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It's just poor planning. Forget the metro and the roads for a second, look at how many subdivisions are getting built up. It's as if these leaders don't even think about the number of people moving into this area and how they will commute. You cannot continue to build places for people to live if you do not expand the infrastructure. There are a few examples of this. Woodbridge is probably right up there. Although having a commuter bus and the VRE is great, it doesn't make sense to continue to build so many communities down in that area without expanding 95 or creating near roads to get to DC. There is no real job district down in that area so naturally most people will travel to DC, but no one has figured this out yet.
Then you have a place like Southern PG County that is about to build an outlet mall, despite not expanding the roads or providing alternative means to travel around that area. We have political leaders that only see money when they build these things, but do not consider the consequences of all this development. I think for some areas, residents are a bit resistant for expanding roads, but overall I believe these leaders should not continue to try to add more subdivisions/development, if they can't guarantee that there will be road systems to match. Unfortunately that will never happen.
Y'all are so focused on the commute, you are forgetting that 95 is the only real way to get from all points south to all points north on the entire eastern seaboard. We can't build a beltway that extends out into the freakin' ocean.
When those 'tourists' don't have the sense to drive thru DC in non-rush hours (and lets be real, there aren't a lot of those left) what a mess that is! It's like we're going on a bear hunt: We can't afford to fly over it, trains don't end up where we need to get to, so we have to drive thru or around it!
I live in Raleigh and my parents live in Springfield BELOW the beltway. Getting to their house is awful, and the metro can't help me! I can and do take the train, but then my elderly parents have to pick me up at the train station in Alex or the Metro in Springfield.
This is exactly my point. It was a fatal mistake on the planners part not to build 95 going straight through DC instead of just the Beltway around it, and now not much can be done. I have had visitors from Atlanta and other sun belt cities be incredulous that there is no major highway that goes all the way through the District.
This is exactly my point. It was a fatal mistake on the planners part not to build 95 going straight through DC instead of just the Beltway around it, and now not much can be done. I have had visitors from Atlanta and other sun belt cities be incredulous that there is no major highway that goes all the way through the District.
What in DC ever makes sense. Woodbridge and Waldorf are great examples of poor planning with too much infrastructure build out leading to a poorer quality of life.
If the land is federal or state I can see how you could prohibit development. However, if it is personal property and the government said you are not allowed to develop it people are going to get very upset. That is going to go to the courts.
We actually have an example of this right here in northwest Montgomery County, MD which is a huge "green zone" where any housing development is prohibited.
Its the "hub and spoke" design of the city's job pattern, bringing too many people into the city in cars. Suburb to suburb commuting by car is the answer.
Actually, most bad traffic is due to suburb-to-suburb commuting. Traffic in DC and inner rings is pretty manageable due to strong mass transit.
So, your solution has already been implemented by default and proven to be wrong. The solution is to increase mass transit between suburbs that have become major job centers and link them into the central city, which is what the purple and silver lines are doing..
Actually, most bad traffic is due to suburb-to-suburb commuting. Traffic in DC and inner rings is pretty manageable due to strong mass transit.
So, your solution has already been implemented by default and proven to be wrong. The solution is to increase mass transit between suburbs that have become major job centers and link them into the central city, which is what the purple and silver lines are doing..
OK. But that doesn't solve the issues. Will they be implementing those on the purple and silver lines?
OK. But that doesn't solve the issues. Will they be implementing those on the purple and silver lines?
Implementing what? Both silver and purple lines will connect to existing Metro lines. Forcing everybody to buy a car is fine for rich people / elitists but doesn't help the poor and working class get to work or shop.
Implementing what? Both silver and purple lines will connect to existing Metro lines. Forcing everybody to buy a car is fine for rich people / elitists but doesn't help the poor and working class get to work or shop.
Give me a break. In this area the "poor" and the "working class" have cars. Do you know who uses the DC Metro system overwhlmingly? Government and government contracting employees. They get on the commuter buses here and ride uptown where they get the connecting buses. The "working class" drives to work.
Implementing what? Both silver and purple lines will connect to existing Metro lines. Forcing everybody to buy a car is fine for rich people / elitists but doesn't help the poor and working class get to work or shop.
Fixing the pervasive crime and safety issues on Metro. That is why Virginians aren't using it. If the purple line has these problems it won't solve anything.
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