Archive: December 2006
How Was Your Holiday Travel?
Happy holidays, everyone. When you recover, please share your frontline travel accounts. Did you find interesting new routes to your traditional holiday destinations or leave at hours so ghastly that you were practically alone on the roads? We did both: On the way up to Northern New Jersey on Saturday, we left in late morning, took I-95 to the Baltimore Beltway, then went up I-83 into Pennsylvania, to I-81, to I-80 to I-280. Trip was about six hours, 310 miles. Traffic halted only once, in Harrisburg, and the route was scenic, through farmlands, hill country and the Delaware Water Gap. Excellent weather all the way. Wouldn't do it in less than ideal conditions. Fearing a heavy mix of holiday drivers and commuters, we left Tuesday at 4:20 a.m. and took our traditional route down the New Jersey Turnpike, across the Delaware Memorial Bridge and down I-95. That route was three...
By Robert Thomson | December 26, 2006; 3:15 PM ET | Comments (11)
Last-Minute Advice on Getaway
Got a last-minute update for people driving north for the holidays: Dear Dr. Gridlock: Had a quick tweak to one of the recommendations you published a couple of times recently concerning route to NJ. Recently the PA Route 33 link was completed down to I-78. So now it's advisable to stay on I-78 until the exit for Route 33 (I think it's Exit 68 or so). You can only go northbound from there. The rest of the route is fine. US 22 though Limited Access can be quite heavy traffic-wise during much of the day and evening. Happy Holidays! Jim South Arlington...
By Robert Thomson | December 22, 2006; 6:31 AM ET | Comments (3)
Advisories For the Holidays
Thanksgiving is easy. Christmas-New Year's is hard. At least in terms of predicting when the worst of the getaway traffic will occur. I'll predict waves of badness from Friday evening through Saturday, without anything being as bad as a typical Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving. Same deal on the return from the long weekend. There will be some Monday night traffic and some Tuesday traffic. Nothing that's the equivalent of the big Sunday return after Thanksgiving. People have so much more flexibility at the end of December. Lon Anderson of AAA-Mid-Atlantic gave some good advice for holiday travelers during a Live Online discussion today. We have some travel advisories from the various transportation agencies. -- In Virginia, short-term lane closures for construction and maintenance projects will be lifted from 6 a.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Wednesday and again from 6 a.m. Dec. 30 until 6 a.m. Jan. 3. Construction zones with...
By Robert Thomson | December 21, 2006; 6:32 AM ET | Comments (6)
Movement on ICC, in Both Directions
While a new challenge is being raised to construction of the intercounty connector, Maryland is continuing to clear a path for it. One of the many issues involved in building the intercounty connector across the Washington suburbs has been where to put the National Capital Trolley Museum, which will be in the highway's path in Montgomery County. The Maryland State Highway Administration announced on Tuesday that it has given the museum $100,000 to start planning for its relocation. New buildings and tracks for the museum will eventually be built within Northwest Branch Park, north of Silver Spring. The museum is now at 1313 Bonifant Road in Wheaton, also within Northwest Branch Park boundaries. If you go there, you can see 13 old streetcars, scale models and photographs that recapture a bygone era of Washington's transit history. The museum is open from noon to 5 p.m. on weekends and also has...
By Robert Thomson | December 20, 2006; 6:36 AM ET | Comments (42)
Metro Moves to Control Costs
Metro, facing new public scrutiny because of its proposals to raise fares and cut services, announced on Monday that it is imposing a hiring freeze on staffers who don't deal directly with operations and public safety. Much of Metro's $116 million budget gap for the fiscal year that begins in July stems from planned raises and pension fund contributions. Many riders who have had bad experiences with station managers or customer service representatives are likely to be thinking of that as they consider how much they'd like to part with as much as $2.10 per ride. During my Live Online discussion Monday, many reader comments focused on the fare increase and service cutback proposals. Judging by the comments on the chat and the "Dear Dr. Gridlock" letters I'm receiving, these are among the hot topics in the early stages of the Metro debate: -- Should Metro move us more toward...
By Robert Thomson | December 19, 2006; 8:05 AM ET | Comments (20)
More Metrobus Changes Ahead
Metro is going to make a bunch more changes in service all across the Washington region effective New Year's Eve. They're not the changes brought on by the shortfall in the budget for next year. Rather, they're another of the set of adjustments in which some riders will gain while others lose. These are the 16 lines that will be affected: In the District 60, 64 -- Fort Totten-Petworth Line 62 -- Takoma-Petworth Line 66, 68 -- Petworth-11th Street Line U8 -- Capitol Heights-Benning Heights Line X2 -- Benning Road- H Street Line In Maryland C2, C4 -- Greenbelt-Twinbrook Line K6 -- New Hampshire Avenue-Maryland Line R12 -- Kenilworth Avenue-New Carrollton Line Z13 -- Greencastle-Briggs Chaney Express Line In Virginia 2A -- Washington Boulevard Line 10B -- Hunting Towers-Ballston Line 20W, 20X -- Chantilly-Greenbriar Line 24T -- McLean Hamlet-East Falls Church Line 29C, 29E, 29X -- Annandale Line 29K, 29N...
By Robert Thomson | December 18, 2006; 6:06 AM ET | Comments (1)
Would You Stop Riding?
You can see in today's Post story on the Metro budget proposal that many people told staff writer Lena Sun they'd stop riding if the fares went up. But the last two times the fares went up, people grumbled about not getting what they were paying for, but they kept riding. Would Metro really take a big hit on ridership this time? The fare increase proposal is more complex this time, and part of the intent is to limit the impact on people who are most sensitive to price changes. That includes low income riders, people who have a relatively easy alternative to Metro, off-peak travelers and reverse commuters. If you live and work in the congested heart of this region and you're relatively well off, the transit authority figures, you're less likely to abandon Metro. Most of us will act in our own best interests, rather than out of...
By Robert Thomson | December 15, 2006; 12:38 PM ET | Comments (60)
Major Highway Improvement Today
Travelers heading south onto I-95 from the Capital Beltway's outer loop should find the new highway ramp open this morning at the Springfield interchange . The project's managers have been anxious to get the thing open, because the new, easier merge represents one of the final big improvements in the eight-year reconstruction of the massive interchange. Plans to open the ramp were set back several times by the fall weather -- too cool or wet for the new lane paint to stick to the pavement. For Local Traffic: The Virginia Department of Transportation says the old ramp that was going to remain open for local traffic to use Exit 169B/A (Old Keene Mill/Franconia Road) will close for about six months to allow for construction work in the local ramp area. The local ramp was to remain open until later December or January, but the work schedule has been moved up....
By Robert Thomson | December 15, 2006; 5:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
Metro Board Cool to Fare Increase
Metro officials presented a budget proposal for next year to the transit authority board this afternoon, then listened as board member after board member stomped hard on the idea of a fare increase. Collectively, the board members placed the fare increases and service cutbacks at the bottom of the pile of ideas for closing Metro's $116 million gap in the budget that will take effect in July. Jim Graham, the D.C. council member who chairs Metro's budget committee, arrived with a prepared statement that opened with "I will be unable to support any fare increase, or any change in fare policy that results in a fare increase, until I am satisfied that we have as a board done all we could to insure that every possible step was taken to address the shortfall by other means." As board member after board member weighed in, it was clear that Graham's position...
By Robert Thomson | December 14, 2006; 3:02 PM ET | Comments (5)
Creating a Fair Fare
If the Metro board winds up approving the fare increases that its staff is proposing today, I'd hate to be the designer who has to figure out how to get all that information onto the signs in the stations. This new fare structure, reported in The Post today by Lena Sun, is the most interesting aspect of the transit authority's effort to close its budget gap. In fact, the staff study of the fare structure began separately, as a strategic review of the fare policy. It's possible that this review should have remained a separate effort. Metro will be trying to sell a complicated new concept in fares at the same time its trying to sell the basic idea that Metro needs a lot more money. Riders are bound to be angry about the fare increase, which would be the third in this decade. Metro board members must know they're...
By Robert Thomson | December 14, 2006; 8:11 AM ET | Comments (56)
Arlington Cutting Teen Fares
Arlington County has a smart idea: If you want people to get in the habit of riding transit, get them while they're young. Even smarter: Ask them what it would take to get them to ride. The county, always progressive on transit ideas, has a Teen Transit Advisory Board made up of 8th to 12th graders. They identified what they and their peers see as some of the hurdles that transit systems put up, and they included a lack of information (as in, when is the bus coming) and the cost of a ride. At their early sessions this summer, the teens began brainstorming about how to take down some of the barriers and they reviewed the results of a county survey of teenagers. The Arlington County Board has now responded by establishing a youth fare on its ART buses. Starting Jan. 1, the base fare for people with a...
By Robert Thomson | December 13, 2006; 6:15 AM ET | Comments (4)
D.C. Bike Station Proposed
Concerned about rising Metro fares and looking for an alternative way of getting into the city? Check this out: The District government tonight will present its proposal to create a Bicycle Transit Center at Union Station. The idea is to offer bike parking, rentals, repairs and accessories in a very modern looking structure of glazed panels and steel just to the west side of the train station. It's near where the Metropolitan Branch Trail, a planned bike route from Silver Spring, would pass by the station. There would be parking for about 200 bikes, some changing rooms and lockers. Models for such centers exist in California, Seattle, and Chicago, says DDOT, but this would be the first of its kind on the East Coast. The center could be open in 2008. DDOT is looking for suggestions on the plan, and will take questions and comments after a presentation about it....
By Robert Thomson | December 12, 2006; 6:30 AM ET | Comments (36)
What Should Metro Do?
At two Metro town hall meetings in the past several weeks, riders asked the transit authority to improve bus and rail service. People want longer and more frequent trains, more reliable buses and more late night service. Now, Lena Sun reports in today's Post that Metro is considering fare increases and service cutbacks. If the folks at those meetings who asked for better service get to see the improvements they were hoping for, it's likely to come at the expense of other riders, given the financial picture that Metro is presenting to the public this week. If Metro is worried about its financial picture for next year, it's unlikely to boost a service without imposing a compensating cutback on another. The first question riders will have is bound to be whether Metro has done enough to control its expenses. The transit authority says it's not making as much money as...
By Robert Thomson | December 11, 2006; 7:50 AM ET | Comments (86)
Partial Building Collapse Closes North Lynn Street
A partial building collapse at a construction site at the intersection of North Lynn Street and 19th Street closes North Lynn Street between Wilson Boulevard and Lee Highway in Arlington....
By Laura Cochran, washingtonpost.com | December 8, 2006; 9:25 AM ET | Comments (4)
Rock Creek Parkway Reopens Following Fatal Accident
Rock Creek Parkway was closed this morning between Calvert Street and Massachusetts Avenue due to an accident investigation. Shortly after midnight, a car traveling north on Rock Creek Parkway left the road and hit a tree near Massachusetts Avenue. Two individuals were killed in the accident, according to reports from the Associated Press. Traffic on inbound Beach Drive coming out of the zoo tunnel can now continue on to Rock Creek Parkway, according to Maptuit reports....
By Laura Cochran, washingtonpost.com | December 8, 2006; 6:47 AM ET | Comments (44)
New Traffic Law for Buses
There's a new law in the District that bars drivers from passing a stopped bus on the left and then making a right turn in front of it. This applies when the bus is loading or unloading passengers and is intended as a pedestrian safety measure. This month, the D.C. police will be issuing warnings if they spot a driver looping around a bus. Starting in January, you can get a $100 ticket. The District is supposed to provide stickers that can be placed on the backs of buses operating in the city that will warn drivers about the new rule. You should start seeing them on all sorts of buses, including Metro, the Circulator, Georgetown Blue Buses, Maryland and Virginia commuter charters and Tourmobiles. The new law, called the Pedestrian Protection Bus Safety Amendment Act of 2006, was introduced in the D.C. Council by David Catania. D.C. police say...
By Robert Thomson | December 7, 2006; 8:56 AM ET | Comments (17)
Downtown Traffic For Tree Lighting
Here's what you need to know from D.C. police about the downtown traffic situation for this afternoon's lighting of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse: There is no parking until 7 p.m. at these locations: -- 15th Street NW from Constitution Avenue to E Street NW -- 17th Street NW from Constitution Avenue, to E Street NW -- Constitution Avenue NW from 15th to 17th streets NW -- E Street, NW from 15th to 17th streets NW These streets will be closed to traffic from about 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.: -- Constitution Avenue between 14th Street and 18th Street NW -- 17th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue NW -- 15th Street between New York Avenue and Constitution Avenue NW -- Pennsylvania Avenue between 14th Street and 15th Street NW -- E Street between 17th and 18th streets NW -- E Street between 14th and 15th streets...
By Robert Thomson | December 7, 2006; 8:13 AM ET | Comments (2)
What About the Roads and Rails?
Okay, so now we see local governments in Virginia and Maryland acting to slow the growth of their counties in response to traffic congestion brought on by development. We've seen that pendulum swing before. But the developers do their thing for a living, and they pay attention all the time. Voters get mad every once in a while, then walk away from the table before the underlying problems are solved. So the governments may hit the brakes on development for a while, but you'll still be hitting the brakes on your way to work for years to come. That is, unless people now put pressure on their governments to act on all the fine transportation improvement plans that are resting comfortably on the shelves. Development moratoriums are passive things, compared to the long, hard work involved in creating a better transportation system to support liveable communities. And it's fine to...
By Robert Thomson | December 6, 2006; 8:07 AM ET | Comments (23)
VDOT Postpones Ramp Opening
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced this afternoon that it has to postpone the opening of the new ramp at the Springfield interchange until next week. VDOT had hoped for a Wednesday opening, as you'll see in the posting below this one. The cold weather is preventing the contractor from painting lane markings on the new ramp, which will carry traffic from the Capital Beltway's outer loop to Interstate 95 southbound. The temperature has to be at least 45 degrees for the markings to adhere to the pavement. Let's hope for some sun to warm that pavement....
By Robert Thomson | December 5, 2006; 4:23 PM ET | Comments (3)
Improvement at Springfield on Wednesday
Some of our bigger projects are so complex and long lasting that we're stunned when told we can actually drive on them. I feel that way about the plan to open an important new ramp at the Springfield Interchange on Wednesday morning. While it's a fragment of the total project -- which is one of the largest public works under construction in the nation -- it has my attention because the new ramp is designed to ease what I always saw as one of the interchange's main hazards: the need to merge left across several lanes to head south on I-95. The Virginia Department of Transportation plans to open Exit 57A from the Capital Beltway's outer loop to I-95 South by 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, weather permitting. The ramp has two lanes, but only one would be opened at that hour, to allow space for the final work on lane markings....
By Robert Thomson | December 5, 2006; 6:30 AM ET | Comments (5)
Gridlock-Fighting Shopping Tips
Some anti-gridlock shopping tips for local travelers, collected from readers and other sources: -- Keep the total number of shopping trips to a minimum. Once you've written out what you want to buy for each person, do a list by shopping zone, so you can make the most of one trip and avoid having to revisit a crowded area. -- Check your gas gauge. It's easy to forget when you're running on holiday Adrenalin. -- After dinner time on the weeknights is a good time to shop. "I do it every year and I've never dealt with crowds, even the week right before Christmas," said one reader. -- Another said: "At Springfield Mall, and at several other malls, every other garage level lines up with a mall entrance. Those levels from which you have to walk up or down steps to get to the entrance are usually empty." -- And:...
By Robert Thomson | December 4, 2006; 8:00 AM ET | Comments (12)
Citizens Talk Back to Metro
One of the things that keeps my column in business is that citizens often aren't satisfied by the responses they get from transportation agencies when they have complaints or questions. That was the tone of several comments to Metro board members at the transit authority's town hall meeting Wednesday night in Rosslyn. Board chairman Gladys Mack and board member Chris Zimmerman acknowledged that customer service has been a longtime problem. They noted that citizens who call with complaints often wind up with an explanation of why bad thing is happening, rather than an indication that the problem will be addressed. The quality of customer service is a concern to the board, they said, and it's one of the key reasons they picked John Catoe of Los Angeles to be the new general manager. He intends to make customer service a priority, Mack and Zimmerman said. Metro has done a better...
By Robert Thomson | December 1, 2006; 8:03 AM ET | Comments (14)
