Here’s the location in the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, where a food delivery moped rider injured a child.
Food Delivery Moped Striking Child Prompts ANC6B Response
by Larry Janezich
Posted June 25, 2025
Monday night, ANC6B’s Public Safety Committee, chaired by Commissioner Brian Gorman, heard committee resident member George Holman’s passionate appeal that the committee take action to address the dangers presented by food delivery moped riders who endanger residents by recklessly riding city streets. Recently, Holman’s six year old son was struck by a moped delivery rider in front of the U.S. Post Office in the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, while he was crossing the bike lane to post a letter in the sidewalk mailbox. The moped rider was driving illegally in the bike lane. The child was “flung backwards and struck a concrete barrier, and suffered a concussion,” according to Holman. The driver stopped after hearing the child scream, and then sped away. MPD and first responders came promptly and the child has since recovered, but the driver has not been apprehended.
Holman noted that the day before his son’s accident, a child in Columbia Heights was hit by a moped and seriously injured, suffering a broken leg. That incident also involved a hit and run moped rider who has not been apprehended.
Holman said the moped delivery riders are out of control and he is appealing to the ANC because “I don’t feel like (the police) are adequately enforcing the law.” Every resident has seen mopeds being operated recklessly, he said, adding, “It’s probably time to revisit last year’s (MPD traffic safety program Operation Ride Right).” That program started June 5, 2024, and ran for two weeks during which 81 individuals were arrested, 273 scooters impounded, and 161 tickets issued.
Holman has a petition with 100 signatures from neighbors who support taking action to reduce the threat to public safety posed by the illegal operation of scooters. He said, “I’m trying to be taken seriously and I’m going to continue gathering new signatures. I don’t know what it’s going to actually take to get someone to pay attention to this and that’s why I’m here today.” He said he would also request a meeting with CM Charles Allen…and added, “… I think it starts with the police actually enforcing the laws on the books.”
Commissioner Sam Pastore – who numbers Holman among his constituents – noted the difficulty regarding enforcement of traffic violations, citing his takeaway from an earlier ANC meeting with MPD was that because of MPD policy, “they will not chase anyone no matter what type of vehicle – unless you’re shooting a gun.”
Holman concluded his presentation: “This is something that I feel very passionate about and I appreciate you all listening to me because I don’t feel listened to right now and I’m trying to share my anger into something very constructive because my son is the most important thing in the world to me and things could have ended up a lot differently. It’s something that still haunts me and I think about it a lot and I’m going to continue doing what I can to make this community safer and better….I’m continuing to gather signatures on my petition…every neighbor I talk to is like, ‘They’re out of control, you’ve got to do something.’”
With no clear indication regarding how the committee would advance this issue, CHC reached out to Commissioner Pastore for comment after the meeting. Here’s part of his reply:
“We will certainly be taking action – through consultation with George, the ANC, the Public Safety Committee, and the Transportation Committee…In the meantime, this tragedy is also a reminder to all of us: we need to slow down, take our time on the streets, and show more compassion for our fellow pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists…We also need to acknowledge another layer of the conversation, especially around mopeds. Many riders are working hard, hustling to get where they need to go quickly, often under pressure. There are racial, cultural, immigration, and even ICE-related dynamics that can’t be ignored…I’ll be speaking with the committee chairs and (ANC6B Chair Edward Ryder) in the coming days to program a more focused response to this specific incident and to build on the good, necessary conversations we’ve been having through the Public Safety Committee.”
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 
My condolences to George Holman and best wishes to his son.
Deliveristas are but one part of a larger traffic safety problem on DC streets, bike lanes, and sidewalks: Careless vehicle drivers, deliveristas, e-bikers, e-scooterists, mopeds, bicyclists, you name it, careless anything on frigging wheels.
Suggestions:
1/ prohibit any wheeled vehicle other that a baby carriage, wheelchair, or child’s bike from riding on a sidewalk.
2/ repeal the ordinance allowing bicyclists to Idaho stop at red lights and stop signs. (I was surprised to learn that e-bikes and e-scooters have no such privilege. Could have fooled me.)
3/ impose a low speed limit in bike lanes, 15 MPH?
4/ prohibit any powered vehicle from using a bike lane.
5/ prohibit riding the wrong way in a bike lane.
6/ negotiate reciprocal traffic ticket collection with VA and MD. DC is owed nearly $2 billion in unpaid traffic tickets. Shame on the mayor and the city council for their dereliction. Aside from the lost revenue, they are allowing thousands of non-DC drivers to disobey our traffic laws with impunity. (Do not be distracted by the recent performative lawsuits against drivers with titanic numbers of unpaid tickets. The problem starts with the fact that there is no reciprocal agreements to collect on the tickets at the get-go.)
And so on. If we hear howls from affected parties, we’ll know we’re on the right path.
The problem here isn’t DC’s laws, it’s these moped drivers that flagrantly ignore the law. These suggestions to change the law are not responsive to the problem.
Mopeds are already prohibited from using sidewalks or bike lanes.
I’d recommend people focus on the actual issue and not try to invent new ones (like repealing the Idaho Stop, for example.)
How do I sign the petition?
Get Outlook for Mac https://aka.ms/GetOutlookForMac
few moped drivers stop for red lights or stop signs. They should never ride in dedicated bike lanes.
one more thought, of the cut to the chase variety, install speed bumps on the more dangerous bike lanes, e.g. the 600 block of Penn SE.
speed bumps have negligible impact on cyclists because they’re intended to limit speeds to 15 mph or under – most cyclists do not exceed that rate and if so not by much. Faster riders can easily decelerate momentarily to pass even large existing speed bumps. The speed bumps are rightly intended for cars.
We don’t even know what speed the moped reached in this accident, only that it should not have been riding the bike lane
By that logic why not speed bumps for the CARS on Pennsylvania? They carry far more mass, go a lot faster, and are far deadlier than cyclists.
Let’s just bubble wrap the world so nothing bad can ever happen.
The Pennsylvania Ave bike lanes have been a welcomed transit addition and should be celebrated. Mopeds are not permitted in bike lanes (different from e-bikes – they are motorized vehicles limited to streets). The bike lanes are not the problem here.
That said, there has been little effort to socialize the updated traffic patterns and the signage/markings are deficient. As a cyclist I generally ride the commercial sections with extra caution. Many pedestrians are surprised to encounter cyclists and turning vehicles often neglect to yield when cyclists have right of way. Some businesses receive deliveries through the PA front and leave ramps in the bike lane to manage dollies over the curb. And of course some cyclists ride in the wrong bike lane direction and some fail to yield to pedestrians as required. Some ebike riders, escooters and aggressive acoustic riders also push speeds beyond what’s appropriate for this area.
Without pushing speed and generally obeying traffic patterns, getting around the Hill on bicycle is about the same as by car or moped, and there’s little advantage for mopeds to ride the bike lane.
The northside of the 600 block of Penn Av SE is particularly fraught because the bike lane, or as some call it the E-rocket lane, is between the parking lane and the sidewalk. The hundreds of people, many elderly or with children in tow, who make their way across the bike lane daily to get to get to the post office, vet, PT clinic, various doctors, etc., run a dangerous gauntlet. Would be nice if the bike lane rocketeers yielded, but I have yet to witness such a wonderful event. Speed humps might be worth trying, given the fraught peculiarities of the block.
that’s a pretty broad brush to paint a large community of users. Why not look before crossing a designated transit lane? Would they cross the other way to the median without first checking that it’s clear?
Wow, a bicyclist that had to slow down for an inattentive pedestrian. What has the driving world come to?
Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement. Without any enforcing of the vehicle (and bicycle and pedestrian) laws and regulations this is what you get. Repeal the Idaho stop? (something I wouldn’t support) is meaningless if you aren’t going to enforce it. Don’t allow mopeds in bike lanes? … same result … worthless without enforcement. No right turn on red? … same answer … worthless without enforcement. This city loves to enact laws and regulations with no teeth. It’s pointless.I was in Monday’s public safety meeting and my heart aches for George and his son. I bike daily … so does my daughter. My biggest fear is reckless drivers (regardless if I’m walking, biking, or in a car). This outcome was all but inevitable. I hope George, and our ANC/council, can use this accident to push for some commonsense enforcement of basic traffic laws. As a city, our council and residents, have hamstrung MPD via legislation, policy, or pressure to the point that there is nearly zero enforcement. Until that changes, I fear we’re going to hear more tragic stories like George and his son.
I want to address the seemingly common idea that MPD is “hamstrung” when it comes to enforcement of traffic laws. That’s not the case. MPD leadership simply doesn’t prioritize traffic law enforcement. Leadership is political, and they have decided it is politically useful to assign officers to different tasks. If the politics of robust traffic enforcement were to become politically advantageous, more officers would be on this beat.
As it stands, there are a few officers whose total focus is on enforcement of traffic laws, but only a very small few. One of those is Sgt. Terry Thorne (video of him here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2937591116406466). Sgt. Thorne reports regularly at the Pedestrian Advisory Council and Bicyclist Advisory Council meetings, and it’s clear that he is laser-focused on making sure motorists of all stripes (from giant trucks down to small-motor mopeds) follow the letter and spirit of the law. But he cannot be everywhere all at once. His reports indicate that he is not hamstrung, and is capable of ticketing anyone for violations of the law, but it’s a big city with a lot of in-and-out-of-state drivers on the roads.
Anyone spending anytime outside and witnessing drivers recklessly violate traffic laws in front of an MPD car with no action taken knows for certain that the police, for whatever reason, don’t take traffic enforcement seriously. I’m glad there is one officer who’s on the case, but it’s not enough.
Here are a few articles I found …
Won’t enforce no turn on red.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/11/25/dc-right-on-red-ban-dispute/
The DC Police Reform Commission report
“Finally, the Council should transfer authority to enforce traffic violations that do not imminently threaten public safety from MPD to the Department of Transportation.”
https://dccouncil.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Police-Reform-Commission-Full-Report.pdf
Only five officers dedicated to traffic enforcement
Story from last year about a traffic enforcement unit with 5 (yes five whole officer) officers dedicated to it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/08/27/dc-police-traffic-safety-unit/
“Officers are ‘resistant to doing traffic enforcement’ because of ‘mixed messages … about how to balance racial equity concerns and traffic safety goals,’ the department said in its response.”
Not holding people accountable
D.C. To Allow Residents With Unpaid Debts To Get Driver’s Licenses
https://dcist.com/story/22/07/11/dc-end-debt-drivers-license-denial/
Triple-size license plates for mopeds, so they can be read/photographed from much farther away. Enormous fines for mopeds, in particular, breaking the law (money incentivizes enforcement). Expanded ability to seize the vehicles of repeat offenders, or of those whose fines go unpaid.
Excellent idea for all motorized vehicles some of which are currently exempt from DC tag requirements: scooters, E-bikes (including electrically assisted pedal bikes), mopeds (which can weigh up to 250 pounds and reach speeds up to 60 MPH), ATVs, and so on.
Second, prohibit all such vehicles from riding on the sidewalks.
Sign the petition at
http://www.DCMopedPetition.com