Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Wider Neighborhood Sidewalks Considered

Georgetown’s congested sidewalks may see some relief in the near future, as the Georgetown Business Improvement District will now regularly widen sidewalks in the Georgetown neighborhood during times of heavy pedestrian traffic.

According to BID Transportation Director Will Handsfield, the decision comes after a successful test program during Georgetown University’s Parents’ Weekend, which took place from Oct. 17 to 19. According to Handsfield, there was a 9.6 percent increase in foot traffic during the weekend.

“[Georgetown’s sidewalks] are narrower than usual for a commercial district, and especially for an internationally famous destination … like Georgetown. When we have busy weekends, sidewalks are not sufficiently wide to move people comfortably,” Handsfield wrote.

Another sidewalk expansion is already planned for commencement weekend in May. The BID will also select four to six additional high-pedestrian-traffic weekends when Georgetown would benefit from widened sidewalks.

The average sidewalk in Georgetown is only eight feet wide, according to an article Handsfield wrote on the blog Greater Greater Washington. Although this is much narrower than other neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., upwards of 4,000 people per hour use the M Street sidewalks during the busiest weekends.

Street traffic was unaffected by the sidewalk expansion during Parents’ Weekend, as the additional room for pedestrians was gained by eliminating street-side parking spaces. The District Department of Transportation set up barricades adjacent to the parking spaces to separate the pedestrian traffic from cars.

In his blog post, Handsfield said that some customers raised concerns when they were unable to load furniture or other bulky items into their cars from stores on M Street because of the barriers.

Temporary sidewalk expansions are listed as a priority effort in the Georgetown 2028 Action Agenda, which is the “to-do list” component of the 15-year plan put out by the BID in April 2013.

“Red-brick sidewalks are a primary element of Georgetown’s historic streetscape,” a statement in the 2028 Plan reads. “But these sidewalks are often a source of frustration and inconvenience to pedestrians as large light poles reduce usable sidewalk space, uncovered tree boxes make for tricky footing and bricks that need replacing go untended.”

Despite comments on Handsfield’s article calling for permanent sidewalk widening in Georgetown, Handsfield said that the District Department of Transportation is not considering any permanent changes because of their potential impact on the already heavy traffic congestion in the neighborhood. DDOT could not be reached for comment.

“We do not control the permanent configuration of sidewalks; that is DDOT, and at present they are not considering any permanent changes,” Handsfield wrote.

Tiffany Lam (NHS ’17) said that she thought that congestion of the sidewalks was only primarily a problem during high-impact weekends but that the cobblestone sidewalks are difficult to walk on year-round.

“I think that the only times that really are congested are mainly during the holiday seasons or in the beginning when you have parents everywhere. But personally I really haven’t seen a problem during the school year,” Lam said. “And I don’t see [congestion] as that bad. I think the main issue is the way [the sidewalks are] made. It’s pretty difficult to walk on cobblestones and uneven bricks.”

Cindy Hassan (COL ’17) said that she did not think that expanding the sidewalks would be necessary in Georgetown.

“I think it’s a bustling town, but I don’t think it’s as crowded as New York City or a bigger city. I think sidewalk expansions would take a while and cause a lot of traffic, so I don’t think it would be necessary,” Hassan said.

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