I wonder if any of you have tips on how to drive Wisconsin Avenue in the District.
It is two lanes in each direction, without left- or right-turn lanes and with metered parking permitted on some segments.
If I drive in the left lane, I invariably get stuck behind someone who is turning left (without signaling) and have to wait through a signal change while a stream of vehicles goes by on the right.
If I drive in the right lane, I'll come across a (legally or illegally) parked vehicle and then have to wait for some merciful soul to let me into the left lane (good luck).
What to do? Interestingly, these problems are alleviated once Wisconsin hits the Maryland border at Western Avenue. There, Wisconsin Avenue becomes a three-lane thoroughfare in each direction, with frequent left-turn lanes and some right-turn lanes.
I suppose if the District had full representation in Congress -- like, say, the Massachusetts delegation -- we could simply tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue to resolve these problems.
But until we have a Kennedy or a Kerry coming up with dollars for our road problems, as they are in Boston ($15 billion plus), what's a hapless motorist to do to efficiently travel our inadequate Wisconsin Avenue?
No Quick Fix to Bypass Rail Stops
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I am amazed at the lack of discussion about "express" Metro lines. That is, regular trains that bypass the least-frequented stops to service the most popular stops.
The commute I have from Germantown to the District is the same distance as I had from my residence in Naperville, Ill., to downtown Chicago (30 miles). What is strikingly different is the time of the commutes.
My door-to-door commute in Chicago averaged under one hour. On good days, my commute using Metro is one hour and 20 minutes. The difference was that, in Chicago, there was an express schedule. My commute on Metro has 19 stops.
For the evening commute here, I have to add another half-hour or so because of overcrowded trains and clogged roads.
I did the Metro commute for over a year but finally gave into driving so I could have more time with my wife and three kids (the numerous breakdowns and delays on the Red Line also wore thin).
I looked into commuter vans, but it came down to all the evening stops the van would have to make before dropping me off.
