Bike lanes that greatly reduced crashes on National Mall set for removal

After the 15th Street bike lanes were constructed, bicycle injury crashes decreased by 91 percent, according to the District Department of Transportation.

Updated yesterday at 5:08 p.m. EDT


The Washington Area Bicyclist Association and its supporters ride their bikes in protest of the removal of the 15th Street NW bike lane on Feb. 27 in DC. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post)

By Liam Scott

The federal government is expected to begin removing bike lanes around the National Mall on Monday, just a few years after they were constructed, according to two District Department of Transportation staffers and two local bicycle advocacy groups.

The National Park Service hasn’t publicly confirmed the removal and did not respond to a question about it from The Washington Post.

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Bike Lanes On National Mall Sharply Reduced Crashes, So Trump's Getting Rid Of Them

Christ on a bike.

Doktor Zoom
Mar 21, 2026


A typical section of the Washington DC bike lane system, showing the physical barriers separating the lanes from car traffic. Screenshot, WUSA on YouTube

Donald Trump’s War On Nice Things is set to start removing bike lanes around the National Mall in Washington DC next week, because bicycles are woke and popular with Democrats, the Washington Post reported Friday (gift link). The protected lanes will be torn out from a roughly mile-long section of 15th Street NW that are on federal property, which is also one of the most heavily traveled areas in DC. The one bright spot in the story is that the vast majority of the bike lane system is controlled by the DC government’s District Department of Transportation (DDOT), and will be left alone.

The move comes even though the protected bike lanes were only opened a few years ago, and despite traffic studies showing that they have reduced congestion, dramatically reduced crashes, and have even improved the flow of motor vehicle traffic. Improving the flow of motor vehicle traffic is woke.

The bike lanes will be torn out between the Tidal Basin and Constitution Avenue on property controlled by the National Park Service, part of Doug Burgum’s Interior Department, which is all in on Trump’s efforts to prop up fossil fuels wherever possible.

The Post reports that a Parks Service statement studiously avoided confirming that the bike lanes would be removed, or giving a definite reason, but a spokesperson did offer this bafflegab: “With the upcoming National Cherry Blossom Festival and preparations underway for America’s 250th anniversary, ensuring safe access for residents, commuters, visitors, and emergency services is a shared priority.” See? it’s, um, patriotic?

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