tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post6760088369691841091..comments2024-02-29T14:00:40.184-05:00Comments on Restonian: News blog from Reston, Virginia, the mauve-colored New Town (tm): Metro Silver Line Shocker: Trains, Tracks, Malfunctioning Farecard Machines Cost 'Money,' And Lots of ItRestonianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15519884797760354007noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-66768489149536179212011-01-25T13:21:37.666-05:002011-01-25T13:21:37.666-05:00BINGO --- all of those roads should be fixed and w...BINGO --- all of those roads should be fixed and widened. They are dangerous and they are eyesores what with trees growing out of the sides of the barren and rapidly eroding hills through with those roads pass.<br /><br />Just imagine what it will be like the next time there is a need to evacuate..one crash and we are all toast!<br /><br />George Washington certainly would have approved!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-84609162304756112292011-01-25T10:12:46.292-05:002011-01-25T10:12:46.292-05:00Georgetown Pike and Hunter Mill should both be wid...Georgetown Pike and Hunter Mill should both be widened. They are dysfunctional snob roads that keep this area in gridlock. They are no more "historic" than Leesburg Pike, Braddock Road, Ox Road or any of the other old roads in Fairfax County where George Washington slept.<br /><br />If we can 6 lane Braddock Road used during the French and Indian War by George Washington, why not widen Georgetown Pike so traffic can bypass Tysons?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-84968623566284855952011-01-20T12:54:26.641-05:002011-01-20T12:54:26.641-05:00Convict is charming when he's being Malthusian...Convict is charming when he's being Malthusian, but I am beginning to wonder if the major hiring firms in the area, as well as the growth of gov agencies, will provide the same thing in the next few years. I sense a pullback from growth, driven by the mothballing of major defense and civil initiatives. Looking back, I refer to the growth of homeland security, which took up the economic slack nine years ago... do we have another "man to the moon" initiative to fill the coming void in DC area jobs? We can ill afford such a thing, but that hasn't stopped us before.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-3463069264036525952011-01-20T12:37:32.925-05:002011-01-20T12:37:32.925-05:00Well, Convict and others are within their rights n...Well, Convict and others are within their rights not to want to region's population to grow. Personally, I don't have an opinion on it; the region's growing, and that's that.<br /><br />I can't even begin to guess what Convict is getting at with "culling the herd", but I'm definitely not going there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-72401476402356856252011-01-20T12:07:32.090-05:002011-01-20T12:07:32.090-05:00"Unwanted" population? Now who the hell ..."Unwanted" population? Now who the hell are you to make that kind of decision? <br /><br />And "culling the herd."<br /><br />We better call 911 and have you arrested.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-55179478724926529092011-01-20T11:48:43.388-05:002011-01-20T11:48:43.388-05:00all this reminds me of the 'Rod Blagojevich Me...all this reminds me of the 'Rod Blagojevich Memorial Highway' in Chicagoland ... er, I mean I-94....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-25134390592732224772011-01-20T10:33:09.400-05:002011-01-20T10:33:09.400-05:00I'm entirely with you, 9:31. It doesn't m...I'm entirely with you, 9:31. It doesn't matter what we do to our roads as long as a lot of extra (unwanted) population is coming to our area. Any extra capacity and efficiencies that we create to our transportation system will be consumed by an increase in population and volume. I would bet that consumption will happen almost as soon as the extra capacity becomes available.<br /><br />What we need more than a transportation management plan is a population management plan. Frankly, I'm a big fan of culling the herd.The Convict in the Gulaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02530536432165645618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-6376292652681446012011-01-20T09:31:27.347-05:002011-01-20T09:31:27.347-05:00The roads will be improved, and Metro will come, b...The roads will be improved, and Metro will come, but none of it will help because of population growth. We do need the road improvements, and we do need more transit. But the only things that would truly help would be transportation improvements coupled with population decreases, a massive move toward telecommuting and/or off-peak commuting, people resolving to live close to work regardless (whether by buying close to work or seeking jobs close to home, and considering a job close to home to be a necessity) -- most likely some combination of all of those. There are only so many roads, only so many places to put roads, only so much that existing roads can be widened, only so many improvements possible. <br /><br />Does anyone believe that if we did every single measure possible to improve things, that we'd end up with something we actually like? More like we'd only end up with something we can tolerate a little better.<br /><br />Each person is responsible for his/her own sanity. Consider the best-case scenario to be that traffic only marginally improves, and plan accordingly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-53651625217822337302011-01-20T08:04:50.834-05:002011-01-20T08:04:50.834-05:00Old Centreville runs up the roads into Bull Run no...Old Centreville runs up the roads into Bull Run now, which I heard would happen. They needed to annex some land I guess, since the clover leaf is nearly on top of the Old Town area. That was one of the few places I moved away from due to the traffic (the other was Springfield) A commute downtown from Centreville would take an average of three hours of my day. Like I said, no improvement when the bulldozers came because the volume is too great, and all of the roads everywhere can not handle it. We have a car culture that is very young in historic terms. It is a good time to open the box and figure out our future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-24920529939577821632011-01-20T07:25:14.323-05:002011-01-20T07:25:14.323-05:00@ Anonymous 7:18:
Centreville was actually ranked...@ Anonymous 7:18:<br /><br />Centreville was actually ranked the 30th best place to live in the country.<br /><br />http://www.restonian.org/2010/07/meanwhile-in-anti-anti-reston-columbia.html<br /><br />Apparently 10 lanes of traffic and multiple cloverleaf intersections are GOOD things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-71733568361258430452011-01-20T07:18:33.789-05:002011-01-20T07:18:33.789-05:00@ 10:38 Look at Centreville, nearly totally elimi...@ 10:38 Look at Centreville, nearly totally eliminated by turn lanes and clover leaf ramps, and did the congestion go away, no. But I can drive more quickly through there during non-rush hour times. <br /><br />In the many years I lived in Centreville the area went from walkable to having to drive across the road. Better traffic lights? Yes, Better turn lanes? Yes. Straightening, widening, and ramps, no. Volume is the problem and that will not change, it will get worse, especially with all of the planned development in Reston. We can chose to be urban or choose to be Centreville. Not a real choice in my mind. Urban is where we are headed. The little country roads around us will become our Foxhall roads. In other jurisdictions circles are added so there is no waiting. Why not in Reston?<br /><br />The development of Reston will continue to add volume. There needs to be a more holistic approach to people moving, and it needs to happen now. The alternatives have to be reasonably compatible with driving in terms of cost and time or there has to be a big reward (very reduced expense?) for traveling in something other than a car. <br /><br />I will be selling my home if there comes a time when Reston Avenue is a superhighway. The advantages of having a metro and quick traffic do not trump a walkable community, and I'd hate to see Great Falls and Hunter Mill straightened, they are National Scenic By-ways aren't they, because you occasionally idle in traffic. I travel 26, 000 miles a year and the only traffic I can really cry about is between the toll road and 270 during rush hour. Well, route 7 is pretty bad, but I can avoid it by driving on country roads and it is no worse that University Park, DC, Arlington, Alexandria... Centreville should be a lesson in desolation. It has no sense of place anymore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-33294382718857364032011-01-20T04:08:13.060-05:002011-01-20T04:08:13.060-05:00Let's not forget, when we are complaining abou...Let's not forget, when we are complaining about costs, how having a metro station here will increase our home property values. Subtract the other costs from what is likely to happen in this regard, and we come out on the up side. I personally plan fund my retirement by renting out my metro-accessible townhouse for twice what I pay on the mortgage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-8554686655818621502011-01-19T22:38:57.008-05:002011-01-19T22:38:57.008-05:00Not talking new roads. Talking about upgrading/im...Not talking new roads. Talking about upgrading/improving existing roads to meet the current demand. FFX county is full of two lane country roads with outdated intersections and traffic signals that were designed to meet the demands of traffic 50 years ago. Think the unnecessary congestion on these choked roads doesn't impact the environment? Think again. It's the small improvements of straightening a country road, adding a lane, putting in longer turn lanes and updating the traffic signal that will save this region. I often sit for 3 or 4 cycles of a traffic light when there's no traffic in the opposing direction, just an antique traffic light working on a timer. We talk hybrid cars, we talk HOV, we talk mass transportation, we talk smart growth, but we don't talk about these infrastructure changes that would save time, gas and emissions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-35151665455252339142011-01-19T22:34:08.651-05:002011-01-19T22:34:08.651-05:00Uplands, so was I-95 through Richmond, until about...Uplands, so was I-95 through Richmond, until about 1992 or thereabouts. I believe there is (or was) a caveat in Virginia law that said that money raised from public toll roads (not to be confused with the "private-public" gougefest west of Dulles) had to go back into their upkeep. Hence the endless repaving of the shoulders on the Toll Road until they got the ball rolling on the Metro extension.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-3425104721891343132011-01-19T22:29:10.186-05:002011-01-19T22:29:10.186-05:00Convict in the Gulag, Dulles Town Center already ...Convict in the Gulag, Dulles Town Center already has a Cheesecake FactoryFrom the Uplandsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-31298231991801601832011-01-19T22:26:28.562-05:002011-01-19T22:26:28.562-05:00Anon 9:54 said "Ever hear of a toll road tha...Anon 9:54 said "Ever hear of a toll road that suddenly paid for itself and the tolls were reduced or lifted completely?"<br /><br />Virginia Beach Expressway was a toll road from 1967 - 1995. It is no longer a toll road. Do try and keep up.<br /><br />Personal note: I saw this financial disaster approaching, and it contributed to my move to another state. My mistreatment by the DRB and my assessment of Reston's future were contributing factors.From the Uplandsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-45757984948086007052011-01-19T22:14:39.200-05:002011-01-19T22:14:39.200-05:00New roads don't improve congestion, they incre...New roads don't improve congestion, they increase demand. And with more roads we will have more run off and have to armor more wetlands with an artificial and short term restoration regime. Leadership and/or forward thinking creative thought anybody? I'm out of ideas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-28156134598501401902011-01-19T22:07:52.463-05:002011-01-19T22:07:52.463-05:00I love when people's answer to the regions tra...I love when people's answer to the regions transportation problems is to move or find a closer job. These people got it good, real good. And the odds are, they won't have it this good for long.<br /><br />The probability of two people in a family finding decent paying jobs they actually want to wake up and go to that are within the city limits is a pipe dream. Even if you find that job, the chances of that company staying profitable and you keeping that job for more than a few years is slim to none.<br /><br />People don't sit in hours of traffic because they just aren't smart enough to click "within 10 miles" on Monster.com, they sit in hours of traffic because they have no viable alternative.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-80711252548717650752011-01-19T21:54:41.015-05:002011-01-19T21:54:41.015-05:00Listen, those toll rates were heading up regardles...Listen, those toll rates were heading up regardless of the silver line. Ever hear of a toll road that suddenly paid for itself and the tolls were reduced or lifted completely? Nope, me neither. <br /><br />Think those federal tax dollars would have been spent locally without the silver line? Nope, they would have been committed elsewhere. <br /><br />Think the local roads and infrastructure aren't 20 years behind the current demand? Try and get anywhere in this region between the hours of 6am and 10am or 4pm and 8pm. You'll waste countless hours of your life in mindless traffic while the Middle East gets rich off your idling.<br /><br />The majority of roads around here are hee-haw and left over from the days when this was a sleepy rural farm community. Due to Richmond's lack of interest, poor planning by local officials or both - this region is quickly becoming a cluster. Look around, there are very few cloverleafs on highways, short or inadequate turning lanes, very few 'smart' traffic signals and way too many old country lanes carrying 30x their intended capacity.<br /><br />The reality is, we need a humongous injection of infrastructure spending and transportation options in the Dulles corridor. Without it, business doesn't want to be here and people won't either. Pay now or pay much more later.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-40661602668749485642011-01-19T21:39:52.500-05:002011-01-19T21:39:52.500-05:00Hey, Virginia benefits from the Silver Line. Why...Hey, Virginia benefits from the Silver Line. Why are we paying the highest cost by our toll road use while our taxes are building roads in rural Virginia? The other benefactors, the airport users, they aren't paying anything. We are paying because the avenue exists. Bottom Line. Nobody else has a "special" tax for their metro service. Why are roads so important but other modes of transportation are battle grounds for states not wanting to invest revenue? Please.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-76223726515670914222011-01-19T21:23:17.469-05:002011-01-19T21:23:17.469-05:00The alternative is to live, work, and play in Rest...The alternative is to live, work, and play in Reston, of course.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-44100563858737520602011-01-19T21:01:06.440-05:002011-01-19T21:01:06.440-05:00Quit your job and live for free in one of Hudgins&...Quit your job and live for free in one of Hudgins' subsidized residences?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-51865464630367825452011-01-19T20:26:30.056-05:002011-01-19T20:26:30.056-05:00Monday through Friday, I crawl my way to and from ...Monday through Friday, I crawl my way to and from work on the disaster that is the DTR. It is a tortuous drive of stop and go traffic that climaxes with long delays at the toll booths and even longer delays on the one lane merges to the Beltway. Alternatives? There are none. The side streets are jammed. Bus to Metro to my job = 2+hours. I don't give a $hit what the silver line costs or how high the tolls go. What I want is a solution or in the least, another option.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-15368650312303022782011-01-19T20:04:36.486-05:002011-01-19T20:04:36.486-05:0057 percent being paid by DRIVERS on the toll road?...57 percent being paid by DRIVERS on the toll road? That, of course, does not include their property, gas, sales, income and other taxes that those other governmental entities turn around, less some waste, fraud and abuse, and then pay their share...<br /><br />How mush will those 10,000 RIDERS on the train pay?<br /><br />I sure wish airlines were funded this way...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-13445273482057041022011-01-19T19:55:19.151-05:002011-01-19T19:55:19.151-05:00That's really pretty ignorant 7:21.
Hudgins ...That's really pretty ignorant 7:21. <br /><br />Hudgins is on the metro board. That's the point. <br /><br />She's supposed to be a leader and she's the face of failure -- the worst of the government.<br /><br />Metro has gone from being the state-of-the-art international model to an embarrassment to the nation. In less than a generation. And now we want it here? In Reston? No thanks.<br /><br />Hudgins is on the metro board and the incompetents report to her. It's that simple -- the buck stops with her -- and in this case billions of OUR bucks.<br /><br />That's the point.<br /><br />Metro, under Hudgins' watch, even managed to screwe up its insurance. And we, the toll payers, are getting stuck paying for that mess and the related money-sucking, not-face-saving litigtion.<br /><br />How Hudgins sleeps at night, with the world knowing many people have died on her watch, boggles the mind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com