tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post804714034632762490..comments2024-03-28T23:14:26.719-04:00Comments on Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space: Metrorail Silver Line phase two opening this weekRichard Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-1581794189629149932022-11-30T12:19:21.317-05:002022-11-30T12:19:21.317-05:00ByfordByfordRichard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-31324268945539063472022-11-30T12:19:06.025-05:002022-11-30T12:19:06.025-05:00Wrt WMATA I am finally at the point of WTF almost ...Wrt WMATA I am finally at the point of WTF almost uniformly. There has to be good academic writing on broken to the point of unfixable organizations. Is Andy Byfird this generation David Gunn, or is it beyond fixing?Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-81646907195749668342022-11-30T12:16:37.303-05:002022-11-30T12:16:37.303-05:00Tunneling shifts the traffic from the surface in m...Tunneling shifts the traffic from the surface in meaningful ways. But yes, in terms of Watzlawick it's not second order change.<br /><br />https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Watzlawick<br /><br />From the standpoint of Engwicht, yep, reduce motor vehicle traffic, reduce the need for roadways.<br /><br />Otoh, Marseille, Thessaloniki...<br /><br />To be fair, I've argued for multi jurisdictional (really DC and Maryland) corridor management. MTA isn't into it for buses. DC and Maryland don't seem to think about it much generally.<br /><br />Eg I 270, Wisconsin Avenue Rockville Pike, Beach Drive, 16th Street, Georgia Avenue, Connecticut Avenue, and parts of 495 as a system or network.Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-43041009495346163622022-11-30T08:50:44.505-05:002022-11-30T08:50:44.505-05:00as far as i have seen "readjusting frequecies...as far as i have seen "readjusting frequecies for all day service bc of a lack of peak demand" just means crappy all day service, not an increase in it. (obviously w/o the benefit of increased peak service during the morning and evening rush(es))h st llnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-35018259040557679192022-11-29T10:59:01.839-05:002022-11-29T10:59:01.839-05:00that's the thing: tunneling a highway doesn...that's the thing: tunneling a highway doesn't meaningfully shift the traffic away from the neighborhoods at all. <br /><br />If the problem is that these neighborhoods are forced to deal with the traffic, the bold vision is to eliminate the traffic. <br /><br />Some modest deckovers are not a bold vision (particularly not the small number at immense cost that were shown in the documents circulated). It's slapping some wallpaper on an old house and pretending like it's a bold, innovative renovation. <br /><br />Which isn't to say it wouldn't be an improvement. But it ain't a transformative change. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-69933527599650372122022-11-28T15:23:22.117-05:002022-11-28T15:23:22.117-05:00Yep. A German integrated system if commuter rail, ...Yep. A German integrated system if commuter rail, heavy rail, sometimes trams, and buses, offered as a network both wide and deep (London, Paris, Zurich and many others as comparable examples) would be better. But shifting inter city away from the surface is a plus for those neighborhoods that are forced to deal with it currently.Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-91311436516393840392022-11-28T09:15:21.218-05:002022-11-28T09:15:21.218-05:00I don’t get the idea that tunneling a freeway is v...I don’t get the idea that tunneling a freeway is visionary or transformative. It doesn’t remove the cars. It's hugely expensive and offers little benefit. <br /><br />A real vision would tear out the freeways and replace them with low volume streets and good transit. Now that’s bold. But there’s a reason nobody else has done the Big Dig. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-88112149276072434222022-11-25T00:10:42.283-05:002022-11-25T00:10:42.283-05:00oops, wrt Sew and Vac, yes they need car access, p...oops, wrt Sew and Vac, yes they need car access, people aren't likely to lug vacuums and sewing machines on bikes or transit (then again wtf about "delivery and pick up"), but he is fooling himself about the value of the traffic passing his door. A huge portion is non DC, and they don't shop in DC for anything. Including vacuum and sewing machine service.<br /><br />... he could set a bike-based pick up and delivery service, but it'd have to be electric, given the topography issues in his service area.<br /><br />It'd be interesting to do a study of his credit card receipts, pull out the zip code information, and see where most of his customers are.Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-80135929089921808672022-11-25T00:07:10.937-05:002022-11-25T00:07:10.937-05:00Oh, yeah, wrt ridership, the model of transit freq...Oh, yeah, wrt ridership, the model of transit frequency is broken because it's been based on transit as primarily a conveyance to and from work, with additional breadth and depth of service as a marginal benefit for the primary service.<br /><br />Transit as a way of life alternative to the automobile is a totally different business model that has no possibility of being funded without significant subsidy.<br /><br />Let alone it being "impractical" in most places because of deconcentrated development and land use.<br /><br />I participated in a "senior transportation" focus group this week (I will write about it). I didn't expect the group--3 people use cars primarily, although one bikes some, 1 person transit dependent, and me--using car, bike and transit--would have a lot of interesting points but they did. (There were two groups, so I didn't hear anything said by the other group.)<br /><br />Basically to be mobile as you age, you need to live in a different kind of urban form (like DC or NYC, etc.). And it's totally impractical to sell your paid off house and go live in a condo downtown. Not to mention that your "use value of place" (a la _Urban Fortunes_) is not set up at all for the urban setting.Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-75565954942023284122022-11-25T00:02:06.038-05:002022-11-25T00:02:06.038-05:00No I didn't see that. Thank you.
I've wri...No I didn't see that. Thank you.<br /><br />I've written tons about undergrounding North Capitol and 695. The original idea for 695 came from now deceased planner Joseph Passonneau, although he suggested creating a boulevard.<br /><br />It wasn't my idea, but a guy trying to do some development work for Anacostia River Trust before it crashed and burned suggested that DC 295 be undergrounded, which I took up, as it fits with the other writings.<br /><br />In fact, in all the hullabaloo about a bike lane on Connecticut Avenue, I saw a piece about an ANC Commissioner "being rude" and that someone from Brothers Sew and Vac in Cleveland Park argued that a bike lane will hurt their business.<br /><br />I have mentioned undergrounding on 16th Street and Connecticut for the same reason as North Capitol or the Southeast-Southwest Freeway, that much of the traffic is inter-city, from the suburbs to the central business district, or out of the city altogether (695) and to mediate the impact on the neighborhoods, move the traffic off the surface.<br /><br />... I even mentioned this in terms of Hogan's big push on HOT lanes. You could integrate a DC underground commuter road network in it too.<br /><br />https://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2019/05/for-dc-congestion-charge-is-not-way-to.html<br /><br />BUT with transit also. At the very least, limited stop exclusive lane BRT under streets like 16th.<br /><br />====<br />wrt "leadership" one of the people I correspond with is a lifelong Washingtonian and fed up with Council, especially the new crime bill and what I tend to call the nullification of the responsibility for criminality. <br /><br />But in the context of talking about the issues, I said and I've said it with you here too, there isn't really even one City Councilmember who understands what DC's core competencies/competitive advantages are, let alone a champion for transit. Cheh is closest, but she wasn't as good as any of the Arlington Councilmembers at their period of peak "transportation demand management," let alone like Chris Zimmerman.<br /><br />I'm glad to see here the point on undergrounding, but I can't see it ever happening, because they just don't have the vision, let alone the money.<br /><br />E.g. this is a photo before and after of the Big Dig.<br /><br />https://www.flickr.com/photos/rllayman/52497445154<br /><br />One of the reasons I was interested in the BLoomingdale neighborhood initiative was because of how f*ing appalling and pathetic it was that DC Planning and Transportation disavowed any responsibility for dealing with undergrounding NOrth Capitol in their area plan, they said pursue it on your own. That's a Big F*ing Infrastructure Project far beyond the capacity of a neighborhood!!! (the only infrastructure projects I know really pushed by citizens independent of officials was the streetcar in Tucson, and the modern streetcar in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood, although eventually DART took responsibility).<br /><br />That is f*ing ludicrous.<br /><br />Anyway, Big Dig was hugely expensive. But in my way of thinking, even though to approve new HOT Lanes in Maryland I would require (1) beginning planning of PL extension to Tysons and (2) MARC under I-270.<br /><br />So having a true underground tunnel network like Singapore say, including SE-SW Freeway, DC 295, North Capitol, Georgia Avenue, 16th Street, Connecticut Avenue, and Rhode Island Avenue ain't gonna happen.<br /><br />As discussed in the previous entry, DC is so short of vision.<br /><br />Which is why the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Projects program is so impressive. (The Mick Cornett book, _Next American City_ and I've written about it a couple times.)<br /><br />It's one of the rare examples of Transformational Projects Action Planning that really happens.<br /><br />Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-57537686454205860202022-11-24T23:38:30.096-05:002022-11-24T23:38:30.096-05:00"With Silver Line now open, United Airlines e..."With Silver Line now open, United Airlines eyes Dulles airport expansion"<br /><br />https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2022/11/21/dulles-airport-silver-line-united-airlines.htmlRichard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-41412966540597601522022-11-23T09:10:49.893-05:002022-11-23T09:10:49.893-05:00I'm sure you saw this:
https://dcist.com/stor...I'm sure you saw this:<br /><br />https://dcist.com/story/22/11/17/dc-north-capitol-street-interstate-295/<br /><br />Again DC leadership has a hard time of thinking itself as a transit loci.<br /><br />The "Vison Zero" is doubling down on that, pushing money towards streets not rails.<br /><br />More than enough money in that pot to start a separate blue line, or another urban metro line.<br /><br /><br />Re: ridership. Will take a long long time for transit numbers to recover. Again anecdote but everyone in my building is now a car owner; pre covid maybe half.<br /><br />charlienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-43383141946852032272022-11-22T22:19:37.194-05:002022-11-22T22:19:37.194-05:00Pretty pathetic ridership, which is typical of lin...Pretty pathetic ridership, which is typical of line extensions so far from the core.<br /><br />For Dulles, Silver Line extension comes as airport begins makeover<br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/11/22/dulles-silver-line-upgrades/Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-23486620002623394362022-11-18T18:20:41.327-05:002022-11-18T18:20:41.327-05:00Will read. Today it works fine. The other devices ...Will read. Today it works fine. The other devices in the house work fine. It's xfinity. We have changed the router this year for that very reason on. Bit yesterday even plugged directly into the router the signal was rarely operative.<br /><br />Will read the cites. Thanks for sharing.Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-23120743881535162802022-11-18T12:36:27.370-05:002022-11-18T12:36:27.370-05:00Unfortunately , routers seem to need an upgrade/re...Unfortunately , routers seem to need an upgrade/replacement every 3 years.<br /><br />And yeah, you start to feel old with what should be easy technical problems. I'm trying to migrate Signal to a new computer and it's a bear. Likewise there is some giant memory leak in my OS. <br /><br />RE: live easier. Yep. And it's a problem when the new strategic thinking is "lets make urbanism more urban and only useful for people under 35" when that population group is dropping hard.<br /><br />Offtopic but something we referenced before:<br /><br />https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/17/budget-cooking-new-york-june-xie-interview<br /><br />also this:<br />https://www.arlnow.com/2022/11/17/some-see-a-restaurant-boom-in-arlington-after-d-c-voters-end-tipped-minimum-wage/charlienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-42880475213480437072022-11-18T12:09:05.366-05:002022-11-18T12:09:05.366-05:00My laptop and home network are increasingly incomp...My laptop and home network are increasingly incompatible (I might need a better network card) so I haven't been writing.Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-53107645510626393572022-11-18T12:07:12.893-05:002022-11-18T12:07:12.893-05:00Rail fare revenue remains down but Silver Line giv...Rail fare revenue remains down but Silver Line gives Metro optimism<br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/11/17/metro-silver-line-fare-evasion/<br /><br />Hardly anyone used the Silver Line before covid. Dulles will make a difference but probably not huge.<br /><br />Charlie's point in the previous comment about travel between Ballston (+Rosslyn?) Tysons, and Reston is interesting.Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-31897214243144389452022-11-18T12:04:35.917-05:002022-11-18T12:04:35.917-05:00Yep. Not about traffic. About the connection to th...Yep. Not about traffic. About the connection to the airport, and Tysons and Reston. Outside of the airport (and a James Monroe estate I got to stay at a couple times) I don't know enough about Loudoun to know the effect beyond the airport.<br /><br />But yes, in the past we've discussed the importance of airports. You mention BWI as secondary. I wonder if the nature of the positioning--international versus domestic, and the discounters--plus being close to Baltimore and a straight shot from DC makes a difference in opportunities. <br /><br />OTOH, versus "NoVa" the military and IT/tech where NoVa has an advantage and proximity to DC doesn't matter. But those of us who are DC centric don't see how Greater Dulles has its own momentum.<br /><br />I think the 2015 entry quotes a CEO of a firm in Reston saying their more comfortable in the suburbs versus the city. That's an issue to, what we might call high income urbanism lite, limited low income representation.<br /><br />Plus we've often discussed DC hasn't done a good job of re attraction to the city of suburban based businesses the way that Chicago has.Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-78634405076863717502022-11-18T11:09:09.984-05:002022-11-18T11:09:09.984-05:00Some pushbak on land use.
I think "pundits&q...Some pushbak on land use.<br /><br />I think "pundits" were pushing out the land-use connections quite a bit. The mistake was tying a 1960s plan for rail to subway with the plan to "downtown" Tyson's Corner.<br /><br />It's a bad hybrid. The only real winner there is Reston Town Center.<br /><br />That said, will push Dulles along and but it is a far more competitive position than BWI. I agree the number of people coming from DC or MD who will use Metrorail to Dulles will not be large, and probably price conscious. But it helps.<br /><br />The amount that will use from Tysons and Reston and Ballston is much higher. <br /><br />Like it or not, working airports do tie your economy to the national service sector.<br /><br />I remember going to a meeting who then Post's executive editor -- Steve Coll -- who laid out the Post's three priorities . Rise of tech in DC, suburban traffic and immigration. <br /><br />I very much doubt Silver Line will do anything on traffic.charlienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-2227009791149996572022-11-16T23:31:22.661-05:002022-11-16T23:31:22.661-05:00As Governor of Maryland, Hogan cut bridge tolls an...As Governor of Maryland, Hogan cut bridge tolls and didn't endeavor to make bridges multi-modal infrastructure.<br /><br />The Washington Post: Dulles Toll Road users will pay more next year to fund Silver Line.<br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/11/16/dulles-toll-road-silver-line/Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-45621156895672613822022-11-16T13:35:37.309-05:002022-11-16T13:35:37.309-05:00Wrt my point about repatterning land use:
WTOP: N...Wrt my point about repatterning land use:<br /><br />WTOP: New Silver Line stop could spark development in 2 counties.<br />https://wtop.com/virginia/2022/11/how-1-new-silver-line-stop-could-spark-development-in-2-counties/Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-82687411082095829362022-11-16T08:58:23.162-05:002022-11-16T08:58:23.162-05:00Richmond Times-Dispatch: Richmond just got closer ...Richmond Times-Dispatch: Richmond just got closer to Dulles as Metro Silver Line opens to airport.<br />https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/richmond-just-got-closer-to-dulles-as-metro-silver-line-opens-to-airport/article_73e2e1d1-9162-5c52-ab8c-05a0d258d01d.htmlRichard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-1154665167835728672022-11-15T19:08:27.002-05:002022-11-15T19:08:27.002-05:00The Washington Post: Opinion | Decades in the maki...The Washington Post: Opinion | Decades in the making, the Silver Line reaches its destination.<br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/14/silver-line-washington-metro-future/Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9238664.post-30437120485812228862022-11-15T19:04:03.862-05:002022-11-15T19:04:03.862-05:00Silver Line extension opens, adding six stations, ...Silver Line extension opens, adding six stations, Dulles connection after years of delays<br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/11/15/silver-line-extension-opening-dulles/Richard Laymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765521217875752850noreply@blogger.com