Getting Around in Washington

Roads, Airports, Mass Transit

It's official. Washington has the third worst traffic congestion in the nation. Commuters spend an average of 67 hours each year stewing in gridlock. And our public transit system -- the second busiest subway in the country -- has its own set of woes.

Washington Post Staff Writer Steve Ginsberg covers the roads and airports and Lyndsey Layton reports on mass transit. They were online Monday, Nov. 20, at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions, feel your pain and share the drama of getting from Point A to Point B.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Lyndsey Layton: Good morning sluggers, straphangers, and slushy motorists! Congratulate yourself for getting into work this morning and tell us how it went. What's on your minds?

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Clifton, Va.: Every winter snowstorm it happens you see SUVs on the side of the road after they have hit an immovable object. Their male drivers looking at the damaged front or rear ends. Duh, the laws of physics still apply to 4wd, AWD, FWD and RWD. Having a higher center of gravity and more mass doesn't make your SUV any safer than my RWD BMW. Electronic driving aids like ABS, DSC and the rest of the alphabet soup for the driving skill challenged won't save you. Slow down, give other drivers space and don't tailgate. Correct tire choice is also important. Most all season tires are awful in the snow. My BMW without electronic driving aids and 4 snow tires just goes and goes in the snow until it gets about 10 inches deep. Then we go home.

Steve Ginsberg: Yes, this does happen every time it snows. Some SUV drivers seem to think simply owning the car enables them to drive it wisely. So they end up on the side of the road. Others do seem to know how to drive it and can be a little scary because they're moving at speeds at odds with everyone else. Still others are courteous drivers. But as long as we're generalizing, I find BMW drivers to be among the rudest on the road. They're always whipping around the road and cutting people off.

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Los Angeles, Calif.: I lived in D.C.-Arlington for eight years, now live in Los Angeles. Though officially L.A. has "worse" traffic, I found D.C. a much bigger mess and frustrating place to drive than L.A. The number of chokepoints, lack of left-hand turn signals, pokey drivers, narrow roads and a host of other annoyances are several times greater in D.C. than LA.

D.C. suffers mostly from a lack of infrastructure, whereas L.A. is more an issue of population (or too much). If the D.C. region got its act together and built out it's roads -- like, why is I66 TWO lanes?! and improved Metro/bus, the traffic issue would take care of itself. Out here in L.A., well, we're pretty much stuck, but hey, it's been 80 the past week, I'll endure traffic so long as I never have to deal with snow again!

Steve Ginsberg: I've heard this before. I've not spent too much time in LA but it does seem like they embrace the freeway culture, not that it's getting them anywhere any faster.

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Falls Church, Va.: I read Metro used 8-trains to help with inauguration crush. Do they plan to implement them anytime soon for the rest of us in the daily commuter crush?

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Falls Church,
Inauguration Day marked the second time in recent months that Metro deployed eight-car trains to help move large crowds. It works really well - the whole platform can be cleared at even the busiest stations. The other wThe problem is, the system can't sustain that on a daily basis. the Metro can

Lyndsey Layton: Part II. As I was saying, the problem is that Metro can't operate eight-car trains on a regular basis, day in and day out. Before it can do that, it needs to upgrade 44 of Metro's 93 electric substations, which are scattered throughout the 103-mile railroad. The substations, many of which are 30 years old, convert electricity that comes from power companies into current to run the trains. It also needs to acquire additional rail cars. The good news is that Metro has ordered 120 new rail cars, which would allow it to lengthen about 30 percent of its rush hour trains to eight-cars by 2008. That's right, three years from now. So hang on. (Those eight car trains will mean room for 30,000 more riders during peak travel hours, btw)

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Fairfax, Va.: It is painfully obvious as I sit in traffic and watch new housing going in with no plan for getting those people around what the problem is. Developers are in control! The politicians ought to find the backbone to tell them 'no more building permits' until current solution to gridlock is found, including additional capacity caused by new housing. But big $$ runs the show and unfortunately we all will suffer.

Steve Ginsberg: How do you feel about developers putting up hundreds of millions in road money for the right to build thousands of new houses? That's what's on the table in Prince William and Loudoun, where supervisors are trying to decide whether the perks of road fixes outweigh the costs of approving more cars on the road.

Also, your question presupposes that there is a solution to gridlock. What do you think that would be?

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Arlington, Va.: Although most of my daily travel is not trapped by traffic, what I have noticed in this area are two things;
ONE: Why do people stop traffic to watch something on the side of the road (even if it's just someone who was pulled over)?

TWO: slow people in the fast lane? And how can you call it a fast lane when the speed limit is behind the times?

Steve Ginsberg: Come on, how often do you get the shot at looking at people mangled in a car wreck? Or a driver yelling at another driver?

It should not be called the fast lane. Everyone thinks they're going the proper speed and that those going faster than them are crazy and those going slower are infuriating. It should be called a passing lane, as in, if you're not, get out!

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Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: What's on my mind?

I'm wondering why so many people find it difficult to remove the snow from the roof, hood and truck of their cars before they hit the highway. What gives? Do you like driving bind and creating a white cloud that distracts the people behing you?

Steve Ginsberg: My favorite is when an entire sheet of ice slides off the roof of a van into the road in front of me. Trying to avoid it is totally like playing a video game.

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Burleith, D.C.: I understand that D.C. is a southern city in many ways. Like during a snowfall. I understand that Metro buses will be delayed.

However, I DO expect WMATA to tell the truth. Their Web site said that Metrobuses were delayed but reported no route changes (I checked around 530, as I departed my office). I arrive in Dupont about 30 minutes later and board the D2. The driver -- who had made no announcement AND IS TALKING ON A CELL PHONE -- decides she is only going to Wisconsin and Whitehaven. What are the folks who live in Burleith and Glover Park to do? I ask and receive only a shrug in response.

I am now totally disgusted with WMATA. Of their two opportunities to inform riders of route changes (web and driver announcement) they choose neither.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Burleith,
Bus riders seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to quality information from Metro. The bus driver was clearly at fault in a) talking on a cell phone and b) failing to tell her passengers where she was going. Metrobus drivers are allowed to make decisions on the fly about whether to deviate from a route if conditions appear hazardous. But I'm pretty sure they're supposed to report that change to the downtown control center, and that control center is supposed to relay changes or detours to the operators who field phone calls from the public. Bad marks all around on this one.

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Springfield, Va.: Do you have any idea to whom I should complain about road conditions in the Springfield Interchange? I know they are going to replace a few of the ramps, but it seems that VDOT thinks that this means it's OK to let the potholes grow ever-bigger. Meantime, we've got to drive there every day! Reporting the potholes on VDOT's web page does no good -- they just ignore you (odd, because they have always been prompt elsewhere). Any idea to whom I could take this issue to go over VDOT's head?

Thanks.

Steve Ginsberg: Let's complain right here and see if we can get a response from VDOT.

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Left lane drivers: This madness is most common once you get outside the Beltway. Just because the speed limit is 55 and you are going "over" the speed limit at 57 does not give you the right to sit in the left lane. I can't tell you the number of folks in my office, sorry but they are mostly 50+, who feel its their right to drive in whatever lane they want as long as they are over the speed limit. Just insane. If you want to plod along on the freeway, fine. But here's a hint, when cars a flying by on the RIGHT of you, you are in the wrong lane and need to pull the heck over.

Steve Ginsberg: That's a good hint. This is a real problem on a two-lane highway like I-66, where one left-laner can slow everyone down. And there's always at least one left-laner. You guys notice any trend in slow left-laners? Mostly men? Women? SUVs? Minis?

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Alexandria, Va.: Maybe I am just venting but the folks in this region still seem to be in denial that winter strikes here and that is snows. Last Wednesday it was a nightmare. I work in Crystal City and live near Landmark Mall and it took me over 2.5 hours to get home. It seems that bad weather is a license to throw out every rule of the the road. Left turns from the right lane; creating lanes where none have ever existed; right of way rules forgotten; cleaning off windows (saw one guy driving with his rear window completely covered in snow). Of course the Feds didn't help matters by closing down DC for the inauguration.

OK, I feel better.

Steve Ginsberg: While we're at it, let's not forget people who don't clear the sidewalks in front of their homes/apartment buildings. My commute this morning was a nightmare: dirty snow at every block, slushy grime in every intersection and ice patches around every corner. My poor shoes.

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Washington, D.C.: I was disappointed with the lack of information last Wednesday about buses heading downtown during the security incident. A group was waiting for a downtown bus in Adams Morgan, but one never appeared. One bus did drive by, but did not stop. Several buses went northbound during this time. Thirty minutes after a bus was supposed to arrive, I called the metro number, but they did not know there was a problem. After being on hold for five minutes, the woman recommended we find alternate transportation due to a bomb scare. I am genuinely unsure the best way to communicate, but perhaps the bus could have stopped and told us they were unable to pick up passengers, we could have made other arrangements instead of standing in the blistering cold!

Lyndsey Layton: As a daily bus rider, this is the kind of thing that makes me crazy. While subway riders get periodic announcements or electronic sign messages (OK, so maybe they're not always related to reality, but at least it's a warm shelter) bus passengers are literally left in the cold, trying to divine when and where they might see some transportation. It's unforgivable that you couldn't get any 411 by calling Metro. Metro has street supervisors - people who drive around in SUVs to make sure that buses are running properly and to respond to emergencies. It would have made sense to dispatch those supervisors to inform customers along affected routes. Or heck, direct the bus drivers to stop and tell passengers what's going on.

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Alexandria, Va.: This past week was my first time dealing with snow in the 'burbs after living in the District for six years and I found snow traffic to be abhorrent! The biggest problem was that I opted to take Metrobus from the Pentagon rather than drive Wednesday afternoon only to have my bus not show up. There wasn't any communication with regards to delays or lack of service to help me figure out what to do. I ended up having to walk a mile in the snow after getting on the nearest route. (and there was also the matter of the hour+ time it took to get out of the Pentagon parking lot) Why can't Metro communicate better to its customers?

Lyndsey Layton: And one more happy bus passenger.

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Waldorf, Md.: The writer from L.A. is spot-on. Southern California, while far from solving their own problems, quickly understood the need to develop infrastructure to keep up with population and building increases. That just doesn't happen here. We have too many NIMBY's who don't want roads to bring people through their cities/counties (yes Arlington, I'm talking about you). Two-lane highways that were designed for traffic levels in 1960 are simply inadequate today, and must be upgraded (along with public transport) to meet the needs of today's traffic and commuting patterns.

Steve Ginsberg: And yet they still have the worst traffic in America. So where does that leave us? Buildings tons of roads doesn't do it and not building tons of roads doesn't do it. So what do we do?

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Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.: What was up with the Red Line this morning? There was no report of a delay, and WMATA.com reports that "Despite snow and ice, Metro 'is' running near-normal service Monday," with "No service alerts at this time." Um, I just spent about 50 minutes in the Metro system on a trip that usually takes 20 minutes (Cleveland Park to Federal Center SW). Starting at 9 a.m., I waited forever for a Red Line train to Glenmont/Silver Spring, while Shady Grove trains arrived just about every second (unusual). When the Silver Spring-bound trains did arrive, they were so packed I couldn't get on. Finally, I got on the fifth one that came, and we stopped between every station because of the backup. How is this "near-normal"? Is this the 'think system' of transportation, where if you don't acknowledge a delay, it doesn't exist?

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Cleveland Park,
I heard similar complaints from Red Line riders heading downtown this morning - trains were delayed and when they arrived they were packed. It's possible that ridership was higher than normal this morning, as some people may have opted to take the train instead of drive. I've asked Metro about it and am waiting for an explanation. Stay tuned.

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Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C.: I would gladly pay more in D.C. taxes if it meant that the city would actually tow all the cars parked illegally on Conn Ave. in the morning. One car parked during rush hour can back up traffic for blocks. I really think a lot of the congestion problems in the D.C. area would be lessened if only the laws already in place were ENFORCED (parking, HOV violations, blocking the box, etc.)

Steve Ginsberg: Seems like you wouldn't have to pay more in taxes since the money they'd make off towing could fund towing. And I agree, get rid of the rush hour illegal parkers. No exceptions, no mercy.

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Falls Church, Va.: While I agree with the posters that people driving in the left lane is a big problem, the other posters claim the drivers are going 57 in a 55 and that the speed limits are outdated. The other big problem on the roads is that everyone believes they can simply make up their own rules of the road and that the rules don't apply to them. Even if you think you're able to drive at 70 in a 55, that doesn't mean that things would be better if everyone did. And the roads are made for everyone, not just you. This me-first attitude is the problem with D.C. driving.

Steve Ginsberg: Like I said, everyone think they're going the right speed.

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Fairfax, Va.: I think that calling the people in Arlington NIMBYs is being too kind.

I think a more accurate term for many of these folks is BANANAs: Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.

Steve Ginsberg: The people in Arlington would say that they've built a tremendous amount of stuff in the last decade--witness the rise of Ballston, Clarendon, Courthouse, etc, etc. They would argue that their way of building, mostly up and mostly along Metro lines, is the way to do it and that adding highways, strip malls and other car dependant things only causes more traffic problems.

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Columbia, Md.: One solution to controlling traffic is to give people incentives when they carpool, or better yet -- get them to find a job closer to home. The main cause of traffic in and around Balto/D.C. is that many people travel more than 20 miles each way to work. There is no easy solution, but we can come up with some new ideas can't we?

Steve Ginsberg: The HOV lanes are a pretty big incentive to carpool since they generally move much quicker than the regular lanes. And there's a new service called NuRide that actually pays you with retail vouchers at places like Starbucks to carpool.

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Washington, D.C.: Here's what's on my mind today:

Will VRE and MARC ever extend their service into Virginia and Maryland, as SEPTA and N.J. Transit do in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York?

And has MARC started to look at commuter rail into Southern Maryland to reduce congestion on Pennsylvania Ave. and 301?

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Washington,
A proposal to extend MARC service into Virginia and VRE service into Maryland has been floating around for several years. The last I recall, Virginia funded a study to determine what sorts of improvements would be required to tracks and what it would cost. It would certainly take the burden off congested Union Station, and make it a lot easier for commuters who live in one state to commute to the other. But I think the idea lacks political allies at this point who are willing to promote it.
Regarding train service to southern Maryland, former Gov. Glendening had talked about building a light rail extension from the Branch Avenue Metro station into Charles County. The thinking is that light rail is cheaper and easier to construct than passenger rail. But I don't think the idea has much support in the Ehrlich administration.

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Arlington, Va.: It wasnt' just the Red Line this morning. The Blue/Yellow was bad, too. At 8 a.m. the platforms at Pentagon City were packed and we had to wait for multiple trains to go by because they were also packed. Metro apparently was caught off-guard by the morning rush, yet again.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Arlington,
If Metro is listening in on this chat, please feel free to respond.

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Arlington, Va.: Regarding last Wednesday's snow and traffic. I took Metrorail to the Pentagon to catch my bus home too. For the writer from Alexandria to complain that his bus was not there is ridiculous. Everyone who was there could see that the traffic on I-395 was so bad that the buses couldn't get into or out of the Pentagon lot. It doesn't take an expert to open your eyes and figure out that the buses are delayed due to the traffic and roadways. It's not Metro's fault that the roads are congested. I much rather leave the driving to Metro than having to deal with that traffic myself. Sure it took a long time to get from the Pentagon bus area to the highway, but again, don't blame Metro for the cars who can't drive in the snow. That's a cheap shot.

Lyndsey Layton: A defense for beleaguered Metrobus.

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Washington, D.C.: Building roads doesn't help. Not building roads doesn't help. Trying to accomplish a combination of initiatives is the way to go. Sure, we really need to widen I-66 to 3 lanes (at least), but we also need to ensure 8-car trains on the Orange Line and make the extension out to Dulles a priority. It has to be a holistic and comprehensive approach. Perhaps we can't build flyovers and ramps to get rid of every traffic light on Route 1, but we can time the signals better so traffic actually moves. We can avoid placing signals at EVERY SINGLE INTERSECTION (in the burbs especially) and have U-turn ramps every mile or two so again traffic can move without the accumulated effect of multiple traffic light delays. Smart thinking and comprehensive thinking will help us solve our major gridlock problems.

Steve Ginsberg: Here's a thought or two.

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Centerville, Va.: My goal is to make it from 7100 and Rt 66 to my parking spot at the Washington Navy Yard in under 30 minutes. I leave at 4:50 a.m. and I am in my parking spot by 5:15 a.m. I do try to keep it under 100 mph. Sometimes I am not successful. Law enforcement is non existent on RT 66 between 5:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. It is donut time.

Steve Ginsberg: what time do you go to sleep at night?

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Springfield, Va.: There was a real mess at the Pentagon the day before the inauguration, with buses backed up in the lot and running over an hour late. It seems to me that Metro has overloaded the Pentagon bus terminal to the point where any weather or security disruption creates a cascading effect -- maybe it's time to start feeding some of the buses into the Metrorail system at other stations.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Springfield,
That's an interesting question - whether too many buses use the transfer station at Pentagon. Metro can and has staged buses at Pentagon City station, when the Pentagon station has been closed for various security dramas over the past several years. It may make a lot of sense to shift some buses over there and avoid the cascading effect you describe so well.

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Fairfax, Va.: I'm always the first to complain, so I have to tell the world that Metro actually did a good job of clearing snow from the parking lots and sidewalks at Dunn Loring this time! Maybe they've finally decided it's worthwhile to pay crews to come in on the weekend and at night, while the lots are empty. Thank you, Metro!

Lyndsey Layton: Well OK, here's a bravo for Metro.

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Arlington NIMBYS: Steve, you are right that people in Arlington feel that building up along the Metro line is the "right" way to be building. Problem is, not everyone lives even remotely close to Metro (and Metro is at capacity right now ... they can't HANDLE more people). As a "close-in" suburb, they have an obligation to ensure that people still have access to Washington (even those that can't take Metro). Believe me, if I could hover above Arlington on my way in, I would. However there is almost no way for me to drive into D.C. without going through Arlington, so unless they enjoy increasing gridlock in their streets, they should be looking at the larger picture.

Steve Ginsberg: This seems like the best argument to get Arlingtonians to change their mind about widening 66. When I used to get stuck on 66 (all the time) I would peel off the highway and find my way through neighborhood streets. Seems like this isn't good for anyone.

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Fairfax, Va.: I have also lived in L.A. and the difference between there are here is ... we have other choices for commuting. Even with Metro and buses, our traffic is ridiculous. L.A. doesn't really have any other options to get from point A to point B. I would have gladly taken their subway to work or the beach or anywhere else if it went to where I was going. D.C. is bad because with all our public transportation, the roads are still packed.

Steve Ginsberg: Thoughts on LA v DC

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Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: When I first moved here a few years ago, I had heard talk of re-routing the D.C. portion of the Orange Line, from Stadium/Armory to Rosslyn, so that it would take a more northern arc (up Florida Ave. perhaps) and serve Georgetown. Any truth to those rumors?

Oh, and let's hope Metro chooses bench seating with straps in the center: for those worried that they won't be offered a seat, when in need, one only needs to travel on N.Y.C. subways to know that despite crowded conditions, civility and generosity prevail. Even the most hardened of folks up there know to give up seats for those in need.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Capitol Hill,
Ah, the dreams of Metro planners. A few years back, before Metro declared itself in severe financial straits, transit officials conjured up something like "Metro: The Next Generation". It was a $12 billion dollar wish list of all sorts of wonderful improvements to the subway. The most ambitious was a new subway line through the heart of downtown DC, that would include a station in Georgetown.
Some five years later, the plan has been whittled down to $1.5 billion for stuff designed just to keep the existing system from falling apart. The planners at Metro aren't dreaming big these days.

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Farragut Square Park, Washington, D.C.: Particularly on 66, 495, and 95, the only common demographic of left-lane cloggers are those chatting away on their cell phones! They get in the left lane -- "out of the way of traffic," I'm sure -- so that they can choose not to pay primary attention to the road and have more interest in their conversations. This clearly is a big problem on two-lane I66. (For whatever reason, I've never encountered this on 395 ...)

Steve Ginsberg: I've commuted on 66 and 395 (both for two years) and found the experiences to be very different. My impressions were that people on 66 were much more self-absorbed and therefore much more dangerous. Lots of lane weaving. Also lots more SUVs. 395 somehow seems orderly by comparison.

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Metro's Media Relations Office: We are not aware of any specific incident that would have caused crowds on the Blue/Yellow Line at Crystal City this morning. In case you're not aware, there are thousands of people in the city today for the Right to Life March and there are plenty of hotels in the Crystal City area, which could result in crowds in the system at that location at that time of day.

Due to the expected crowds for the protest, we decided to keep longer trains (six-car trains) in service throughout the morning and afternoon instead of converting them to four-car trains.

Lyndsey Layton: From the horse's mouth.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Montgomery County Exec Douglas Duncan styles his county a pedestrian friendly place. Then he announces that the law requiring property owners to clear snow off their sidewalks will not be enforced. This gives walkers little choice to walk in the streets. How's that for pedestrian safety?

Steve Ginsberg: Well Montgomery County?

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Metro's Media Relations Office: Regarding the Cleveland Park customer's delay on the Red Line this morning, there were two minor delays due to mechanical issues (not snow/ice/cold related), one at 7:15 a.m. was a brakes issue and one at 7:38 had to do with "speed commands."

But the Cleveland Park 9 a.m. rider must have been caught in an incident that began at 8:39 a.m. when a Red Line train was removed from service at White Flint due to intermittent power problems. That train was going toward Glenmont. One train was single tracked from Twinbrook to Grosvenor. The train with the power problem was on the move at 9:01 a.m. This incident did cause a significant delay on this portion of the Red Line this morning.

Lyndsey Layton: And here's an explanation for all you Red Line riders. Thanks, Metro.

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Silver Spring, Md.: As a native Washingtonian I have had the pleasure of watching this area handle snow for 40 plus years. Before the Metro, and the popularity o f 4WD. My dear ole dad taught all 5 siblings how to drive in snow. Something that many people do not know, besides the obvious going slow. Turning, how to steering, putting additional weight in the car, rock back and forth when stuck ... etc. Even with an SUV I go out if necessary, my greatest fear is the uneducated driver. But I must admit Montgomery county in my area zip 20910 seems to always do a good job. As I entered D.C. today, I saw without surprise many main streets with snow. D.C. has gotten much better, but still has a way to go.

Steve Ginsberg: Thanks for the insight.

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Alexandria, Va.: Your attitude on speed limits is nuts. Differences in the speed of various cars creates most of the danger. When speed limits are too low, the variation increases -- for example, the speed limit on the GW parkway near Reagan is 40 mph. Some people won't go more than 5 mph over, others go 55 or 60, which is about as fast as most people feel safe driving, given the nature of the road.

If the speed limit were raised, the slower drivers would speed up, decreasing the variance and making things safer. Plus, it would stop the current state of affairs, where 95 percent of the cars on the road can be pulled over for speeding and the police can pick their victim.

Realistic speed limits should be set and then enforced aggressively.

Steve Ginsberg: I'm skeptical that slower drivers would speed up if the speed limit was raised. I'm thinking a slow driver now would be scared out of his mind if everyone was suddenly going 15 mph faster.

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Washington, D.C.: When does Metro's new focus on customer service start? I was at the PG Metro station a week ago -- the elevator was out but there was no sign (or announcement). I left several people waiting for the elevator and walked to the escalator. I mentioned to the station manager (when he managed to spare me a few minutes from his chat with a friend) that he should put up a sign because people were downstairs waiting for the elevator. He said it was only going to be out for a few minutes (at least 10 minutes while I was there). Is it really too much to ask that he put a hand-written sign that the elevator is out of service? I think it would cost no more than $1 in time and materials. Similarly, other stations (live Clev Park) do not put up signs when the second escalator is out of service. Apparently, Metro thinks walking up stairs is the same as standing on a moving escalators, so customers do not need to know when escalators are out of service. And now, Metro wants to spend $200K for a system to notify them when the platform monitors are out of service. Can't station managers just check (they can stay in their boxes and look at the camera views) the monitors twice a shift? Metro needs new management -- and a better set of board members.

Lyndsey Layton: That good Metro karma didn't last long.

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Front Royal, Va.: Why is it that during the snowy times of the year that subdivisions and the like refuse to use salt to help clear the roads?

I live on a mountain and the HOA will only use gravel, which does not help at all!

I just cannot fathom why the use of salt is so frowned upon, as the state uses it to clear roads.

What good does it do for those of us who know the roads are clear but cannot make it out of our driveways in order to get to the public transportation that normally takes us to work.

Thanks for letting me rant on.

Steve Ginsberg: a snow rant...

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Washington, D.C.: I just want to say that if D.C. REALLY wants to make money off motorists, they could forget the silly photo enforcement and just have some cops out there pulling over people who don't turn on their headlights when it's snowing. Drives me nuts trying to dodge what I like to call the "invisible cars" when the snow is coming down!

While they're at it, I think all three jurisdictions (Va., Md., and D.C.) should amend the definition of "reckless driving" to include "Endangering other motorists by failing to clean snow off the hood and roof and around the taillights."

(OK, there's my rant for the morning!)

Steve Ginsberg: and another...

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I-66 Widening: I live in Arlington. When I-66 was built,(breaking up neighborhoods BTW), it was built with the agreement that it would never be wider than 2 lanes in each direction. Now people want to renege on this deal and destroy more portions of neighborhoods? Why not spend the money on better public transportation, rapid bus service, Metro, and hey -- better enforcement of HOV and higher fines. More lanes will work for a short time, then the traffic will be back to where it was. I've driven in L.A., and sat in traffic jams in the middle of the day on a weekday. More roads are not always the answer.

Steve Ginsberg: the arlington view...

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Washington, D.C.: Re: the Alexandria poster, this is a fundamental problem with Metrobus. It's ridiculous to make buses compete in traffic with cars -- especially single passenger ones. On the highways especially, can't we have bus-only lanes? Metro can't control the car traffic, but regionally we can control the circumstances buses drive in. Ever seen the Express Lanes in Seattle?

Lyndsey Layton: The trick is creating bus-only lanes on very congested highways where motorists have no incentive to give up one of their lanes. It requires some determined local leaders.

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Steve Ginsberg: Thanks for the chat folks. See ya back here in two weeks.

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Washington, D.C.: A Metro compliment - this morning, my Blue Line train was (apparently) having mechanical difficulties. Beginning at Braddock Road and continuing (at least) until I got off at Farragut West, our very good-natured driver explained that he was having difficulties but he would keep the train in service as long as he could. He was informative, funny, and I did not mind at all that we were (maybe) 10 minutes slower than usual.

Lyndsey Layton: We'll end this chat on an upnote. And let's hope that all your travels the rest of this week go as well. Thanks for venting with us, sorry if we didn't get to your question today. Steve and I will be back in two weeks. See you then.

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