Written Testimony of Mike Litt, Sierra Club DC Chapter
For the District Department of Motor Vehicles Performance Oversight Hearing
Before the Council of the District of Columbia’s
Committee on Transportation and the Environment
24 February 2025
Chair Allen,
My name is Mike Litt. I am a car-free renter in Ward 6 and serve as the Chair of the Sierra Club DC Chapter, as well as the Chair of our Sustainable Transportation Committee. The Sierra Club is America’s largest grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In DC, we have approximately 2,100 dues-paying members and many thousands of additional supporters.
One of our chapter’s top priorities is reducing transportation-related air pollution and in order to do that we advocate for policies that curb dangerous and reckless driving behavior, which not only endangers pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers, but also discourages people from walking and biking. As such, I would like to present our recommendations regarding the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Tragically, 2024 tied with 2023 as the deadliest year for traffic fatalities in the District in 17 years, despite the launch of Vision Zero in 2015. Victims included 19 pedestrians, two cyclists, 10 motorcyclists, 20 people in cars, and one unknown. According to the Vision Zero 2022 Update, multiple agencies, including the DMV, share responsibility for ensuring street safety. The DMV plays a pivotal role in enforcing driver requirements and adjudicating traffic violations.
We urge the DMV to continue its work on implementing the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility Amendment Act’s (STEER Act) Intelligent Speed Assistance Program. This program aims to limit the speed of individuals who commit serious speeding offenses. We strongly encourage adherence to the DMV’s stated timeline of September 2025 for its implementation in the DMV’s pre-hearing responses. We also applaud the recent lawsuits filed by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) against three Maryland drivers who failed to pay over $90,000 in fines for dangerous driving. These lawsuits make use of a new tool provided by the STEER Act, allowing the OAG to sue scofflaw drivers, regardless of where they reside.
Additionally, we recommend that the DMV increase parking permit fees to better reflect the true value of parking and the broader costs of driving. The current fee, starting at just $50 per year for a Residential Parking Permit (RPP) for street parking in the District, is significantly below its value. We urge a study on how such an increase could be structured, considering factors like vehicle size, parking location, and equity.
The District became a national leader when it increased vehicle registration fees based on weight and could similarly increase parking permit fees by vehicle size, as, for example, a borough in Montreal did in 2023. We understand that DDOT is set to begin a delayed “Residential Parking Permit Boundary Study” in late FY25. As DDOT explained in its pre-hearing responses, “RPP parking is priced the same, regardless of location, demand, or occupancy patterns. In this way, the RPP program is inequitably implemented: some residents have plentiful parking near their homes and enjoy free parking near retail, while others have limited parking near their homes.” We look forward to the study’s results on how changing RPP policies “could encourage residents to use safer and more sustainable modes of transportation.”
If the scope of this planned study does not include increases in RPP fees, we urge a separate study to address this. Such a study should also aim to minimize the inequitable impacts of fee increases on low-income and Black residents, who are less likely to live in neighborhoods with access to alternative transportation, as a DC Tax Revision Commission proposal on increasing residential parking permit fees noted.
Thank you for your time and consideration.