TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT - A FAILED IDEA TO BEGIN WITH

[Psycho]

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

A FAILED IDEA TO BEGIN WITH

 

 

The current economic crisis facing America today has been caused in great part by the greed of “Developers” including many in DC according to the Federal Reserve Bank, Wall Street and the national media.

 

One of the greedy ideas of developers in DC has been this concept of Transit Oriented Development which has been supported by DC City Councilwoman Mary M. Cheh because about 80% of her campaign contributions came from developers and their employees.

 

Transit Oriented Development cannot work in DC because 80% of all cars that travel along the roads in DC are from Maryland, Virginia and other parts of the USA making it impossible for any Transit Oriented Development plan to work.

 

In DC, Mary Cheh’s ward is the most congested area of DC and the gridlock keeps on getting worse not just during rush hour traffic but from 7 AM up to 9 PM at nights and heavily on the weekends.

 

Roads like Connecticut Ave, Massachusetts Avenue, Nebraska Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue are the most traveled by people coming and leaving DC and inside DC to get to other locations in the city.

 

A study of traffic flow along Wisconsin Avenue between Calvert and Albemarle Streets, NW at 10:00 A.M. on any given weekday shows how much gridlock is taking place, how hard it is for residents to be able to cross the streets and more.

 

 

 

Any new development commercial or residential in Ward 3 DC would only make gridlock worse and there needs to be a ten year moratorium.

[Guest Not really]

Actually, the current crisis has nothing to do with Transit Oriented Development, but rather the extension of risky mortgages with ARMs to folks who clearly overexented themselves. This is compounded by investment bankers, hedge funds and insurance companies failing to take proper precautions with these potentially risky investment instruments, thus causing the ripple effect we are seeing today.

 

In all actuality, Transit Oriented Development, when executed properly, has served urban, and near-suburban communities very well. Examples of Bethesda, MD and the Ballston area of Arlington Co, VA has provided a stable and desirable community of renters and home owners, with a generally good mix of retail and other mixed-use amenity.

 

Generally speaking, your analysis of TOD makes some very flawed assumptions, and the anecdotal review of traffic on DC's arterials only demonstrate the need for more TOD. In all actuality, you are making the case for your councilperson.

[Psycho]

I think you may have missed one point and that is, how do you think TOD as you envision it will relieve the gridlock? I fail to see it!

 

DC is very unique and was not properly planned out before the massive growth in the NW side of the city.

[Guest Guest]

I think you may have missed one point and that is, how do you think TOD as you envision it will relieve the gridlock? I fail to see it!

 

DC is very unique and was not properly planned out before the massive growth in the NW side of the city.

 

 

Centering density at the Metro stations, and re-orienting WMATA to position its buses to better feed the neighborhoods. Adding the streetcar system will help as well. In order to maximize TOD, there needs to be T.

 

Also, encouraging people to walk and bike as opposed to driving 5 blocks for the Starbucks will help too.

[Guest Hell on Wheels]

Your proposal is great but tell that to the people who move into the District and prefer driving than using mass transit.

 

Metro ridership is not up but the number of people taking their cars to work is.

 

 

Centering density at the Metro stations, and re-orienting WMATA to position its buses to better feed the neighborhoods. Adding the streetcar system will help as well. In order to maximize TOD, there needs to be T.

 

Also, encouraging people to walk and bike as opposed to driving 5 blocks for the Starbucks will help too.

[Guest DC Resident]

Your proposal is great but tell that to the people who move into the District and prefer driving than using mass transit.

 

Metro ridership is not up but the number of people taking their cars to work is.

 

Interesting, so it is the people who live here, not the politicians. I think that was the point of the original rebuttal to Mr. Rees's flawed and misdirected. The politicians can help create alternatives by encouraging different kinds of housing options (focused on established alternative transit options) and by funding WMATA enhancements. I believe that is what the council member cited is trying to do.

[Psycho]

Mr. Rees's flawed and misdirected is not flawed nor misguided as even the DC City Council acknowledges that the majority of new residents are opting to use their cars instead of mass transit despite all their efforts.

 

TOD is a great idea but what we have learned is, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. In other words, people are educated to the benefits of TOD but have rejected it with 81% of all car owners in DC opting to use their car than mass transit!

Interesting, so it is the people who live here, not the politicians. I think that was the point of the original rebuttal to Mr. Rees's flawed and misdirected. The politicians can help create alternatives by encouraging different kinds of housing options (focused on established alternative transit options) and by funding WMATA enhancements. I believe that is what the council member cited is trying to do.

Edited March 9, 2008 by Slick Willie

[Guest Guest]

Mr. Rees's flawed and misdirected is not flawed nor misguided as even the DC City Council acknowledges that the majority of new residents are opting to use their cars instead of mass transit despite all their efforts.

 

TOD is a great idea but what we have learned is, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. In other words, people are educated to the benefits of TOD but have rejected it with 81% of all car owners in DC opting to use their car than mass transit!

 

Do you have a citation for those numbers? Most of the condos and apartment buildings downtown don't have much parking in them, and most of the residents walk/bike Metro to work or school.

 

You also said "TOD is a great idea" which directly contradicts the title of your post, which states "TOD A failed idea to begin with".

 

Thanks for playing anyway.

[Psycho]

My stats are strictly related to ward 3.

 

 

Do you have a citation for those numbers? Most of the condos and apartment buildings downtown don't have much parking in them, and most of the residents walk/bike Metro to work or school.

 

You also said "TOD is a great idea" which directly contradicts the title of your post, which states "TOD A failed idea to begin with".

 

Thanks for playing anyway.

[Guest Guest]

My stats are strictly related to ward 3.

 

Right. Where did they come from? DDOT? Some other study? Can you provide a citation for your numbers?

[Psycho]

My stats come from notes taken at several of the ANC meetings, videos we shot and the fact that even ANC commissioners Winstead and others agree it is getting worse not better.

 

Right. Where did they come from? DDOT? Some other study? Can you provide a citation for your numbers?

[Guest Guest]

My stats come from notes taken at several of the ANC meetings, videos we shot and the fact that even ANC commissioners Winstead and others agree it is getting worse not better.

 

So you made up your facts to support your claims.

 

Bravo.

[Psycho]

Did not make up any facts.

 

If you ever attended any of the ward 3 ANC meetings then you would have heard many of the commisioners discuss the ever growing gridlock on many of streets of Ward 3, the need to address this problem sooner than later and also ANC Commissioner Fred Winstead has been video taping the gridlock which appears on his YouTube pages.

 

So you made up your facts to support your claims.

 

Bravo.

[Guest Guest]

Did not make up any facts.

 

If you ever attended any of the ward 3 ANC meetings then you would have heard many of the commisioners discuss the ever growing gridlock on many of streets of Ward 3, the need to address this problem sooner than later and also ANC Commissioner Fred Winstead has been video taping the gridlock which appears on his YouTube pages.

 

And so your 81% figure comes from where?

[Psycho]

Ask D.DOT how many cars each day they estimate are going up and down the streets by people coming and going to work vs how many people are actually riding METRO.

 

D.DOT has in the past stated that only 20% to 25% of all people cummuting into DC for work use METRO.

 

Do your own home work.

And so your 81% figure comes from where?

Edited March 11, 2008 by Slick Willie

[Guest Guest]

Ask D.DOT how many cars each day they estimate are going up and down the streets by people coming and going to work vs how many people are actually riding METRO.

 

D.DOT has in the past stated that only 20% to 25% of all people cummuting into DC for work use METRO.

 

Do your own home work.

 

I thought you said that your figures came from attending ANC meetings in ward 3. Now you are claiming they come from DDOT. Do you have a link? Or shall we all assume you are still pulling this mythical 81% figure out of thin air?

 

Your post talks about DC residents. It still begs the question, how do you get people out of their cars and into other forms of transportation.

 

-You encourage pedestrian and bicycles usage by ensuring safe streets/segregated areas away from cars/trucks/buses.

-You cluster housing around transit nodes, and limit the amount of parking available at said housing, thus attracting people into said housing who don't want the hassle of vehicle ownership with easy alternatives.

 

You have already stated that this theory sounds good, but yet you chastise elected officials for encouraging it. Which is it?

-You encourage expansion of public transportation

[Psycho]

First off, when you attend any ANC Commission meeting you will always hear someone throwing out D.DOT figures on this issue. Fred Winstead or Cathy Wiss are the best people to get the current stats from.

 

Second, How do you get people out of their cars and use mass transit? If you have a way then you will be hailed a hero in the TOD cause.

 

Finally, If it was up to me considering how short in distance DC is, I would encourage more people to walk to work.

I thought you said that your figures came from attending ANC meetings in ward 3. Now you are claiming they come from DDOT. Do you have a link? Or shall we all assume you are still pulling this mythical 81% figure out of thin air?

 

Your post talks about DC residents. It still begs the question, how do you get people out of their cars and into other forms of transportation.

 

-You encourage pedestrian and bicycles usage by ensuring safe streets/segregated areas away from cars/trucks/buses.

-You cluster housing around transit nodes, and limit the amount of parking available at said housing, thus attracting people into said housing who don't want the hassle of vehicle ownership with easy alternatives.

 

You have already stated that this theory sounds good, but yet you chastise elected officials for encouraging it. Which is it?

-You encourage expansion of public transportation

[Guest Guest]

First off, when you attend any ANC Commission meeting you will always hear someone throwing out D.DOT figures on this issue. Fred Winstead or Cathy Wiss are the best people to get the current stats from.

 

Second, How do you get people out of their cars and use mass transit? If you have a way then you will be hailed a hero in the TOD cause.

 

Finally, If it was up to me considering how short in distance DC is, I would encourage more people to walk to work.

 

 

Right, and you encourage walking by having dense housing close to areas where people work. You also encourage pedestrian safety by having DDOT fully adopt the master pedestrian plan.

 

However, the claim TOD as a failed idea to begin with is flawed, since even you say that it is a good idea in theory. Rather than blast the politicians who are working to implement it for the future, why not blast the lazy-asses who drive three blocks every morning for their Starbucks.

[Psycho]

Blasting everyone might be even better.

 

 

Right, and you encourage walking by having dense housing close to areas where people work. You also encourage pedestrian safety by having DDOT fully adopt the master pedestrian plan.

 

However, the claim TOD as a failed idea to begin with is flawed, since even you say that it is a good idea in theory. Rather than blast the politicians who are working to implement it for the future, why not blast the lazy-asses who drive three blocks every morning for their Starbucks.