Transit

Since its beginnings in 1997, the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID) has led continual efforts to improve mass transit. In 2000, the BID championed extended Metrorail hours from midnight every evening to closing at 3:00 am on Friday and Saturday evenings to support growth in entertainment, sports and cultural attractions.

Most DC residents use Metrobus to travel Downtown, but often bus shelters offered little information on bus routes and schedules. The lack of bus service information was not only discourteous to existing bus customers, but it also discouraged new customers from trying bus transit. A Downtown BID demonstration project solved the problem in 2003 by producing bus shelter maps in collaboration with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT).

In 2005, the Downtown BID and its partners in DC Surface Transit, Inc., in collaboration with DDOT, helped launch the DC Circulator. This fixed route surface transit filled the gap for short, local trips in Downtown. The sleek, low-floor, European vehicles attract new riders to bus transit every day, as documented in annual customer service surveys. The service has reached 10 million riders since its launch.

Looking to the future of transit, the Downtown BID continues to take a leadership role in fostering greater Downtown population growth by promoting efficient, sustainable transportation systems.

Downtown BID Board Chairman, Matt Klein, described the 2012 vision for Downtown DC in his speech celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the BID:

“We would expect to see expanded Circulator service running not only along the K Street transit way, but reaching out into neighboring areas such as Adams Morgan and Capitol Hill. The Circulator would also be providing a new kind of public transit service that the National Park Service began studying in 2003. We expect to see the launch of a new streetcar service in 2009 along the east side of the Anacostia River. By 2015, we would hope that cross-town street car planning would be well underway, extending the service across H Street NE, to connect to K Street NW, and terminating in Georgetown."

The Next Generation of Transit

On January 31, 2008 the Downtown BID brought together a panel of transit and urban design experts at the Carnegie Library to discuss the next generation of transit as well as DC’s transit future.

Click on the links below to view presentations or speaker bios and contact information from "The Next Generation of Transit" program:

DC's Transit Future [PDF 567 KB]
Emeka Moneme--Director, District Department of Transportation
DDOT Director Emeka Moneme’s presentation outlines the principles guiding the development of new forms of transit in Washington DC, including streetcar, bus rapid transit, Metro Extra bus service and the Circulator. Enhanced transit options for both visitors and residents play an integral role in making Washington, DC, a world-class city.

The Mobilien Experience [PDF 5 MG]
Emmanuel Martin-- Chief, Mobilien Program, City of Paris
The Mobilien project in Paris, France, is creating a genuine surface transport network that is modern, practical, fast, reliable and safe. Emmanuel Martin discusses strategies to achieving these mobility goals in Paris include operating rapid bus service on major streets that use dedicated bus ways and creating multi-modal streetscape designs to accommodate transit users and pedestrians alike.

Better Places, Better Streets and the Role of Rail [PDF 4 MG]
Greg Baldwin-- Partner, ZGF Architects LLP, Portland, Oregon
As Greg Baldwin says: “If it’s a good idea, and a good deal, then why not?” This presentation centers on developing and designing Portland’s streetcar corridors, which have not only connected the city and its residents, but have also catalyzed more than $22.8 billion in new development.

For more details about the Downtown BID's Transportation Program, please contact transportation@downtowndc.org.

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Did you know?
118 new trees were planted in Downtown in 2005.