Agency Under Investigation for its Vision Zero Contracting Practices

The DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) in a single contract has paid $3.9 million to the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, or WABA. This is only one of the contracts that DDOT has with WABA. 

Vision Zero Controversy

DDOT granted the WABA contract under its Vision Zero program that is currently under investigation. Channel 7 New I-Team uncovered that a Vision Zero contracting officer allegedly has been funneling millions of DC funds to companies controlled by a company she co-owns. From their piece, "7News found despite millions of dollars spent to boost D.C.’s Vision Zero initiative –-- a DDOT project aimed at eliminating traffic and pedestrian fatalities on city streets –--- it is unclear if injuries were prevented, or lives saved."

WABA is deeply embedded into DDOT policymaking and implementation, to the extent that the DC Board of Government Ethics ruled that it was lobbying in violation of its 501(c)(3) status. The organization's most recent IRS filing shows that DDOT is the organization's largest funder. We hope that reporters will investigate whether there are any improprieties in issuing the WABA contracts.

Cost to Public Safety

Vision Zero has adopted the goals of the bike lobby and become a means to elevate those goals over the pedestrians for whom the program was originally intended. As an example, under the guise of Vision Zero the DC council just voted to allow cyclists to treat a stop sign like a yield sign, endangering pedestrians and creating confusion on the roads as to what a stop sign actually means. In the WABA contract mentioned above DDOT describes the work WABA will do as supporting "pedestrian and bicyclist safety" yet all of the funds go toward promoting cycling.

Reform DDOT and Defund WABA

DDOT in its current form is too closely allied with the bike lobby, specifically WABA but also its ecosystem of pop-up nonprofits that create a false illusion of grassroots support. Residents who disagree with bike lobby priorities like the Conn Ave bike plan find themselves steamrolled by a sophisticated political operation funded by their own tax dollars. Fairness demands the District stop bankrolling a special interest influence group. Let WABA fund itself. DDOT should reform itself by including in its decision-making process residents who ride buses, have disabilities, are elderly, commute to work by car or otherwise rely on non-cycling transportation. Cyclists are disproportionately white, affluent and live near the city center. Let's hear from other voices and make DDOT an agency that truly represents the city.