Safety on the MBT: Four simple steps you can take

1) Be alert: Stay aware of your surroundings. Avoid wearing headphones. 2) See something? Say something. If you witness behavior that looks suspicious, trust your instincts and notify the police. Of particular concern is youth loitering on the trail. Obviously not all youth are out to cause trouble. Use your best judgment. 3) If possible, go with a buddy at night. You're less likely to be a victim when with others. Find a biking buddy on the MBT listserv: http://yhoo.it/MBTBuddy 4) Volunteer for the MBT Safety Patrol! The Guardian Angels have offered to train volunteers, but we need YOU to step up. Visit http://tinyurl.com/MBTSafetyPatrol

Who should I contact?

Call 911 - In case of emergency or to report suspicious behavior Call 311 - To report broken lights, grafitti, trash, broken glass and other issues. It's strongly recommended that you also follow up directly with the following people... DDOT built and manages the trail. If you need to contact DDOT regarding the trail: Heather Deutsch, Bicycle Program Specialist/Trail Planner tel: 202.671.2638 - fax: 202.671.0617 - heather.deutsch@dc.gov MPD polices the trail and neighborhoods. If you need to contact MPD about crime: Sergeant Jon Dorrough, Metropolitan Police Department Fifth District mobile: 202.641.6471 - fax: 202.727.8453 - jonathan.dorrough@dc.gov Between Taylor Street NE and New York Ave. NE, the trail is located in Police Service Area (PSA) 501. For the single block between New York Ave. and Florida Ave., it is located in PSA 504. South of Florida Ave., the trail is located in MPD's First District and is in both PSA 101 and PSA 102. ANC commissioners are the most local level of elected official in the District. The lower MBT community is served by a number of commissioners, from north to south: Taylor Street to Jackson Street: ANC 5C10 - Charita Brent, 5C10@anc.dc.gov Monroe Street to Franklin Street: ANC 5C09 - Silas Grant, 5C09@anc.dc.gov Franklin St to Rhode Island Ave: ANC 5C08 - Marshall Phillips, 5C08@anc.dc.gov Rhode Island Ave to Florida Ave: ANC 5C05 - Tim Clark, 5C05@anc.dc.gov Florida Ave to K Street: ANC 6C04 - Anne Phelps, 6C04@anc.dc.gov K Street to Union Station: ANC 6C05 - M. Tony Richardson, 6C05@anc.dc.gov

Metropolitan Branch Trail Safety & Contact Info Sheet June 2011

To contact the MBT's D.C. Council members

North of Florida Avenue, the trail is located in Ward 5, which is represented by Harry Tommy Thomas, Jr. Contact: 202.724.8028, hthomas@dccouncil.us or www.harrythomas5.com. South of Florida Avenue, the trail is located in Ward 6, which is represented by Tommy Wells. Contact: 202.724.8072, twells@dccouncil.us or www.tommywells.org. Council member Wells also serves as chair of the Council's Committee on Public Works and Transportation, which oversees DDOT. Reach committee director Jonathon Kass at: 202.724.8195, jkass@dccouncil.us or www.dccouncil.us/publicworksandtransportation. North of Riggs Road/North Capitol Street, the trail is located in Ward 4, which is represented by Muriel Bowser. Contact: 202.724.8052, mbowser@dccouncil.us or www.dccouncil.us/bowser.

NoMa BID Ambassadors work on homeless support services, repair and sanitation needs within the NoMa Business Improvement District, which covers an area along the trail south of R Street. Contact: J. Otavio Thompson, Ambassador Supervisor, othompson@nomabid.org or 202.289.0111 x4. Also: Liz Price, NoMa BID President, lprice@nomabid.org or 202.289.0111 x1. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy provides support to organizations working to improve the MBT. Contact: Kelly Pack, Director of Trail Development. kellyp@railstotrails.org, 202.974.5148.

Common Courtesy on the MBT

Ride and walk to the right. All trail users should stay to the right of the dashed yellow line so faster trail users have enough room to safely pass. Warn other trail users before you pass them. D.C. law requires bells on bicycles. If you do not have a bell, say passing on your left! before passing. If you are walking or jogging and turning or moving side-to-side, avoid a collision by look over your shoulder to see if anyone is passing. Have lights when biking. D.C. law requires at least a front light and a rear reflector. A rear light is highly recommended. Walking your dog? Keep your dog on a leash and make sure it's a short length. Don't forget to pick up the poop - it's the law! No one likes to step in a mess, or see a pile off to the side of the trail.

Join the MBT Listserv to stay up-to-date and connect with neighbors!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/metbranchtrail
Metropolitan Branch Trail Safety & Contact Info Sheet June 2011