why are cars allowed in the National Arbortetum? Why? Why? WHYYYY?

[Anonymous]

I just had a lovely walk around the Arboretum this weekend, but it was really significantly worsened by car traffic. Not a lot, but enough that the noise and interruption on the path was meaningful. For the life of me, why do they let cars in? What's the point of that? Cars should be allowed in to park, then everyone should walk/bike. Maybe a day a month where the disabled and elderly can be allowed to drive.

[Anonymous]

Because the park is very large. If you mean that they should ALSO have better walking trails that can be safely accessed WITHOUT the use of a car (meaning without having to walk on the edge of the road), I completely agree with you. Right now the park has trails that are most accessible by car, which is very American, and not pedestrian-friendly.

[Anonymous]

Don't go on the weekend.

[Anonymous]

The arboretum has dozens of specific walks and trails that start from different parking lots. People aren’t touring the arboretum by car. They are driving to the parking lot nearest their favorite trail. There are also may trails in the woods and fields that are no where near the road and you can walk uninterrupted by traffic. You don’t need to walk on the driving roads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the park is very large. If you mean that they should ALSO have better walking trails that can be safely accessed WITHOUT the use of a car (meaning without having to walk on the edge of the road), I completely agree with you. Right now the park has trails that are most accessible by car, which is very American, and not pedestrian-friendly.

They are accessible... you can walk there or bike there. I'm sorry, but there's no need to have 5 parking lots everywhere on the grounds. Maybe have two lots with two separate entrances that only allow cars to drive around the perimeter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The arboretum has dozens of specific walks and trails that start from different parking lots. People aren’t touring the arboretum by car. They are driving to the parking lot nearest their favorite trail. There are also may trails in the woods and fields that are no where near the road and you can walk uninterrupted by traffic. You don’t need to walk on the driving roads.

Why oh why should a nature park be criss-crossed with car routes to drive to parking lots? Can you not see how absurd that is?

[Anonymous]

Here's a map of the arboretum. The idea that you'd create a car-centric design is just absurd. If they truly think people need to drive to trails then they need to create a ring-road for cars, and not let cars criss-cross the heart of the park.

https://usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_pdf_image/usnamap2.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The arboretum has dozens of specific walks and trails that start from different parking lots. People aren’t touring the arboretum by car. They are driving to the parking lot nearest their favorite trail. There are also may trails in the woods and fields that are no where near the road and you can walk uninterrupted by traffic. You don’t need to walk on the driving roads.

Why oh why should a nature park be criss-crossed with car routes to drive to parking lots? Can you not see how absurd that is?

No. It’s not absurd. The Arboretum is not a nature preserve. It’s a carefully curated collection of botanicals, each with its own section of the park. Most people go there to see a particular area (Ie the azalea collection, the Japanese garden, the children’s garden, the bonsai collection, etc.). If you want to walk in an undifferentiated open space, go to an actual nature preserve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The arboretum has dozens of specific walks and trails that start from different parking lots. People aren’t touring the arboretum by car. They are driving to the parking lot nearest their favorite trail. There are also may trails in the woods and fields that are no where near the road and you can walk uninterrupted by traffic. You don’t need to walk on the driving roads.

Why oh why should a nature park be criss-crossed with car routes to drive to parking lots? Can you not see how absurd that is?

No. It’s not absurd. The Arboretum is not a nature preserve. It’s a carefully curated collection of botanicals, each with its own section of the park. Most people go there to see a particular area (Ie the azalea collection, the Japanese garden, the children’s garden, the bonsai collection, etc.). If you want to walk in an undifferentiated open space, go to an actual nature preserve.

how is it not a nature preserve? It's a national park and an arboretum. I'm sorry, the idea that you are entitled to drive all over and through it to park, get out, look at an azalea, then drive to the other corner, park, get out, look at a dogwood, is ... just absurd. Maybe they could have a trolly for people who really do refuse to walk/bike. Rock Creek Park, Central Park, Prospect Park all have the right idea in increasingly deprioritizing car traffic. National Arborteum should too.

[Anonymous]

Didn’t they use to require you to take the tram in most areas? Did the eliminate the tram?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t they use to require you to take the tram in most areas? Did the eliminate the tram?

There is no tram that I saw. There appear to be two big parking lots, then 5-6 smaller parking lots throughout the park. This results in a pretty constant stream of car traffic in every part of the park, which is likely even worse on more crowded days. (I was there Saturday morning, which started out rainy and probably less crowded than usual.) It's truly no way to run an urban park in 2021.

[Anonymous]

Because Americans are fat losers who can't go anywhere without their cars.

[Anonymous]

Let me guess OP. You are a millennial who doesn’t have a car and you live in one of the gentrified neighborhood in north east that is convenient walking or biking distance to the Arboretum. Am I right?

Bonus points for admitting that you are a fairly recent arrival to the district of Columbia and this is your first home that you’ve purchased

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me guess OP. You are a millennial who doesn’t have a car and you live in one of the gentrified neighborhood in north east that is convenient walking or biking distance to the Arboretum. Am I right?

Bonus points for admitting that you are a fairly recent arrival to the district of Columbia and this is your first home that you’ve purchased

To add, just as you’re tired of cars in your new pandemic walking routine, people like me, who’ve been going there for years,
are so bummed that throngs of millennials have “discovered “ the once-quiet place. We’re dismayed that you clog it up consistently with off-leash rescue dogs and shouty loud preschoolers and babies climbing in the trees which is clearly inappropriate.

We have to coexist now and so do you

[Anonymous]

It's not a national park. It's federally owned but not by NPS. USDA maybe?

I agree that a central road crossing through it that also serves as a major walking route is poor design. It's so closely bordered by residential areas that I'm not sure a ring road is possible, though.