Hahaha You don't even read your own glib two page public relations flyers. It specifically says INCREASING on street parking is needed. It also says the fear it's busting is less traffic while we are all worried about more congestion. |
Here’s basic facts this person is immune to: 1. The median DC resident works in VA and shops and MD 2. A substantial part of the DC tax base - and even the economic health of many neighborhood retail businesses - is premised on people from the suburbs coming into the city to spend money 3. People in the suburbs are not coming in large numbers anymore, particularly on transit 4. Since COVID, thousands of retail businesses have closed in the city and opened in the suburbs 5. The city is currently putting in place actual physical obstacles that would make it less convenient for not just people in the suburbs, but even DC residents to shop in city. 6. Every dollar not spent in DC is a drag in the city’s finances 7. The DC CFO is sending alarm bells about the medium term budget projections. However, despite all of this and based on nothing but belief, good vibes, and some random stuff they found on google, they are undeterred. And in a few years, this person and their buddies will all be gone and in their wake a massive mess for someone else to clean up. |
Amen. |
What's more, the entire thing is premised on these things being part of revitalization efforts for dying neighborhoods and towns. Trees in the median, streetlights, adding parking. Basic beautify the street and decrease the hassle of going there type of stuff. Guess what, making a place more inviting and less of a pain does indeed work. The only problem is that that is the exact opposite of what you are pushing. One of the examples is indeed downsizing a 2 lane road to 1 plus a turning lane plus a bike lane. But what you skipped over was that they downsized the road because it had low volume, they increased the width of the lanes, and they added parking. In DC they are doing this on high volume roads, decreasing lane width, and taking away parking spots. It's almost as if you are using these examples to justify actions after the fact instead of using them to learn from before the fact. |
It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Advocating destroying ones community out of a ignorant fetish is actually not that funny. |
It’s incredible, right? I’m just going to quote the fact sheet here, because it’s a reiteration of what people have been saying in this thread pretty consistently about why what DC is doing lacks common sense.
I just got done looking at DC population trends and while the city is certainly fairing better than SF, the reality is that the future looks pretty bleak. This type of stuff will just accelerate the exodus. The future for DC, generally, does not look that promising. |
um … nothing you wrote there negates traffic calming. For wide roads with less volume, the “road diet” calms traffic by removing travel lanes so people can’t speed as easily. that can be by adding on street parking, bike lanes, medians, wider sidewalks … traffic calming does not require removing all street parking. some bike lane solutions might, but not traffic calming. |
Downtown isn't where traffic needs calming. Ward 1 has some of the lowest rates of pedestrian accidents (if that is indeed the main argument here) when compared to other wards. Ward 1 needs street parking and routes that allows traffic to flow. DC needs to better enforce traffic laws. |
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So why not keep the parking lanes and the previous driving lanes and just add speed bumps? Done. |
Exactly. Speed bumps. Actually using police to enforce traffic laws. Lots and lots and lots of superior option other than to reduce street parking and overall capacity. What’s crazy to me is that this person looks at the obvious outcome of this and says “downtown is dying anyway”. How bleak and nihilistic. |
You’re such a pathetic person. You post a link to a DOT fact sheet to “prove” that traffic claiming doesn’t harm businesses. What that fact sheet actually says is that abundant street parking is important to the economic vitality of business. In page after page you’ve been screaming about why the city shouldn’t have street parking. Now you are arguing what exactly? It would be funny if your behavior wasn’t so common among advocates in the area. Your goal is to eliminate cars and then you will back-fill any shifting rationale to defend that goal, even if you contradict yourself in the process. |
No, this isn’t only about Ward 1. |
speed bumps alone don’t work to slow traffic. |
Unlike you, I am here to actually improve things and discuss changes … but yeah since now you are a believer in road diets, can we also talk about narrowing traffic lanes, adding bike lanes, walking areas? slowing speeds? The premise that “DC needs to get more car friendly to stave off economic decline” is as unsupported as ever. Here’s another fantastic report from NYC on traffic calming and economic vitality: https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/dot-economic-benefits-of-sustainable-streets.pdf In short, traffic calming attracts business in dense urban areas. |