D.C. needs to get a lot more car friendly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the subway is going to be unusable, and everyone is fine with that, then we need to accommodate people where they are -- in cars.

There are going to be far more people on the roads and that means we need a lot more parking, more emphasis on easing traffic, etc. Ridership on the subway is down 75 percent from pre-pandemic levels.

I didnt used to drive all that much, but now with the subway basically in moth balls, I drive everywhere.

This.

People driving in cities suffer from problems of geometry- if more people are in cars then the only way to make more room for them is to take space from something else. You want parking? I have never driven into a pay lot in DC and not been able to find a spot so I aside you want on street parking. Ok, that takes a lane away from driving. Do you want to close the sidewalks then so that cars can go there? If you really want to be able to drive I. The fort you should advocate for more public transportation so that fewer people are in cars. 30 people can fit on a bus that takes up the space of three cars. Would you really prefer those people be in 30 cars?

I think what drivers want is a return to what they had: ample street parking. In recent years, these spaces have been intentionally reduced. First city spaces were stripped to install city bikes, which could easily be installed on sidewalks as well. Then parking was removed for food trucks. Then parking was removed for bike lanes. These were existing spaces that worked fine. All the spaces on Connecticut Ave NW (on the Zoo side) have been removed for no explicable reason. While public transportation does make sense in most instances, it certainly isn't the most desirable way to commute during a pandemic.

Parking spaces are necessary but you also need to realize that they are subsidized from tax dollars of people with and without cars for the storage of cars on public land. Deciding that the best use of public land and tax dollars for convenient car storage is what you are doing when you complain about parking.

And as with anything, if you build it, they will come. If you build lots of parking and widen roads to accommodate cars, you will get more cars. If you build a safe connected bike route, you will get more bikes on the road and more cars off the road.

Wishful thinking. Last time I checked barely anyone uses the bike lanes.

How are you determining this? Most of the time I look out my window at home, no one is driving down the street, either. I wouldn't say it was a waste of money for them to have paved it, though.

The continual build out of bike infrastructure is not justified based on the low overall number of bikes utilizing the lanes, you would think there are at least 100,000 bike commuters based on the build out and that is nowhere near true. Meanwhile more and more cars continue to use roads and lanes are shrinking. Supply and demand isn't being followed at all.

The roads are pretty underutilized. Not a lot of cars on there, so we can start removing more lanes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the subway is going to be unusable, and everyone is fine with that, then we need to accommodate people where they are -- in cars.

There are going to be far more people on the roads and that means we need a lot more parking, more emphasis on easing traffic, etc. Ridership on the subway is down 75 percent from pre-pandemic levels.

I didnt used to drive all that much, but now with the subway basically in moth balls, I drive everywhere.

This.

People driving in cities suffer from problems of geometry- if more people are in cars then the only way to make more room for them is to take space from something else. You want parking? I have never driven into a pay lot in DC and not been able to find a spot so I aside you want on street parking. Ok, that takes a lane away from driving. Do you want to close the sidewalks then so that cars can go there? If you really want to be able to drive I. The fort you should advocate for more public transportation so that fewer people are in cars. 30 people can fit on a bus that takes up the space of three cars. Would you really prefer those people be in 30 cars?

I think what drivers want is a return to what they had: ample street parking. In recent years, these spaces have been intentionally reduced. First city spaces were stripped to install city bikes, which could easily be installed on sidewalks as well. Then parking was removed for food trucks. Then parking was removed for bike lanes. These were existing spaces that worked fine. All the spaces on Connecticut Ave NW (on the Zoo side) have been removed for no explicable reason. While public transportation does make sense in most instances, it certainly isn't the most desirable way to commute during a pandemic.

Parking spaces are necessary but you also need to realize that they are subsidized from tax dollars of people with and without cars for the storage of cars on public land. Deciding that the best use of public land and tax dollars for convenient car storage is what you are doing when you complain about parking.

And as with anything, if you build it, they will come. If you build lots of parking and widen roads to accommodate cars, you will get more cars. If you build a safe connected bike route, you will get more bikes on the road and more cars off the road.

Wishful thinking. Last time I checked barely anyone uses the bike lanes.

How are you determining this? Most of the time I look out my window at home, no one is driving down the street, either. I wouldn't say it was a waste of money for them to have paved it, though.

The continual build out of bike infrastructure is not justified based on the low overall number of bikes utilizing the lanes, you would think there are at least 100,000 bike commuters based on the build out and that is nowhere near true. Meanwhile more and more cars continue to use roads and lanes are shrinking. Supply and demand isn't being followed at all.

You'd think the subway being practically mothballed would be a huge pick up opportunity for biking. I mean, thousands and thousands of people suddenly looking for a new way to get around? Instead, they've turned to...cars. What a surprise. People just aren't into bikes, no matter how much money the government spends....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the subway is going to be unusable, and everyone is fine with that, then we need to accommodate people where they are -- in cars.

There are going to be far more people on the roads and that means we need a lot more parking, more emphasis on easing traffic, etc. Ridership on the subway is down 75 percent from pre-pandemic levels.

I didnt used to drive all that much, but now with the subway basically in moth balls, I drive everywhere.

This.

People driving in cities suffer from problems of geometry- if more people are in cars then the only way to make more room for them is to take space from something else. You want parking? I have never driven into a pay lot in DC and not been able to find a spot so I aside you want on street parking. Ok, that takes a lane away from driving. Do you want to close the sidewalks then so that cars can go there? If you really want to be able to drive I. The fort you should advocate for more public transportation so that fewer people are in cars. 30 people can fit on a bus that takes up the space of three cars. Would you really prefer those people be in 30 cars?

I think what drivers want is a return to what they had: ample street parking. In recent years, these spaces have been intentionally reduced. First city spaces were stripped to install city bikes, which could easily be installed on sidewalks as well. Then parking was removed for food trucks. Then parking was removed for bike lanes. These were existing spaces that worked fine. All the spaces on Connecticut Ave NW (on the Zoo side) have been removed for no explicable reason. While public transportation does make sense in most instances, it certainly isn't the most desirable way to commute during a pandemic.

Parking spaces are necessary but you also need to realize that they are subsidized from tax dollars of people with and without cars for the storage of cars on public land. Deciding that the best use of public land and tax dollars for convenient car storage is what you are doing when you complain about parking.

And as with anything, if you build it, they will come. If you build lots of parking and widen roads to accommodate cars, you will get more cars. If you build a safe connected bike route, you will get more bikes on the road and more cars off the road.

Wishful thinking. Last time I checked barely anyone uses the bike lanes.

How are you determining this? Most of the time I look out my window at home, no one is driving down the street, either. I wouldn't say it was a waste of money for them to have paved it, though.

The continual build out of bike infrastructure is not justified based on the low overall number of bikes utilizing the lanes, you would think there are at least 100,000 bike commuters based on the build out and that is nowhere near true. Meanwhile more and more cars continue to use roads and lanes are shrinking. Supply and demand isn't being followed at all.

You'd think the subway being practically mothballed would be a huge pick up opportunity for biking. I mean, thousands and thousands of people suddenly looking for a new way to get around? Instead, they've turned to...cars. What a surprise. People just aren't into bikes, no matter how much money the government spends....

Funny, I see almost no one driving these days.

[Anonymous]

It’s funny because the only roads off limits for bike lanes in DC appear to be the roads DC residents would use to drive to their jobs in VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the subway is going to be unusable, and everyone is fine with that, then we need to accommodate people where they are -- in cars.

There are going to be far more people on the roads and that means we need a lot more parking, more emphasis on easing traffic, etc. Ridership on the subway is down 75 percent from pre-pandemic levels.

I didnt used to drive all that much, but now with the subway basically in moth balls, I drive everywhere.

This.

People driving in cities suffer from problems of geometry- if more people are in cars then the only way to make more room for them is to take space from something else. You want parking? I have never driven into a pay lot in DC and not been able to find a spot so I aside you want on street parking. Ok, that takes a lane away from driving. Do you want to close the sidewalks then so that cars can go there? If you really want to be able to drive I. The fort you should advocate for more public transportation so that fewer people are in cars. 30 people can fit on a bus that takes up the space of three cars. Would you really prefer those people be in 30 cars?

I think what drivers want is a return to what they had: ample street parking. In recent years, these spaces have been intentionally reduced. First city spaces were stripped to install city bikes, which could easily be installed on sidewalks as well. Then parking was removed for food trucks. Then parking was removed for bike lanes. These were existing spaces that worked fine. All the spaces on Connecticut Ave NW (on the Zoo side) have been removed for no explicable reason. While public transportation does make sense in most instances, it certainly isn't the most desirable way to commute during a pandemic.

Parking spaces are necessary but you also need to realize that they are subsidized from tax dollars of people with and without cars for the storage of cars on public land. Deciding that the best use of public land and tax dollars for convenient car storage is what you are doing when you complain about parking.

And as with anything, if you build it, they will come. If you build lots of parking and widen roads to accommodate cars, you will get more cars. If you build a safe connected bike route, you will get more bikes on the road and more cars off the road.

Wishful thinking. Last time I checked barely anyone uses the bike lanes.

How are you determining this? Most of the time I look out my window at home, no one is driving down the street, either. I wouldn't say it was a waste of money for them to have paved it, though.

The continual build out of bike infrastructure is not justified based on the low overall number of bikes utilizing the lanes, you would think there are at least 100,000 bike commuters based on the build out and that is nowhere near true. Meanwhile more and more cars continue to use roads and lanes are shrinking. Supply and demand isn't being followed at all.

You'd think the subway being practically mothballed would be a huge pick up opportunity for biking. I mean, thousands and thousands of people suddenly looking for a new way to get around? Instead, they've turned to...cars. What a surprise. People just aren't into bikes, no matter how much money the government spends....

CaBi and other bike shares are highly utilized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the subway is going to be unusable, and everyone is fine with that, then we need to accommodate people where they are -- in cars.

There are going to be far more people on the roads and that means we need a lot more parking, more emphasis on easing traffic, etc. Ridership on the subway is down 75 percent from pre-pandemic levels.

I didnt used to drive all that much, but now with the subway basically in moth balls, I drive everywhere.

This.

People driving in cities suffer from problems of geometry- if more people are in cars then the only way to make more room for them is to take space from something else. You want parking? I have never driven into a pay lot in DC and not been able to find a spot so I aside you want on street parking. Ok, that takes a lane away from driving. Do you want to close the sidewalks then so that cars can go there? If you really want to be able to drive I. The fort you should advocate for more public transportation so that fewer people are in cars. 30 people can fit on a bus that takes up the space of three cars. Would you really prefer those people be in 30 cars?

I think what drivers want is a return to what they had: ample street parking. In recent years, these spaces have been intentionally reduced. First city spaces were stripped to install city bikes, which could easily be installed on sidewalks as well. Then parking was removed for food trucks. Then parking was removed for bike lanes. These were existing spaces that worked fine. All the spaces on Connecticut Ave NW (on the Zoo side) have been removed for no explicable reason. While public transportation does make sense in most instances, it certainly isn't the most desirable way to commute during a pandemic.

Parking spaces are necessary but you also need to realize that they are subsidized from tax dollars of people with and without cars for the storage of cars on public land. Deciding that the best use of public land and tax dollars for convenient car storage is what you are doing when you complain about parking.

And as with anything, if you build it, they will come. If you build lots of parking and widen roads to accommodate cars, you will get more cars. If you build a safe connected bike route, you will get more bikes on the road and more cars off the road.

Wishful thinking. Last time I checked barely anyone uses the bike lanes.

How are you determining this? Most of the time I look out my window at home, no one is driving down the street, either. I wouldn't say it was a waste of money for them to have paved it, though.

The continual build out of bike infrastructure is not justified based on the low overall number of bikes utilizing the lanes, you would think there are at least 100,000 bike commuters based on the build out and that is nowhere near true. Meanwhile more and more cars continue to use roads and lanes are shrinking. Supply and demand isn't being followed at all.

You'd think the subway being practically mothballed would be a huge pick up opportunity for biking. I mean, thousands and thousands of people suddenly looking for a new way to get around? Instead, they've turned to...cars. What a surprise. People just aren't into bikes, no matter how much money the government spends....

CaBi and other bike shares are highly utilized.

Maybe PP lacks object permanence?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the subway is going to be unusable, and everyone is fine with that, then we need to accommodate people where they are -- in cars.

There are going to be far more people on the roads and that means we need a lot more parking, more emphasis on easing traffic, etc. Ridership on the subway is down 75 percent from pre-pandemic levels.

I didnt used to drive all that much, but now with the subway basically in moth balls, I drive everywhere.

This.

People driving in cities suffer from problems of geometry- if more people are in cars then the only way to make more room for them is to take space from something else. You want parking? I have never driven into a pay lot in DC and not been able to find a spot so I aside you want on street parking. Ok, that takes a lane away from driving. Do you want to close the sidewalks then so that cars can go there? If you really want to be able to drive I. The fort you should advocate for more public transportation so that fewer people are in cars. 30 people can fit on a bus that takes up the space of three cars. Would you really prefer those people be in 30 cars?

I think what drivers want is a return to what they had: ample street parking. In recent years, these spaces have been intentionally reduced. First city spaces were stripped to install city bikes, which could easily be installed on sidewalks as well. Then parking was removed for food trucks. Then parking was removed for bike lanes. These were existing spaces that worked fine. All the spaces on Connecticut Ave NW (on the Zoo side) have been removed for no explicable reason. While public transportation does make sense in most instances, it certainly isn't the most desirable way to commute during a pandemic.

Parking spaces are necessary but you also need to realize that they are subsidized from tax dollars of people with and without cars for the storage of cars on public land. Deciding that the best use of public land and tax dollars for convenient car storage is what you are doing when you complain about parking.

And as with anything, if you build it, they will come. If you build lots of parking and widen roads to accommodate cars, you will get more cars. If you build a safe connected bike route, you will get more bikes on the road and more cars off the road.

Wishful thinking. Last time I checked barely anyone uses the bike lanes.

How are you determining this? Most of the time I look out my window at home, no one is driving down the street, either. I wouldn't say it was a waste of money for them to have paved it, though.

The continual build out of bike infrastructure is not justified based on the low overall number of bikes utilizing the lanes, you would think there are at least 100,000 bike commuters based on the build out and that is nowhere near true. Meanwhile more and more cars continue to use roads and lanes are shrinking. Supply and demand isn't being followed at all.

You'd think the subway being practically mothballed would be a huge pick up opportunity for biking. I mean, thousands and thousands of people suddenly looking for a new way to get around? Instead, they've turned to...cars. What a surprise. People just aren't into bikes, no matter how much money the government spends....

CaBi and other bike shares are highly utilized.

This is a demonstrably false statement. Usage of Capital Bikeshare fell 50% pre-COVID (2019) and then fell substantially more during COVID (2020). Bikeshare membership has increased slightly from the COVID depths, primarily by DC providing free 30 day membership, but it is still 15% below 2019.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny because the only roads off limits for bike lanes in DC appear to be the roads DC residents would use to drive to their jobs in VA.

If you live in an affluent neighborhood, e.g. Palisades, Spring Valley, Georgetown, Kalorama or Capitol Hill and drive to work in NoVA, DC does everything they can to facilitate making that car commute as painless as possible. No bike lanes in sight on any major thoroughfare that would interrupt your access to Virginia.

[Anonymous]

I think DC needs to be less car friendly and charge cars to enter DC like London. Maryland drivers cut through my neighborhood speeding and ignoring stop signs. F**k commuters!! You have zero respect for Dc residents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think DC needs to be less car friendly and charge cars to enter DC like London. Maryland drivers cut through my neighborhood speeding and ignoring stop signs. F**k commuters!! You have zero respect for Dc residents.

I agree 100%. My kids and I almost get mowed down by these jacka$$es on the regular just trying to get to school, doesn’t matter that we always cross with the walk sign/in the crosswalk the MD drivers have no respect for traffuc laws and would happily run over my kids if it means getting to work 2 minutes faster. F these people I’m so sick of DC bending over backwards to make them happy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny because the only roads off limits for bike lanes in DC appear to be the roads DC residents would use to drive to their jobs in VA.

If you live in an affluent neighborhood, e.g. Palisades, Spring Valley, Georgetown, Kalorama or Capitol Hill and drive to work in NoVA, DC does everything they can to facilitate making that car commute as painless as possible. No bike lanes in sight on any major thoroughfare that would interrupt your access to Virginia.

Yup. DC is very car friendly if you’re rich and that’s clearly by design.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think DC needs to be less car friendly and charge cars to enter DC like London. Maryland drivers cut through my neighborhood speeding and ignoring stop signs. F**k commuters!! You have zero respect for Dc residents.

100%. It's infuriating that DDOT and DC government caters to suburban drivers who don't even live here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC needs to be less car friendly and charge cars to enter DC like London. Maryland drivers cut through my neighborhood speeding and ignoring stop signs. F**k commuters!! You have zero respect for Dc residents.

100%. It's infuriating that DDOT and DC government caters to suburban drivers who don't even live here.

Here in SW DC, most of the time when I'm on Maine Ave, 98% of the plates I see are VA / MD plates. Suburbanites want the DC jobs but don't want to contribute to making the city a decent place for the rest of us. Suburbanites come in and flood the Wharf whenever the weather's nice or something going on because there's nothing to do in the burbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC needs to be less car friendly and charge cars to enter DC like London. Maryland drivers cut through my neighborhood speeding and ignoring stop signs. F**k commuters!! You have zero respect for Dc residents.

100%. It's infuriating that DDOT and DC government caters to suburban drivers who don't even live here.

Here in SW DC, most of the time when I'm on Maine Ave, 98% of the plates I see are VA / MD plates. Suburbanites want the DC jobs but don't want to contribute to making the city a decent place for the rest of us. Suburbanites come in and flood the Wharf whenever the weather's nice or something going on because there's nothing to do in the burbs.

First, you’re exaggerating. Second, why wouldn’t you expect people from other jurisdictions at the geographic midpoint of 3 jurisdictions right off an interstate highway? Third, DC residents only represent one-third of the jobs in DC. I think both yourself and MD and VA agree that you’d prefer that these people worked in their home states; I’m pretty sure that DC doesn’t agree. Fourth, approx. 100,000 DC residents reverse commute to MD and VA, which is about a third of employed DC residents, and those DC reverse commuters are using cars at higher rates than MD and VA commuters in DC. Fifth, DC uses MD and VA as it’s functional back yard. Need a summer camp? Trying to find a quality day care center with space for your kid and safe outdoor space? Want to send your kid to private school? Want to let your kids safely watch a movie and “hang out” on a Saturday night? If you want to turn DC into a walled city, go for it. The reality is that DC needs MD and VA much, more than either need DC.

[Anonymous]

The biggest gift to Fairfax and Loudon Co, VA is Washington, DC. Every time DC does stuff like this, the economic development heads of those counties laugh about how much easier you make their jobs.

https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2022/05/05/union-station-expansion-revised.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/03/24/dc-speed-red-light-cameras/

People will get the hint and respond accordingly. It won’t be sudden but it’s just entropy. Put up obstacles and people will go elsewhere. The Mosaic District is about to go off the charts.

Go ahead and pedestrianize DC. All pedestrian malls have one thing in common, they are economic dead zones. Enjoy.