessible?

And I have just one more thing I'd like to mention, and that's that some of us in Aspen Square live on General Davis Drive Northwest, which is a private road and will remain a private road.

DCMR 8 uh 18241 states that the director may issue an RPP sticker to a motor vehicle owner who resides on a private street, which is not eligible for residential permit parking because of its roadway designation.

Therefore, according to this regulation, even though General Davis Drive won't have RPP restricted parking spaces, its residents should still get zone four permit stickers instead of the ones they currently have, which say no RPP.

So please inquire with DDOT about this.

Thank you very much for your time.

All right.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Finkel.

And I'm going to come back with some questions in a little bit as I've pulled up a map so I can sort of understand as as you were testifying there.

Um next to me follow my list.

Uh Chuck Elkins.

Oh no, sorry, Tim Hampton, who's here.

Yes, all right.

So Mr.

Hampton's here, then Mr.

Elkins and turn it to you after that.

Hi, I'm Tim Hampton, 20-year DC resident, and um a member of my immediate family is uh life is forever changed by traffic carnage, so that I'm here for safety.

Um I I really appreciated the testimony of Richard West Wetzel and Seth Grimes.

I feel like I've I want to just read it back to you again because it was so so good.

Everything in there we need.

Um the budget process is broken and such that the mayor makes a budget and then gives it to you guys, and everybody gets a little piece of it, and it's like divide and conquer.

You can't, but you have the power to overcome that if you can find six friends on the council, you can get together and do anything you want with the budget.

So I really encourage you not to think about it the way it's always been done, where okay, I have my piece and I'm gonna work on my FIF, and maybe I can trade a little bit with somebody.

You can get if you can get enough heads together, you can do anything, and you have the power.

Um the the mayor uses all these things like for instance, we need to fully fund the Steer Act and some of these other things.

She couldn't have vetoed that, she would have been overcome, but she undemocratically vetoes it by cutting it out of the budget this way, but you have the power to overcome it.

Um I've seen, I'm really happy to see that you've done some more muscular budget policy in the past, and I just want to increase that a whole lot more.

Keep going the direction you're doing.

Assume in advance that the executive is going to try to weasel their way out of everything you do, or just obstruct it and sew right into it.

What will happen then?

Um we need so much more money for everything to achieve vision zero, and we need so many bullbouts, so many race sidewalks, so much.

So not we can't work around the edges.

So we need to raise taxes.

Um raise taxes, we need to add a 2% capital gains tax on gains over 200,000 a year, other than sale of your primary primary residence.

A lot of money there.

We need to add a 2% tax on household income above $500,000.

It's it's people are scared of a tax increase.

The public is ready for these taxes on people who have more than enough, and it it will it will go well.

I've got some other ones too, I don't have time for.

Um the and we need to to rethink the the street parking fees.

Um there's I think we can structure it differently uh so that it costs more, but uh if we did it kind of like a voucher that you can either like take the payment or take your take your annual thing than people who can't afford who really need that parking space can still do it.

Um I hope we've fund everything.

Put the twin put the money back for mobility, safety, and mobility.

Tell them don't cut anybody who's working on a bike lane or safety and mobility and east-west bike lane project.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Hampton.

All right, Mr.

Elkins, now I'm turning to you online.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

As you know, I'm uh an award three ANC commissioner and a long-term uh member of the Safe Sidewalks team.

Our team's leader, Scott Price is traveling out of the country.

Otherwise, he would be here also.

Um I hope you'll have time to read my full testimony that's uh I've submitted for the record, but I want to use my five minutes to highlight some new information that's come to light since your last performance hearing on oversight of this department.

Since last year, we've learned two troubling things about how D DOT actually handles 311 tripping hazard reports.

First, if a reported location is all is reported is already anywhere in the paved DC schedule, even if that repair is two out two years away.

DDOT marks the 311 request as on schedule and closes it without sending an inspector to see whether the hazard has worsened.

Tripping hazards remain without even an inspection.

Second, when D DOT does inspect a hazard, inspectors do not measure the gap between the two sidewalk surfaces.

They do not record whether the offset is half an inch or five inches or ten inches.

This is the most basic measurement of a hazard in front of them, but they don't take it.

She's offered no evidence for that, and we have not found any.

D DOT's published standard of 270 uh business days more than a calendar year.

Uh over the last three years, D DOT has pushed 70% or more of its 311 requests off more than 60 days, many of them even beyond the 270 business day target.

No comparable city has a 270-day standard.

For example, New York City has a 75-day repair window.

At your last performance hearing, Mr.

Chairman, you asked the director about collecting injury data on people who fall on our sidewalks.

She replied that she would prefer not to collect that and would rather continue routing most 311 requests to the long-term paved DC schedule.

That answer prompted me to find the data myself.

With help from DC Health, I looked at the emergency room records for all seven DC hospitals.

I found that between 215 and 350 persons fall annually outdoors and have to go to the emergency room.

In addition, more than 1,000 DC residents had to be admitted to the hospital for fall injuries every year with fractures, tread uh head trauma, serious wounds.

We've also learned what the cost of rapid repair of these tripping hazards would be.

D D DOT staff tell us the average repair of a 311 tripping hazard using in-house staff and contractors costs 1,350.

There were about 3,800 uh 311 requests in fiscal year 2025, and D D DOT fixed only a thousand of them quickly.

That means that an additional five million dollars in operating funds would allow D DOT to address all of these 311 requests quickly and not have to wait for the PAVE DC program to get to these tripping hazards.

So on the question of where would we find five million dollars, uh may I make a bold suggestion out of my area of expertise uh to this committee that the committee considered trading ten million dollars in capital funds to another committee in exchange for five million dollars in operating funds for this uh to fund this um quick response to tripping hazards and and the drawing from the capital from the paved DC's road paving budget.

My neighbors and I have concluded that D DOT has largely caught up on its paving of roads in bad condition and is now repaving streets that are still in a good condition.

I believe none of us would notice if there were 10 million dollars less money devoted to road repaving.

However, we would notice uh prompt repair of tripping hazards on our sidewalks.

I outline a number of recommendations at the end of my written um testimony, and they include the five million dollars in operating funds for rapid response to 311 tripping hazards, quarterly reporting to this committee on the percentage of 311 sidewalk requests resolved within 60 days, requiring that D DOT measure the gap at every inspection and publish the results in the public database, and direct D DOT to enter into a data sharing agreement with DC Health to get this uh fall injury data, and finally to create a senior pedestrian safety position at D DOT.

The article in today's Washington Post about the safety of pedestrians around our schools drives home that there needs to be a senior person at D DOT who is continually pushing hard for pedestrian safety.

Car drivers and bicyclists have their strong advocates with the department.

Pedestrians deserve to be heard also.

So, Mr.

Chairman, the data now exists to justify action.

The cost is known.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you very much, Commissioner Elkins.

Uh next, let me go to Nicholas Deladon.

Mr.

Deladon, let me turn to you.

Thank you.

My name is Nick Deladon, and I represent um DC Safe Streets Coalition, which is a project of the Yupon East Civic Action Association.

And today we urge you to regulate e-bikes.

On August 16, a 14-year-old performing wheelies on an electric motorcycle struck an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran in Los Angeles.

The victim remains in critical condition.

On Easter weekend, a 10-year-old in DC riding an e-bike in a bike lane without a helmet was hit by an ATV.

The ATV rider has not been found.

The mother thought the child would be safe in a bike lane.

Her son suffered brain injury.

On April 24, Montgomery County police arrested a 13-year-old for riding in an unregulated dirt bike without a license through busy streets in downtown Bethesda, imitating scenes in DC neighborhoods like Navy Yard and U Street, scenes that come have come to be known as teen takeovers.

Councilmember Zachary Parker will hold a public round table Thursday, April 30, here in the Wilson building to discuss alternatives to teen takeovers.

How did we get here?

The DC Council and the District Department of Transportation have been promoting and subsidizing e-bikes with bike lanes, rebates, and pilot programs that give e-bikes to participants with no thought to precautions, limitations, or safeguards.

You have created a hellish scene where youth feel entitled to play recklessly in the street.

A few years ago, this council passed a law called the Safety Bike Stop, scandalously permitting bikers to run through stop signs.

Clearly, it is not a stop, and patently it is not safe.

Last year, the council, under the leadership, uh your leadership authorized one million dollars in rebates for e-bikes because bike lanes are not being used.

Today 700,000 residents of DC show us they are not interested in biking that could justify the dangerous transformation of DC traffic.

Road diets and bike lanes, Utah is making streets safer, are putting us all in jeopardy.

Something must be done.

DC Safe Streets Coalition proposes one measure to help bring order back into the streets, namely the regulation of e-bikes, including registration and tags, just like motorcycles, so bikers can be identified and held accountable, also including licensing, insurance, certification, and speed limits.

If bikers were required to register their bikes, if they knew they could be caught, if they had to pass a rider's test, their behavior would change for the better with minimal intervention from the police department.

In this election year, our coalition urges the council to introduce an e-bike bill, and we have begun a petition to uh to regulate e-bikes and urge DC residents to review and sign it.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Deladon.

Next, let me turn to Tanya Martin.

Ms.

Martin.

Whenever you're ready, we'll get your testimony.

Good day.

My name is Tanya Martin.

I'm a born Washingtonian.

I live in my childhood home on the five on 3900 block of Fifth Street.

I want to ask you a question.

Why am I still here talking about the same thing?

I've been talking about for the like l no, almost six testimonies.

I'm just trying to figure out why I'm still here talking about the same thing, the same information and no response.

I have a council member, Lewis, um Janice Lewis George.

She's my council member.

She came down here in 2021 and and saw how bad my street was.

Say she was going to come back and do something, lie and never came back.

But it's funny how the other day it was they got a traffic um, I guess a traffic stop sign, a traffic light.

Why did she come down here?

She came down here.

Oh, it was a photo of.

It was a ribbon cutting.

Who knew a ribbon cutting for um traffic light?

It's unacceptable that me and my neighbors have to live in hell, intimidated, frustrated, dangerous um streets, and nothing's being done.

So what kind of leader are you?

You're the chairman.

So why am I continuously saying the same thing?

So should I say you are a bad leader?

I am gonna say you're a bad leader, because you know it's wrong.

You know what street I live on.

She knows it.

If you'll if your council member for war four can't help you, what you're gonna do for the rest of the city.

It's unacceptable.

So what I'm gonna do now, every month, starting next month, I'm gonna have my own rally.

Well I'm gonna have people come down Fifth Street, bonk your horn, tell them that you honk your horn, tell them how safe the street is.

That's what we need to show you just how safe some of these streets.

I don't have a problem with bikes.

Ride a bike.

You could ride a bike all the way to Birmingham, Alabama, where you were born.

I wouldn't care as long as everyone is safe.

People are not safe.

This is the first time in my life that I feel unsafe living in Ward 4.

War four was the medium between Ward 1, 2, and 3 and 5, 67 and 8.

But now Ward 4 is horrible.

If it ain't the crime, people um getting hanging trees, nothing's being said.

Trash is out of control, and definitely the traffic in war four is out of control.

Go ask the residents, knock on their door, see what they think about the traffic in war four.

It's horrible.

People get hit.

And I just come to find out.

Did you that know a people residents in DC?

A person who rides on a bike does not have to stop at a stop sign.

One of DDOT residents told me, I mean, representative told me the other day.

Who knew?

Who knew?

It's unacceptable.

Everybody in this city should be safe.

Bike riders, walkers, runners, people who ride who drive.

It's all forms of transportation.

And it should be safe for everyone.

It's unfair and it's biased.

Thank you.

Now answer my question.

Because you're asking everybody else's question.

Answer my questions.

Answer my questions.

Why am I still here talking about the same thing?

Thank you, Ms.

Martin.

Let me turn.

No, no, you answer my question.

You won't.

No, ma'am.

I'm gonna turn to the next person on our witnesses.

You don't want to answer because you don't have a question.

You sit there, that's why you don't want to, because you don't want to answer because you ain't got to be a good one.

I know, Miss Martin.

This is my seventh time here with the same thing.

You ain't nothing to, and they ought to be call you back to.

And they'll say that.

Bye.

Thank you.

All right.

Let me turn next to Laura Richards.

Okay.

There we go, Miss Richard.

You there?

Yes, I am.

Okay, you can hear me.

Yes, we can see and hear you whenever you're ready.

Excellent.

Good afternoon, Chair Allen and members of the committee.

I am a trans-independent senior living in Ward 7.

A lack of adequate bus service makes it extremely difficult to move around the city and take advantage of its comenities or get to places I need to be.

The nearest Metro Rail station is Potomac Avenue at 14th in Pennsylvania or Naylor Road in Maryland.