Dulles Rail Plan in the news

Phase One Route, "Silver Line" subway in Fairfax County, Virginia.

In the Washington Post article "Rte. 7 Makeover Part Of Dulles Rail Plan: Metrorail Proposal Cuts Costs but Adds Pedestrian-Friendly Design in Tysons," Leef Smith writes "Leesburg Pike in Tysons Corner is a mishmash of fast-food restaurants, car dealerships and chain stores. Access roads bump up against the main highway, traffic lights are jammed together, and this time of year, cars slow to a crawl. Now picture an eight-lane, pedestrian-friendly urban boulevard with a Metrorail line overhead."

My reaction is that a sidewalk doesn't make an 8 lane highway either an urban boulevard or pedestrian-friendly.

In reading that story as well as "Project officials present changes to Dulles Rail" and this strident editorial "Fairfax County writes a blank check" both in the Examiner, it occurs to me that the Tysons Corner area (which I have no desire to fix, my focus is on the center city) could use a dose of intra-TC transportation enhancement with something like the Portland Streetcar.

In any case, the editorial misses an important point. It complains about the likely need to increase taxes to pay for the "Silver Line" WMATA subway extension. How does the Examiner think that Fairfax County pays for all its roads? Are roads the only "transportation" mode deserving of subsidy? Why aren't other transportation modalities considered equally worthy of "subsidy?"

Note: The Examiner article, gives the location of tonight's public hearing about this--

Information Session- Thursday, Dec. 8- 6 to 8:30 p.m.- Spring Hill Elementary School, 8201 Lewinsville Road, McLean- Formal presentation at 7 p.m.

And for more information, check out the website for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.

Index Keywords: transit; sprawl