DDOT's latest plan to destroy traffic, Georgia Avenue edition

[Anonymous]

DDOT: Sorry, drivers, but we need to create bus-only lanes. Yes, that will make traffic a nightmare, but that is why you should switch to the bus.

WMATA: We're cutting bus service because we have no money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I stopped riding the bus when a teenager punched a woman in her 60s in the face and no one gave a shit. The bus is unsafe.

Oh I see the racist chimed in early on this one….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The good news about the dedicated bus lane is that it DOES come with increased enforcement of laws - the cameras on buses will ticket the double parked scofflaws. Win win.

Can you recommend to this non-biker the best bike rack for my car that will block my license plate?

Drivers like you make me want to carry a knife and slash some tires.

Yup, but that's what will happen. Fogged plate covers, etc. And no follow-up of the automated ticketing.

Police presence with gentle but well-applied enforcement, folks, whether you like bus lanes or no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I stopped riding the bus when a teenager punched a woman in her 60s in the face and no one gave a shit. The bus is unsafe.

Oh I see the racist chimed in early on this one….

Oh, we see the card player right on their tail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The main problem with traffic on Georgia Avenue is the astounding number of people who double park. That's what makes traffic bad and forces drivers to constantly change lanes. It would be simpler/cheaper/easier to just have the police ticket everyone who double parks until drivers get the message. Traffic would move better for buses and cars alike.

So, screw the businesses that actually have business on Georgia Avenue? The primary function should be to support the businesses that operate there and the residents that live off the road. Not to serve as a pass-through commuting road. The design should serve the locals and if it isn't convenient for the commuters, they should look for alternate commuting roads into the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Georgia Avenue will become gridlocked, always

- Georgia Ave has been increasingly gridlocked since the removal of the streetcar system in DC. Eventually there is a limit to what the road can handle and we are very close to it already. This means that at some point there will need to be an alternative which brings me to…

2. Very few people ride the bus, and this isn't going to change that.

- many people ride the bus already and you don’t care about them at all so why should they care about you? If you want to sit in traffic then go ahead. Other people will choose to ride the bus.

3. If you live within a half mile of Georgia Avenue in either direction, you can expect an enormous increase in traffic on your street as tens of thousands of drivers cut through side streets to avoid Georgia Avenue.

- Good point. We should increase red zones and limit access to those side streets during key hours.

4. The city says this is needed to reduce speeding. It's worth nothing that a grand total of 9 people in Washington DC were killed by speeding drivers in 2022, the latest year from the police statistics.

- 9 people that should not have died. You seem ok with the loss of life. I’m sure that you assume it’s someone else so not your problem? But why should we make policy based on such a cold and heartless thought process?

https://buspriority.ddot.dc.gov/pages/georgiaavenw

It sounds like the plan is to make driving so miserable that even the bus sounds like a good option. This tracks with the MOCO attainable housing plan to make every neighborhood equally miserable so as to bring down average housing costs (property values) in nice neighborhoods while still raising housing costs in neighborhoods that are currently affordable.

Exactly. Old Georgetown Rd was in gridlock with all 3 active lanes. Of course it worsened with 1 lane removed for bikes. Neighborhood roads, and your families biking and walking on those streets are now far more at risk than they were before.
Remove lanes. Remove surface parking lots. This county hates people who drive cars. (they love love love our tax $$$ though)

FYI, we're actually talking about the District not your county right now.

No it wasn't. No it didn't. No they aren't.

You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love it; bring it to more of the major streets. Thanks DDOT!

Seems like this makes the streets more dangerous, not less.

Drivers aren't going to sit in traffic, and they're not going to switch to the bus. This will just shift traffic onto all the smaller streets around Georgia Avenue. How is that better?

Seems like it's better to focus traffic on big roads where everyone expects there to be lots of cars. I would be pissed if I lived in a neighborhood near Georgia.

One more lane of cars commutting through DC; that will solve it. DC is not (and should not) widen roads.

The area's population is growing. Even if fully devoted to cars and their drivers, the local road system will eventually be at capacity with no room for growth. Devoting lanes to transit is the only longterm solution to handle surface travel through these corridors. Adoption of dedicated bus lanes has resulted in an increased adoption of bus ridership and a reduction in travel time for bus riders.

Uh, DC is actually a lot smaller than it used to be. Currently we have about 670,000 people. In the 1970s, we had more than 750,000 people. In the 1950s, we had more than 800,000. DC's population has shrunk pretty dramatically from when I was a kid.

The region in general has grown though. To pretend that Georgia Avenue and NH and Connecticut are not commuting routes is silly.

There are commuting routes, which is why it is bizarre to try to squeeze car traffic on them. Do you think the government employee who lives way out in the burbs is going to switch to busses because of this? No, they will not. They will turn on Waze and take a different route through side streets that were never designed to handle thousands of commuters.

True! Which is why Georgia Avenue is exactly the right place to put bus-only lanes. Because it's a commuting route. The bus-only lanes will greatly benefit commuters.

(Unless you think "commuter" means driver. But it doesn't.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The main problem with traffic on Georgia Avenue is the astounding number of people who double park. That's what makes traffic bad and forces drivers to constantly change lanes. It would be simpler/cheaper/easier to just have the police ticket everyone who double parks until drivers get the message. Traffic would move better for buses and cars alike.

So, screw the businesses that actually have business on Georgia Avenue? The primary function should be to support the businesses that operate there and the residents that live off the road. Not to serve as a pass-through commuting road. The design should serve the locals and if it isn't convenient for the commuters, they should look for alternate commuting roads into the city.

Double parking isn't the way. I live near Georgia Avenue and really wish people didn't double park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love it; bring it to more of the major streets. Thanks DDOT!

Seems like this makes the streets more dangerous, not less.

Drivers aren't going to sit in traffic, and they're not going to switch to the bus. This will just shift traffic onto all the smaller streets around Georgia Avenue. How is that better?

Seems like it's better to focus traffic on big roads where everyone expects there to be lots of cars. I would be pissed if I lived in a neighborhood near Georgia.

One more lane of cars commutting through DC; that will solve it. DC is not (and should not) widen roads.

The area's population is growing. Even if fully devoted to cars and their drivers, the local road system will eventually be at capacity with no room for growth. Devoting lanes to transit is the only longterm solution to handle surface travel through these corridors. Adoption of dedicated bus lanes has resulted in an increased adoption of bus ridership and a reduction in travel time for bus riders.

Uh, DC is actually a lot smaller than it used to be. Currently we have about 670,000 people. In the 1970s, we had more than 750,000 people. In the 1950s, we had more than 800,000. DC's population has shrunk pretty dramatically from when I was a kid.

The region in general has grown though. To pretend that Georgia Avenue and NH and Connecticut are not commuting routes is silly.

There are commuting routes, which is why it is bizarre to try to squeeze car traffic on them. Do you think the government employee who lives way out in the burbs is going to switch to busses because of this? No, they will not. They will turn on Waze and take a different route through side streets that were never designed to handle thousands of commuters.

True! Which is why Georgia Avenue is exactly the right place to put bus-only lanes. Because it's a commuting route. The bus-only lanes will greatly benefit commuters.

(Unless you think "commuter" means driver. But it doesn't.)

We'll make life miserable for hundreds of thousands of commuters who drive in order to make life slightly better for the tens of hundreds who take the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I stopped riding the bus when a teenager punched a woman in her 60s in the face and no one gave a shit. The bus is unsafe.

Oh I see the racist chimed in early on this one….

It's extremely racist to put out the 134 aggravated assaults on buses so far this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love it; bring it to more of the major streets. Thanks DDOT!

Seems like this makes the streets more dangerous, not less.

Drivers aren't going to sit in traffic, and they're not going to switch to the bus. This will just shift traffic onto all the smaller streets around Georgia Avenue. How is that better?

Seems like it's better to focus traffic on big roads where everyone expects there to be lots of cars. I would be pissed if I lived in a neighborhood near Georgia.

One more lane of cars commutting through DC; that will solve it. DC is not (and should not) widen roads.

The area's population is growing. Even if fully devoted to cars and their drivers, the local road system will eventually be at capacity with no room for growth. Devoting lanes to transit is the only longterm solution to handle surface travel through these corridors. Adoption of dedicated bus lanes has resulted in an increased adoption of bus ridership and a reduction in travel time for bus riders.

Uh, DC is actually a lot smaller than it used to be. Currently we have about 670,000 people. In the 1970s, we had more than 750,000 people. In the 1950s, we had more than 800,000. DC's population has shrunk pretty dramatically from when I was a kid.

The region in general has grown though. To pretend that Georgia Avenue and NH and Connecticut are not commuting routes is silly.

There are commuting routes, which is why it is bizarre to try to squeeze car traffic on them. Do you think the government employee who lives way out in the burbs is going to switch to busses because of this? No, they will not. They will turn on Waze and take a different route through side streets that were never designed to handle thousands of commuters.

True! Which is why Georgia Avenue is exactly the right place to put bus-only lanes. Because it's a commuting route. The bus-only lanes will greatly benefit commuters.

(Unless you think "commuter" means driver. But it doesn't.)

We'll make life miserable for hundreds of thousands of commuters who drive in order to make life slightly better for the tens of hundreds who take the bus.

Your numbers are wrong. Also, if the drivers are so miserable, and life is better for bus riders, I have an idea: try the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The main problem with traffic on Georgia Avenue is the astounding number of people who double park. That's what makes traffic bad and forces drivers to constantly change lanes. It would be simpler/cheaper/easier to just have the police ticket everyone who double parks until drivers get the message. Traffic would move better for buses and cars alike.

Maybe try this first?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love it; bring it to more of the major streets. Thanks DDOT!

Seems like this makes the streets more dangerous, not less.

Drivers aren't going to sit in traffic, and they're not going to switch to the bus. This will just shift traffic onto all the smaller streets around Georgia Avenue. How is that better?

Seems like it's better to focus traffic on big roads where everyone expects there to be lots of cars. I would be pissed if I lived in a neighborhood near Georgia.

One more lane of cars commutting through DC; that will solve it. DC is not (and should not) widen roads.

The area's population is growing. Even if fully devoted to cars and their drivers, the local road system will eventually be at capacity with no room for growth. Devoting lanes to transit is the only longterm solution to handle surface travel through these corridors. Adoption of dedicated bus lanes has resulted in an increased adoption of bus ridership and a reduction in travel time for bus riders.

Uh, DC is actually a lot smaller than it used to be. Currently we have about 670,000 people. In the 1970s, we had more than 750,000 people. In the 1950s, we had more than 800,000. DC's population has shrunk pretty dramatically from when I was a kid.

The region in general has grown though. To pretend that Georgia Avenue and NH and Connecticut are not commuting routes is silly.

There are commuting routes, which is why it is bizarre to try to squeeze car traffic on them. Do you think the government employee who lives way out in the burbs is going to switch to busses because of this? No, they will not. They will turn on Waze and take a different route through side streets that were never designed to handle thousands of commuters.

True! Which is why Georgia Avenue is exactly the right place to put bus-only lanes. Because it's a commuting route. The bus-only lanes will greatly benefit commuters.

(Unless you think "commuter" means driver. But it doesn't.)

We'll make life miserable for hundreds of thousands of commuters who drive in order to make life slightly better for the tens of hundreds who take the bus.

Your numbers are wrong. Also, if the drivers are so miserable, and life is better for bus riders, I have an idea: try the bus.

People have tried the bus. They don't want it. Look at the ridership numbers. People have voted with their feet. The number of people driving in this city is way up and the number of people on the bus is in the toilet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I stopped riding the bus when a teenager punched a woman in her 60s in the face and no one gave a shit. The bus is unsafe.

Oh I see the racist chimed in early on this one….

Oh, I see that we’ve found the suspect’s mother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love it; bring it to more of the major streets. Thanks DDOT!

Seems like this makes the streets more dangerous, not less.

Drivers aren't going to sit in traffic, and they're not going to switch to the bus. This will just shift traffic onto all the smaller streets around Georgia Avenue. How is that better?

Seems like it's better to focus traffic on big roads where everyone expects there to be lots of cars. I would be pissed if I lived in a neighborhood near Georgia.

Waze will redirect everyone around Georgia.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/24/nyregion/traffic-apps-gps-neighborhoods.html

This DDOT plan brought to you by Waze.