Why has 270 been horrific in the mornings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in MoCo, then I'd recommend voting against Elrich for County Exec. His solution to 270 is to ignore it or add in BRT (buses), which doesn't work well given how spread out things are up-county. Ficker lives in Boyds, and Floreen seems to have at least some grasp on the need for more roads.

. Yes a 16 lane road is a solution ...for a few years until we need 20 lanes. If you can't carpool or use public transportation or live bear your job you need to plan to sit in traffic.

The last time 270 was widened was in the late 1980's. It's time for another expansion.

Expanding 270 where it’s already wide doesn’t help the bottleneck as it still goes down to two lanes north towards Frederick. If they’re going to expand 270 then they need to widen the lanes up north not where it is already wide. Common sense

[Anonymous]

I disagree. We need more transit options, not wider roads. If you build wider roads, in a few years you'll need wider ones, then a few more years wider, and so on. If there were other convenient, reliable ways to get to work, people would use them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. We need more transit options, not wider roads. If you build wider roads, in a few years you'll need wider ones, then a few more years wider, and so on. If there were other convenient, reliable ways to get to work, people would use them.

No, PP is right, wider roads create bigger traffic jams. Google it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. We need more transit options, not wider roads. If you build wider roads, in a few years you'll need wider ones, then a few more years wider, and so on. If there were other convenient, reliable ways to get to work, people would use them.

Then why was there so much opposition to the Purple Line?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. We need more transit options, not wider roads. If you build wider roads, in a few years you'll need wider ones, then a few more years wider, and so on. If there were other convenient, reliable ways to get to work, people would use them.

Then why was there so much opposition to the Purple Line?

There wasn't so much opposition to the Purple Line - except from people in the town of Chevy Chase, who thought of the Georgetown Branch (bought for the Purple Line) as their own municipal park, and from the Columbia Country Club, which didn't want a light rail line on its golf course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in MoCo, then I'd recommend voting against Elrich for County Exec. His solution to 270 is to ignore it or add in BRT (buses), which doesn't work well given how spread out things are up-county. Ficker lives in Boyds, and Floreen seems to have at least some grasp on the need for more roads.

. Yes a 16 lane road is a solution ...for a few years until we need 20 lanes. If you can't carpool or use public transportation or live bear your job you need to plan to sit in traffic.

The last time 270 was widened was in the late 1980's. It's time for another expansion.

Houston has a 26-lane freeway. Traffic was WORSE after widening. Time to stop throwing money down a hole.

[Anonymous]

I used to live up 270 before buying in DC. Agree that widening lanes seems like a temporary fix. More investment in transit may be a better bet, along more restrictions on new development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in MoCo, then I'd recommend voting against Elrich for County Exec. His solution to 270 is to ignore it or add in BRT (buses), which doesn't work well given how spread out things are up-county. Ficker lives in Boyds, and Floreen seems to have at least some grasp on the need for more roads.

. Yes a 16 lane road is a solution ...for a few years until we need 20 lanes. If you can't carpool or use public transportation or live bear your job you need to plan to sit in traffic.

The last time 270 was widened was in the late 1980's. It's time for another expansion.

Expanding 270 where it’s already wide doesn’t help the bottleneck as it still goes down to two lanes north towards Frederick. If they’re going to expand 270 then they need to widen the lanes up north not where it is already wide. Common sense

+1 widen the bottlenecks and the narrowest parts. How in the world will widening the widest part of the road help at all?

To the person from NOVA - I used to live in NOVA and unless you’re confusing the American Legion Bridge, which always has horrible traffic with 270, you just making stuff up. I-270 compared to I-66 is night and day. Yes 270 has a lot of traffic but 66 might as well have stop lights on it. It’s so much worse in NoVA.

To all the people in Clarksburg and Frederick, look I get it, you wanted a new build. When you picked that location for the newer cheaper house while working in MoCo, NoVA, or DC you knew what you were signing up for. Move closer if you want an easier commute. For 500k you can get a fine, if smaller and older house in MoCo and 350k can get you a townhouse. No sympathy for someone that signed up for that commute. I didn’t complain about the drive on 66 when I lived in NoVA because I chose to live there.

[Anonymous]

We need more jobs in Frederick/Gaithersburg/Clarksburg.

I'd rather sit for 2 hours each way than live closer to DC or anywhere near Bethesda people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in MoCo, then I'd recommend voting against Elrich for County Exec. His solution to 270 is to ignore it or add in BRT (buses), which doesn't work well given how spread out things are up-county. Ficker lives in Boyds, and Floreen seems to have at least some grasp on the need for more roads.

. Yes a 16 lane road is a solution ...for a few years until we need 20 lanes. If you can't carpool or use public transportation or live bear your job you need to plan to sit in traffic.

The last time 270 was widened was in the late 1980's. It's time for another expansion.

Expanding 270 where it’s already wide doesn’t help the bottleneck as it still goes down to two lanes north towards Frederick. If they’re going to expand 270 then they need to widen the lanes up north not where it is already wide. Common sense

+1 widen the bottlenecks and the narrowest parts. How in the world will widening the widest part of the road help at all?

To the person from NOVA - I used to live in NOVA and unless you’re confusing the American Legion Bridge, which always has horrible traffic with 270, you just making stuff up. I-270 compared to I-66 is night and day. Yes 270 has a lot of traffic but 66 might as well have stop lights on it. It’s so much worse in NoVA.

To all the people in Clarksburg and Frederick, look I get it, you wanted a new build. When you picked that location for the newer cheaper house while working in MoCo, NoVA, or DC you knew what you were signing up for. Move closer if you want an easier commute. For 500k you can get a fine, if smaller and older house in MoCo and 350k can get you a townhouse. No sympathy for someone that signed up for that commute. I didn’t complain about the drive on 66 when I lived in NoVA because I chose to live there.

But quality of life living around DC/Bethesda people drastically drops and the use of anxiety medication increases. So that is not an option. It's not about a bigger house it's about nicer people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in MoCo, then I'd recommend voting against Elrich for County Exec. His solution to 270 is to ignore it or add in BRT (buses), which doesn't work well given how spread out things are up-county. Ficker lives in Boyds, and Floreen seems to have at least some grasp on the need for more roads.

. Yes a 16 lane road is a solution ...for a few years until we need 20 lanes. If you can't carpool or use public transportation or live bear your job you need to plan to sit in traffic.

The last time 270 was widened was in the late 1980's. It's time for another expansion.

Expanding 270 where it’s already wide doesn’t help the bottleneck as it still goes down to two lanes north towards Frederick. If they’re going to expand 270 then they need to widen the lanes up north not where it is already wide. Common sense

+1 widen the bottlenecks and the narrowest parts. How in the world will widening the widest part of the road help at all?

To the person from NOVA - I used to live in NOVA and unless you’re confusing the American Legion Bridge, which always has horrible traffic with 270, you just making stuff up. I-270 compared to I-66 is night and day. Yes 270 has a lot of traffic but 66 might as well have stop lights on it. It’s so much worse in NoVA.

To all the people in Clarksburg and Frederick, look I get it, you wanted a new build. When you picked that location for the newer cheaper house while working in MoCo, NoVA, or DC you knew what you were signing up for. Move closer if you want an easier commute. For 500k you can get a fine, if smaller and older house in MoCo and 350k can get you a townhouse. No sympathy for someone that signed up for that commute. I didn’t complain about the drive on 66 when I lived in NoVA because I chose to live there.

But quality of life living around DC/Bethesda people drastically drops and the use of anxiety medication increases. So that is not an option. It's not about a bigger house it's about nicer people.

That’s just hyperbole and if you don’t want Bethesda you can just live in a different location like Rockville, Kentlands, Potomac, Silver Spring, etc. There are plenty of down to earth places you can pick. Maybe the house has nothing to do with it for you (it’s the culture) but for many people iit is 100% housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in MoCo, then I'd recommend voting against Elrich for County Exec. His solution to 270 is to ignore it or add in BRT (buses), which doesn't work well given how spread out things are up-county. Ficker lives in Boyds, and Floreen seems to have at least some grasp on the need for more roads.

. Yes a 16 lane road is a solution ...for a few years until we need 20 lanes. If you can't carpool or use public transportation or live bear your job you need to plan to sit in traffic.

The last time 270 was widened was in the late 1980's. It's time for another expansion.

Expanding 270 where it’s already wide doesn’t help the bottleneck as it still goes down to two lanes north towards Frederick. If they’re going to expand 270 then they need to widen the lanes up north not where it is already wide. Common sense

+1 widen the bottlenecks and the narrowest parts. How in the world will widening the widest part of the road help at all?

To the person from NOVA - I used to live in NOVA and unless you’re confusing the American Legion Bridge, which always has horrible traffic with 270, you just making stuff up. I-270 compared to I-66 is night and day. Yes 270 has a lot of traffic but 66 might as well have stop lights on it. It’s so much worse in NoVA.

To all the people in Clarksburg and Frederick, look I get it, you wanted a new build. When you picked that location for the newer cheaper house while working in MoCo, NoVA, or DC you knew what you were signing up for. Move closer if you want an easier commute. For 500k you can get a fine, if smaller and older house in MoCo and 350k can get you a townhouse. No sympathy for someone that signed up for that commute. I didn’t complain about the drive on 66 when I lived in NoVA because I chose to live there.

But quality of life living around DC/Bethesda people drastically drops and the use of anxiety medication increases. So that is not an option. It's not about a bigger house it's about nicer people.

That’s just hyperbole and if you don’t want Bethesda you can just live in a different location like Rockville, Kentlands, Potomac, Silver Spring, etc. There are plenty of down to earth places you can pick. Maybe the house has nothing to do with it for you (it’s the culture) but for many people iit is 100% housing.

I don't know anybody that moved for housing. Most people don't want congestion and rude people. ... Potomac, SS, Takoma Park... still the same. Kentlands maybe but the houses are on top of each other and not everybody likes fake walkability, many want to walk in the woods, trees, streams, etc.

rockville is fine but if you want to go for a hike, you need to drive for 20 - 30 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in MoCo, then I'd recommend voting against Elrich for County Exec. His solution to 270 is to ignore it or add in BRT (buses), which doesn't work well given how spread out things are up-county. Ficker lives in Boyds, and Floreen seems to have at least some grasp on the need for more roads.

. Yes a 16 lane road is a solution ...for a few years until we need 20 lanes. If you can't carpool or use public transportation or live bear your job you need to plan to sit in traffic.

The last time 270 was widened was in the late 1980's. It's time for another expansion.

Expanding 270 where it’s already wide doesn’t help the bottleneck as it still goes down to two lanes north towards Frederick. If they’re going to expand 270 then they need to widen the lanes up north not where it is already wide. Common sense

+1 widen the bottlenecks and the narrowest parts. How in the world will widening the widest part of the road help at all?

To the person from NOVA - I used to live in NOVA and unless you’re confusing the American Legion Bridge, which always has horrible traffic with 270, you just making stuff up. I-270 compared to I-66 is night and day. Yes 270 has a lot of traffic but 66 might as well have stop lights on it. It’s so much worse in NoVA.

To all the people in Clarksburg and Frederick, look I get it, you wanted a new build. When you picked that location for the newer cheaper house while working in MoCo, NoVA, or DC you knew what you were signing up for. Move closer if you want an easier commute. For 500k you can get a fine, if smaller and older house in MoCo and 350k can get you a townhouse. No sympathy for someone that signed up for that commute. I didn’t complain about the drive on 66 when I lived in NoVA because I chose to live there.

This doesn't fix the problem. https://www.wired.com/2014/06/wuwt-traffic-induced-demand/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in MoCo, then I'd recommend voting against Elrich for County Exec. His solution to 270 is to ignore it or add in BRT (buses), which doesn't work well given how spread out things are up-county. Ficker lives in Boyds, and Floreen seems to have at least some grasp on the need for more roads.

. Yes a 16 lane road is a solution ...for a few years until we need 20 lanes. If you can't carpool or use public transportation or live bear your job you need to plan to sit in traffic.

The last time 270 was widened was in the late 1980's. It's time for another expansion.

Expanding 270 where it’s already wide doesn’t help the bottleneck as it still goes down to two lanes north towards Frederick. If they’re going to expand 270 then they need to widen the lanes up north not where it is already wide. Common sense

+1 widen the bottlenecks and the narrowest parts. How in the world will widening the widest part of the road help at all?

To the person from NOVA - I used to live in NOVA and unless you’re confusing the American Legion Bridge, which always has horrible traffic with 270, you just making stuff up. I-270 compared to I-66 is night and day. Yes 270 has a lot of traffic but 66 might as well have stop lights on it. It’s so much worse in NoVA.

To all the people in Clarksburg and Frederick, look I get it, you wanted a new build. When you picked that location for the newer cheaper house while working in MoCo, NoVA, or DC you knew what you were signing up for. Move closer if you want an easier commute. For 500k you can get a fine, if smaller and older house in MoCo and 350k can get you a townhouse. No sympathy for someone that signed up for that commute. I didn’t complain about the drive on 66 when I lived in NoVA because I chose to live there.

But quality of life living around DC/Bethesda people drastically drops and the use of anxiety medication increases. So that is not an option. It's not about a bigger house it's about nicer people.

That’s just hyperbole and if you don’t want Bethesda you can just live in a different location like Rockville, Kentlands, Potomac, Silver Spring, etc. There are plenty of down to earth places you can pick. Maybe the house has nothing to do with it for you (it’s the culture) but for many people iit is 100% housing.

I don't know anybody that moved for housing. Most people don't want congestion and rude people. ... Potomac, SS, Takoma Park... still the same. Kentlands maybe but the houses are on top of each other and not everybody likes fake walkability, many want to walk in the woods, trees, streams, etc.

rockville is fine but if you want to go for a hike, you need to drive for 20 - 30 minutes.

There is housing surrounding the Kentlands with more land. I know because I viewed houses there. Lots of them. Rockville is further south than Kentlands, it doesn’t take 20-30 minutes. I’m not sure where you’re getting that. I can drive from Rockville to Rt 50 in half an hour if I leave at 6AM. Where are you going? Especially if your commute is already more than double that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in MoCo, then I'd recommend voting against Elrich for County Exec. His solution to 270 is to ignore it or add in BRT (buses), which doesn't work well given how spread out things are up-county. Ficker lives in Boyds, and Floreen seems to have at least some grasp on the need for more roads.

. Yes a 16 lane road is a solution ...for a few years until we need 20 lanes. If you can't carpool or use public transportation or live bear your job you need to plan to sit in traffic.

The last time 270 was widened was in the late 1980's. It's time for another expansion.

Expanding 270 where it’s already wide doesn’t help the bottleneck as it still goes down to two lanes north towards Frederick. If they’re going to expand 270 then they need to widen the lanes up north not where it is already wide. Common sense

+1 widen the bottlenecks and the narrowest parts. How in the world will widening the widest part of the road help at all?

To the person from NOVA - I used to live in NOVA and unless you’re confusing the American Legion Bridge, which always has horrible traffic with 270, you just making stuff up. I-270 compared to I-66 is night and day. Yes 270 has a lot of traffic but 66 might as well have stop lights on it. It’s so much worse in NoVA.

To all the people in Clarksburg and Frederick, look I get it, you wanted a new build. When you picked that location for the newer cheaper house while working in MoCo, NoVA, or DC you knew what you were signing up for. Move closer if you want an easier commute. For 500k you can get a fine, if smaller and older house in MoCo and 350k can get you a townhouse. No sympathy for someone that signed up for that commute. I didn’t complain about the drive on 66 when I lived in NoVA because I chose to live there.

But quality of life living around DC/Bethesda people drastically drops and the use of anxiety medication increases. So that is not an option. It's not about a bigger house it's about nicer people.

That’s just hyperbole and if you don’t want Bethesda you can just live in a different location like Rockville, Kentlands, Potomac, Silver Spring, etc. There are plenty of down to earth places you can pick. Maybe the house has nothing to do with it for you (it’s the culture) but for many people iit is 100% housing.

I don't know anybody that moved for housing. Most people don't want congestion and rude people. ... Potomac, SS, Takoma Park... still the same. Kentlands maybe but the houses are on top of each other and not everybody likes fake walkability, many want to walk in the woods, trees, streams, etc.

rockville is fine but if you want to go for a hike, you need to drive for 20 - 30 minutes.

This is a major metropolitan area. If you want to have a substantial amount of property, and be able to "walk in the woods, trees, streams, etc." in close proximity to your house, you're just going to have to accept that you're going to have to deal with traffic to get into the city. It's unrealistic (and a little ridiculous) to expect transportation policy to focus on making that particular arrangement as convenient as possible.

As other PPs have mentioned, it's well documented that road expansion is at best a temporary panacea to congestion, and has no impact long term at all. Accordingly, solutions that focus on greater density and mass transit are more cost effective, and will have a greater impact. In addition, creating new job centers and promoting remote work arrangements will be very helpful.

This being America, there are always going to be suburbs with large lots, and people who want to live in them. And that's fine. But traffic is going to be bad, and probably will get worse. Everyone has to do a cost-benefit analysis - is the large lot and big house near the forest worth the commute? For me, the answer is no, but others have to decide for themselves.