Can DC physically handle the RTO?

[Anonymous]

Public transportation will get better as more people take it. The metro is already pretty good. The buses could be improved. It'll feel less sketchy the more commuters are on it and they can ramp up the frequency of buses if the demand is there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public transportation will get better as more people take it. The metro is already pretty good. The buses could be improved. It'll feel less sketchy the more commuters are on it and they can ramp up the frequency of buses if the demand is there.

not when no one pays and there's no penalty.

[Anonymous]

I wish they’d just move some offices to another city. Maybe some place out West with less population and less traffic!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. It’s never handled it. The commute was HELL. It doesn’t matter where you live, if you can’t walk to work, you are signing up for an hour long commute, minimum.

Like everyone else. Why should you be at home when others have to be in the office? You wanted a job in DC and a big house in Loudoun, so now you have to get over it and commute just like the rest of us. The influx of work from home feds drove Loudoun home prices up sky high, making it unaffordable for people with lower paying jobs, that are working outside their homes every day, paying for childcare, gas and all.

Louden??? Haha that’s a two hour commute. I’m taking about Arlington and Alexandria dude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:However you want to spin it, until 2019 there were way more people commuting on a given day, and yes, the region handled it. I don't doubt it will handle many more people now going back to the office.

It didn’t handle anything without flex start and stop times as well as telework. We all know this because we were actually working here then. What reality are you living in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:However you want to spin it, until 2019 there were way more people commuting on a given day, and yes, the region handled it. I don't doubt it will handle many more people now going back to the office.

It didn’t handle anything without flex start and stop times as well as telework. We all know this because we were actually working here then. What reality are you living in?

Are flex start and stop times going away? I don’t work in government anymore, but this is how we made it work when we had young kids. I commuted so early that there wasn’t much traffic. DH, who worked in the private sector, came home so late there wasn’t much traffic. Maybe this will become a thing again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:However you want to spin it, until 2019 there were way more people commuting on a given day, and yes, the region handled it. I don't doubt it will handle many more people now going back to the office.

It didn’t handle anything without flex start and stop times as well as telework. We all know this because we were actually working here then. What reality are you living in?

Are flex start and stop times going away? I don’t work in government anymore, but this is how we made it work when we had young kids. I commuted so early that there wasn’t much traffic. DH, who worked in the private sector, came home so late there wasn’t much traffic. Maybe this will become a thing again.

at least at my agency, the answer is maybe. No one knows if there's going to be flex start/stop.

[Anonymous]

Have you ridden Metro the last few years? Lots of seats.
Shell shocked RTOs wil bring lunches at first, easing into old patterns so sandwich shops will reopen, adjust.
Going out after work will become a thing again. I used to Metro in to meet DH at 6 for dinner. Sushi Taro, yum!

[Anonymous]

I live in south Arlington and just transferred to a new Fed job. I haven't taken public transit to work since 2015 (when the Yellow line fire happened). I've been trying to use the 16 Pike Ride all week, and the bus schedule is totally different. in 2015, I could count on a Pentagon bound bus every 5-10 mins from 0600-0900, and now, there are 30 min stretches where absolutely no bus comes at all. I can't even get a bus to Pentagon City or Crystal City, which would have helped and I could have walked.

I hope Metro will quickly add more buses, but that will take time. If funding is frozen, then we aren't going to get more drivers and routes and the existing buses will be full very quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. It’s never handled it. The commute was HELL. It doesn’t matter where you live, if you can’t walk to work, you are signing up for an hour long commute, minimum.

Like everyone else. Why should you be at home when others have to be in the office? You wanted a job in DC and a big house in Loudoun, so now you have to get over it and commute just like the rest of us. The influx of work from home feds drove Loudoun home prices up sky high, making it unaffordable for people with lower paying jobs, that are working outside their homes every day, paying for childcare, gas and all.

Do you mean like nurses are in the office or do you mean everyone? When a VA nurse needs to work in the office they already have to appear in person. Same with fed plumbers and electricians. If you mean retail cashiers and McDs drive-thru then sorry, the government doesn't have those just jobs.

What a snobby response. I bet you’re the person who has an all week nanny, cleaning lady, gardener and grocery deliveries because you’re SO busy working your very important job in your home office. Jerk. Have fun riding the bus to work every day.😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course DC can handle it. Until the last few years, everyone went to the office 5 days a week. And, many private companies are not going back to 5 days a week. I know my law firm is staying at a recommended 3 days in office, although most people are back ~4. It will still be well below pre-pandemic levels. DC, metro included, will adjust, just like it adjusted down in the early days of the pandemic. 5 days in an office was the reality for many of us for decades of our working life. It is not impossible for people or for governments to handle this.

That’s not true. Remote work is not a new thing at all. Ask any employment lawyer when they started writing remote work policies for clients. There were remote workers in the 1980s.

My dad worked full time from home in the 80s. His own consulting firm. Drove to client offices as required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. It’s never handled it. The commute was HELL. It doesn’t matter where you live, if you can’t walk to work, you are signing up for an hour long commute, minimum.

Like everyone else. Why should you be at home when others have to be in the office? You wanted a job in DC and a big house in Loudoun, so now you have to get over it and commute just like the rest of us. The influx of work from home feds drove Loudoun home prices up sky high, making it unaffordable for people with lower paying jobs, that are working outside their homes every day, paying for childcare, gas and all.

Do you mean like nurses are in the office or do you mean everyone? When a VA nurse needs to work in the office they already have to appear in person. Same with fed plumbers and electricians. If you mean retail cashiers and McDs drive-thru then sorry, the government doesn't have those just jobs.

What a snobby response. I bet you’re the person who has an all week nanny, cleaning lady, gardener and grocery deliveries because you’re SO busy working your very important job in your home office. Jerk. Have fun riding the bus to work every day.😂

I telework 3 days a week and don't take the bus? Maybe work on your reading comprehension and figure out a very small percentage of people worked in a home office.

[Anonymous]

Flex schedules were typically Mondays or Fridays off, at least at my agency. The city handled Tuesday through Thursday just fine. It will just be a pain in the ass for those with a longer commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. It’s never handled it. The commute was HELL. It doesn’t matter where you live, if you can’t walk to work, you are signing up for an hour long commute, minimum.

Like everyone else. Why should you be at home when others have to be in the office? You wanted a job in DC and a big house in Loudoun, so now you have to get over it and commute just like the rest of us. The influx of work from home feds drove Loudoun home prices up sky high, making it unaffordable for people with lower paying jobs, that are working outside their homes every day, paying for childcare, gas and all.

Do you mean like nurses are in the office or do you mean everyone? When a VA nurse needs to work in the office they already have to appear in person. Same with fed plumbers and electricians. If you mean retail cashiers and McDs drive-thru then sorry, the government doesn't have those just jobs.

What a snobby response. I bet you’re the person who has an all week nanny, cleaning lady, gardener and grocery deliveries because you’re SO busy working your very important job in your home office. Jerk. Have fun riding the bus to work every day.😂

I telework 3 days a week and don't take the bus? Maybe work on your reading comprehension and figure out a very small percentage of people worked in a home office.

You’re right, the sample of 10 anonymous participants on this thread is definitely enough to come up with the percentage.
You’re lashing out because your telework will end soon as well and you know it.
So good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public transportation will get better as more people take it. The metro is already pretty good. The buses could be improved. It'll feel less sketchy the more commuters are on it and they can ramp up the frequency of buses if the demand is there.

not when no one pays and there's no penalty.

Exactly how many office-returning feds do you think will be jumping the turnstiles?

With RTO the number of paying customers will increase greatly while the number of fare-jumpers will stay the same. It will only be a good thing for Metro.