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Looking at all the posts so far, it seems as though the biggest issues in creating the crippling traffic in the DC area are location of jobs (primarily in NW DC and Arlington, MoCo up I-270, and other areas of N. VA like Tyson's and Reston) and living patterns that require people to live in places where there are very few of particular job types (Eastern and southern burbs of Maryland) or well beyond the reach of convenient public transit (W. VA and Frederick county, MD).
IMO, the easier solution would be a better distribution of jobs across the region. This will remove some of the volume of commuters needing to traverse the metro area daily. But, I know schools and crime play a major part in this as well. Maybe you fix those and living patterns change.
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.
What parts of the Metro are too dangerous in Virginia? I'm new to the area, but certainly haven't had any problems late at night. As far as I know, the safety issues on the Orange or Blue lines are in MD...
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.
Have you seen the plan of I-95 through DC?, it wasn't thought out well. You want evidence, look at I-395 today. Slapping I-95 on the Beltway as the next best option was just as bad. One dimensional thinking by politicians, developers and highway planners cause traffic problems in this area.
What parts of the Metro are too dangerous in Virginia? I'm new to the area, but certainly haven't had any problems late at night. As far as I know, the safety issues on the Orange or Blue lines are in MD...
I lived in DC a few years ago, and the metro has a very safe reputation. Perhaps the Green line is a bit more dangerous. In the end the number of incidents on the metro is very smaller. people blow 2-3 incidents a year way out of proportion considering tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people ride the metro without incident.
Some people dont like public transportation, and associate it with "poor people." Less so for the metro, but I have met people in Loudon who said, "they would never ride the metro." Why? Because, they were too good to rub elbows with so many people. However, most people, seem to love the metro. What a lot of people really seem to dislike is public buses. They associate people who ride buses as being even worse than the people who ride the metro.
I think I've had worse experiences with the Metro than with the buses. Metro is usually incredibly crowded during rush hour, and outside of rush hour the trains run so far apart and sometimes you never know when they're coming because the PIDS go down. Not that Metrobus is much better.
I think I've had worse experiences with the Metro than with the buses. Metro is usually incredibly crowded during rush hour, and outside of rush hour the trains run so far apart and sometimes you never know when they're coming because the PIDS go down. Not that Metrobus is much better.
The trains are crowded during rush hour, during games in certain areas, and during big public events. I find outside of these things it isnt so bad. Sometimes you do need to wait 15-20 minutes for a train, but the Metro tells you how long until the next train comes so it isnt like you dont know what is going on.
I lived in DC a few years ago, and the metro has a very safe reputation. Perhaps the Green line is a bit more dangerous. In the end the number of incidents on the metro is very smaller. people blow 2-3 incidents a year way out of proportion considering tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people ride the metro without incident.
I agree. Transportation-wise, metro is the best thing that DC has going. It is WAY better than the mass transit of most other U.S. cities.
Have you seen the plan of I-95 through DC?, it wasn't thought out well. You want evidence, look at I-395 today. Slapping I-95 on the Beltway as the next best option was just as bad. One dimensional thinking by politicians, developers and highway planners cause traffic problems in this area.
There is no good solution, and it's terryifying. The metro area is in a state of crisis.
Here's an idea - connect the ICC to Route 28 in VA, essentially creating a western outer beltway. There are a ton of people who live in MoCo and work along the Toll Road and Rte 28. They currently have no choice but to take 270 in to 495 then out to their jobs. It's a complete waste of gas and time. If the people in MD are afraid of increased sprawl in the northern part of MoCo, then don't build any exits along this new segment. Just connect it straight from Loudoun County to 270. For a metro area this large, our interstate system is completely PATHETIC!!!
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