Reply to what's with local pols opposing expanding 270 and 495?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Prove this. [b]Show me proof that not expanding an overburdened system provides relief to the current gridlock.[/b]
What is your solution? TO pray the traffic away? Do you take Metro? It's beyond woeful. It is NOT a viable solution. It is not a transportation system. It is a jobs program. It is not going to provide relief, it is not going to take many cars off the road. So what do you propose to deal with the CURRENT gridlock which is only going to get worse?[/quote]

At this point, you're basically asking the PP to show you proof that gravity is what keeps you from floating off into space. That's how well-established the theory of induced demand is.[/quote]

[b]So doing nothing is the solution? [/b]Despite knowing more people are moving further out? There is already gridlock. Does expending metro mean more people take metro? So why does it with roads?[/quote]

No, nobody is proposing doing nothing.

Yes, [b]when Metro runs better/more convenient service, then more people take Metro. 
[/b]
This is actually from an Australian satire TV show, but it's an outstanding explanation of the theory of induced demand as applied to road widening: https://www.facebook.com/ABCTV/videos/simulated-solutions-utopia-watch-full-season-now-on-iview/806088466514123/ (Economists can quibble about whether or not that actually is an example of Jevons paradox. I am not an economist.)[/quote]
Metro is NEVER going to operate competently. NEVER.[/quote]

I took Metro down town for 20 years.  Most of the time..I sat and read a book and it got me to work as expected.   The number of times I was more than 10 minutes delayed was quite small.   I know it is not the solution for everyone but it moves lots of people pretty well.  No way I would sit in traffic on the beltway.[/quote]
I’m not sure when you stopped taking Metro but that last decade has been brutal. They have had nonstop fare hikes and increased parking fees such that it is cheaper to drive and park downtown (not counting wear and tear) and then added to that, it’s been fewer trains so they are packed before they get to Medical Center and the reliability was a disgrace. I lost a lot of money over the years on huge after care late fees because Metros unreliability. I’m not interested in taking it anymore once this pandemic is over and if I have to go back downtown again. I’m not doing it. [/quote]

DP, I have been riding metro since I was in elementary school. You can count on one hand the number of times I have been significantly delayed for any reason.[/quote]

You obviously don't use it to commute. Beyond the horrible service, arcing insulators, fires, crashes, they also close lines down, a whole bunch of stations, for months on end, for renovations. The escalators don't work. The system is a nightmare. If they had a japanese style system here, I agree it would be better and possibly a viable alternative to driving. But that's not what we have we. We have a national embarrassment. A disgrace.[/quote]

DP-- I use it to commute (or I did in non-pandemic times).  And like PP, I was almost never late because of a metro delay.

But you're right -- it could definitely be improved.  It's almost as if it would benefit from more funding, perhaps the funding that we're currently considering using to build more roads which we KNOW doesn't help.  [/quote]
I have exactly 7 emails from WMATA in 2019 receiving notice of a refund because they didn’t meet their service guarantee, which means delays over 20 minutes. Service in 2019 was substantially improved from the prior 5 years. Track fires were common due to garbage build up on the third rail. When it was too hot they would have to inspect tracks for warping. Similar when it was too cold. The O&M failures were staggering. Let’s not sugar coat Metro’s history here.

Anyway, this thread is supposed to be about freeway and expansion and I’m all for it. [/quote]

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