CEOs want faster commutes and walkable places, Greater Greater Washington, June 20, 2013

By Dave Alpert

The Federal City Council, an association of business leaders, wants DC to ease driving in and out of the city. At the same time, it wants walkable, livable neighborhoods. But what about when these two conflict?

The group took a survey of its members, mostly business CEOs and presidents and the like. 68% say that traffic congestion is a "significant" problem facing DC businesses (though, actually, I'm surprised 32% don't think it's a problem!) and 71% say car-driving commuters are "very important" in making decisions about where to locate businesses.

99% want a more modern signal system "to ease the flow of traffic," which usually means timing signals for commuters, though 89% also want to see "active neighborhoods that provide a variety of amenities and services for all residents within a 20 minute walk."

This is, essentially, the decision planners are wrestling with in the MoveDC citywide plan: should transportation policy favor driving in and out of the city, or work to make neighborhood more livable? The problem is that, in many situations, the two forces are in diametric opposition. . .

. . .  Routes 123 and 7 will form massive barriers at Tysons, especially since the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is widening the already-huge Route 7 even more, and the signal timings will force people to cross in two separate phases. All of this is because their priority is to move cars most efficiently. . . .

Click here for the rest of Alpert's article. 

Two thoughts on Alpert's article:

• We are quite likely to see the same conflict in Reston, especially in the Wiehle Station TOD area where Wiehle runs straight through the heart of the "walkable" mixed-use station are development.  The problem may be less at Town Center and Herndon-Monroe station areas where the main north-south trans-corridor connector is near the periphery of the area of development.  Still, Sunrise Valley & Sunset Hills are likely to pose similar barriers to north-south pedestrian traffic unless, of course, grade-separated crossings (tunnels or bridges) are installed to facilitate their movement. 
• Also, Alpert's solution to the conflict between pedestrians and cars is "congestion pricing," that is, tolling the roads variably depending on how severe the traffic is.  From this writer's perspective, it would be totally impractical, political suicide, and probably illegal in Virginia to put tolls of any kind on city or TOD area streets.  It may work to vary tolls on existing toll roads according to traffic demand.  It makes no sense whatsoever on local streets.