As residents of ANC5E & 5F, and parents of children who attend school in the ANCs, we are writing to strongly support the changes proposed by DDOT to improve public safety at the intersection of P St and North Capitol, including the planned addition of left-turn lanes (NOI NOI-23-182-TESD). We urge you to vote to support the lane work at next week’s ANC meeting.

With it congested thanks to residential, school, and commuters seeking a shortcut to 395 through our neighborhood, the intersection of P St and North Capitol presents an imminent threat to the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists passing through it. Accidents are frequent, and dangerous driving is rampant, as DDOT’s data and our own hard-won experience show. 

The P St intersection draws many pedestrians, including children, as it is located between the two sunken sections on North Capitol that limit crossings. Many children are walking to nearby schools, including Dunbar, Friendship Armstrong, Langley, McKinley and Mundo Verde—all a short distance away. Each time we pass through the intersection, we fear for our children’s safety.  

This intersection has many problems, not the least the high amount of drug use and frequent violent incidents. While the left-turn lane will not alleviate those issues, it will increase visibility on the corner and allow the frequent emergency vehicles that travel through the intersection, either to local emergencies or to the Washington Hospital Center, easier passage.

Many of us also drive to work, and the current chaos of the P St intersection limits the routes we can take. As the building developments underway in the neighborhood are completed, these turn lanes may be the only thing that helps keep the block passable. The need for these dedicated lanes will only increase in the future.

We are sympathetic to the concerns about the 4-5 unrestricted parking spaces that will be removed at each corner of the intersection. But what is the point of a parking space when it is too dangerous for the driver and their car to park there? However, we would support changes to the parking spots closer to housing on the P St unit blocks to resident-only parking, hopefully easing some of these concerns. And we hope that the long-term improvements planned for North Capitol will begin to address all of the commuters taking shortcuts through our neighborhood—the congestion at the root of this problem.

Thank you for our service to the community. And please keep our children in mind and vote to approve the DDOT improvements.

Note: This letter will be submitted to the local ANCs prior to their Tuesday, Sept 19, vote on DDOT's plans. If you are a resident of ANC 5E or 5F, please note it when you sign in the comments.

DDOT's Notice of Intent with details on the work:

https://ddotwiki.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NI/pages/2234187862/NOI-23-182-TESD

ANC 5E: https://www.anc5edc.org/

ANC 5F: https://www.anc5f.com/

One more note: We are not collecting donations. Any solicitation of a donation is Change.org trying to monetize our civic engagement. There is no need to donate to them. (Apologies we could not find a simpler method.)