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It is not the biggest city, or Metro area in the country. It has a good public transportation network, that is always expanding. New infrastructure keeps coming up. Yet traffic keeps getting worse. It took me over 2 hours to go 30 miles the other day. Why is traffic in DC, and surrounding area so bad?
The entire country is going in that direction. We have so little public transportation in the United States. Washington DC happens to be one of the slightly better ones on average (by U.S. standards).
If it seems bad now, it's only going to get significantly worse. Not just in metro DC, but in every metro throughout the United States.
The entire country is going in that direction. We have so little public transportation in the United States. Washington DC happens to be one of the slightly better ones on average (by U.S. standards).
If it seems bad now, it's only going to get significantly worse. Not just in metro DC, but in every metro throughout the United States.
DC is in the top 5 for worst traffic, and in 2011 was #2, usually, and in some cases #1. I just dont see how DC with its good public transportation has such bad traffic. The obvious solution is to expand the metro, and implement street cars faster.
DC is in the top 5 for worst traffic, and in 2011 was #2, usually, and in some cases #1. I just dont see how DC with its good public transportation has such bad traffic. The obvious solution is to expand the metro, and implement street cars faster.
And that's what they are doing. Understand that there are many people commuting from out of the area who are coming for work. I fear it will increase as there is not much affordable housing here.
It's not the lack of public transport that is the problem, well, except for the need to schedule more buses in some places. It's partly on those who think they are too good to ride a bus. The other part is the cost of living which is forcing people to live far away and commute in. Not to mention the crime and the awful public school systems in DC and PG which is also forcing people to move way out. There's a lot more, but the point is, the way things work now causes people to need to live way, way out in the boonies. Then they all need to get to work at the same time. Result: awful traffic. That's why.
It is not the biggest city, or Metro area in the country. It has a good public transportation network, that is always expanding. New infrastructure keeps coming up. Yet traffic keeps getting worse. It took me over 2 hours to go 30 miles the other day. Why is traffic in DC, and surrounding area so bad?
Simply because massive numbers of transplants have moved to the DC area over the last 20 or so years. And the transportation infrastructure hasn't expanded quickly enough to keep up with the population growth.
The DC area is in fact the fastest growing metro area on the east coast (not including Atlanta). 5.5 million people (8.6 million in the CSA) is nothing to sneeze at. DC did not have anywhere near today's levels of traffic congestion 25 years ago.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 11-12-2011 at 10:34 AM..
Its the "hub and spoke" design of the city's job pattern, bringing too many people into the city in cars. Suburb to suburb commuting by car is the answer.
Lots of people in lots of cars. The bridges are definitely a big problem as well, but then again I-270 is a big big straight highway and it's a total hell hole.
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