It's time to start improving the public transportation systems in the DC area.

 I thought that Donald Trump, being a city boy, was going to make investing in urban infrastructures, including expanding public transportation options part of his game plan. It didn't happen. Of course, I have suspicions that since the majority of urban planners and other urbanists tend to be Marxists, he decided not to play their game. I am disappointed though. Here in the DC area, Amazon is planning on moving one of their headquarters into our area. In addition to bringing in over 25,000 jobs, there are going to be the coat tail business that will be following Amazon into the area. That means we could have an increase in population of over a million more people over the next 10 years or so. You can't have everyone driving, even if they are driving electric cars. Pollution is only part of the equations. Congestion is the other part. Plus, there is the pedestrian danger with more vehicles on the road. There have been a slew of pedestrian fatalities over the past several months, and I don't see it getting any better. When it comes to expanding our public transportation system, there is a lot of desire to make that expansion rail based. An example is the Purple Line, that is currently under construction. That's all well and good, but we have to be realistic. Transportation systems need infrastructure. You can either build a brand new rail infrastructure for billions of dollars, or you can modify what you have for a lot less money We already have a pavement based infrastructure in place, because back in the 1950s it was decided to make our transportation infrastructure based on highways and roads. That was the beginning of the end of most of our long distance passenger rail service, as well as curtailing a lot of the regional and local rail systems. Europe took a different approach. We are not Europe. However, there are some things that Europe does better, and I will discuss that in other posts.  

Let's hope for better bus service in PG County

Hopefully, this year will see an increase in bus service in Prince George's County, MD. Younger people are moving into the area, because it is more affordable than either DC or Montgomery County. Many of these younger people are more transit friendly than previous generations, which relied on the automobile for 99% of their travels. I don't mind walking out to the bus stop. I just wish that there were more buses.

Metro Funding

There is a post on the Greater Greater Washington website about Metro funding. It is a very complicated issue, because unlike the Baltimore public transportation system, which is under the budget of the Maryland Department of Transportation, Metro is under three jurisdictions, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. I do agree that there needs to be a lot more dedicated funding for the Metro system. Let's face it, the DC metro area has a lot of people. Those people need to get from home to work, and back again, as well as recreational trips, and trips to run errands, etc.. People tend to rely on their cars in this area, especially over here in Prince George's County. PG is starting to change as more professionals that work downtown move in the county, but the overall culture of PG County is not very transit friendly. I'm hoping that as the demographics of the area change, things will become more urban. Yes, I am a rare breed. I am a conservative urbanist.

Greater Greater Washington Happy Hour at Lost and Found On 9th Street

I had a wonderful time at the GGW happy hour at a bar called Lost and Found, which is on 9th Street NW, in Washington, DC. It is just up the road from the Convention Center. I have been a big fan of GGW, since I discovered the organisation a few years back, when I was doing some research on public transportation. The articles are well-thought out, and they all address various urban issues, ranging from public transportation to affordable housing. I am a huge advocate for both. It was nice to have some "refreshments" with like-minded individuals. I'm sure that 99.9% of them are Liberals with a capital L, but putting politics aside, we all share a vision of a better Washington, DC metropolitan area.

As I discussed with quite a few individuals tonight, I am hoping that as the demographics of Prince George's County change, there will be more professionals moving into the county, and demanding better public transportation services. Maybe we will even be able to have later night bus service running from Montgomery County to Prince George's County, especially the College Park area, and have later night bus service from College Park to Beltsville and beyond. It's going to take a lot of activism and lobbying the right people, in order to make that happen. Let's hope that it does. The county needs better transit.

After attending the Coalition For Smarter Growth social at Eastern Market in Washington, DC

It was a nice event. I know a couple of the directors of the organization, and they are good people.  However, it was difficult to engage in conversations with some people, because the entire urban planning and smart growth "industry," is pretty much of a clique. Need I say more...

Looking Forward To The Coalition For Smarter Growth Social

Tomorrow, October 17, 2017, is the 5th annual Coalition For Smarter Growth Social at Eastern Market in Washington, DC. This will be the first one of these events that I will have been able to attend. I am looking forward to it. This is a fee paying event, and according to their website, tickets will be available at the door. The event runs from 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM.

While I'm sure that my politics are at polar opposite to most of the attendees, I am looking forward to sharing ideas with people that do share common themes with me...urban issues. I am a rare breed in the fact that I am a conservative urbanist. I don't consider urban issues to be "smart growth Communism." I love the idea of living in row houses with tiny yards, riding public transportation, and using car sharing for the times when you really do need a vehicle. I'm ambivalent to the use of riding a bicycle because I am disabled, but I do ride one on occasion. I currently subscribe to two bike share programs, and am looking into the dockless bike sharing programs too. I believe that these issues help foster a sense of community, and if you go back throughout history, a sense of community is what bound us together as a nation. I will let you know how the event went over the next day or so.

I was in sunny Utah, and had a chance to explore two transit systems. The first one was in Logan. I was attending a conference at Utah State University, and had a chance to take a ride on their CVTD bus system. It doesn't run late, doesn't run on Sunday, but it is free. For the most part, however, you really do need a car out there. Things are just a little too spread out. You could probably get by with a bicycle if you were in good shape, because you are in the mountains, and the roads have a lot of long hills. More to follow after I get back home...

The other system that I tried out, was the Salt Lake City UTA Rail system. Salt Lake also has a very extensive bus system, but I didn't explore it. The rail system is a very efficient light rail system, that basically goes everywhere.  You can buy single ride fare tickets, round trip tickets or for $6.25 you can purchase an all day pass, that is good on all light rail trains, buses, and street cars. There is also an express train called the FrontRunner, that is available for an extra fee. I found it to be a great way to get around both downtown, and from my motel near the airport. Also, the train goes to the airport, which is something that Maryland should consider down the road. Yes, you can get from Baltimore to BWI Airport, but how about a light rail from Greenbelt to the airport sometime in the future?