Congrats on the new position! I'm sure that with the traffic woes of this area that it will be challenging.

As the previous Dr. Gridlock made it very much well known that he was anti-motorcycle, what is your belief on whether motorcyles are a viable method of transportation in the DC area?

Congratulations on your new gig, but why didn't Steven just become the new Dr. Gridlock?

Twenty minutes on the Red line, huh? You have your work cut out for you, but you will do OK. Just rally for rail (monorail would be best) going to Dulles and to BWI. You will win the regard on many frazzled commuters. Good luck.

One aspect of the Dr. Gridlock column that appeared frequently in the early years but that disappeared over time was that the column used to begin with a somewhat in-depth discussion of a transportation topic and that readers' letters were only part of the column. I remember that a big topic early on was the hanging of traffic lights from mast arms versus span wire (Ron Shaffer HATED the span wire, and he's right--it's ugly). This disappeared over the years as the column became all letters, and I always missed it because responses to letters by their nature normally aren't as in-depth as a columnist-penned discussion. Take a look at Steve Eldridge's "Sprawl and Crawl" column in the Examiner sometime for an example of how Dr. Gridlock used to be--usually his column starts out with his take on an issue, then progresses to e-mails from readers. I'd like to see this come back because there are some issues that tend to come up that would merit from a more substantive discussion.

Some examples of issues I've noted over the years that might be good for the column:

--After years of motorist complaints, VDOT finally took down the signs that said that traffic going straight through Springfield on the Beltway had to "exit" to remain on the Beltway, but then they put the signs back up when they began rebuilding the Springfield Interchage. I understand the highway planner's logic that says that I-95 is the main route and that you have to "exit" to go from I-95 to I-495 or vice versa. But no motorist in his right mind will ever consider going straight on the Beltway to be an "exit." Maryland faces exactly the same scenario and does not consider going straight to be an "exit." Perhaps a column could focus on this situation and explore why VDOT insists on doing it this way.

--Pedestrians walking whenever and wherever they want is becoming more and more of a plague in the DC area. I wonder if you might look at whether the pedestrian countdown timers are actually encouraging people to cross illegally when the sign says "Don't Walk" but the clock shows five seconds. In my experience that seems to be what's happening.

--There is a new and obnoxious fad where people use on-ramps as passing lanes. I don't mean barrier-separated merge lanes at cloverleaf interchanges; I'm thinking of I-395 past the Pentagon, where ramps enter the highway and self-important types cut over to the right into the ramps to try to get a few car lengths ahead. It's rude and it's dangerous (most of them don't bother to consider that traffic might be coming up the ramp).

When I try to read Dr. Gridlock online (which is how I read the WP) there are numerous links to the columns in the "archive" but many of the links contain duplicate material. I suspect this might have something to do with zoned editions, but it causes FRUSTRATION when I'm trying to read. Can you ask the dot-commers across the river to fix that? Thanks!! And welcome to column-land!!

Thanks, Commenters,
I really appreciate the questions and comments that are coming in. These are very helpful as I try to figure out a strategy for the upcoming columns.
-- Michael, I'm not anti-motorcycle, but I am pro-helmet laws. My sister, who works with head injury victims, would like me to wear a helmet when I drive my sedan.
-- Henry, Steven has done an outstanding job as The Post's transportation writer. I know: I've been his editor. He would make a fine Dr. Gridlock, but I'm very glad I got the gig.
-- Linda, I'm a big rail fan. Always have been. You'll find in upcoming columns that I want people to have choices about how they get around.
-- Rich, Thanks for taking the time to lay out all those good topics, and I'll try to deal with all of them in coming weeks. You also gave me a good thought on the general approach to columns. I'd like to devote more space to discussing one particular topic while still giving space to our many letter-writers.
-- online reader, I'm glad you're spending time on our Web site, but sorry to hear about the frustration. You're probably right in your diagnosis of the problem: archive duplication because of the overlapping columns in the Extras. My colleagues at the Web site like to know about the users' experience, and I'll tell them about the problem you're having.

Ron's retired?!? Boy, is that music to my ears! While I enjoyed reading the OD's (original Doc's) column for many years, it appeared to me that over the past few years, he's become out of touch with the traffic issues in this area. Many times on his chats folks would ask a question that was clear and concise and we'd be left with something like "I don't understand, please rephrase and submit it again."

Don't get me wrong, he provided a great column for many years, but it was long past time for him to hang it up.

Good luck with the new gig, Steve (and good luck in retirement, Ron).

Sorry about the previous post, I didn't read the entire blog before jumping to add my $0.02 to the fray.

Congrats to Robert on the new gig (maybe someday Steve).

Forget about "sharing the pain" of many of DC's traditional commuters for a while (and boy is it painful-I've heard plenty). How about sharing the pleasure of DC's alternative commuters? More specifically, bicycle commuters. No more "sprawl and crawl", no mixing bowl or Wilson Bridge/66 delays, no road rage and high gas prices. Riding to work can be faster, funner, more reliable, cost effective, and much more rewarding than other options.

Unfortunately, many still see cycle commuting as a fringe activity, too "alternative" (read weird) an idea to be plausible. My response to incredulous co-workers who ask me if I'm crazy, riding into DC in all kinds of weather, is that my commute is about 30 minutes door to door regardless of: weather, traffic, road closures, construction, whatever. No delays on the VRE due to track expansion in hot weather for me. No Metro delays as a result of cracked tracks and flooding. No bumper to bumper rides in the car for me anymore. My commute actually contributes to an overall sense of mental and physical well-being if you can believe that, and I'm helping the Earth at a time when environmental activism is crucial. And no, I'm not a tree-hugging weirdo, just a normal guy with a sense of what's good for my lifestyle and the environment too.

While it may not be a practical option for everyone, many would be surprised to see just how do-able it can be. Give it a shot and see.

Matt, do you ride on the street or on one of the trails? Every once in a while I think about the idea of biking to work (if I were to work myself back into shape to be able to do it, which is a separate issue), but the main thing that puts me off the idea, aside from my not being in shape, is that I would be concerned about safety as drivers around here have become more and more aggressive. As a driver I do my best to cooperate with cyclists who obey the laws, but it seems that there are a lot of people who don't.

As for the web experience...I think the easiest fix on the "duplicates" issue would be if they could manage to put *which* Extra section the column is coming from in the article title, as opposed to figuring out the codes from the master Dr. Gridlock page. (And I say this as both a reader and a web usability professional ;) )

As an almost-life long DC resident who moved away in 2004, I still read the column/ Mostly because I like to keep up with what's going on traffic-wise when I come back to visit. So I know I would like to just hone in on the Fairfax County Extra, but sometimes it takes some clicking around to find it.

Good luck as the new Dr. G.!

Couldn't agree more with SamFelis - the old Dr. Gridlock had been off his game for years, and always seemed to have little to no understanding of local public transportation. Delighted to have someone fresh in the position, and good luck to you!

Looking forward to the All New Dr Gridlock.

Mr. Shaffer did well, but seemed to lose a lot of steam the past few years. Even offering unwise advice or not getting all the facts before responding.

The last Dr. G.'s favorite thing to say was that people should move closer to their jobs to avoid traffic congestion. It's just not feasible. Please don't take such a one-sided view in responding to letters. Many of us would like to live closer to where we work, but in this area it's just not always feasible.

On the topic of bicycle commuting--I think it's a great thing for the environment and for one's health--so kuddos to you Matt. The problem is, as you note Rich, that because drivers have gotten so aggressive many folks have taken to riding their bikes on the sidewalks in downtown D.C. (especially in the Golden Triangle area). I take Metro and walk to work and I can't tell you how many times I have almost been hit by cyclists riding on the sidewalk (I was actually hit and slightly injured once several years back).

Are you going to spend some time exploring what local jurisdictions are planning for the next 10 / 15 years? In many cases planning and implimentation takes that long. There was a recent conference of local officials that predicted that we would be gaining 2,000,000 folks in the next decade or so in the DC area (not including Baltimore). If this comes true, we essentially become Chicago.

I'd love to know if local officials are doing any real planning, or are we going to spend more time on the Dan Ryan...er I270?

Congratulations on the new job! I just wanted to point out something you're probably well aware of -- the length of the commute varies drastically depending not only on the time you leave, but also on the time of year. I drive commute I-395 from Alexandria & I have found that July & Aug. are generally the best months for driving. For example, this morning was one of my shortest rush-hour commutes.

Hi. I'm hoping to receive some solace from other drivers out there. I drive from the Vienna, VA area to Bethesda, MD 5 days a week. And, I'll tell you, it's the most stressful part of the day for me. What shocks me every time is that there is so little consideration for someone else's life. I had an aggressive driver cut me off, slam on their brakes, and almost made me skid all over the road. It could've killed me or you or your children. I say, enough is enough! Please report incidents like this to your local police department. I know Fairfax County police have an online form to report aggressive drivers.
I did take down this "person's" license number and reported her. Not sure anything will ever come of it. And, we can't be overly sensitive. But, I'm so tired of the aggressive, horrible things (getting the finger) that happen while driving in this area that I'm very seriously considering moving. Our police need to start treating these acts as manslaughter attempts. If not, more and more will be killed. I

I hope you can drive home to this area's drivers that the left lane is for passing and turning, and especially focus on the drivers whose low self-esteem causes them to speed up to prevent others from passing, and even worse, like a silver miata driving over the american legion bridge on Sunday afternoon who sped up to prevent a car from passing and then purposely hit his brakes to box the other car in and prevent him from making any lane changes. I could list the guy's personalized plate here, but I won't (starts with NRV) but he took the GW parkway exit, and even though I doubt the guy can read, he would know who he was if he read this.

People need to understand that they are not going to lose face with their friends if someone passes them, and that playing these sorts of games causes accidents. People who try to pass are trying to avoid driving in packs of cars because they know this to be the most dangerous way to drive. They just want to space themselves out away from the idiots who drive 3 or 4 abreast and bumper to bumper in little cattle herds. People like the simple minded miata driver seem to think it is their duty to enforce traffic laws -- As if the police don't have enough problems trying to deal with traffic enforcement to have to worry about "highway vigilantes".

I would like to know why the traffic cameras situated at the north and south ends of the 14th Street Bridge have been out of operation for several weeks now. They don't help if they don't transmit information so that people can see what the traffic coming across the bridge looks like.

I would like to 2nd what catcher50 said about what the future plans for the jurisdictions are. There seems to be a lot of planned population growth from all the localities with almost no transportation plans. The only major projects on the board seem to be the Silver line, which aside from going to Tysons is actually serving one of the local highways that is not ridiculously jammed, and the ICC which unless it's extended to Reston probably won't relieve much congestion. I don't see anything about building a new bypass around DC or increasing the number of commuter trains from some of the exurbs (i.e Gainesville, Culpepper, Waldorf, etc), 2 things I think would actually make a dent in some of the worst corridors and are necessary for a large metropolitan.

I'll add another two cents about what I used to like about Dr. Gridlock. You used to could ask a question and have him say "I asked so-and-so at the Local Road Department about that when I saw him this morning, and he said that the project plan is actually ahead of schedule..." The recent Dr. G turned into more of a "Gee, that's awful. What does everyone else think about it?"

Traffic sucks enough of our time away. For this sort of column, I'm interested in a fast learn and update sort of perspective, not everyone's opinions on the pros and cons of a concrete curb vs a granite one.

Has the Post considered getting a Dr. Gridlock who actually drives on local roads? The previous Dr. G made no secret of the fact that he mostly worked out of the Fairfax office and avoided real traffic. Steve walks to work and now the new Dr. G has a 20 minute red line ride. Why don't you use a team approach with about 3 reporters who drive from different sections of the metro area and 2 that ride the rails?

Congrats to the new Dr. G --- I'm sure you'll find this new gig an enjoyable one, since it impacts a major part of everyone's lives. I hate to pile on to the old Dr. G, but I do so in hopes that improvements can be made in this new edition. The column and chats became, as people mention earlier, well phrased and laid out questions with a half-hearted (at best) response that was not commensurate with the effort of the question. If the new columnest can add more value than just giving a short, frustrating response, that would be the biggest improvement. It can be SHORT to maximize the responses, just put some thought into it. And good luck!

Welcome to the column! Do you have any idea when the new I-66 expansion from Manassas to Gainesville will be completed? Completion date was orginally scheduled for October and they sure have been making good progress, so I'm hoping that's still the plan. Thanks!

conrats on the new job! considering this area, you'll be plenty busy! I have a commute for you: Waldorf to Downtown DC. Brave Indian Head Hwy (210) and 295 aboard the Keller Commuter Bus line...that is, if you have 3-4 hours a day to burn!

much success in your new job!

http://miltizme.blogspot.com

We are headed for Turners Falls, MA (off I-91, north of Springfield) over the Labor Day weekend to take our son to school, and I am in need of directions that will help me avoid the metropolitan areas and toll roads that the obvious route of I-95 would take.

I know this has been hashed out several times in the past, but I never thought I would need them, so I never paid them much attention.

Thanks,
Bruce