INTERSECT
Newsletter of the Washington Regional Network For Livable
Communities
Volume 7 Number 5
June 24, 2003
Support Intersect, join WRN!
Summary:
*100,000 More D.C. Residents: Who Benefits? Sept. 30
Forum, 7 pm
* Putting the Bus on the Map: "Secret" Transit
System Comes to Light
* Virginia Considers Private Offer to Widen Beltway with
Priced Lanes; 2002 Study Shows Better Relief By Not Adding New Lanes
* WRN investigates: How is the Walk to the Fort Totten
Metro Station?
* D.C. Bicycle Plan Aims to Encourage Everyday Bicycling
* Gov. Ehrlich Favors Country Club Over Transit Line
* New Report Shows Rising Transportation Costs Hurt
Working Families
* Metro Seeks Builders for Joint Development Sites
* Upcoming Events
* Support WRN's Work & Thank You's
WRN Forum announcement:
100,000 More D.C. Residents:
Who Benefits?
September 30, 2003
7 pm program (6:30 pm refreshments)
at the Sumner School, 1201 17th Street, NW, D.C. (at M Street, near
Dupont Circle & Farragut North Metro stations)
Panelists:
Alice M. Rivlin, Brookings Institution
Skip McKoy, DC Agenda
Jim Dickerson, Manna, Inc.
Loretta Tate, Marshall Heights Community Development Organization,
Inc.
Moderator:
Bob Pohlman, Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development
Mayor Williams has adopted the goal of 100,000 more DC residents over
the next 10 years. This goal has sparked debate and policy proposals
from all quarters. Affordable housing and anti-poverty activists claim
100,000 more residents might mean more displacement of existing low
income families. Alice M. Rivlin, one of the initiators of the 100,000
more residents proposal, has recently put forth a strategy to retain
and attract families to the District while repairing its troubled public
institutions and restoring its fiscal health.
Join us for a lively discussion about how restoring historic population
levels of the District of Columbia might help existing residents and
create a better future for the region. Learn what are the potential
benefits, threats and strategies for a revitalized D.C.
For background information, see Dr. Rivlin's papers on 100,000 more
D.C. residents: Revitalizing Washington's Neighborhoods: A Vision Takes
Shape, http://www.brook.edu/es/urban/gwrp/publinks/2003/rivlinrevitalizing.htm
And see DC Agenda's, 100,000 New Taxpayers Does Not Have To Mean 100,000
New Residents. http://www.dcagenda.org/pdf/NIS100K.pdf
RSVP (attendance only): WRN, 202/667-5445, or
E-mail: staff@washingtonregion.net. This event is free of charge.
Find out more about WRN at: http://www.washingtonregion.net.
__________________________________________________________________
Putting the Bus on the Map: "Secret"
Transit System Comes to Light
By Shannon Brown
Hampered by unpredictable arrival times, seemingly unknown destinations
and infrequent service, most residents view the region's bus system
as a second-rate option for travel. On July 16, over seventy residents,
activists and public officials gathered at a public forum, hosted by
the Washington Regional Network for Livable Communities (WRN) and Sierra
Club, to discuss improving Metrobus.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) assistant general
manager Edward Thomas presented the results of the first comprehensive
study in over 30 years recently completed by WMATA. "The average
bus speed is 5 mph to 11 mph. We'll have to do a lot better to make
the bus system more attractive," he said. Speed, frequency and
reliability of service are three critical elements identified by the
study for improvement. WMATA has already initiated several new improvements
that will be implemented over the next few years. After the current
test-period is completed, electronic SmartTrip card readers will be
installed on all buses, reducing the cost of bus to rail transfers.
Bus information is also improving. Thanks in part due to Sierra Club's
advocacy efforts, free system maps will soon be available, along with
bus maps posted at Metrorail stations. Special bus maps posted at downtown
DC bus shelters are also being installed, in cooperation with the Downtown
Business Improvement District. Despite near term implementation of several
improvements, Thomas stressed that $171 million remains unfunded for
the most urgent bus priorities.
To many of the area's residents, the bus system remains a secret system.
According to D.C. Department of Transportation director Dan Tangherlini,
95 percent of D.C. residents live within 1/4 mile of a bus stop, yet
taking the bus remains a last resort for many. Despite the bus's bad
image, D.C. bus riders substantially outnumber Metrorail riders: with
286,000 bus rides a day, and 178,000 DC resident Metrorail riders a
day.
In addition to making access to Metrobus easier, Metro Board member
and Arlington County Board member Chris Zimmerman discussed making buses
more efficient. Currently, buses frequently get stuck in traffic. "We
should be rewarding those that make the choice [to use transit] and
start allocating street lanes for transit," he said. With so many
problems with the bus system, there is little incentive to ride it.
Zimmerman hopes innovations in Arlington and regionally will attract
more riders.
Planning for a K Street busway was cited by both Zimmerman and Tangherlini
discussed. The study, which should be completed in late 2003, will look
at creating designated lanes for buses through the business corridor.
Designated bus lanes will speed up service, delivering more reliable
downtown bus service.
Signal prioritization, fare automation, real-time information, and more
comfortable buses are improvements that Zimmerman believes will improve
the reliability of service and enhance its image.
Most bus riders that attended the meeting shared similar concerns about
unreliable service. Barriers to getting route information, infrequency
of service, particularly on weekends, and lack of shelters are a few
of the issues raised by audience members. Zimmerman called buses that
run extremely late and arrive in bunches of threes "unacceptable"
when addressing one audience member comment.
To learn about the Sierra Club's campaign to Increase Metrobus Ridership
Through Better Bus Information, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/dc/sprawl/;
for more on WMATA's Regional Bus Study, see: http://www.wmata.com/about/expansion/bus_study.cfm
__________________________________________________________________
Virginia Considers Private Offer
to Widen Beltway with Priced Lanes; 2002 Study Shows Better Relief By
Not Adding New Lanes
by Carrie Ashendel
On July 17th, Virginia's Commonwealth Transportation Board approved
a private proposal by construction firm Fluor Daniel to add four high
occupancy toll/HOV lanes or "HOT" lanes to a 12-mile segment
of the Beltway for further study under the Public-Private Transportation
Act (PPTA). According to the proposal, HOT lanes would be free to carpoolers,
buses and emergency vehicles; cars carrying only one or two people would
pay a variable toll to use the lanes. Large trucks would not be allowed
in HOT lanes.
While the private firm calls for constructing four additional lanes
to the Beltway between the Springfield Interchange and the Dulles Toll
Road, a 2002 case study examining the implementation of HOT lanes on
the Beltway estimated a greater benefit from pricing two existing lanes
in each direction.
According to a report by Patrick DeCorla-Souza, a researcher at the
Federal Highway Administration, implementation of HOT lanes on existing
Beltway lanes could improve traffic flow without expansion. Using an
innovative analytical tool, DeCorla-Souza's analysis describes some
of the costs and benefits relevant to Fluor Daniel's proposal. The author
estimates that by dividing the existing four-lane cross section in each
direction into two equal sections, one priced express with free HOV
and transit access and the other local with toll credits using the FAIR
lanes concept (providing credits to drivers in free lanes so they can
have occasional free rides in the HOT lanes), delays can be reduced
by more than 75 percent of the reduction expected by expanding the Beltway
by one HOV lane in each direction. This no-expansion pricing alternative
leads to a decline in vehicle trips due to increased use of public transit
and carpools - a future goal in transportation according to VDOT's 1997
Major Investment Study, which concluded that improvements promoting
HOV and public transit are the most effective tools in fighting increasing
congestion.
On the other hand, the alternative in the study that most closely resembles
Fluor Daniel's proposal, calling for the addition of two HOT lanes in
each direction with daily vehicle trips close to those forecasted for
the Beltway in coming years, would induce substantial numbers of new
vehicle trips due to increased capacity.
Ronald Kirby, transportation director for the Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments suggests that relentless congestion is bringing
growing acceptance to the idea of value pricing. "I think people
are recognizing that the [traffic] problem continues to get worse, and
there's a willingness to try new things," Kirby said, according
to the Washington Post.
If HOT lanes are considered at all, government officials usually shun
the idea of existing managing highway capacity with HOT lanes. DeCorla-Souza's
analysis, however, shows that the most cost-effective way to improve
congestion and mobility may be the value pricing on existing lanes.
DeCorla-Souza estimates that the no-expansion HOT lane implementation
would cost $3 an hour of delay reduced, which includes the expense of
increased public transit capacity resulting from this option. While
the study's alternative most closely resembling Fluor Daniel's proposal
does not incur such public transit expenses, it results in higher construction
costs and lower toll revenue due to the decreased HOT lane demand that
results from increased overall capacity. This, in addition to its greater
increase in delay during construction, makes it more than twice as expensive
at $7 per hour of congestion delay reduced.
Fluor Daniel must submit a detailed proposal to authorities by October
2003. At this time, the public will have a 60-day review period for
input before the PPTA advisory panel makes a recommendation to the commission
on whether to enter into negotiations with the firm.
For DeCorla-Souza's paper see: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/steam/smitemldoc.htm,
for more on the Fluor Daniel proposal see: http://virginiadot.org/infoservice/news/newsrelease.asp?ID=CO-038,
___________________________________________________________
WRN investigates: How is the
Walk to the Fort Totten Metro Station?
by Alphonso Coles
Often when we think of how people commute to work, we think of the
drive, train or bus ride. Little is attention is given to how pleasant
or safe the walk is to the bus or train. With federal parkland hemming
in the Fort Totten Metro station on two sides, access is constrained
not only by traffic-dominated roads, but by unlit, unpaved shortcuts
that link homes and the station. Given all the constraints, the WRN,
asked Metro riders this July, how is the walk? To find out, WRN conducted
several community walks around the neighborhood on routes that connect
pedestrians to the Metro station, and intercepted Metro riders leaving
the station on a weekday evening to ask them about their walk.
Neighborhood residents, riders at the Fort Totten Metro station, and
DC government planners identified several impediments to a better walk:
a large and poorly designed intersection, unsafe or missing sidewalks,
improper signage, dim or unlit paths, speeding traffic, and overgrown
brush. Assessment of the street environment focused on the supersized
intersection at Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue which presents hazards
to both automobiles and pedestrians. The complicated intersection with
high speed traffic, missing sidewalks, and unsafe pedestrian crossings
causes many walkers to avoid the intersection altogether. Disappearing
sidewalks were identified on streets large and small, and dirt paths
were found showing the "desire lines" of pedestrians where
sidewalks were only provided on one side of the street or where pedestrians
have cut well-worn shortcuts across parkland. Several bus stops were
also observed to be served by dirt paths only.
On July 23, WRN conducted a survey of Metro riders exiting the station
during the evening rush hour under the banner, "Is Your Walk To
Metro Safe?" Drawn by a large aerial photo of the area, commuters
who walked to the station were asked to mark on a map where they lived,
and were asked to gauge the extent to which they thought that the walking
conditions should be improved. The most common complaint was feeling
unsafe on the paths through National Park Service land. Many commuters
believe the unlit, unpaved paths are poorly patrolled by the police,
and that most commuters avoid the paths at night. Also, Metro riders
often wait for a bus rather walk a short distance to their homes. In
addition to better lighting, paved footpaths and sidewalks on both sides
of the street, interviewees also suggested better land uses around the
station. Land uses that offer convenient shops and more "eyes on
the street," would foster a greater sense of safety and comfort.
For more information, contact Alphonso Coles, WRN Outreach, at (202)
667-5445.
______________________________________________________
D.C. Bicycle Plan Aims to Encourage
Everyday Bicycling
Despite rainy weather, bicycle enthusiasts showed up to participate
in Ward by Ward rides throughout the summer as part of an effort to
revise the District of Columbia's Bicycle Master Plan. Input from riders
and the public will help establish the preliminary bicycle route network
for the Master Plan that will be ready this fall. The final plan is
scheduled to be completed by early 2004.
The goal of the D.C. Bicycle Master Plan is to increase the number
of trips people make by bicycle through improving bicycling conditions
throughout the District of Columbia. The final plan will include a route
network of bicycling facilities, a map showing bike facilities and streets
suitable for bicycling, bicycle facility design guidelines, and recommended
policies for improving the District's bicycling climate. D.C. Department
of Transportation, the plan's sponsor, considers public participation
a critical component of plan development.
The plan update marks the most substantial effort to improve bicycling
conditions since 1975. The D.C. Bicycle Master Plan is part of a renewed
effort by the city to improve bicycling conditions in the District.
Over the past several years, the District has reestablished the District's
Bicycle Program Manager position in the D.C. Department of Transportation,
reconstituted the Bicycle Advisory Council, and installed new bicycle
lanes and bicycle racks throughout the city.
Renewed government support comes at a time when more people all over
the region are bicycling, and other jurisdictions are working to plan
for better bicycle travel too. According to the Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments, more than 25,000 bicycle trips per day were
made in the District of Columbia in 1994. Between 1990 and 2000, the
number of bicycle commuting trips by D.C. residents increased by 80
percent. As traffic congestion in the region grows, many D.C. and area
residents are discovering that bicycling is an affordable, efficient,
and healthy means of transportation.
Other bicycle planning in the region includes a first-ever Loudoun
County bicycle-pedestrian plan, which held a public hearing in June,
and the Northern Virginia Regional Bikeway & Trail Network Study
by the Virginia Department of Transportation, scheduled to be completed
by the end of the year. Montgomery County is also conducting a Bikeways
Master planning process.
For more information see: www.bikemap.com/dcbikeplan.
_______________________________________________________________
Gov. Ehrlich Favors Country Club
Over Transit Line
by Cheryl Cort
Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich's announcement that a future Purple
Line transit line "will not go through the country club" was
denounced by transit advocates this week. The governor referred to a
railroad right of way which passes through Columbia Country Club in
Chevy Chase. The rail right of way, which runs through the country club,
was purchased by Montgomery County in 1989 to build a new transit line,
and was recently selected as the route for the Purple Line by the Montgomery
and Prince George's County Councils. The governor's policy statement
appeared in an interview in the August 23 Montgomery Gazette newspaper.
Until now, proponents of the Purple Line viewed the Ehrlich administration
open to a multi-million dollar compromise to tunnel the transit line
under the exclusive club's golf course.
"The governor has been to Columbia Country Club at least twice
since the election, but he hasn't ridden public transit in this corridor
even once," said Action Committee for Transit President Ben Ross.
The Purple Line is a proposed light rail line connecting Bethesda and
Silver Spring and eventually reaching to New Carrollton. Planning for
the Purple Line proposal was advancing to completion under Gov. Parris
Glendening when Gov. Ehrlich took office earlier this year. The planning
of the transit line has been restarted and renamed the "Bicounty
transitway." A new study will delay the project by about three
years, according to Webb Smedley of the Coalition to Build the Inner
Purple Line. The State of Maryland plans to convene public meetings
soon to initiative the planning process for the Bicounty Transitway
study.
____________________________________________________________
New Report Shows Rising Transportation
Costs Hurt Working Families
Transportation costs for households in the Washington Area are the
second highest expense after their homes, new data shows. Families are
spending 16 percent of their budgets to get around, an amount on the
rise. A recent study by Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP)
found that transportation costs are rising fastest for poor families,
who are spending 40 percent of their take home pay for transportation,
compared to 17 percent for the average family.
Commenting on the study, the Coalition for Smarter Growth highlighted
efforts that will put more conveniently located housing options within
financial reach of working families: Fannie Mae's Location Efficient
Mortgage and Smart Commute Mortgage Programs. Similar to the one-car,
no-car mortgages that WRN called for in the early 1990s, these programs
will allow people to qualify for larger mortgages if they live near
transit service, under the assumption that living in walkable communities
near transit saves on transportation costs. The Location Efficient Mortgage
carefully maps all neighborhoods and takes the amenities within walking
distance into account as well as the frequency of the transit service.
On July 23, Fannie Mae launched the Smart Commute Mortgage program in
the DC area. "While it is encouraging that Fannie Mae understands
that public transit accessibility saves consumers money, those benefits
multiply if one also lives in a compact, walkable neighborhood. Fannie
Mae has another mortgage product that recognizes this and is even better
for people who live in smart growth locations: the Location Efficient
Mortgage or LEM. Fannie Mae should be promoting the LEM in the DC region
as well as Smart Commute," said Scott Bernstein of the Center for
Neighborhood Technology in Chicago. Location Efficient Mortgages, which
can be worth as much as $48,000 in extra home buying power compared
to the $10-15,000 expected for the Smart Commute Mortgages, are only
offered in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. Fannie Mae
has no plans to offer LEMs in the DC region.
The full report on transportation costs is available at: www.transact.org.
For more on LEMs, see: http://www.locationefficiency.com/
________________________________________________________
Metro Seeks Builders for Joint
Development Sites
by Cheryl Cort
The Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA or Metro)
is seeking mixed use, transit-oriented development proposals for 11
sites in the region. In its latest request for joint development proposals
on July 31, the transit agency highlighted its new policy seeking proposals
that, "reduce automobile dependency, increase pedestrian/bicycle
trips to transit, foster safety in the area around transit stations,
improve connections to transit stations, including bus access, create
opportunities to obtain goods and services near transit stations, [and]
offer active public spaces." The request for proposals also notes
that it would consider an increase or reduction in the number of commuter
parking spaces currently on site. The new joint development policy was
revised in part due to recommendations by WRN and the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation in 2001. Despite new flexibility in commuter parking replacement
requirements, WMATA only encourages flexible management of parking for
one of the sites offered in the July 31 request.
Due to the efforts of the Prince George's County and the City of Hyattsville,
a 2003 refinement to the 1998 station area plan calls for "a mix
of residential and commercial uses, an extensive system of civic, park
and open spaces, and a balanced parking, street and pedestrian circulation
network." The WMATA document specifically cites the plan, and requests
a "balanced parking system (on-street, surface and structures,
including WMATA facilities on site)." WMATA's routine statement
that all WMATA "facilities displaced by development must be replaced
on site," is replaced by the more flexible West Hyattsville study
recommendations for the 27 acre parcel. For the 15 acre Dunn Loring-Merrifield
site, the WMATA request requires an increase in Metro patron parking,
citing a recent amendment to the local Comprehensive Plan. WMATA is
currently considering a first-ever reduction in commuter parking replacement
for a joint development project at the Rhode Island Avenue station which
has been under negotiation for more than a year. A recent study showed
that reallocating the $8 million for replacement parking expenses to
walk, bike and bus access would generate twice as many Metro riders.
To view the request see: http://www.wmata.com/bus2bus/jd/jointdev.cfm.
To view the West Hyattsville TOD Strategy report, see: http://www.mncppc.org/cpd/PDFs/westhyattsvillefinal.pdf
________________________________________________________________
EVENTS
Saturday, August 30, 9:00-11:00am. Annual Arlington County Bicycle
Advisory Committee Bike Ride. County Board members Paul Ferguson
and Walter Tejada will join the BAC, other interested residents, and
county staff for the ride. The ride will begin and end at the Park at
the corner of Columbia Pike and Walter Reed Drive, in front of the Eckerd
Drug Store. Car parking is available on the street or at Career Center
located off Walter Reed Drive. For more information, contact Charlie
Denney, (703) 228-3633
Thursday, September 25, 12:30-1:30 pm. Smart Growth: A Better Way
to Code. Conventional zoning codes often impede smart growth development.
In their place, planners and architects have developed new types of
codes that encourage adaptable, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly communities.
Geoff Ferrell, principal of Geoff Ferrell Associates, and Timothy Lynch
of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization will speak on these
efforts. At the National Building Museum. Free. Registration not required.
http://www.nbm.org/Events/Calendar/Lectures_Symposia.html#better
Monday, September 29, 5:30-7:00pm. Taste of the Purple Line Fundraiser.
This event, sponsored by the Action Committee for Transit, will feature
food from locally-owned restaurants at stops along the future Inner
Purple Line. At the Woman's Club of Chevy Chase, 7931 Connecticut Ave.
Tickets are $75 for one person and $125 for couples. For more information,
call: 301-588-7606 or visit http://www.actfortransit.org/taste
Monday, September 15, 5:00pm. Washington Smart Growth Recognition
Program Proposals Due. The Washington Smart Growth Alliance (SGA)
is now accepting applications for the 3rd quarter round of the Smart
Growth Recognition Program. This program endorses private sector smart
growth project proposals in the Washington area that currently are being
or shortly will be reviewed by local government regulatory agencies.
A full description of the program and application instructions can be
found at http://washington.uli.org/sga and http://washington.uli.org/sga/brochure.pdf.
Saturday, September 20, 2003. BIKE DC. Join thousands of cyclists
on a 12 or 30 mile car-free bike tour of the monumental spaces, riverfronts,
and neighborhoods of Washington, DC. Giant Food Bike DC is a fully supported,
family-friendly event open to riders of all abilities. Proceeds from
the tour go to support the advocacy efforts of the Washington Area Bicyclist
Association (WABA). The rides begin and end at 14th & Pa. Avenue,
NW. For more information, 202-628-2500, or visit: www.WABA.org.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003. Shady Grove Sector Plan Public Meeting.
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is holding
a public meeting to review the draft sector plan developed from the
community charrettes. The meeting will be held at 16641 Crabbs Branch
Way. For more information visit: www.mcparkandplanning.org/shadygrove
_____________________________________________________________
Support WRN's work:
Help us make the walk to Fort Totten and all our Metro stations safe.
WRN invites you to contribute $35, $50, $100 or $200 to help us increase
access to transit and create truly walkable neighborhoods throughout
the region. Contribution forms are available at: http://www.washingtonregion.net/html/contributionform.html.
THANK YOUs
WRN thanks the following individual and organizational donors for their
support of WRN's work: Don V. Harris, William Mosley, W. Kent Cooper,
Bruce Adams, Tad Baldwin, Richard Reis, Jim Clarke, Frederik Van Bolhuis,
Lynne Breaux Cooper, Edward McMahon, Kimberly Hill Hoover and Allyson
Lynn Hackney, Joshua Vincent and the Henry George Foundation of America,
William Janssen, Deborah Katz, Leonard Foxwell, Toby Millman, Joanne
Droppers, Allen Greenberg, Nancy Smith, Linda Freimark, Michael Replogle
and Environmental Defense, David Levy, Cynthia Rubenstein, Lee Epstein,
Jessica Cogan, Christine Matthews, Jim Abdo and ABDO Development, Joseph
Horning and Horning Brothers Company, Harry Sanders, Rob Wiley Carey,
Mary T. Brown and Stephen Cerny.
___________________________________________________________________
Intersect staff: Cheryl Cort, editor; Elizabeth Cox, Alphonso Coles
and Shannon Brown, staff writers; Carrie Ashendel and David Talbot,
contributing writers. Comments and articles welcome.
._______________________________________________________________________
WRN advocates transportation investments, land use
policies, and community designs that enhance existing communities and the
environment of the National Capital Region.
Comments
and articles welcome.
Washington
Regional Network For Livable Communities
1777
Church Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 667-5445 Fax: (202)
667-4491
Email:
staff@washingtonregion.net
Web:
http://www.washingtonregion.net
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