Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 7D met Sept. 10 via Zoom. Commissioners Siraaj Hasan (7D01), Wendell Felder (7D03, chair), Commissioner Ebony Payne (7D05), Marc Friend (7D06), Brett Astmann (7D07, treasurer), Brian Alcorn (7D08, vice chair), Ashley Schapitl (7D09), secretary) and Brianne Eby-Stockert (7D10) were in attendance. Commissioner Commissioner Mike Davis (7D04) was absent. Single Member District 7D02 remains vacant.
There have been multiple crashes at the intersection of East Capitol and 16th Streets NE. It is controlled by stop signs from the north and the south, but allows free flow of traffic east and west. Most intersections of East Capitol Street are controlled by a four way stop or a traffic light.
This intersection, however, is a dangerous exception said Vice Chair Alcorn. “Safety improvements at this intersection are well overdue,” he noted. In one instance, a car narrowly missed a group of students and crashed through the wall of his home, stated neighbor Paul.
In response, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has proposed a parking adjustment involving the removal of four spaces to improve sight lines, the addition of pedestrian islands and green skip paints to alert drivers of crossing cyclists.
While commissioners and neighbors are appreciative of DDOT’s efforts to make the intersection safer, the proposal to remove parking to improve sight lines along the road is “not the proper intervention,” said Alcorn.
The commission voted to oppose DDOT’s project plans and recommended that the agency work to install an all-way stop or traffic signal at the intersection without parking reduction.
Other Matters
Representatives from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) briefed commissioners and the community on the 40 percent decrease in violent crime.
The commission voted to:
• request that the Department of Public Works (DPW) purchase a smaller truck to traverse the narrow alleys in the neighborhood and note several key areas where trash pickups have been repeatedly missed;
• request that the Department of General Services (DGS) promptly repair the malfunctioning alarm, elevator, unsafe playground surface and a leaky hallway at the Rosedale Recreation Center;
• send a letter to DDOT in opposition to the “No Turn on Red” proposal at Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave and Kenilworth Ave NE citing concerns about the neighborhood becoming “inundated” with traffic.
ANC 7D will meet next on October 8 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. You can learn more about the commission and to attend at 7d0761.wixsite.com/anc7d-1.
