Washington Area Bicycle Association
Every day, over 5,000 residents and visitors use DC’s trails to commute, exercise, connect to transit, and spend time outside. 1 As these shared spaces become more popular, creating a safe and comfortable experience for everyone is increasingly important. With the evolving trends of micromobility, denser crowds and faster e-bikes and e-scooters present an increased risk for collisions and injuries on trails. This study asked trail users directly what could help promote safer behavior and their ideas on how to reduce the risk of collisions. We also tested how a sign that encourages speeders to slow down could affect speed behaviors and trail users’ perceptions of safety. Our results suggest that a speed feedback sign can encourage slower speeds in some places but not others. Trail users said they saw the signs as a positive investment in community safety. These results will help the District prioritize strategies to promote safety on the trail system.
MBT navigation sign (Photo credit: The Lab @ DC)
Why is this issue important in DC?
As DC continues investing in a connected and accessible transportation network, trail safety is a top priority. The Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT), which runs through various neighborhoods in DC, is an especially popular trail that can become crowded during peak hours. Multi-use trails like the MBT may offer a more comfortable or direct alternative to roads. More than two thousand trips take place on the MBT each day. 2 Since 2020, the number of e-micromobility vehicles—e-bikes and e-scooters—have increased on the MBT. These vehicles are faster and heavier, raising the risk of collision and injury, especially during peak hours. Crashes can also happen when trail users are distracted or don’t follow trail etiquette. Promoting safer speeds helps everyone—whether they walk, bike, or roll—to feel more comfortable and confident using the trail.
What did we do?
We started by speaking with over 40 trail users to learn how they felt about vehicle speeds on the MBT. We asked them for ideas for slowing speeds at busy points on the trail, including testing a speed feedback sign— something that had been tried in other cities. We selected locations and messages for a similar pilot based on feedback we received.
We then temporarily installed two speed feedback signs3 at two busy locations on the MBT. Before each sign, we added lawn signs that let people know they were approaching a crowded area. We compared speeds before and after the signs were turned on. At one location, we also measured speeds a second time, further down the trail, to see if trail users maintained lower speeds beyond the sign. In addition, we interviewed users on the trail during the pilot to learn how they thought the signs were working to promote safety.
What did we learn?
Trail users shared ideas on using messages, signs, and other tactile cues, such as rumble strips, to alert fast users to slow down. Some recommended using pavement markings to create lanes that separate pedestrians. There were mixed opinions about promoting safer speeds through enforcement, with most users opposed to the idea of a speed limit or ticketing on the trail.
The speed feedback signs were associated with slower speeds in some tests but not others—suggesting that the effect depends on context and location. Given the mixed results, more research is needed on effective placement of these signs on multi-use trails.
Trail users suggested pairing speed feedback signs with other solutions to slow speeds. All users told us that they appreciated the lawn signs, because they had simple messages that reminded people to pay attention and share the trail. Many saw the speed feedback signs as an important investment in community safety.
What comes next?
DDOT continues to explore the feasibility of different suggestions provided by trail users on ways to promote safe behavior on the MBT. DDOT is exploring speed feedback sign placement on the trail along with other tools to encourage slower speeds.
What happened behind the scenes?
We spoke with many government agencies and community and business groups to guide our efforts. We worked with the
Washington Area Bicycle Association (WABA) Trail Rangers, who are on the MBT every day, to understand what challenges they saw and how best to design solutions with trail users.
We also spoke with other places that have tested speed feedback signs on shared use paths. In 2024, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) tested and scaled up speed feedback signs on their shared use paths. 4 We spoke with researchers from MassDOT and their lessons helped shape how we set up and ran our test.
“Making people actively aware that this is a park, there are kids, people walk here, forcing people to be reminded of that with signage is a huge positive.”
1
BikePed Portal. District of Columbia. Accessed October, 2025.
2
DC Automated Bicycle and Pedestrian Counters. Accessed October, 2025.
3
Safer Street Solutions, an organization that already provides the District with traffic feedback signs for our roadways, temporarily donated two signs and technical support for this test.
4
Sharing the shared use path. The Lab @ MassDOT. Accessed October 2025