Will DC resume commuter traffic patterns in the fall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we will reach a new normal. Many office workers will have the choice to telework 2-3 days per week or more.

Connecticut Avenue is not going to revert back. The reversible lanes are permanently gone. The only question at this point is if there will be bike lanes or not.

And Beach Drive will remain as it currently is. there is no reason for a national park to be opened to polluting cars for single occupancy access during rush hour. All of the parking areas there are open as they always are, so if anyone wants to visit, they can via the south. They just cannot drive through it.

I sincerely hope so. It will make it a lot simpler and more convenient to get around.

It would actually make it simpler and more convenient for me to get around if they did install bike lanes on Connecticut, since I plan to commute to work by bike when my office reopens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP is wrong - they haven't decided on whether Beach Drive will stay closed or not. The National Park Service is going to be doing a survey soon about it. CT Ave reversible lanes are gone, but I think the right-most traffic lanes is back during commuting hours. I thought they were planning bike lanes, but not 100% sure it's been finally decided. I think there will be a lot more work from home than pre-COVID (maybe 2-3 days a week for many employers), so I'm hoping traffic will be no worse than before the pandemic even with losing some lanes. But schools will still be in session, so that will affect morning commutes for some.

Beach Drive is going to stay closed. Book it. Yes, there will be hearings and other petitions and stuff, but it will remain as is.

[Anonymous]

No, haven't you heard? They've put bike lanes everywhere and made traffic terrible on purpose, because they think we're all suddenly going to become bike riders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for any other routes, but for the last few years I've "commuted" crosstown during the evening rush via 295/695/Rock Creek Parkway and 295/695/66 to host trivia in various bars in NW and NOVA. During the pandemic I continued to utilize those routes for various reasons despite trivia obviously not being a thing.

I can tell you that right now we're back to at least 70% of pre-pandemic traffic on those routes. We might get some lasting relief, but it'll be a minor improvement at best.

I'm wondering if this has to do with the demographics of the companies that choose to continue telework - perhaps the ones more likely to let their employees work from home are the newer, hipper, more tech-oriented companies that already attracted the kind of young, socially active, environmentally conscious employees who already eschewed cars in favor of Metro, bikes, and walking to work while the stodgy old companies that are forcing their employees back are by and large the ones where the car-obsessed suburban dwellers worked.

This is why there is no way that they can continue to keep Beach Drive closed, keep the Jersey barriers block traffic lanes on several main arterials and not re-implement the reversible lanes.

What do you mean, there's no way? Of course there's a way. All they have to do is not change what's there right now.

Anyway, Beach Drive is open, just not for people who want to drive cars on it.

Sure. They could just keep things as is. What you do you think will happen once traffic is 100% back to pre-pandemic levels if the current measures remain in place? Are there any other interests or considerations that the city government would want to take into account?

I think that people will make different transportation choices. What do you think will happen?

I am asking you what you think direct and anticipated results of your proposal would be. You say that people would make different choices. That's good. Any other consequences?

DP. People making different choices is a consequence.

What do you think will happen? Don't just beat around the bush, say what you mean.

[Anonymous]

CT lanes study will be out next week and we will know more. I think it is hard to close Beach and not reopen reversible lanes on CT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for any other routes, but for the last few years I've "commuted" crosstown during the evening rush via 295/695/Rock Creek Parkway and 295/695/66 to host trivia in various bars in NW and NOVA. During the pandemic I continued to utilize those routes for various reasons despite trivia obviously not being a thing.

I can tell you that right now we're back to at least 70% of pre-pandemic traffic on those routes. We might get some lasting relief, but it'll be a minor improvement at best.

I'm wondering if this has to do with the demographics of the companies that choose to continue telework - perhaps the ones more likely to let their employees work from home are the newer, hipper, more tech-oriented companies that already attracted the kind of young, socially active, environmentally conscious employees who already eschewed cars in favor of Metro, bikes, and walking to work while the stodgy old companies that are forcing their employees back are by and large the ones where the car-obsessed suburban dwellers worked.

This is why there is no way that they can continue to keep Beach Drive closed, keep the Jersey barriers block traffic lanes on several main arterials and not re-implement the reversible lanes.

What do you mean, there's no way? Of course there's a way. All they have to do is not change what's there right now.

Anyway, Beach Drive is open, just not for people who want to drive cars on it.

Sure. They could just keep things as is. What you do you think will happen once traffic is 100% back to pre-pandemic levels if the current measures remain in place? Are there any other interests or considerations that the city government would want to take into account?

It's not going to be up to the city government, though, either way, since Beach Drive is a National Park Service road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for any other routes, but for the last few years I've "commuted" crosstown during the evening rush via 295/695/Rock Creek Parkway and 295/695/66 to host trivia in various bars in NW and NOVA. During the pandemic I continued to utilize those routes for various reasons despite trivia obviously not being a thing.

I can tell you that right now we're back to at least 70% of pre-pandemic traffic on those routes. We might get some lasting relief, but it'll be a minor improvement at best.

I'm wondering if this has to do with the demographics of the companies that choose to continue telework - perhaps the ones more likely to let their employees work from home are the newer, hipper, more tech-oriented companies that already attracted the kind of young, socially active, environmentally conscious employees who already eschewed cars in favor of Metro, bikes, and walking to work while the stodgy old companies that are forcing their employees back are by and large the ones where the car-obsessed suburban dwellers worked.

This is why there is no way that they can continue to keep Beach Drive closed, keep the Jersey barriers block traffic lanes on several main arterials and not re-implement the reversible lanes.

What do you mean, there's no way? Of course there's a way. All they have to do is not change what's there right now.

Anyway, Beach Drive is open, just not for people who want to drive cars on it.

Sure. They could just keep things as is. What you do you think will happen once traffic is 100% back to pre-pandemic levels if the current measures remain in place? Are there any other interests or considerations that the city government would want to take into account?

I think that people will make different transportation choices. What do you think will happen?

I am asking you what you think direct and anticipated results of your proposal would be. You say that people would make different choices. That's good. Any other consequences?

DP. People making different choices is a consequence.

What do you think will happen? Don't just beat around the bush, say what you mean.

I think the consequence will be the public will get extremely angry with the DC government and a few years from now, they will start ripping out bike lanes.

[Anonymous]

So why do Americans think that is ok, but somehow residents in other countries embrace the biking and mass transit options available to them? Why do we let cars rule our land use and lives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CT lanes study will be out next week and we will know more. I think it is hard to close Beach and not reopen reversible lanes on CT.

Disagree, they are two separate decisions made by two separate entities.

In the case of Beach Drive, it is the national park service, whose mission it is to administer national parks. Having a park used as a daily commuter route with impacts on the plants and animals, and the air in the park is simply a bad idea.

For CT Ave, the residents up and down the Avenue would prefer a vibrant and walkable public space rather than a commuter highway.

There is overwhelming support for both proposals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So why do Americans think that is ok, but somehow residents in other countries embrace the biking and mass transit options available to them? Why do we let cars rule our land use and lives?

Cars make people's lives better. Most people prefer to drive. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for any other routes, but for the last few years I've "commuted" crosstown during the evening rush via 295/695/Rock Creek Parkway and 295/695/66 to host trivia in various bars in NW and NOVA. During the pandemic I continued to utilize those routes for various reasons despite trivia obviously not being a thing.

I can tell you that right now we're back to at least 70% of pre-pandemic traffic on those routes. We might get some lasting relief, but it'll be a minor improvement at best.

I'm wondering if this has to do with the demographics of the companies that choose to continue telework - perhaps the ones more likely to let their employees work from home are the newer, hipper, more tech-oriented companies that already attracted the kind of young, socially active, environmentally conscious employees who already eschewed cars in favor of Metro, bikes, and walking to work while the stodgy old companies that are forcing their employees back are by and large the ones where the car-obsessed suburban dwellers worked.

This is why there is no way that they can continue to keep Beach Drive closed, keep the Jersey barriers block traffic lanes on several main arterials and not re-implement the reversible lanes.

What do you mean, there's no way? Of course there's a way. All they have to do is not change what's there right now.

Anyway, Beach Drive is open, just not for people who want to drive cars on it.

Sure. They could just keep things as is. What you do you think will happen once traffic is 100% back to pre-pandemic levels if the current measures remain in place? Are there any other interests or considerations that the city government would want to take into account?

I think that people will make different transportation choices. What do you think will happen?

I am asking you what you think direct and anticipated results of your proposal would be. You say that people would make different choices. That's good. Any other consequences?

DP. People making different choices is a consequence.

What do you think will happen? Don't just beat around the bush, say what you mean.

Not PP, but how privileged it is of you to place the burden for figuring out how to get back and forth to work without a car on employees when it is the employers who dictate whether WFH is an option. Many folks don't have the option to telecommute 2-3 days/week. Many folks cannot just "get a job closer to where they live." Many folks cannot "move closer to where they live." Many folks don't live near viable public commuting options. This may come as a surprise to you. Perhaps you are young, white and earn more than $75K/year and are in a position to make these choices. Many of the rest of us simply aren't.

Many folks cannot physically ride a bike many miles to work. Many of us have to pick up kids, groceries, and other heavy things on the way home. It is unrealistic and naive of you to think that all of this can be done on a bike -- particularly in the rain, on ice, or in the snow. That you yourself manage to do it does not mean that everyone else should be expected to do so.

So, please take your messaging and advocacy for a car-less society to the appropriate audience: employers who dictate that folks must commute in; city planners who failed to put in adequate, wide-spread, and affordable public transportation (a $12/day round-trip bus-Metro commute that eats up 2 hours/day is not going to meet this criteria, BTW, for somene who's paid $75K/year before taxes which is approx. $56K net); and employers who keep getting away with discriminatory hiring practices (e.g., ageism, racism, sexism) that prevent true job mobility (ever tried to get hired as a 55-year-old black man?).

In the meantime, please leave all of us who are struggling to make ends meet, who are digging quarters out of the dryer to add to a Metro card just to get back and forth to work, who have kids to pick up at camp, at school, from the babysitter, from a friend's house, who need to shop for more than a couple days' worth of groceries, who need to lug home several pounds of books, sports equipment, laptops, and whatnot home in backpacks and briefcases, or who need to take groceries to elderly parents after work or take them or kids to the doctor's, dentist's, or Target to get supplies for a school project, etc. on a weeknight already filled with errands -- ALONE!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for any other routes, but for the last few years I've "commuted" crosstown during the evening rush via 295/695/Rock Creek Parkway and 295/695/66 to host trivia in various bars in NW and NOVA. During the pandemic I continued to utilize those routes for various reasons despite trivia obviously not being a thing.

I can tell you that right now we're back to at least 70% of pre-pandemic traffic on those routes. We might get some lasting relief, but it'll be a minor improvement at best.

I'm wondering if this has to do with the demographics of the companies that choose to continue telework - perhaps the ones more likely to let their employees work from home are the newer, hipper, more tech-oriented companies that already attracted the kind of young, socially active, environmentally conscious employees who already eschewed cars in favor of Metro, bikes, and walking to work while the stodgy old companies that are forcing their employees back are by and large the ones where the car-obsessed suburban dwellers worked.

This is why there is no way that they can continue to keep Beach Drive closed, keep the Jersey barriers block traffic lanes on several main arterials and not re-implement the reversible lanes.

What do you mean, there's no way? Of course there's a way. All they have to do is not change what's there right now.

Anyway, Beach Drive is open, just not for people who want to drive cars on it.

Sure. They could just keep things as is. What you do you think will happen once traffic is 100% back to pre-pandemic levels if the current measures remain in place? Are there any other interests or considerations that the city government would want to take into account?

I think that people will make different transportation choices. What do you think will happen?

I am asking you what you think direct and anticipated results of your proposal would be. You say that people would make different choices. That's good. Any other consequences?

DP. People making different choices is a consequence.

What do you think will happen? Don't just beat around the bush, say what you mean.

Not PP, but how privileged it is of you to place the burden for figuring out how to get back and forth to work without a car on employees when it is the employers who dictate whether WFH is an option. Many folks don't have the option to telecommute 2-3 days/week. Many folks cannot just "get a job closer to where they live." Many folks cannot "move closer to where they live." Many folks don't live near viable public commuting options. This may come as a surprise to you. Perhaps you are young, white and earn more than $75K/year and are in a position to make these choices. Many of the rest of us simply aren't.

Many folks cannot physically ride a bike many miles to work. Many of us have to pick up kids, groceries, and other heavy things on the way home. It is unrealistic and naive of you to think that all of this can be done on a bike -- particularly in the rain, on ice, or in the snow. That you yourself manage to do it does not mean that everyone else should be expected to do so.

So, please take your messaging and advocacy for a car-less society to the appropriate audience: employers who dictate that folks must commute in; city planners who failed to put in adequate, wide-spread, and affordable public transportation (a $12/day round-trip bus-Metro commute that eats up 2 hours/day is not going to meet this criteria, BTW, for somene who's paid $75K/year before taxes which is approx. $56K net); and employers who keep getting away with discriminatory hiring practices (e.g., ageism, racism, sexism) that prevent true job mobility (ever tried to get hired as a 55-year-old black man?).

In the meantime, please leave all of us who are struggling to make ends meet, who are digging quarters out of the dryer to add to a Metro card just to get back and forth to work, who have kids to pick up at camp, at school, from the babysitter, from a friend's house, who need to shop for more than a couple days' worth of groceries, who need to lug home several pounds of books, sports equipment, laptops, and whatnot home in backpacks and briefcases, or who need to take groceries to elderly parents after work or take them or kids to the doctor's, dentist's, or Target to get supplies for a school project, etc. on a weeknight already filled with errands -- ALONE!

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why do Americans think that is ok, but somehow residents in other countries embrace the biking and mass transit options available to them? Why do we let cars rule our land use and lives?

Cars make people's lives better. Most people prefer to drive. Sorry.

There are about 42,000 people in the US whose lives were not made better by cars last year. Their loved ones' lives last year were probably also not made better by cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we will reach a new normal. Many office workers will have the choice to telework 2-3 days per week or more.

Connecticut Avenue is not going to revert back. The reversible lanes are permanently gone. The only question at this point is if there will be bike lanes or not.

And Beach Drive will remain as it currently is. there is no reason for a national park to be opened to polluting cars for single occupancy access during rush hour. All of the parking areas there are open as they always are, so if anyone wants to visit, they can via the south. They just cannot drive through it.

So if Connecticut Avenue will be effectively narrowed, and Beach Drive will be closed. what is DC's plan to move traffic to and from downtown? Reno Road?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not PP, but how privileged it is of you to place the burden for figuring out how to get back and forth to work without a car on employees when it is the employers who dictate whether WFH is an option. Many folks don't have the option to telecommute 2-3 days/week. Many folks cannot just "get a job closer to where they live." Many folks cannot "move closer to where they live." Many folks don't live near viable public commuting options. This may come as a surprise to you. Perhaps you are young, white and earn more than $75K/year and are in a position to make these choices. Many of the rest of us simply aren't.

Many folks cannot physically ride a bike many miles to work. Many of us have to pick up kids, groceries, and other heavy things on the way home. It is unrealistic and naive of you to think that all of this can be done on a bike -- particularly in the rain, on ice, or in the snow. That you yourself manage to do it does not mean that everyone else should be expected to do so.

So, please take your messaging and advocacy for a car-less society to the appropriate audience: employers who dictate that folks must commute in; city planners who failed to put in adequate, wide-spread, and affordable public transportation (a $12/day round-trip bus-Metro commute that eats up 2 hours/day is not going to meet this criteria, BTW, for somene who's paid $75K/year before taxes which is approx. $56K net); and employers who keep getting away with discriminatory hiring practices (e.g., ageism, racism, sexism) that prevent true job mobility (ever tried to get hired as a 55-year-old black man?).

In the meantime, please leave all of us who are struggling to make ends meet, who are digging quarters out of the dryer to add to a Metro card just to get back and forth to work, who have kids to pick up at camp, at school, from the babysitter, from a friend's house, who need to shop for more than a couple days' worth of groceries, who need to lug home several pounds of books, sports equipment, laptops, and whatnot home in backpacks and briefcases, or who need to take groceries to elderly parents after work or take them or kids to the doctor's, dentist's, or Target to get supplies for a school project, etc. on a weeknight already filled with errands -- ALONE!

Presumably, if you must drive, and you can't drive on Beach Drive, then you will figure out a different driving route.

In the big picture, though: obody is stopping you from driving. What you want is not to be left alone. What you want is for the government to continue to prioritize convenient car-commuting over every other consideration. That's what the government has done in the past. But it's increasingly unlikely that local governments will continue to do that in the future.