THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

Easter Egg Roll

On the Monday following Easter Sunday, children six years of age and younger, accompanied by adults, join the annual Easter egg roll festivities on the south grounds of the White House. The National Park Service provides support services by organizing people entering the White House grounds. Activities include the traditional egg roll, egg hunts, a petting farm, celebrity autograph signing, and various entertainment activities. In recent years entertainment and visitor facilities have also been provided on the Ellipse for this event.

Garden Tours

Annual spring and fall garden tours of the White House grounds are conducted during mid-April and mid-October, respectively. This interpretive program was initiated during the Nixon administration and has been enthusiastically received by the public. During garden tours, visitors walk through the south grounds and then tour the ground and state floors of the White House.

Christmas Candlelight Tours

Each year for three evenings between Christmas and New Year's Day, candlelight tours of the state rooms of the White House are conducted between 5 and 7 P.M. to view the seasonal decorations and to listen to holiday music presented by volunteer groups.

Christmas Pageant of Peace

In the second or third week of December, the president lights the National Christmas Tree, located on the Ellipse. Following the lighting, entertainment is provided nightly until New Year's Eve. The history and tradition associated with the pageant and the tree lighting date to 1913, when Woodrow Wilson lit the national community Christmas tree on the west front of the Capitol; in 1923 Calvin Coolidge dedicated a tree from his home state on the Ellipse. The annual pageant is sponsored by The Christmas Pageant of Peace, Inc. (including the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Washington, D.C., Convention and Visitors Association) and the National Park Service.

Infrastructure for this event is extensive, involving the northeast quadrant of the Ellipse. Each year gravel roads, driveways, stages, seating areas, exhibit areas, and boardwalks are constructed beginning in late October. Removal of this infrastructure begins in January and may last until spring.

Other Public Events

Other annual events within President's Park are listed in Table 7. They include the George Washington University graduation (since 1994), the Military District of Washington Twilight Tattoo, four parades, and Fourth of July activities.

Presidential Inaugural Parade

Following the swearing-in and inaugural address of the president at the Capitol, the inaugural parade begins at 3rd Street, NW, and follows Pennsylvania Avenue westward to 15th Street, where it turns northward a few blocks to rejoin Pennsylvania Avenue and passes in front of the White House and the presidential reviewing stand.

All but the northeast quadrant of Lafayette Park, all of Madison and Jackson Places, and portions of the White House sidewalk and north grounds are used to provide stands, infrastructure, and support trailers. Bleachers are constructed along Pennsylvania Avenue

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Special Events and Demonstrations

between 15th and 17th Streets. The presidential reviewing box is constructed in front of the White House, and media stands are constructed on the opposite side of the street on the sidewalk and within Lafayette Park.

Portions of the Ellipse are often used for media support, including microwave and satellite trucks. Construction activities usually begin in November with completion by mid-January. Following the inauguration, the dismantling of the structures on the site is usually completed within a month, with restoration following during March.

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Transportation

Local Street Network

Physical Characteristics

For purposes of the transportation analysis, the study area is bounded by I Street on the north, 14th Street on the east, Constitution Avenue on the south, and 18th Street on the west. The major east/west roadways are I, H. and E Streets and Constitution Avenue. The major north/south roadways are 14th, 15th, 17th, and 18th Streets. These roadways are generally four to six lanes, except for Constitution Avenue, which is eight lanes.

Constitution Avenue (U.S. 50) is a regional route. Vehicles traveling between east or southeast Washington and Virginia via I-66 use Constitution Avenue or E Street. Four blocks west of President's Park, E Street becomes the E Street Expressway, connecting to I-66. Traffic traveling between I-395 in Virginia, the Anacostia Freeway (I-295), or the Southwest Freeway (I-395) and locations north or northwest of President's Park may also use Constitution Avenue or 15th Street as a route to or from the freeway system. North/ south traffic uses 15th and 17th Streets from north or northwest of President's Park to Independence Avenue, a major east-west connection to the freeways. Within the downtown area, Pennsylvania and New York Avenues are all part of the radial street system and converge on President's Park; these roadways are major streets within the District system.

The traffic study boundaries described above outline the primary study area where most of the direct effects on traffic and parking are likely to occur. A larger area (outside the downtown area) was not evaluated because of the results of the recent traffic analyses performed by the Federal Highway Administration for public traffic restrictions on Pennsylvania Avenue (FHWA 1997). This study stated there were no important diversions outside of downtown and that the effects of the Pennsylvania Avenue, E Street, and other related modifications and traffic restrictions would be confined to the downtown area. Based on these findings, it was assumed that information or analysis of a larger or secondary study area was not critical for the purposes of a comprehensive design plan for the White House and President's Park.

This environmental impact statement is for a conceptual plan. Environmental documentation for site-specific projects will require additional traffic analyses for any proposed changes to the street network. Depending on the type of changes, the traffic study area for the proposed project may need to be larger than the primary area identified here.

Operational Characteristics

The Average Weekday Traffic Volumes map focuses on streets in the study area. These roadways typically have two weekday peak traffic periods: 7:30 9:30 A.M. and 4:30 6:30 P.M. Peak characteristics in this area are typical of other city center areas. Traffic in the study area can be classified as follows:

(1) Commuting or local traffic passing through the area.

(2) Traffic parking within the study area- Drivers are usually searching for on street parking or going to one of the off street parking facilities.

(3) Tourist traffic viewing the White House and President's Park - These vehicles are driving around the area, with no set circulation pattern. Traffic drives along H Street or E Street, usually at a slower speed than general traffic, with vehicles often stopping in the travel lanes as people take photographs.

(4) Traffic accessing the Old Executive Office Building, the Treasury Building, or the White House - This group typically uses various access routes and proceeds to either East Executive Park or West Executive Avenue for entrance into the secured area. Pennsylvania Avenue is the major access route to the north side of the White House. There is no set circulation pattern.

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Transportation

To determine how well the street system handles traffic volumes, a level of service (LOS) analysis was conducted (FHWA 1997). The three Levels of Service maps for streets in the vicinity of President's Park (for morning and afternoon peak hours, and for midday) summarize the results. Most streets in the study area have traffic operational problems during one of the three time periods analyzed; only Constitution Avenue consistently operates at acceptable levels of service throughout the day. In the morning peak period both H and L Streets operate slightly under capacity, and K Street operates at capacity. Within President's Park, E Street operates under capacity during the morning peak period. In the afternoon peak period, E, H. K, and L Streets all operate either at or over capacity. Except for I Street, the westbound streets, including Constitution, K, and M, all operate under capacity during both the morning and afternoon peak periods. I street operates over capacity during both periods (see table 8).

For the north/south streets, the following northbound segments operate over capacity in the morning peak period: 17th Street between Constitution Avenue and State Place, 15th Street north of Pennsylvania Avenue, and 14th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue South and New York Avenue. In the afternoon peak period, the north/south streets in both directions generally operate under capacity between Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue. North of Pennsylvania Avenue, only the southbound segments operate at or over capacity.

TABLE 8:
LEVELS OF SERVICE ON EAST/WEST STREETS
ADJACENT TO PRESIDENT'S PARK

Peak Period
A.M. P.M.
EASTBOUND STREETS
Constitution Ave. B C
E St. A F
H St. D F
K St. E F
L St. D E
Westbound Streets
Constitution Ave. C C
I St. F F
K St. D D
M St. D D
SOURCE: Based on a FHWA survey performed between July and September 1995; FHWA 1997.
NOTE: Level of service (LOS) describes the operation of a segment of road or intersection by a letter grade ranging from A to F. LOS A represents the highest level of service, LOS E represents capacity conditions, and LOS F represents overcapacity conditions. The typical objective is for traffic to operate at LOS D or better. In downtown areas during peak commuting times some level of congestion is both normal and inevitable, and LOS E is often considered acceptable.

E Street through President's Park is often temporarily closed for special events, dignitaries' arrivals/departures, and presidential motorcades. These closures can last from several minutes to a full day, depending on the event. Short closures of several minutes occur on an average of five to six times per week; closures for an hour twice per month; and closures for a half day or full day occur perhaps five times per year or less. Since these closures are generally not scheduled, no advance notice is given to the public. Consequently, drivers cannot anticipate the closure in time to use an alternate route. This leads to increased congestion in the area as traffic moves around President's Park. The trend in recent years has been for these temporary closures to occur more often.

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Site Access

In addition to walking, numerous transportation modes provide access to President's Park, including private vehicles, transit, taxi, and special transportation services for tourists. Private vehicle use for site access is limited by small amounts of on-street public parking (see the "Parking" section below). Private vehicles are also used for a drive-by experience of the White House, primarily from E Street. Public transit access includes the Metrorail (the subway) and Metrobus. Both of these services provide access within a few blocks of President's Park. Access to the site by taxi is also very easy due to the major roadways in the study area. Special transportation services for tourists include the Tourmobile, which has a fixed route, and commercial tour buses. People frequently park offsite and use public transit to get as close as possible and then walk to their destinations. The demand or use of these transportation modes varies by the type of user.

People traveling to President's Park can be categorized as visitors (White House tour visitors or general visitors), White House business visitors, and staff (White House, Old Executive Office Building, Treasury). Information specific to White House tour visitors is presented below.

Table 9 shows the modes of arrival for visitors coming for either congressional tours or public tours of the White House. Following is some of the most important information about the existing transportation characteristics:

*The subway is the most common mode of transportation' used by 34% of the people on congressional tours and 27% of the people on public tours.

*Private vehicles account for 22%--23% of the people on both the congressional tours and the public tours.

Table 9: Mode Of Arrival For White House Tour Visitors
.

Congressional Tours

Public Tours
MODE Fall Spring Summer Total Fall Spring Summer Total
Private Vehicle 21% 22% 25% 23% 24% 18% 25% 22%
Subway 28% 34% 39% 34% 30% 22% 28% 27%
Cab 22% 20% 16% 19% 4% 6% 7% 6%
BUS 6% 5% 3% 4% 4% 5% 3% 4%
Tour Bus 8% 3% 1% 4% 14% 27% 19% 20%
Walk 13% 15% 15% 14% 22% 21% 16% 20%
Other 2% 1% 1% 1% 3% 1% 2% 2%
SOURCE: Univ. Of Idaho, CPSU 1993
NOTE: Sizes Of visitor groups sampled:
.

Congressional Tours

Public Tours
Fall

218

237
Spring

244

240
Summer

230

226
Total

692

703

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THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

*Taxis are used by about 19% of the congressional tour visitors, but only 6% of public tour visitors arrive by cab. One possible reason for this difference could be the early hour of the congressional tours; people do not want to be late, so they are more likely to take a cab.

*Tour buses are more likely to be used by people taking public tours, with approximately 20% of public tour visitors arriving by this mode, compared to only 4% for congressional tour visitors.

*Approximately 14% of visitors on congressional tours and 20% of visitors on public tours walk to the site.

Another visitor characteristic that may be relevant in analyzing or planning transportation services for visitors to the White House is visitors' lack of familiarity about the best means of getting to President's Park. About 75% of the people visiting the White House are first-time visitors: 73% of the people on congressional tours were visiting the White House for the first time, and 80% of the people on public tours. Less than 1% of all visitors were from Washington, D.C.

Public Parking

Public, Visitor, and Other On-Street Parking

On-street parking spaces were inventoried from the south side of H Street to the north side of Constitution Avenue, and from the east side of 17th Street to the west side of 15th Skeet. Total staff parking within this area amounted to 846 spaces (see "Home and Office of the President" section, beginning on page 155). Total public parking spaces within President's Park amount to 103 spaces, 66 of which are time-limited spaces and 37 are metered. Other spaces within this area include 8 spaces for official sightseers and 26 spaces for vendors. Table 10 lists the locations of these on-street parking spaces.

Parking within President's Park

General public parking spaces within President's Park (the same area as defined above) are used by workers in nearby offices, White House business and tour visitors, general visitors to President's Park (non-tour visitors), and business-related visitors. The parking spaces available to the general public on weekdays and weekends within this area are only those spaces not posted for specific users or permit holders.

A total of 103 public spaces are available during the day, including 37 metered spaces and 66 time-limited spaces. Most spaces are restricted in the morning and afternoon peak hours. Other spaces that are restricted by time of day or duration include permit, government, official sightseer, and vendor spaces. All time-limited and metered spaces are short term, ranging from two to three hours.

Of the total 103 public spaces, only 37 are available during weekday afternoon peak hours. No spaces are available during weekday morning peak hours. All 103 spaces are available during weekday evenings (after 6:30 P.M.) and on weekends. An additional 500 permit and official, or sightseer spaces are available to the general public during weekday evenings and/or on Sundays.

Parking within Three Blocks of President's Park

The parking supply was also assessed for a larger area extending three blocks out from the boundary of President's Park (from Constitution Avenue / Madison Drive to K Street, and from 12th Street to 20th). Public parking was assumed to include primarily metered and time-limited spaces in addition to those spaces not posted for specific users or permit holders. Within this larger area, a total of 2,143 public parking spaces are available, including 1,771 metered spaces and 372 time-limited spaces.

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Transportation

TABLE 10:
ON-STREET PARKING SUPPLY BY REGULATION
AND LOCATION IN PRESIDENT'S PARK
.

STAFF PARKING

PUBLIC PARKING

OTHER
 .
LOCATION NPS PERMIT PERMIT & HANDICAP TIME-LIMITED METERED SIGHTSEER VENDOR TOTAL
15th Street (west side)
Between Pennsylvania Ave / New York Ave. and Hamilton Pl. . . . . . .

0
Between Hamilton Pl. and Pennsylvania Ave. South . . . . . .

0
Between E St. and Constitution Ave. . . . .

8

16

24
17th Street (east side)
Between Pennsylvania Ave. and State Pl. .

27
 . . . .

27
Between State Pl. and E St. . .

4

9
 . .

13
Between E St. and Constitution Ave. . .

9

28
 .

10

47
Ellipse and Doglegs

26

469
 . . . .

495
East Executive Park / West Executive Ave.
East of White House .

87
 . . . .

87
West of White House .

30
 . . . .

30
Constitution Ave. (north side) . .

53
 . . .

53
E St. (inside President's Park) .

44
 . . . .

44
State Pl. .

52
 . . . .

52
Jackson Pl .

58
 . . . .

58
Madison Pl . . . . . .

0
Hamilton Pl. .

53
 . . . .

53
H St. (south side)
Between 17th St and Vermont Ave. . . . . . .

0
Between Vermont Ave. and 15th St. . . . . . .

0
Subtotal

26

820

66

37

8

26
 .
Total .

846
 .

103
 .

34

983
SOURCE: Parking inventory, Nov. 1994, July 1996, and Aug. 1997 by BRW, Inc.
* Does not include parking spaces inside the security fence. Includes on-street spaces within the inventory area (from the south side of H St. to the north side of Constitution Ave., and from the west side of 15th St. to the east side of 17th St.).

Several other types of parking are available within three blocks of President's Park. For example, vendor parking is provided on the south side of Constitution Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets. Government parking is provided in four locations: along the east side of 15th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue South and Constitution, along the north side of E Street between 18th and 19th Streets, on the south side of F Street between 17th and 19th Streets, and along the east side of 12th Street between Pennsylvania and Constitution. Permit parking is available on the west side of

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THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

Vermont Ave between K and I Streets, along the east side of Vermont Ave between I and H. and along the east and west sides of 12th Street between Constitution and Madison.

Tour Bus Parking

Five 2-hour spaces are designated for tour bus parking on the west side of 15th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue South and Constitution Avenue. These spaces are used early in the morning when tour bus operators arrive to secure passes for that day's tour. Tour buses also stop on Pennsylvania Avenue South in front of the White House visitor center during the morning rush hour, even though this is a no-parking zone. Use of the 2-hour tour bus parking along 15th Street is inconsistent and depends on the time of day.

Other tour bus locations within three blocks of President's Park include the east side of 16th Street between H and I Streets, a short segment on the west side of 14th Street just south of Pennsylvania Avenue South, and the south side of Virginia Avenue between 17th and l8th Streets.

Public Transit

Public transit services are provided by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and include Metrorail (a fixed guideway system, which is underground in this area) and Metrobus.

Metrorail

There are four Metrorail stations within several blocks of President's Park and the White House (see table 11 ). These stations provide access to President's Park and the surrounding area for both commuters and tourists, including White House visitors.

TABLE 11: METRORAIL STATIONS
Station Location Lines Served
McPherson Square I St. & Vermont Ave. Blue, Orange
Faragutt West I St & 18th St. Blue, Orange
Metro Center G St & 12th St Blue, Orange, Red
Federal Triangle Pennsylvania Ave & 12th St Blue, Orange
SOURCE: Metro System Route Map, Virginia and DC, January 1994.

Metrobus

Metrobus routes run along the edge of President's Park; no routes use E Street or 17th Street within President's Park. Metrobus stops include 15th Street northbound at H Street; 17th Street northbound at F and H Streets and southbound at F Street; Constitution Avenue eastbound at 17th Street and westbound at both 16th and 17th Streets; and H Street along the south side between Jackson Place and 15th Street (the bus stops on H Street serve 15 routes, including the terminus for one route). These routes, as well as several other routes' travel through the eastern portion of the study area. Some end at Farragut Square west of the study area. Many routes operate only during the morning and afternoon peak periods, serving predominantly commuters. Some bus routes offer all-day service.

Tourmobile and Tour Bus Circulation

Special transit services for tourists to the President's Park area are provided by privately operated tour buses and the Tourmobile, which operates under contract to the National Park Service. The Visitor Use and Services map (page 165) shows the routes for both systems.

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Transportation

Tour Buses

On a typical peak-season day, an estimated 1,000 tour buses operate within the District of Columbia. These tour buses provide several different services, such as transportation into and around the District for tour groups from outside the area; local transportation for tour groups arriving at the airport; and local transportation for individuals and families who arrive in the District on their own and use the tour bus for informational/interpretive purposes, either on a half- or whole-day schedule.

Relative to the White House and President's park, tour buses deliver and pick-up visitors taking White House tours, and they offer driveby views of the White House from E Street. Tour buses do not circulate on Ellipse Drive. Buses serving White House tour participants arrive at the visitor center on Pennsylvania Avenue South to obtain free tour tickets. During the peak season (March-September) buses park in the Constitution Avenue bus zone; through the rest of the year they park along the southbound curb lane of 15th Street. Tour buses do not circulate on the Ellipse.

Tourmobiles

Of the four tour routes operated by Tourmobile Sightseeing, Inc. (the concession operation under contract to the National Park Service), the Washington Mall tour attracted about 35% of the passengers in 1991 (560,965 of 1,599,034 passengers total). The Tourmobile travels east on Constitution Avenue, enters the Ellipse at 16th Street, and continues clockwise around Ellipse Drive until it reaches the White House stop on the northeast corner of the Ellipse near the visitor center (see the Visitor Use and Services map). From here the Tourmobile proceeds along Ellipse Drive and exits at 16th Street to proceed to the Smithsonian. The White House stop is the fourth highest patronage stop on the entire system. (The three most frequented destinations, in order, are the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery visitor center, the Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.)

Approximately 15% of White House tour visitors use the Tourmobile services. This usage is low considering that approximately 90% of the White House tour visitors go to multiple destinations within the Monumental Core.

Tourmobiles operate from 9 A.M. to 6:30 P.M. June 15 through Labor Day, and from 9 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. during the rest of the year. Highest use periods are the two weeks surrounding the Cherry Blossom Festival and summer. Lowest use is from November through March; spring and fall are designated as off-peak seasons. The frequency of service (referred to as the time between buses, or headways) is highest during peak seasons (with 10-15 minute headways), slightly less during the off-peak seasons (15-20 minute headways), and lowest during winter (30 minute headways).

Due to heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic, as well as a wide variety of special events, it is often difficult or impossible for the various transit modes to adhere to a schedule. The Tourmobile trams dispatched at their regular headways experience "bunching" at points along the tour route, creating gaps in service. Specific operational problems within the vicinity of President's Park are

*left turns from Constitution Avenue to Ellipse Drive because of having to cross four traffic lanes on Constitution Avenue

*delays on Ellipse Drive because of the narrow roadway and conflicts with parked vehicles and careless parking in difficult spaces

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THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

* service disruption when traffic on the Ellipse is halted for helicopter departures from the south lawn area

Pedestrians

Pedestrian volumes were counted at E Street crosswalks and major intersections during peak periods at morning, noon, and afternoon (see table 12). The Pedestrian Street Crossings map shows these locations and the volume of pedestrian crossings for the peak periods.

*Weekday morning peak period - The busiest intersection weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 A.M. is Pennsylvania Avenue / 17th Street, followed by Pennsylvania Avenue South / 15th Street and New York Avenue / 15th Street. It is likely most of these pedestrians are commuters, plus a much smaller number of visitors arriving from the Farragut West, the McPherson Square, and the Federal Triangle Metrorail stations. The volume of pedestrians at the Pennsylvania Avenue South / 15th Street intersection includes visitors to the White House and the White House visitor center.

Since morning counts were taken only at the Constitution Avenue / 15th Street intersection, it is not possible to quantify the number of commuters and visitors entering President's Park during this time period from the south.

*Weekday midday peak period - The busiest intersections at midday (11:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M.) are Pennsylvania Avenue / 17th Street, New York Avenue / 15th Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue South / 15th Street. Concentrations of pedestrians at the Pennsylvania Avenue intersections include a mix of visitors entering the study area from Metrorail stations, visitors circulating in the area, and local business people. There are also fewer recreational users, such as joggers and in-line skaters.

Intersection volumes along Constitution Avenue include visitors, local business people, and recreational users circulating between this area and the National Mall and along the south side of Constitution Avenue.

TABLE 12: WEEKDAY PEDESTRIAN VOLUMES
Intersection

6:30- 9:30 A.M.

11:3O A.M.-2:30 P.M

4 - 7 P.M.
Pennsylvania Ave. / 17th St.

4,500

8,100

5,000
New York Ave. / 15th St.

1,200

4,600

2,100
New York Ave. / 17th St.

600

2,300

1,400
Hamilton Pl. / 15th St.

500

900

600
E St. / 17th St.

800

2,200

1,300
Constitution Ave. / 15th St.

800

1,000

800
E Street Crosswalks
Pennsylvania Ave. South / 15th St.

3,300

3,800

2,000
East Executive Ave.

1,100*

2,200

700
West Executive Ave.

300

500

400
SOURCE: Intersection data are from a June-September 1995 survey by the Federal Highways Administration. E Street crosswalk data are from an August 1997 survey by BRW, Inc.
* Does not include White House tour groups.

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Transportation

* Weekday afternoon peak period - Afternoon pedestrian traffic (from 4 to 7 P.M.) is concentrated at the intersections of Pennsylvania Avenue / 17th Street, New York Avenue / 17th Street, New York Avenue / 15th Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue / 15th Street due primarily to commuters leaving the area by means of the Metro system. Pedestrian activity is also concentrated at the intersections of New York Avenue / 17th Street and E Street / 17th Street.

*E Street - Visitors concentrate along E Street because of the location of the White House visitor center on Pennsylvania Avenue South, the White House tour staging area on the Ellipse, and views of the White House from the south fence.

Crosswalks are designated on E Street to the west of West Executive Avenue and East Executive Park. On weekdays approximately 1,660 pedestrians cross at the West Executive Avenue crosswalk during a 12-hour period, and approximately 5,870 at the East Executive Park crosswalk. On White House tour days up to 5,000 additional crossings can be made. In addition, for the same time period, about 3,510 pedestrians (or 32%) cross E Street without using the designated crosswalks (BRW pedestrian count, August 26, 1997). Pedestrian activity was greater on a Saturday than on a Tuesday.

The E Street / 15th Street / Pennsylvania Avenue South intersection also has a high volume of pedestrian crossings as people go to and from the White House visitor center. Approximately 12,340 pedestrian crossings at this intersection were recorded for a 12-hour period on a weekday in August 1997. Again, more pedestrian crossings were recorded on a Saturday than on a weekday.

About 45% of the pedestrians crossed 15th Street on the south side of this intersection. (Crossings are not allowed on the north leg of the intersection, even though people do cross there with some difficulty.) In general, as many pedestrians crossed this intersection going north/south as they did going east/west.

Bicycles

The Long Range Transportation Plan and the Bicycle Plan for the National Capital Region (NCRTPB 1994a, 1995) list no existing or proposed bike paths within the project area. Bicyclists use many streets and sidewalks within the area. Bicycle use in Lafayette Park is in violation of federal regulations.

Table 13 presents daily weekday bicycle volumes at eight intersections and one mid block crossing in the study area. This information was collected in 1992 and represents the conditions before public vehicular restrictions on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Weekday bicycle volumes generally remain . steady or decline slightly through the morning, then gradually peak during the 3:30 6:30 P.M. period. Volumes at the intersections of Pennsylvania Avenue / Madison Place and Pennsylvania Avenue / 17th Street, however, increase rapidly to peak around 11 A.M., at levels far exceeding other intersections in the area, then decrease gradually through the afternoon. Overall, weekend bicycle volumes are 50% lower than weekday volumes. Weekend traffic increases steadily through the day to peak during the 3:30-6:30 P.M. period, with the heaviest concentration along E Street. The bicyclist figures represent commuters, recreationists, and messenger service.

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TABLE 13:
WEEKDAY BICYCLE VOLUMES
(PRIOR TO THE CLOSURE OF PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE)
.

Volumes

RECORDING LOCATION

7 - 9 A.M.

10 A.M. - 1 P.M.

3:30 - 6:30 P.M.
Pennsylvania Ave. / Madison Pl. 94 414 350
Pennsylvania Ave. / 17th St. 75 164 133
New York Ave. / 15th St. 38 53 60
New York Ave. / 17th St. 32 28 103
Hamilton Pl. / 15th St. 12 8 27
E St. / E. Executive Ave. 41 33 49
E St. / 15th St. 83 11 68
E St. / 17th St. 49 44 113
E St. midblock crossing (illegal) 2 1 4
Subtotal 426 756 907
Constitution Ave. / 15th St. NA 35 183
Constitution Ave. / 16th St. NA 43 140
Constitution Ave. / 17th St. NA 75 247
Total NA 909 1,477
SOURCE: 1992 survey; BRW, Inc., 1993.

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Comprehensive Design Plan Continued