Written Testimony
of
Mike Litt, Sierra Club DC Chapter
For the District Department of Transportation Budget Oversight Hearing
Before the Council of the District of Columbia’s
Committee on Transportation and the Environment
27 April 2026
Chair Allen and members of the Committee, my name is Mike Litt. I am a car-free renter in Ward 6 and Chair of the Sierra Club DC Chapter, as well as Chair of our Sustainable Transportation Committee. The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In DC, we represent about 7,000 members and supporters across all eight wards.
Meeting our national and local carbon reduction goals and improving air quality and public health require immediate action to both shift more trips away from single-occupancy vehicles and make sure that vehicle trips—including those on transit vehicles—are powered by clean energy. The District should continually prioritize those areas with the greatest need for improved transit frequency, better access to jobs and destinations, and increased safety, in order to improve the city as a whole.
This testimony details our recommendations responding to Mayor Bowser’s proposed FY 2027 DDOT budget to align budget and policy priorities to improve bike and pedestrian safety, traffic safety enforcement, and transportation electrification. Among our recommendations is the reversal of the mayor’s proposed delay of important transportation electrification requirements.
Vision Zero
We support proposed increases in funding for Capital Bikeshare, Bus Priority, pedestrian and bike trails, streetscapes (which includes multimodal safety), and WMATA.
We are, however, concerned about what appears to be a $22.1 million cut in Safety & Mobility, which supports Vision Zero projects, including improving and expanding bicycle lanes and infrastructure.
After years of record traffic fatalities in the District, last year there were 25 traffic fatalities, a significant decrease, compared to 52 in 2024. Sadly, there have so far been the same number of fatalities this year as there were at this time in 2024, showing no improvement.
This is a matter of life and death. We must increase, not decrease, funding for Vision Zero.
We urge full funding for the following laws:
- STEER Act: Make DC roads safer by investing $21.6 million in FY27 to continue the implementation of the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility Amendment (STEER) Act, which keeps unsafe drivers off our streets and helps us create a safer DC to walk and bike in.
- The law empowers DC’s Office of the Attorney General to file civil suits against dangerous drivers, including those who live outside DC, to collect unpaid fines. It also established a new point system to prioritize the booting and towing of dangerous vehicles, and it allows the Department of Motor Vehicles to install "speed governors" that prohibit speeding in the vehicles of those convicted of criminal reckless driving. We are pleased to see the DC Attorney General’s office making use of the law and suing the worst offenders, which is only possible with adequate funding.
- PLAZA Act: Create vibrant, weekly car-free corridors by investing $1.1 million in FY27 to continue to fund the implementation of 2024’s Public Life and Activity Zones Amendment (PLAZA) Act, which creates pedestrian friendly zones throughout the city. We also urge this Committee to look at creating full-time, car-free streets and corridors (not just weekly).
- EV charging law: Fund our electric vehicle transition with $4.8 million in FY27 for the Comprehensive Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Access, Readiness, and Sustainability Act.
- The law needs full funding to accelerate the installation of more EV charging stations across the District by establishing an EV charger deployment plan, launching a public education campaign, providing incentives for charger installation, ensuring a right-to-install provision for renters and condo owners, and setting charger requirements for residential and commercial properties.
- District Electric Bicycle Incentive Program: We urge continued funding of this popular program to help District residents afford e-bikes with vouchers up to $1,500
Electrification
The proposed Budget Support Act (BSA) delays two important electrification requirements.
DC was designated with non-attainment status under the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone, the primary component of smog. The American Lung Association recently gave DC an “F” grade for high ozone days and a “D” grade for the 24-hour standard for particle pollution. Electrifying the fleet would help reverse this poor status and help clean up our air. There are over 100 electric vehicle models commercially available in the U.S., with decreasing upfront costs and greater lifetime savings compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
Accordingly, both of the following proposed delays should be reversed:
Electric Vehicle Purchases Amendment Act of 2026: Delays the requirement that the District only purchase or lease zero-emission vehicles from 2026 to 2031, a delay with minimal budgetary impact compared to the climate and air quality impacts of replacing pollutant-emitting District-owned vehicles sooner.
Fleet Electrification Amendment Act of 2026 - Delays fleet electrification by five years. As explained in the BSA, “DC law currently requires that by 2045, all public buses, large privately-owned fleets, commercial motor carriers, limousines, and District-certified taxis operate as 100 percent zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs).” The BSA would delay this to 2050, a delay we cannot afford, given our goals for reducing emissions.
RFK stadium site
We all know that the RFK Stadium Campus will attract large crowds on a regular basis for games and other events, and one of the goals of this development is to improve transit services to this neighborhood. Metrorail needs to be ready by opening day of the new Commanders stadium in order to transport more than half of game-day attendees. Additionally, frequent and electrified transit service to the site must be planned to replace the DC Streetcar
Metro had been asking for $2 million to study a second Metrorail station and improved Metrobus service to serve the stadium site. We support the funding and accountability necessary to ensure timely completion of the study.
Congestion pricing
We urge an update to DDOT’s decongestion pricing report, dated December 2021, which was finally released in March 2026 after being withheld from the public for more than four years, so that we can identify and implement the best options.
Charging drivers to pay to drive into the most congested parts of DC, especially at the most congested times, will decrease congestion, reduce pollution, and help meet the District’s transportation and climate goals. It would also generate much-needed revenue that could be used to fund Metro, which is regularly facing budget shortfalls and in need of dedicated funding.
Protected Bike Lanes
We wholeheartedly support the vision of a city that is accessible to cyclists of all ages and skill levels, and we believe that protected cycling infrastructure will allow people to significantly reduce their reliance on cars.
We are concerned that DDOT only installed 3.46 miles of protected bikelane miles toward its FY25 goal of 10 miles. We urge the holdup of these projects to be resolved. We are also concerned about the undoing of progress already made.
We urge your committee to ensure full funding to implement DDOT’s forthcoming Strategic Bikeways Plan, and to ensure that the plan will update and implement the bike priority network equitably with community priorities, including:
- A Q / R cross-town protected bikeway between Sheridan Circle NW (northwest of Dupont Circle) and the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT)
- 11th St. SE, between Lincoln Park and the Anacostia River bridge, an upgrade of the current painted bike lanes
Conclusion
The District’s transportation system is at a pivotal moment, and the decisions made today will determine whether we meet our climate goals and create a safer, more equitable city.
We look forward to working with the Committee to turn these recommendations into the budget needed to create a more sustainable transportation future for all residents.
Thank you again for the opportunity to submit this written testimony.