A federal court blocked the Trump administration from getting rid of a dedicated bike lane along 15th Street on the National Mall, ruling Tuesday that the National Park Service didn’t think the decision through.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, said the government’s arguments for ditching the bike lanes were “vague” and ignored clear evidence that the lanes have improved safety.
She said the government appeared to be acting out of some concern that the bike lanes caused more congestion or were a blotch on the historic grounds — but even then, the government didn’t explain its decisions, she said.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it is not up to the court to quibble with the federal government about whether helmeted cyclists in spandex or automobiles fitted with exhaust pipes are more pleasing to look at,” she wrote. “But nowhere does the National Park Service explain how the removal of the lanes advances these stated objectives, even if one assumes that they are legitimate policy choices.”
Even more troubling, she said, is that the best evidence — a D.C. government study — found major improvements with safety from the bike lanes. That includes a 46% drop in all roadway crashes, and a 91% drop in bicycle injuries.
Work to remove the bike lanes was supposed to begin later this week and would take through May 14.
The stretch of bike lane, which runs less than a mile in length, was installed in 2021.
The park service has authority over the roadways that cross the National Mall, and shares management with the District of Columbia.
The area is used by a mix of tourists there for the sites, commuters headed to jobs, and locals out for recreation.
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association had challenged the lane removals.
