Tonight there is an important joint meeting between West Old Town Citizens Association and the Old Town Civic Association at 7:30 p.m. at the Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street). This landmark meeting is being arranged because the issue of bus rapid transit (BRT) on Patrick and Henry Streets through our two neighborhoods is back on the table. Vice Mayor Kerry Donley will be present, because he is promoting the idea of taxing commercial businesses along the routes to defray the cost.
If you live on either Patrick or Henry streets, you need to be at that meeting.
Last month the City unveiled plans for a new "Transitway Corridor Feasibility Study." Our neighborhood (naturally) is not represented on the study group membership roster.
Readers may remember that during the drafting of the City's Master Transportation Plan there was neighborhood uproar about the prospect of bus shelters in front of living room windows and the potential loss of parking that might happen if dedicated lanes were created. In response, the group writing the plan changed the description of the three proposed transit corridors from "Route 1" to "North-South," identifying a broad swathe of streets that could alternatives.
However, the Growler has always questioned the sincerity of the move. Ponder this description, included in the announcement about the new feasibility study:
North-South—This corridor follows US 1 and connects to future transit corridors in Fairfax and Arlington Counties. The North-South corridor would serve commuters, residents, and employees with origins and destinations along the corridor; would function as an alternative to Metrorail services (Blue and Yellow lines); and would improve access to key destinations within the city and in Fairfax and Arlington Counties such as Old Town, Potomac Yard, Crystal City, the Pentagon, and Ft. Belvoir.
So was the City's adoption of the "North-South" moniker sincere? Was it really their intention to review and evaluate all the alternatives? Or was the verbiage change designed to mask the intention to ultimately run over our community by forcing BRT or streetcars down Patrick and Henry Streets?
Judge for yourselves readers. The minutes from the July 2010 Transportation Commission meeting indicates "City Council approved a master plan to adopt three high capacity transit ways in the City on Route 1, Duke Street and the Van Dorn/Beauregard Corridor." Route 1 was specifically named, not a "North-South" corridor. Freudian slip?
And when Planning Commission's representative Jesse Jennings requested clarification about the Route 1 designation at the September Transportation Commission, stating he was was under the impression a specific route had not been established, former City Council member Justin Wilson admitted Council had "fuzzied it up" and laughed.
Not a smart thing to do in the presence of neighbors like Route 1 resident Charlotte Landis.
All in all, this latest group smells of a "done deal" with regard to mass transit. Why didn't Transportation & Environmental Services Director Rich Baier tell residents about this study group when he attended the September WOTCA meeting? Why does there need to be an alternative to the Blue and Yellow line on Metro when heavy rail offers the fastest service through Alexandria into Fairfax County?
Could this latest manipulation be one more indication that City leaders don't have the will or integrity to stand up to Fairfax County or Arlington (or DoD) in defense of its neighborhoods?
65 comments:
I don't supposed they've told you this, but what's the reasoning behind putting BRT on Rt 1? To me, it seems like Washington St is the obvious choice for a N-S route.
The additional transportation options would be a welcome addition to Old Town as a whole. BRT service on or around Route 1 would be in walking distance for nearly all of Old Town whereas the Metro is not. In my opinion BRT could substantially improve the commutes for Old Town residents who need to travel North to get to work. I, for one, live in the Southwest Quadrant of Old Town and drive to Crystal City. I'd take BRT if it was available every day and that would take one car off the road.
Found this buried on the City's website:
First Meeting of the High Capacity Transit Corridors Working Group
WHEN: Thursday, October 21
WHERE: Sister Cities Conference Room, City Hall, 301 King Street
The City of Alexandria invites members of the public to attend the High Capacity Transit Corridor Work Group meeting on Thursday, October 21 from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm in Sister Cities Conference Room 1101, 301 King Street, City Hall. The meeting will focus on an overview of the Transitway Corridor Feasibility Study. For more information please click HERE or contact Steve Sindiong, Transportation Planner at 703-746-4047
Thanks, Growler. I'll be there.
Thanks, Growler. I'll be there.
"First Meeting of the High Capacity Transit Corridors Working Group"
Who are the people who have been appointed to serve on the Committee?
It's pretty bad when Alexandria's politicians are poised to the city become the ultimate pass-through locale, leaving the city's residents used and abused by north-south commuters with no visible benefit. In fact, we still get the high property taxes, taxes that apaprently don't translate into neighborhood protection in any way.
With P-G joining Old Town with historic designations that constrain the color of paints that we can use and every change to the appearance of our properties, how is it that officials could even considering allowing the changes sought in this legislation? Other communities with a fraction of our history would never be considered for such neighborhood butchery.
It's not as though traffic in the area will actually be significantly mitigated if Henry/Patrick Streets are revamped as has been previously discussed. Rather, we'll just pour more high volume into a city that can barely sustain the current traffic crush.
And to accommodate trains, bus lanes, and so forth, our city will have to not only bear the additional snarls that could come but have to deal with the hassle that losing hundreds of parking spaces would present.
Heck, Fairfax County managed to make the stretch of Route 1 just south of the city even more congested by failing to build overpasses at Fort Hunt Road and Huntington. Unless money's going to magically appear to cover that and the other messed-up sections of the roadway throughout Fairfax and Prince William County, reshaping Patrick and Henry will be pointless.
I'm sorry, but Old Town and P-G can't be made to pay for the bunglings of inter-jurisdictional decisions that have resulted in limited inroads and transit to and from DC and the rest of Northern Virginia.
This is the time for Parker-Gray and Old Town residents to put their foot down and make it clear that their way of life -- which already has given more than enough of it up to outside commuters -- outweighs another ultimately futile patch to the region’s transit system and can't be just ceded to whatever outside entity wants to play 'regional people mover.' I’m sure that at some point in the middle of last century, similar planners looked at Route 7 in Falls Church and thought that it should be widened to three lanes each way (which there was room to do) and the speed limit raised 10 to 20 mph. After all, it was a congested strip of road on a major artery that led commuters to ever-burgeoning destinations like Tysons Corner and Reston. Instead, the roads didn’t get expanded, and the speed limits are a neighborhood-friendly (and diligently-enforced) 25 mph. As a result, the area’s quality of life and community feel has endured, with the city refusing to let Fairfax County’s traffic issues destroy the way of life for those living in and around the Falls Church stretch of Route 7. Accordingly, Fairfax County has had to figure out how to deal with their issues, and have turned to other roadway improvements and the Metro bus and rail systems for that.
Also, we’re constantly hearing from officials and consultants about the importance of changing commuter habits and forcing more cars off the roads. Of course, it’s our undervalued neighborhood that these schemers would love to make the exception to the rule. We’ll instead be asked to somehow fit hundreds of cars into surrounding streets that are already at parking capacity, as well as essentially giving outside municipalities a foothold in our city roads with the ability to shape and exploit over times with pedestrian-unfriendly tweaks that could include speed limit boosts, as if the current rush hour isn’t an adventure for pedestrians. Like Route 7 in Falls Church, our stretch of Route 1 is part of our walkable community, and it's up to us, not outsiders, to shape how it integrates into our historic neighborhoods. Fairfax County can find another place to band-aid the region’s dysfunctional traffic patterns. (And if Arlington’s imangineers have a problem with it, they can always allow I-66 to be expanded and live with the consequences.)
This is the time for Parker-Gray and Old Town residents to put their foot down and make it clear that their way of life -- which already has given more than enough of it up to outside commuters -- outweighs another ultimately futile patch to the region’s transit system and can't be just ceded to whatever outside entity wants to play 'regional people mover.' I’m sure that at some point in the middle of last century, similar planners looked at Route 7 in Falls Church and thought that it should be widened to three lanes each way (which there was room to do) and the speed limit raised 10 to 20 mph. After all, it was a congested strip of road on a major artery that led commuters to ever-burgeoning destinations like Tysons Corner and Reston. Instead, the roads didn’t get expanded, and the speed limits are a neighborhood-friendly (and diligently-enforced) 25 mph. As a result, the area’s quality of life and community feel has endured, with the city refusing to let Fairfax County’s traffic issues destroy the way of life for those living in and around the Falls Church stretch of Route 7. Accordingly, Fairfax County has had to figure out how to deal with their issues, and have turned to other roadway improvements and the Metro bus and rail systems for that.
Also, we’re constantly hearing from officials and consultants about the importance of changing commuter habits and forcing more cars off the roads. Of course, it’s our undervalued neighborhood that these schemers would love to make the exception to the rule. We’ll instead be asked to somehow fit hundreds of cars into surrounding streets that are already at parking capacity, as well as essentially giving outside municipalities a foothold in our city roads with the ability to shape and exploit over times with pedestrian-unfriendly tweaks that could include speed limit boosts, as if the current rush hour isn’t an adventure for pedestrians. Like Route 7 in Falls Church, our stretch of Route 1 is part of our walkable community, and it's up to us, not outsiders, to shape how it integrates into our historic neighborhoods. Fairfax County can find another place to band-aid the region’s dysfunctional traffic patterns. (And if Arlington’s imangineers have a problem with it, they can always allow I-66 to be expanded and live with the consequences.)
" In fact, we still get the high property taxes, taxes that apaprently don't translate into neighborhood protection in any way."
We do get cast-iron trash cans. Thanks Ludwig Gaines!
"The North Potomac Yard Small Area Plan was recently awarded "Preliminary Recognition" for the Smart and Sustainable Growth award from the Smart Growth Alliance. In granting the award, the Alliance noted the project's new Metrorail station, transit corridors, density, urban street grid, retail, affordable housing and innovative stormwater management strategies.
(Please see below link for full press release.)
http://www.sgalliance.org/documents/9-11-2010.Release1.doc"
Gag me with a spoon! Does this award carry as much prestigious as the firehouse award? The same firehouse anxious renters so obviously desire.
Speaking of betrayals, look at the title and location of this upcoming meeting, which I just noticed on the city planning department's website:
Upcoming Advisory Group Meetings:
Thursday, October 28, 2010 6:30pm-9pm
Topic: Public Private Partnership Tools to promote affordable housing
Location: Jefferson Houston Elementary School, Multipurpose Room
1501 Cameron Street
"The North Potomac Yard Small Area Plan was recently awarded "Preliminary Recognition" for the Smart and Sustainable Growth award from the Smart Growth Alliance"
How do you win an award for something that doesn't exist yet and may never get fully built?
"Speaking of betrayals, look at the title and location of this upcoming meeting, which I just noticed on the city planning department's website:
Upcoming Advisory Group Meetings:
Thursday, October 28, 2010 6:30pm-9pm
Topic: Public Private Partnership Tools to promote affordable housing
Location: Jefferson Houston Elementary School, Multipurpose Room
1501 Cameron Street"
Did the city notify WOTCA of this neighborhood event to ensure some local folks would attend?
Growler, I am sure you saw this article today. I would just love for this to come up at the next JH listening session (assuming ACPS actually LISTENS)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/14/AR2010101407051.html
Low-income students in Montgomery County performed better when they attended affluent elementary schools instead of ones with higher concentrations of poverty, according to a new study that suggests economic integration is a powerful but neglected school-reform tool.
The debate over reforming public education has focused mostly on improving individual schools through better teaching and expanded accountability efforts. But the study, to be released Friday, addresses the potential impact of policies that mix income levels across several schools or an entire district. And it suggests that such policies could be more effective than directing extra resources at higher-poverty schools.
The study tracked the performance of 858 elementary students in public housing scattered across Montgomery from 2001 to 2007. About half the students ended up in schools where less than 20 percent of students qualified for subsidized meals. Most others went to schools where up to 60 percent of the students were poor and where the county had poured in extra money.
Am I the only one that thinks that turning JH into a K-8 school amounts to sequestering students from poor families into a failing environment for 3 extra years?
From Alexandria enews: An insightful view into our esteemed leaders plans for route 1.
"Both Alexandria Mayor William Euille and Arlington Board Chairman Jay Fisette closed out discussions at the meeting acknowledging that these are long-term plans that will involve continued discussions over the years. ..."Fisette acknowledged that his counterparts to the south will have to determine whether the transit-way will have the kind of ridership that justifies the expenditure. He added, however, that given plans to incorporate light rail in other parts of the area, including Alexandria and Fairfax, that it would be a missed opportunity to stop the streetcar at a certain point along Route 1. “You’re on light rail from Fairfax, and it hits all these different areas, and then once it hits Four Mile Run you have to get off and take a bus?” he says. “It’s not very logical from a regional perspective.”
Wring topic but god love this person! From alexandrianews.org
"God bless our school super and chair. They don’t want a budget. The most expensive school system in the country, the least effective school system, want a free ride. Just give me the money to waste, I don’t want no budget. Throw these bums out. Council, man up and tell them, here is the budget and hold them to it. And make it less, make the thousands of illegals and non City residents pay tuition or throw them out. Instantly, the budget would be less, you would not have to shift kids around, you would not have to build new schools. Get rid of the paper pushers and save a few million more. But even if you did all of this, we hard working, legal, tax paying residents would still be paying far too much for a school system that does not work. Can Mort push Jim around because we are stupid enough to pay him more? Rebuild the school system from the top down.
Joe Schramm"
"The study tracked the performance of 858 elementary students in public housing scattered across Montgomery from 2001 to 2007."
And that's the key, and makes the city's refusal to disperse so ridiculous even as huge neighborhoods such as Potomac Yards haven't even fully formed. It wasn't just a matter of busing, but a matter of these students not being condemned to brick-and-mortar prison of public housing.
YODA...you are not the only one thinking that way.
I wonder why some schools will have K-8 and others won't?
"Why didn't Transportation & Environmental Services Director Rich Baier tell residents about this study group when he attended the September WOTCA meeting?"
Has anyone considered serving the Manager Rich Baier's head on a platter? He's made a mess of BRAC a go with the flow kind of guy. If Pessoa could get the boot over Norfolk Southern then Baier should start packing his bags.
"If Pessoa could get the boot over Norfolk Southern then Baier should start packing his bags."
Never happen! He's a master of suck-up. Chooses the course of least political resistence then pads Committees picks his citizens accordingly.
"Am I the only one that thinks that turning JH into a K-8 school amounts to sequestering students from poor families into a failing environment for 3 extra years?"
You are not the only one. You are part of the group of many prospective parents who have already decided to move or send their kids to private schools versus invest in the mess that JH will become.
Knowing what I know from other parents about the problems at GW, this is just a way to "transfer" those problems back into Parker Gray
"Low-income students in Montgomery County performed better when they attended affluent elementary schools instead of ones with higher concentrations of poverty, according to a new study that suggests economic integration is a powerful but neglected school-reform tool. "
Someone should print this article out and paste it on Sherman's office door.
Following up on that Arlington/Alexandria meeting, I was surprised to read this:
Arlington County and the city of Alexandria want to coordinate their efforts to improve the region's transportation options, but given that Alexandria has far less money, city official are debating whether they can afford to keep pace with the improvements Arlington is planning.
Officials in both jurisdictions, who met jointly for the first time last Thursday, agree that it would be mutually beneficial to work together along their borders at Potomac Yard and Crystal City, including developing better Metro access and a unified streetcar system. But given that Arlington's budget is twice as large as Alexandria's and the county has nearly three times the taxable development as the city, Alexandria may not be able to shoulder its share of the cost.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/va/Alexandria-outmatched-by-Arlington-on-transportation-1229491-105136404.html#ixzz12ihc2ujB
We really have 1/3 the taxable development revenue of Arlington? Isn't that an indictment of our City's economic development policies? If you read the article its almost like Arlington planners feel bad for our City.
Its hard not to reach the unavoidable conclusion that in ACPS, it's more about adults keeping their jobs than it is about kids learning from them.
"Knowing what I know from other parents about the problems at GW, this is just a way to "transfer" those problems back into Parker Gray
"
Thats the same thought I had. This is just a scheme to move problems away from GW and into JH. More containment of problems....
This site from NBC News has a good take on the persistently chronic failure of ACPS. You can graphically search school performance for any school in the US.
It tells you how the ACPS school stacks up against other schools, the district against other districts, the state against other states, and the country against other countries. You can get the comparisons for graduation rates, along with a variety of test scores for various grade levels.
http://nbcscorecard.greatschools.org/schools/VA/80.html
This uses TC Williams as an example, but what u can see from search JH, GW, and other schools is that there seems to be a disintegration in academic achievement moving from JH to GW to TC, as noted in the test score data available and the graduation rates.
"Fissette added, however, that given plans to incorporate light rail in other parts of the area, including Alexandria and Fairfax, that it would be a missed opportunity to stop the streetcar at a certain point along Route 1. “You’re on light rail from Fairfax, and it hits all these different areas, and then once it hits Four Mile Run you have to get off and take a bus?” he says. “It’s not very logical from a regional perspective.”
LIGHT RAIL from Arlington to Belvoir? That's really what these geniuses who've help design this region's traffic patterns so horribly are now going to get behind? And given Fissette's tone, these plans are already well-formed with Alexandria's Route 1 corridor (which is the only logical place for a discussion of a Four Mile Run crossing involving Alexandria) the only glitch.
Sorry, Fissette, just because Arlington and Fairfax have mainly businesses rather than historic neighborhoods surrounding the Route 1 corridor doesn’t mean Alexandria should turn over the heart of two historic neighborhoods to satisfy your “regional perspective.” If we’re going to follow your logic, then we need to give over the fate of the Arlington’s part of I-66 to the same “regional perspective” and add a half dozen more lanes and interchanges, plus a Light Rail component running down the middle that connects with Metrorail in Falls Church. I mean, think of how many people in DC, Fairfax and Loudoun Countries will benefit from a regional perspective! If the Arlington Board is going to be reluctant due
Regardless, this should put us on notice that the efforts to further impact P-G and Old Town’s quality of life with more and more pass-through commuters. Not only that, but if we’re talking light rail, we’re talking major construction inconveniences and who knows how many logistical nightmares. I can’t wait to see the Kiss and Ride cues that back up streets and intersections already jammed with cars and people. The walkability of the neighborhoods already take a hit at rush hour with cars blocking intersections and zooming through lights and stop signs with pedestrians trying to cross, and there’s no doubt that it will only get worse with more of the same added to the mix and pushing people and cars off of Rotue 1 for the sake of bus or rail lines. We must assert the rights of our historic neighborhoods as has occurred in Falls Church, Arlington, and elsewhere over the desires of outside jurisdictions before it’s too late.
"Fissette added, however, that given plans to incorporate light rail in other parts of the area, including Alexandria and Fairfax, that it would be a missed opportunity to stop the streetcar at a certain point along Route 1. “You’re on light rail from Fairfax, and it hits all these different areas, and then once it hits Four Mile Run you have to get off and take a bus?” he says. “It’s not very logical from a regional perspective.”
LIGHT RAIL from Arlington to Belvoir? That's really what these geniuses who've help design this region's traffic patterns so horribly are now going to get behind? And given Fissette's tone, these plans are already well-formed with Alexandria's Route 1 corridor (which is the only logical place for a discussion of a Four Mile Run crossing involving Alexandria) the only glitch.
Sorry, Fissette, just because Arlington and Fairfax have mainly businesses rather than historic neighborhoods surrounding the Route 1 corridor doesn’t mean Alexandria should turn over the heart of two historic neighborhoods to satisfy your “regional perspective.” If we’re going to follow your logic, then we need to give over the fate of the Arlington’s part of I-66 to the same “regional perspective” and add a half dozen more lanes and interchanges, plus a Light Rail component running down the middle that connects with Metrorail in Falls Church. I mean, think of how many people in DC, Fairfax and Loudoun Countries will benefit from a regional perspective! If the Arlington Board is going to be reluctant due
Regardless, this should put us on notice that the efforts to further impact P-G and Old Town’s quality of life with more and more pass-through commuters. Not only that, but if we’re talking light rail, we’re talking major construction inconveniences and who knows how many logistical nightmares. I can’t wait to see the Kiss and Ride cues that back up streets and intersections already jammed with cars and people. The walkability of the neighborhoods already take a hit at rush hour with cars blocking intersections and zooming through lights and stop signs with pedestrians trying to cross, and there’s no doubt that it will only get worse with more of the same added to the mix and pushing people and cars off of Rotue 1 for the sake of bus or rail lines. We must assert the rights of our historic neighborhoods as has occurred in Falls Church, Arlington, and elsewhere over the desires of outside jurisdictions before it’s too late.
If they need more rail, find a way to do it on existing tracks, preferably with an integration with VRE. If shuttles to King Street Metro from the new Army offices at Beuregard are considered acceptable, then shuttles from the Lorton VRE station to Fort Belvoir should be also. It's certainly a better option to put time and money behind then some Route 1 transit patch.
Just remember who is behind all this:
Janet Gregor, a lobbyist by trade, and Tim Lovain, rejected City Councilman and whore by trade.
Learn more at their web sites:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Northern-Virginia-Streetcar-Coalition/168730621071
and
www.novastreetcar.com.
Their next meeting is October 28th. Attend it and ask questions like:
How much is this going to cost?
Where do you get your funding from?
Will it be safe?
"We must assert the rights of our historic neighborhoods as has occurred in Falls Church, Arlington, and elsewhere over the desires of outside jurisdictions before it’s too late."
With Baier at the helm? Good luck! Look at the mess Hamer and the city are making of Bland. Only 8 market rate units sold to date? Nobody but the Mayor repeatedly buys this development, education, transportation crap.
"We must assert the rights of our historic neighborhoods"
Luv it, luv it, luv it. King Street retailers demonstrated against Baier's handling of increased parking meter fees. He failed to consult them. Boutique District shop owners picketed city hall the first such protestin 80 years. Seems Baier is not just picking on us citizens.
"Only 8 market rate units sold to date"
Seriously? Only 8?
"Look at the mess Hamer and the city are making of Bland."
But did it win an award? Get your priorities straight!
Dear Mr. or Ms. "Where does it goe?"
I live in Parker Gray but, fortunately, no longer live right next to Route 1's path through our neighborhood on Patrick and Henry Streets. We and our neighborhood have given Fairfax and Arlington six lanes of traffic for use by their commuters. That's two lanes more than the four lanes Arlington has allowed for users of I-66 inside the beltway.
BRT and/or street cars will have to fit somewhere. Assuming the current plans do not involve condemning the townhouses that line Patrick and Henry Streets, that means that they will have to take up a couple of the already used six lanes, or, more likely, take out some or all of the parking spaces that currently line both sides of the two streets. Those parking spaces are used by our residents and also provide a limited buffer against the intense traffic that is already allowed on Route 1. Again, we allow more traffic through our neighborhood than Arlington does, and I-66 is buffered from Arlington by sound abatement walls, bike paths and a lot more distance than is available in Alexandria. All we've got are sidewalks and parking spaces. At the end of the day, what is on the table has to be turning the six lanes of commuter traffic into eight to ten lanes right next to the windows of the townhouses on Patrick and Henry Streets. If our elected representatives were doing their jobs as "our representatives," they would tell Arlington and Fairfax to pound sand. It is not just that there is nothing in it for any resident of Alexandria. Allowing it would compound two open wounds across the face of our historic district.
"I assume all of you complaining have never taken a bus in your life, nor have the need to take a bus. And GW Parkway is not an obvious choice, where does it goe?"
I’ll let someone else take a stab at your non-bus riding assumption. As far as where "it" goes (it being buses, rail, or whatever else Fairfax and Arlington officials deem best for us), Falls Church showed us that the traffic headed through there to Tysons doesn't have to get a high-speed transit route built by expanding Route 7 to accommodate it. The same goes for Arlington officials showing us that the traffic funneling E-W at I-66 doesn't have to force an expansion. Even DC said no to I-95 going through the city on the basis of neighborhood preservation, so we have the same sovereign right to say no to the traffic plowing through a historic part of our city to our detriment.
Alexandria already showed an inclination for preservation on Route 1 when it kept the road two lanes from Monroe Avenue to Four Mile Run even after the Potomac Yards reshaping gave the city all the room in the world to expand it. Taking on the task and expense of expanding the road for either dedicated bus or rail lanes seems more than a little ill-advised with our current budget issues. Speaking of lane restrictions, Route 1 narrows to two lanes each way not too long after Hybla Valley, and continues that way until the Fairfax County Parkway. County Supervisor McKay has talked about $150 million budgeted to “assist in the widening of Route 1 near the base,” so I’d love to know the costs and time involved in expanding the rest of the corridor (and relocating utilities built up to the roadway throughout that stretch), including the logistics of expanding the roadway at historic Woodlawn Plantation. I know historic designations don’t mean much to some officials with regional perspectives, but it just might be a bit of an issue.
"Route 1 makes sense because it goes to the shopping center, Crystal City, etc. It is all about you who live on route 1 huh? It is a parking lot already."
And since it's a parking lot already, we're supposed to just route even more outside traffic down it and let the effects spill further into Parker-Gray and Old Town? Get real. And I don't live on Route 1, but it's not just Route 1 but the entire downtown area that would be negatively affected for a traffic patch that would only spread the parking lot status of Route 1 to surrounding streets.
If Fairfax, Prince William, and Arlington are serious about improving ingress and egress to Belvoir and the Pentagon, gin up the number of shuttles running up and down I-395’s HOV lanes. It’s not up to us to come up with solutions in order to justify preserving our historic neighborhoods, but I’m more than happy to point out common-sense alternatives to the ridiculous notions being bandied about behind closed doors from Arlington to Fairfax.
I assume all of you complaining have never taken a bus in your life, nor have the need to take a bus.
And GW Parkway is not an obvious choice, where does it goe?
Route 1 makes sense because it goes to the shopping center, Crystal City, etc.
It is all about you who live on route 1 huh? It is a parking lot already.
Dear Mr. or Ms. "Where does it goe?"
I live in Parker Gray but, fortunately, no longer live right next to Route 1's path through our neighborhood on Patrick and Henry Streets. We and our neighborhood have given Fairfax and Arlington six lanes of traffic for use by their commuters. That's two lanes more than the four lanes Arlington has allowed for users of I-66 inside the beltway.
BRT and/or street cars will have to fit somewhere. Assuming the current plans do not involve condemning the townhouses that line Patrick and Henry Streets, that means that they will have to take up a couple of the already used six lanes, or, more likely, take out some or all of the parking spaces that currently line both sides of the two streets. Those parking spaces are used by our residents and also provide a limited buffer against the intense traffic that is already allowed on Route 1. Again, we allow more traffic through our neighborhood than Arlington does, and I-66 is buffered from Arlington by sound abatement walls, bike paths and a lot more distance than is available in Alexandria. All we've got are sidewalks and parking spaces. At the end of the day, what is on the table has to be turning the six lanes of commuter traffic into eight to ten lanes right next to the windows of the townhouses on Patrick and Henry Streets. If our elected representatives were doing their jobs as "our representatives," they would tell Arlington and Fairfax to pound sand. It is not just that there is nothing in it for any resident of Alexandria. Allowing it would compound two open wounds across the face of our historic district.
"I assume all of you complaining have never taken a bus in your life, nor have the need to take a bus. And GW Parkway is not an obvious choice, where does it goe?"
I’ll let someone else take a stab at your non-bus riding assumption. As far as where "it" goes (it being buses, rail, or whatever else Fairfax and Arlington officials deem best for us), Falls Church showed us that the traffic headed through there to Tysons doesn't have to get a high-speed transit route built by expanding Route 7 to accommodate it. The same goes for Arlington officials showing us that the traffic funneling E-W at I-66 doesn't have to force an expansion. Even DC said no to I-95 going through the city on the basis of neighborhood preservation, so we have the same sovereign right to say no to the traffic plowing through a historic part of our city to our detriment.
Alexandria already showed an inclination for preservation on Route 1 when it kept the road two lanes from Monroe Avenue to Four Mile Run even after the Potomac Yards reshaping gave the city all the room in the world to expand it. Taking on the task and expense of expanding the road for either dedicated bus or rail lanes seems more than a little ill-advised with our current budget issues. Speaking of lane restrictions, Route 1 narrows to two lanes each way not too long after Hybla Valley, and continues that way until the Fairfax County Parkway. County Supervisor McKay has talked about $150 million budgeted to “assist in the widening of Route 1 near the base,” so I’d love to know the costs and time involved in expanding the rest of the corridor (and relocating utilities built up to the roadway throughout that stretch), including the logistics of expanding the roadway at historic Woodlawn Plantation. I know historic designations don’t mean much to some officials with regional perspectives, but it just might be a bit of an issue.
"Route 1 makes sense because it goes to the shopping center, Crystal City, etc. It is all about you who live on route 1 huh? It is a parking lot already."
And since it's a parking lot already, we're supposed to just route even more outside traffic down it and let the effects spill further into Parker-Gray and Old Town? Get real. And I don't live on Route 1, but it's not just Route 1 but the entire downtown area that would be negatively affected for a traffic patch that would only spread the parking lot status of Route 1 to surrounding streets.
If Fairfax, Prince William, and Arlington are serious about improving ingress and egress to Belvoir and the Pentagon, gin up the number of shuttles running up and down I-395’s HOV lanes. It’s not up to us to come up with solutions in order to justify preserving our historic neighborhoods, but I’m more than happy to point out common-sense alternatives to the ridiculous notions being bandied about behind closed doors from Arlington to Fairfax.
"Route 1 makes sense because it goes to the shopping center, Crystal City, etc.
"
Um, so does the Metro. Why not try improving the area around the Metro first before building bus stops on a 3 lane road.
Instead we have 7-11 and litter galore....
"I assume all of you complaining have never taken a bus in your life, nor have the need to take a bus."
I do take the bus. And I don't live on Rt. 1. But I don't think BRT on Rt. 1 in Old Town makes sense. Sure, it makes sense in Potomac Yard. But the Old Town portion of Rt. 1 is largely residential. All the businesses are on Washington. Why shouldn't the BRT go on Washington St through Old Town? It just seems to make much more sense to me.
"If our elected representatives were doing their jobs as "our representatives," they would tell Arlington and Fairfax to pound sand
"
Or better yet, redevelop the Metro first. Why is there such clamor for a bus when we ALREADY HAVE A METRO STATION?
If the issue is the BRT riders don't live near the Metro, well then, build bus routes to get them to the Metro.
For people that question "have you been on a bus" they must never have looked at a Dash bus in their life and seen the emptiness.
If you want your tax dollars to pay for half-empty buses, don't complain when your taxes rise.
""I assume all of you complaining have never taken a bus in your life, nor have the need to take a bus. "
Buses and Metro are great. But why are we talking about BRT when we can't even get Alexandrians to use their Metro stations?
What convinces you that people will jump on a bus when they won't take Metro?
The folly of your view is the daily parking lot on Route 1 every evening. Why don't you go out there and ask those commuters if they will take the bus?
"And GW Parkway is not an obvious choice, where does it goe?"
How so? Washington goes right by all the businesses!! Think about it, it could cross over the beltway and stop near Williams Sonoma/Ace Hardare/Balduccis, continue North with a stop near the King street retail and restaurants, continue north with a stop near Talbots/Trader Joe's, continue still further north, either turning on Powhatan to get to the Target or continue north on the GW parkway with a stop at the airport and from there to Crystal City. This would have the advantage of hitting all those areas that are not already within an easy walk of the King street and Braddock metro stations. Route 1 is only 3 blocks east of the Braddock metro - a very easy walk! Conversely, the walk from either the King Street or Braddock metros to Washington is much further -- better to put the buses there where they are needed (and the businesses would welcome them).
something I dont understand is why the city does not look at its position as the thoroughfare of DC to Fairfax and beyond as a great money grab...Why they want to stick it to their own people for 9 minutes a quarter at the parking meter just seems idiotic. Here are some ideas that actually make a lot of sense to me.
1) cameras at the intersection of Oronoco and Payne and Oronoco and Fayette to bust EVERY offender between 1630 and 1830 who violates the entry law. We could make 50$ or more a pop for the city every 2 minutes, or at least finally scare people away from going there. I hate the fact that cops go out there at most once a week (if even that often) to ticket people.
2) Dallas got some private company to build a toll road (it is north of the city between the airport and mckinney) whereby every driver's liscence plate was captured so that they had to pay, but they were happy to pay since it saved them time getting to the outer ring suburbs. Why on earth has the city not contacted a private company to build a tunnel under rte 1 between the car wash and that boat store near 495 at Rte 1? The city could even make it where it were mandatory at certain hours to take the tunnel if they wanted to pass through Alexandria to get out of town or to the other side of 495 on Rte 1. I bet people would pay 2-3$ to save what appears to be 10-15 minutes just getting through our town. They dont like being in Alexandria any more than I like them being here, so lets make them happy and make some money out of it.
"It is all about you who live on route 1 huh? It is a parking lot already."
Are you an indifferent clod or just a NIMBY?
"I assume all of you complaining have never taken a bus in your life, nor have the need to take a bus."
I am a regular bus rider. And I live in Old Town, but not on Rt.1. But I still don't understand the logic of putting BRT on Rt. 1 through Old Town. It makes sense putting BRT on Rt. 1 through Crystal City and Potomac Yards, given the proximity of the shopping centers there. But through Old Town, Rt. 1 is mostly residential while Washington St is where the businesses are. Why shouldn't it go on Washington St through Old Town?
"They dont like being in Alexandria any more than I like them being here, so lets make them happy and make some money out of it."
There is part of our problem. Rather than creating a thriving commercial and retail corridor that might actually get commuters off the roads and into shops, restaurants, and bars, we would rather race them through our neighborhood on buses.
No wonder the Rt 1 corridor has no vibrancy or business. And yes, I agree we should protect residential houses, its absurd to even consider trying to clog up the road more with BRT when its not clear people will even use it.
"Um, so does the Metro. Why not try improving the area around the Metro first before building bus stops on a 3 lane road. "
Good luck with that. Thats what the "Braddock Metro" plan was supposed to do. See any results yet?
"But through Old Town, Rt. 1 is mostly residential while Washington St is where the businesses are. Why shouldn't it go on Washington St through Old Town?"
It shouldn't go there either, since this is all about a commuter patch that's all about moving people between military hubs nort and south of Alexandria. There are dedicated lanes on I-395, and that's more than adequately "rapid transit." Just up the numbers of them, and we'll save a king's ransom of money and headaches that would've been tossed after the latest half-baked transit scheme that eschews common sense.
Nimbyizm seems to be here on this blog. Dont point fingers when you don't want it in Alexandria's backyard. It's crazy that folks move into the 10th most populated CITY in America,nper square mile and then think they own the streets others drive on to get from point A to B.
That being said, the city is making a mistake trying to shove all this extra traffic on Route 1. An underground tunnel I don't understand. The vibrations of the trucks are bad enough for houses on Route 1, and you want to dig a tunnel under a historic street close to 100 year old houses?
A public road is a public road. All people pay taxes and deserve the right to drive on public roads without people saying that it's their road because they live three blocks away.
Washington St. makes a million times more sense. Push the silly leaders to make the business corridor the route. But please don't hurt the cause by being a nimbyist and claiming the public streets belong to you. You will just be talked about behind closed doors at city hall, as elitist whiners.
Perhaps it might help to ask : who exactly wants the BRT?
Is this pressure coming from Fairfax and Arlington, or is this more of a City government wish?
If its from Arlington or Fairfax, what I would like to see as a response from our City is what I have seen used by our City against people who live near ARHA public housing and clamor for some type of redevelopment.
"You moved there. You chose to live where you were, far from Metro or from where you work. If you don't like traffic move closer to a Metro or get a new job."
"Nimbyizm seems to be here on this blog"
Why shouldn't it be? Parker Gray residents received an abject lesson in nimbyism from Delray and Rosemont residents during the Braddock East/Braddock Metro planning fiascoes.
Its especially strong here because Parker Gray gains nothing from BRT. We already have 2 Metro stations. At least redevelopment promises some future hope or benefit.
"You will just be talked about behind closed doors at city hall, as elitist whiners."
I dont think anybody claims that we own the street. Frankly, the way PG residents get treated by the City, we feel like we own nothing, have no say in anything, and are just lucky to live here in Alexandria with the glorious honor of paying taxes to our City.
And I am a little perplexed as to your view that this is "whining". What would Delray or Rosemont do if you tried to run BRT up Mt Vernon Ave or Braddock Road?
I think we have already seen Delray and Rosemont's response when you broach the idea of sending poor African-American children to their schools or discuss the idea of relocating public housing to their neighborhoods, so I only shudder to think how much "whining" they would do.
"the 10th most populated CITY in America,nper square mile"
No it's not.
"Dont point fingers when you don't want it in Alexandria's backyard. It's crazy that folks move into the 10th most populated CITY in America,nper square mile and then think they own the streets others drive on to get from point A to B."
Tell that to DC. Ever heard of Barney Circle? Sorry, but we're not going to be lectured into butchering a mainly residential stretch of road in two historic neighborhoods with a dubious regional transit patch, especially when one urban neighborhood after another in this area has successfully held off similar high-traffic modifications on their roadways.
"A public road is a public road. All people pay taxes and deserve the right to drive on public roads without people saying that it's their road because they live three blocks away."
We sure can weigh in on the road's formation and capacity, which this blog has shown has gone on throughout this region. Arlington's hypocrisy on this matter is foremost in my mind, with its board chairman speaking of regional perspectives when it comes to reshaping Route 1 through Alexandria but loses that same regional perspective when it comes to roadways through his county.
"But please don't hurt the cause by being a nimbyist and claiming the public streets belong to you. You will just be talked about behind closed doors at city hall, as elitist whiners."
The ability to form their use and capacity is just as legitimate here as it is in all of the surrounding municipalities and neighborhoods. And it'll take a whole 'nother level of hypocrisy for anyone at city hall to call us elitists as they fight tooth and nail from having public housing dispersed with units coming to their neighborhoods out of Parker Gray and north and West Old Town.
And please tell us what the 'cause' is, especially since you have the gall to excoriate us for daring to voice residential impact concerns rather than laying down for transit dictums from outside officials like the Arlington board who fight similar dictums themselves. If the cause is to improve regional traffic flow, this comment section is rife with the deal-killing problems with the plan along with considerably more practical solutions than the bus/rail transit scheme. Keep trying to cow us and derail [sic] our response to this inanity all you want, but we're going to continue to keep the facts straight.
"Dont point fingers when you don't want it in Alexandria's backyard. It's crazy that folks move into the 10th most populated CITY in America,nper square mile and then think they own the streets others drive on to get from point A to B."
Tell that to DC. Ever heard of Barney Circle? Sorry, but we're not going to be lectured into butchering a mainly residential stretch of road in two historic neighborhoods with a dubious regional transit patch, especially when one urban neighborhood after another in this area has successfully held off similar high-traffic modifications on their roadways.
"A public road is a public road. All people pay taxes and deserve the right to drive on public roads without people saying that it's their road because they live three blocks away."
We sure can weigh in on the road's formation and capacity, which this blog has shown has gone on throughout this region. Arlington's hypocrisy on this matter is foremost in my mind, with its board chairman speaking of regional perspectives when it comes to reshaping Route 1 through Alexandria but loses that same regional perspective when it comes to roadways through his county.
"But please don't hurt the cause by being a nimbyist and claiming the public streets belong to you. You will just be talked about behind closed doors at city hall, as elitist whiners."
The ability to form their use and capacity is just as legitimate here as it is in all of the surrounding municipalities and neighborhoods. And it'll take a whole 'nother level of hypocrisy for anyone at city hall to call us elitists as they fight tooth and nail from having public housing dispersed with units coming to their neighborhoods out of Parker Gray and north and West Old Town.
And please tell us what the 'cause' is, especially since you have the gall to excoriate us for daring to voice residential impact concerns rather than laying down for transit dictums from outside officials like the Arlington board who fight similar dictums themselves. If the cause is to improve regional traffic flow, this comment section is rife with the deal-killing problems with the plan along with considerably more practical solutions than the bus/rail transit scheme. Keep trying to cow us and derail [sic] our response to this inanity all you want, but we're going to continue to keep the facts straight.
Is it NIMBYism when Old Town fights to preserve the waterfront from massive development?
Is it NIMBYism when the West End fights back against BRAC and the potential rape of the Winkler Nature Preserve?
Is it NIMBYism when Cameron Station rises up in anger about the Norfolk Southern ethanol transfer issues? Or when Northeast and Old Town fight the Mirant Plant (which doesn't even provide power to Alexandria)?
Those communities have not been viewed as whiners and have suffered no loss of respect or influence at City Hall. No one chants "you knew what you were getting when you moved in."
Why should WE be dismissed when we voice similar legitimate concerns about quality of life issues in our neighborhood?
Is the Washington St part of GW Parkway owned and maintained by the National Park Service? If so, I wonder if that's a reason why Washington St is not considered for the BRT. There may be issues running it on a federal road.
"There may be issues running it on a federal road."
Non-sell. US Route 1 is a federal road also. In fact Rich Baier told the civic association in September that Alexandria has jurisdiction over all streets they are all residential streets except for haz mat issues. I came to the meeting late so correct me if I heard it wrong.
"Those communities have not been viewed as whiners and have suffered no loss of respect or influence at City Hall. No one chants "you knew what you were getting when you moved in."
Or when the central district moved to redistrict in 1999.
"I wonder if that's a reason why Washington St is not considered for the BRT. There may be issues running it on a federal road."
The DASH Bus and Metrobus run on it so there shouldnt be any issues with a bus there. Also, it can veer off at Powhatan
Just to reiterate, as a former neighbor, and now Fairfax County commuter, their are "regional tranportation options" on Washington St/GW Parkway--Metro bus 11y--which runs from Belvoir to Downtown DC along the scenic GW Parkway is a viable regional transportation option that is nearly always full, but runs only during "peak times". The last bus in the morning leaves Belvoir around 7:45, why not extend the run until 9:00? Similarly, extend the evening run as well.
In previous entries there has been support for this idea on the PGG.
For that matter, extend the rush hour (3 lanes including HOV) down Washington later--to encourage people to use this path rather than Patrick and Henry.
RBT that ends at a metro is ALREADY possible for most Route 1 riders before even hitting old town, given the regional and Metro buses that already run down the FX County portion of Route 1--most of those end at Huntington or travel to Eisenhower and King Street, and those buses too are perpetually full to Huntington.
I agree with my former neighbors that more analysis of how to efficiently and economically expand existing options should be a viable option for consideration, not just the option that tears up neighborhood streets, robs people in a residential neighborhood of their peace of mind, sanity, safety and one which is likely to cause significant property damage to historic homes.
"No wonder the Rt 1 corridor has no vibrancy or business. And yes, I agree we should protect residential houses, its absurd to even consider trying to clog up the road more with BRT when its not clear people will even use it."
I never understood why anyone wants to use Rte 1 as some retail corridor in OT Alexandria. There is extremely limited parking, and the only current places that are retail are huge lots of land like the Targets off of the highway.
We have two pretty good retail corridors that are used mostly be locals (mt vernon) and non locals (king). Why on earth do we think we can support a third.... a third one that will severely hinder the quality of life of the residents on Rte 1.
Post a Comment