Community Buy In

If you want residential parking for the block, you have to go around and encounter your neighbors. I don’t remember what the percentage, probably 50%, have to sign on to it. Literally sign your petition, with their addresses, to show the city that the community actually wants it. Same thing with speed humps. Walk around, talk to the neighbors, and get the signatures of about half of them. Just a vocal few can’t demand it, like some other things, it requires the consent of some of the other neighbors that don’t go to the civic or ANC, PSA, or district meetings.
I’ve remember going around to neighbors to get petitions sign for things I was against, like a zoning variance. A developer can gather the signatures of whomever happen to be around, and in our neighborhood that can include our loitering masses. Fighting it, meant knocking on doors, introducing yourself and talking with neighbors and convincing them that your cause is right and you really could use their support.
There are just some things that you need the community’s support and buy in for political cover (particularly for contentious topics where there is a sizable/loud contingent against the idea), and permissions (zoning, ABC licensing).

7 thoughts on “Community Buy In”

  1. The City has streamlined the process for traffic calming effects (speed humps/bumps). All is needed is signatures of the majority of residents of the block where the humps/bumps are desired. Strangely, we have temporarily shevled our desire for the traffic calmness bumps/ humps because there has been a decrease in speeding. But I beleive the speeding will pick up again when school starts, then we will proceed it that happens.

    James Brice

  2. I wonder if they'd entertain this idea for NJ AVE? How would we go about doing this though with one half of the "hood" in Shaw and the other in "Bloomingdale"? Would there have to be a consensus between the two neighborhoods? I'm pretty sure this is moot as NJ is a major thoroughfare, hence negating speed humps/bumps. 🙁
    Which brings me to another question/point. I asked Kevin C about putting pilons in the middle of NJ's crosswalks to slow traffic and he said he'd look into it. Has anyone seen or heard from him this year?!

  3. There are several problems with NJ Ave and doing traffic calming anything. One, it is the political border between Ward 2 and 5, so you'd need to get politicians from two wards to be on board. Second, it is a major street. So it isn't a little neighborhood affair, but something that would be studied and ignored on the city level.

  4. "something that would be studied and ignored on the city level" – so sad, yet so true. I'm just wondering how many more close calls it will take before someone looks into this. My biggest concern is for the little ones across the street from us.

  6. The Scott Montgomery SRTS committee has been looking at traffic calming measures in the area around the school including a portion of NJ Ave to 7th St NW. The appropriate feature for NJ Ave might not be speed humps or pilons, but raised crosswalks, curb extensions and/or narrowing the street with an island. There are plans (and money!) to implement some of these measures within the next year or so.

  7. This from the Ward 5 MOCRS Rep:

    From: Bellow, Justin (EOM) [Justin.Bellow @ dc.gov ]
    Sent: Fri, Aug 28, 2009 6:51 pm
    Subject: Re: NJ Ave

    Scott Montgomery has secured a federal grant from the Safe Routes to Schools Program and DDOT has already begun preliminary work on traffic calming measures on NJ Ave.

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