May 31, 2007
Transit on Thursday: Long and Short Edition
Photo by tony_fiorini
Senate Joins the Metro Lovin'
Since we don't have our own Senators and Representatives to bug, we rely on the kindness of our neighbors for all our Congressional needs. We were psyched when last year, Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia introduced legislation to give Metro $1.5 billion over 10 years, on the condition that D.C., Maryland, and Virginia collectively match that amount. Davis has been a tireless advocate for the bill, passing it out of committee last month even as his Republican colleagues derided it as a wasteful pork project.
While Davis' bill still needs a vote in the full House, last week we picked up some new support on the other side of the Hill. Maryland's Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski introduced legislation similar to the Davis bill, which was immediately co-sponsored by Virginia's John Warner and Jim Webb. When the Davis bill was passed by the full House last year, the Senate never acted on it. Now that the ball is rolling in the Senate, the chance of Metro actually seeing the federal money, and the dedicated local funding that comes along with it, are the best they've been yet.
Another Over/Under
The debate has been raging for months in Northern Virginia, and we still don't have a final word on whether the Dulles Metro extension will include elevated tracks above Tysons Corner or a tunnel below it. Though Governor Kaine has said that the tunnel is off the table, tunnel proponents have spent millions of dollars trying to build enough support to change the governor's mind. With debate still raging in NoVa, it seems like there is no end in sight.
So you can imagine how we felt to hear that Maryland is gearing up for its own over/under fight. Design studies for the Purple Line Metro extension between Bethesda and New Carrollton are just beginning to be seriously examined by the state. As the results emerge, so far transportation officials seem to be favoring an option that would run below ground. What's more, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley apparently agrees, and also is leaning towards a rail option, rather then a rapid bus alternative that has also been proposed.
The debate is shaping up much the same way it did in Virginia. While building a tunnel is more expensive, most transit advocates see it as the best way to integrate transit into a well-developed area such as Montgomery County. It is also less objectionable to Montgomery County residents who want the transit service, but not the noise and disruption that go along with it. However, Maryland's transportation finances are in serious trouble though. Even if a tunneled route would be better for the community, paying economic dividends down the line, there's the chance that the short term bottom line will win out, as it seems to have in Virginia.
The Grass is Always Greener
When we wrote about the fact that, despite passing the largest funding package in Virginia history, the state still faces a shortfall of cash for transportation projects, we never thought it would go this far. Apparently, due to lack of funds, there's little money to mow the grass in roadway medians. To stay under budget, VDOT decided to reduced the number of of times the grass would be cut to three for the entire summer. As a result, the grassy strips that run down the center of the road have turned into waist-high de facto jersey barriers. Fairfax residents are outraged, claiming that the overgrown thickets are not only unsightly, but dangerous, since they block the view of motorists around corners.
VDOT has agreed to mow more frequently where safety is an issue, but that will still leave plenty of grass uncut. Our suggestion: offer the neighborhood kids $50 a mile to mow the grass. We guarantee that area roads will look like manicured fairway all summer long!
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Speaking of Metro, anyone notice that the message boards have been giving VERY inaccurate train destination info for the past couple of weeks or so? Your hard-earned money at work.
Maybe as the Silver Line gets more and more delayed they'll start to realize the fundamental flaw in the design, namely how you can add another line to an already overburdened line.
The problem is not going to go away, and the Orange Line on its own will be crushed under its own weight by the time the Silver Line comes online. They have to start seriously considering changes to the line east of Falls Church.
My suggestion is for Virginia to consider sending a new subway line down the center of I-66 east of Ballston. Once it gets to Rosslyn, perhaps it can lead into a new tunnel or bridge over to Metro Center. This would provide an express service from Fairfax County and would alleviate a lot of the pressure on the Orange/Blue tunnel.
Obviously this is a radical and expensive idea, but it's foolish to think that you can keep pushing outward and not direct equal investment to the inner-core.
Speaking of Metro, anyone notice that the message boards have been giving VERY inaccurate train destination info for the past couple of weeks or so? Your hard-earned money at work.
Yes, it's been going on for a bit now. Metro even posted warnings on the signs a couple of weeks ago, but has since stopped that practice. It seems as though it's been resolved at some, if not most, stations. But a few are still messed up. There was some discussion of it on a Post online chat a few days ago. I can't remember what they said about any remaining problems.
Speaking of inaccuracies, I've been trying to use NextBus on the 90/92 line, but it's completely wrong. The 30/32/34/35/36 seems to work ok. Any other experiences with NextBus out there?
Here’s the problem with the bills:
“SEC. 2 (d) (3) An amendment expanding the Board of Directors of the Transit Authority to include 4 additional Directors appointed by the Administrator of General Services, of whom 2 shall be nonvoting and 2 shall be voting, and requiring one of the voting members so appointed to be a regular passenger and customer of the bus or rail service of the Transit Authority.”
The General Services Administration manages the basic federal agency functions, such as office space, some management items and transportation issues. If the Administrator of General Services gets to appoint two voting members, then it’s likely that their only concern will be rush hour service. That could easily lead to cutbacks in late night and weekend hours, trains and staff. People who depend on Metro in DC, Clarendon, Ballston and Silver Spring would really suffer.
What’s the solution? Well, if the federal government has to get two voting members then perhaps they should be chosen by an agency that actually understands urban transit policy, such as the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) or the EPA. FTA administers federal transit funding and grants. EPA advocates for smart growth, an environmentally friendly form of development. Either of these agencies would be better suited than the GSA to serve the interests of the federal government and our region’s residents.
Hey, Reid, you aren't the first to think of such a proposal. While leaving through some old WMATA studies the other day, I found a plan that would send the "silver line" (I hate that name) down the I-66 median, then across the river into Georgetown, then east along M St. with stops at New Hampshire and Connecticut, continuing along M to the new Convention Center, then heading southeast to Union Station, finally connecting with the orange line at Stadium Armory. There might have been a stop at H St NE, too.
Sounds like a great plan to me. The existing orange/blue corridor from Rosslyn through NW is at or nearing capacity during the peak of the peak. Plus, we could get subway service to Georgetown, the revitalizing H St, and more service downtown.
Why is it that in the 60s, 70s, and 80s all this tunneling was affordable and now it's not? Let's turn the gas tax to a percentage instead of cents-per-gallon and let the money for new transit projects start flowing in!!!
Recyclist, was that the long-lost split-Blue line plan?
I've seen that map and it did seem to have an express-like line through north Arlington near I-66 (although it didn't show streets, so I don't know for sure what route it took east of Ballston). I think that the split-Blue line plan is a more ambitious plan than I'm suggesting, although it would fit. I think it would be enough just to get Silver Line people in to Metro Center (although it would be equally worthwhile to dump them off in Farragut, if we can finally get a tunnel between the stations).
Also, I agree that Silver Line is a lame name. Besides, unless they're using shiney ink, it's more appropriate to call it the Gray Line. I realize all the primary and secondary colors are used up, but between J Crew, the Gap and Banana Republic, they've come up with roughly one trillion different colors. Granted, 900 million of those colors are crappy ones like "French Bread" or "Angst", but how about something simple like Crimson?
DCist, like WTOP, doesn't have the story quite right.
Transit advocates in Maryland favor a Purple Line that is mostly above ground, but goes underground where necessary to provide rapid service. We are fighting a two-front battle here. On the one hand, against the basically anti-transit folks who want bus rapid transit, or if it's going to be light rail want to put it above ground everywhere to minimize the cost. On the other side, we're fighting the NIMBYs in Chevy Chase and in the University of Maryland administration who want to put it underground basically because they don't like looking at it, or because it might get in the way of automobiles. The danger on this side is that if you underground in one area to avoid "community impacts" you wind up doing the same thing everywhere and make the whole project unaffordable.
What I've heard from the new Maryland administration is a rejection of the Ehrlich "cost minimization on matter what" philosophy, and a recognition that you won't have decent transit service if the trains run in the street and have to stop or slow down at every corner. This means that some undergrounding will be necessary, especially in East Silver Spring. But I don't see a movement toward wholesale underground construction - in fact, undergrounding in Columbia Country Club (the place where the opponents have real clout) isn't even under study.