Washington Metro doesn’t have enough money to maintain its rail system, and the region doesn’t have enough money to build the Silver line to Dulles Airport, which is already under construction. So what should the region do?
Plan more rail lines, of course! Because, when it comes to rail transit, no amount of money is too much, right? Where is the “fix-it-first” crowd when we need them most?
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Meanwhile, someone snapped a photo of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul riding the metro, which prompted all sorts of snarky remarks. Does this mean he supports more transit subsidies? Is he a hypocrite for riding a subsidized train when he opposes government subsidies? Maybe the critics think he could save the taxpayers money by riding a limousine, like many other lawmakers, instead of the Metro.
The Metro is a fact of life in DC, and when it is more convenient than other modes of travel no one should feel guilty using it. But when the existing system cannot be financially sustained, it is foolish to build more rail lines. Moreover, as the existing ones wear out and there are no funds to maintain them, the region’s transit agency should seriously consider replacing the trains with buses.
The Metro is a mess. It is not designed to break even, there are fundamental flaws in the system. The train tracks should not extend beyond the dense urban core. And, the system shouldn’t even begin construction until cars have been banned from the downtown streets and there are only busses and trucks congesting the streets. Then you can start thinking about constructing a system that will operate effectively.
But when the existing system cannot be financially sustained, it is foolish to build more rail lines.
Of course it can be sustained. Its simply a matter of political will and priorities.
Moreover, as the existing ones wear out and there are no funds to maintain them, the region’s transit agency should seriously consider replacing the trains with buses.
That has to be one of the silliest things I’ve ever seen written. Buses are not going to carry 750K more people per day (nearly 200% more than present Metrobus ridership) in any sort of a timely or economical manner. Metrobus is actually the main financial blackhole of Metro, with a cost recovery ratio far lower than the rail system. Historically over the life of the system is been about 60% for rail and 30% for bus.
And where would the billions come from to buy all the new buses needed and open up all the new bus depots/garages required? What magically uncongested roads would they drive on around Washignton?
OFP2003:
The train tracks should not extend beyond the dense urban core. And, the system shouldn’t even begin construction until cars have been banned from the downtown streets and there are only busses and trucks congesting the streets.
Do you live in the real world? The tracks already extend outside of the 10 mile square of DC, Arlington, and Alexandria, which has not been the limit of the “the dense urban core” of metro DC for at least 40 years. The system has also already been built.
What exactly is your point?
What exactly is your point?
Well, my point(s) is(are) pretty general and multi-faceted.
1. Growth is incremental, development of mass transit options should be incremental as well. I propose the OFP2003 stages of Mass Transit development: a. dirt paths, b. paved roads, c. highways, d, bus service, e. HOV lanes, f. bus ways, g. more hov lanes and busways, h. initial commuter/express rail system i. significant downtown restrictions on personally owned vehicles downtown traffic composed mainly of bus services (local, commuter, luxury, economy, small, large, regular schedule, on-call schedule) j. then underground light rail system.
2. Dulles is nuts, who will ride that rail out to Dulles? Who would want to ride it out to Leesburg? (future plan) NUTS NUTS NUTS
Oh yeah, I ride the system, it shouldn’t be this big. Make me king and the first thing I’d do is shut down just about every other stop downtown. Then put in an express train system to get commuters out to their cars in the giant parking garages at the end of the lines. Then put in a ‘class’ system with first class cars and second class cars charging different fares. I ride one of the busses, other than Union-Busting and stop purchasing the natural gas or hydrogen busses I don’t have too many ideas to clean that up.
One does have to wonder why Rand Paul participates in the congressional insurance program. I suppose he feels it’s okay to receive tax payer subsidized health care as long as you’re him. It’s kind of like his name sake living off of social security and government funded healthcare programs, despite her vehement opposition to such programs. Many of our conservative representatives are hypocrites, and I’m often astonished how the “real” conservatives I’m aware of (I’m looking at you Mr. O’Toole) give them a free pass.
I think what this really is about is getting rid of cities that are dense enough to require transit instead of giant freeways criss-crossing the city and destroying its neighborhoods (whether they be toll roads, as the antiplanner undoubtedly prefers, or not).
It’s kind of like his name sake living off of social security and government funded healthcare programs, despite her vehement opposition to such programs. Many of our conservative representatives are hypocrites, and I’m often astonished how the “real†conservatives I’m aware of (I’m looking at you Mr. O’Toole) give them a free pass.
It is like people who call for raising taxes, yet they pay the absolute legal minimum.
It is like people who decry automobiles, yet have 2-4 cars in the household each driving 15,000 miles per year.
It is like people who advocate high density, yet live in detached houses.
It is like people who want to control public schools, yet send their kids to private schools.
It is like people who scream about what poor people should be stuck with because of climate change, yet they fly around the world in jets to attend lavish conferences.
It is like academics who think corporate profit is evil, yet they invest their 401(k) in the stock market.
This could go on a very long time.
Sandy,
I can see what you’re saying, but it’s apples and oranges with my comment. Yes hypocrisy exist on both ideological sides, but I’m talking about federal representatives and weather or not their ideological constituents attempt to hold them accountable for their hypocrisy.
Micheal Moore has lambasted Obama over Libya. Left wing outlets were outraged when the likes of Geithner and Summers were given a seat at the white house.
Maybe its group-think on my part, but where is the outrage on the right when Rand Paul (or any republican congress person for that matter) uses tax payer subsidized health care or when Bachmann pushes for farm subsidies. I don’t see it.
bennett:
The “right” isn’t outraged because it is only opposed to spending that doesn’t benefit themselves and their funding constiuencies. Thus, Ron Paul just submitted $400M in earmarks for the coming year. But they are good earmarks. Trust him!
OFP2003:
Growth is incremental, development of mass transit options should be incremental as well. I propose the OFP2003 stages of Mass Transit development: a. dirt paths, b. paved roads, c. highways, d, bus service, e. HOV lanes, f. bus ways, g. more hov lanes and busways, h. initial commuter/express rail system i. significant downtown restrictions on personally owned vehicles downtown traffic composed mainly of bus services (local, commuter, luxury, economy, small, large, regular schedule, on-call schedule) j. then underground light rail system.
Maybe you missed the actual development of all of this in DC. It went, dirt paths, crude improved roads, railroads, streetcars and interurbans, paved roads, buses, improved streets and streetcars (duckunder intersections), highways, revolt by residents living in the path of proposed urban highways, Metro, revived commuter railroads, HOV lanes, HOT lanes. And here we are today. Washington Metro was built in response to the revulsion of the general public at the bulldoze the city attitude of the highway builders which lead to the cancelling of most of the proposed urban freeway network in DC. The theory was to generally build it out to around the beltway, where more distant suburbanites could transfer to it at park-n-ride stations to reach the urban core of DC and thus avoid freeways bulldozing the city, with through vehicular traffic and suburb to suburb traffic routed around the city on the Beltway. A second phase of Metro would extend all lines out to the never completed second beltway (i.e. Shady Grove, Dulles, Centreville, Bowie, etc.). The Dulles line is the second Metro line to reach this second tier of outer arterial.
Dulles is nuts, who will ride that rail out to Dulles? Who would want to ride it out to Leesburg?
Dulles? The same sort of people who take rail transit to O’Hare, Newark International, Philadelphia International, etc. – airport workers, airport customers who don’t want to drive and park, arriving fliers destined for the central business district, etc. Who will ride to Leesburg? Commuters from that area headed to Tyson’s Corner, Arlington, and DC. There are many tens of thousands of them. There are people commuting to DC 50+ miles from south of Fredericksburg, north of Baltimore, and west of Frederick in the Martinsburg area of West Virginia.
One does have to wonder why Rand Paul participates in the congressional insurance program.
What a ridiculously nonsensical statement. I believe in a flat tax with absolutely no deductions. I still took the home mortgage rate deduction when I bought a house.
There’s no conflict. You live under current laws and regulations — even if you’d like to see them changed.
Name even one liberal politician who isn’t taking advantage of the “Bush tax cuts?” They are more than welcome to make donations to Uncle Sam if they feel the rich aren’t paying enough.
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/gift/gift.htm
Let me reiterate, because there is some confusion. I’m not saying that liberals and democrats in congress are not hypocritical . In fact I’m saying the opposite. I’m saying that their ideological constituents continually point out these hypocrisies and often decry them (as a “liberal” I’ve already given 2 examples of Obama’s hypocrisies in this thread).
From my perspective, and maybe I’m wrong (Sandy, Mr. O’Toole, that’s your cue to show me otherwise), the ideological constituents of conservative congresspeople do not hold their representatives to the same standard.
Is it impossible for you to acknowledge your sides hypocrisies as I have done with my team? Does it not piss you off that Rand Paul, Michelle Bachmann, and others don’t practice what they preach, or is it simply a game of winning and losing to you and not about substantive dialogue?
Craigh,
I forget his name, but I read an article about a conservative member of the house that has rejected the congressional healthcare plan and pays for his own healthcare.
Sandy,
Thanks for the link. I will be sure to share it with my representatives in the house, who are rich and liberal, and maybe (though highly unlikely) I will be able to name 1 in the future. In fact, even though my household currently takes in less than $50k a year (2 ppl, 1 income), maybe I’ll donate to the national debt opposed to a campaign this year.
Andrew wrote: “The theory was to generally build it out to around the beltway, where more distant suburbanites could transfer to it at park-n-ride stations to reach the urban core of DC and thus avoid freeways bulldozing the city, with through vehicular traffic and suburb to suburb traffic routed around the city on the Beltway. A second phase of Metro would extend all lines out to the never completed second beltway (i.e. Shady Grove, Dulles, Centreville, Bowie, etc.). The Dulles line is the second Metro line to reach this second tier of outer arterial.”
Well, they failed then. With all the stops in the city and inbetween the giant garages on the beltway it’s still quicker and CHEAPER to drive/carpool/ride bus than take the metro. I quit the metro when I found a carpool and, the only highway that wasn’t built in DC was the Maryland side of the “city-cutting-95” so I have the worst highway commute options in the city, yet carpooling is still quicker and cheaper than taking the metro. The highway’s should have come deeper into the city, the garages closer in with less rail-track and stock to maintain and operate, then less stops inside the city to speed up service.
bennett, I see your point. I can’t think of too many conservatives calling out other conservatives.
As for the evolution of Washington DC, let us look at the neighborhoods that were “saved” by blocking the highways through them. They probably have a greater murder rate per acre than the worst parts of Iraq during the war. Let us look at the parts of DC with highways — they probably are above the national average of income. Not proof, but just saying….
Sandy Teal:
As for the evolution of Washington DC, let us look at the neighborhoods that were “saved†by blocking the highways through them. They probably have a greater murder rate per acre than the worst parts of Iraq during the war. Let us look at the parts of DC with highways — they probably are above the national average of income.
Georgetown and NW Washington in general – no highways, very expensive/desirable neighborhoods.
Anacostia and SW Washington in general – multiple highways, very high crime.
Perhaps you have the relationship backwards. Have you actually been to DC?
OFP2003:
the only highway that wasn’t built in DC was the Maryland side of the “city-cutting-95?
Obviously you don’t know what you are talking about. Look at the 1958 highway map here:
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6376/washingtons-unbuilt-highways/
I mean, you aren’t even close to correct in saying only one highway wasn’t built.
Do you guys just shoot from the hip with whatever nonsenical thought first comes in your mind?
Andrew,
Why don’t you consider this to be a highway? Because it is 40 feet above the ground?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehurst_Freeway
According to that website Andrew linked to, cities such as Seattle were “ruined” by freeway/highway construction. Yeah, no bias there at all /sarcasm.
Though Metrosucks you along with O’Toole are biased against rail lines.