January 26, 2026 | Streetsblog USA
Some advocates also pointed out that the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s 2025 State of the Commute report released just last week shows that there has been no significant change in travel times for drivers in the D.C. region recent years, even as commute levels have returned to pre-pandemic levels. That casts even more doubt on the idea of ripping out bike lanes to cure a so-called congestion crisis in D.C. — and lends credence to the possibility that the analysis has other motivations, like pleasing Trump donors from the oil and automotive industries.
“We’ve already tried allocating all our roadway space to motor vehicles,” said Cheryl Cort, DC & Prince George’s Policy Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “It doesn’t help relieve the burden of congestion … If the only option is to drive, [then] everyone will be forced to drive, generating even more traffic, and nobody will be better off.”