Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I carpool on Interstate 66 to get to the Orange Line. The prospect of high-rises at the Vienna Metro, just two exits west of the Beltway, can only lead to worse traffic on I-66, worse traffic on the Beltway and the continued degradation of the crowded, often-delayed Orange Line.
Despite Fairfax County's best intentions, it can't control all of Metro's chaotic funding, so promises of more rail cars are just words until I see them in operation.
Even if that happens, the fare gates, platforms and escalators are dangerously crowded now. How many more people do high-density advocates think Metro can handle?
It seems that the people who think this is a good idea are not Orange Line riders. They blithely ignore Metro's capacity limits and funding problems, so "anything goes" when building near a Metro.
That this mind-set appears to have taken hold in my county government is, to say the least, highly discouraging.
Lora Ann Magruder
Fairfax Station
Metro's last deployment of its new rail cars went to the Red Line. What you see is what you've got on the Orange Line.
Residential density around Metro stations was a good idea at one time. Now, however, the roads around that station, and the Orange Line, are packed. Adding eight residential towers at the Vienna station will pack them even more. How much more congestion can we take?
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I have become a supporter of the new development because our area will benefit. One thing our homeowners association is trying to get pushed is a walking path and bridge (built by the developer) so that we may have direct access to the Metro. (Last I checked, it looks as though it is going to happen.)
That will make my trip to the Metro less than a half-mile, or under a 10-minute walk. I am surprised to hear so many complaints. Of all places to develop, next to a Metro station seems logical.
Everyone complains about developers and local government boards clogging the roads and communities, but what I notice is that when the developers build, there is no shortage of buyers.
In fact, the buyers usually come in such droves that the prices of the new homes actually go up as they are being built, and the homes are sold before they are finished.
The new development on Pickett Road is a prime example: The homes started at $700,000 and less than a year later are already up to $900,000.
It seems that more people are in favor of development than against, and they demonstrate that not by attending city planning meetings or voicing their opinions but by spending the American dollar.
Wyatt Miedema
Fairfax
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
Thanks for asking about Orange Line experiences. I drive on Interstate 66 to the Vienna Metro station. Both are crowded. The unpredictability of I-66 is bad enough, but the increasing crowds, breakdowns and delays on the Orange Line make a bad situation worse.
