When It's a Parkway, the Trees Win

By Robert Thomson
Sunday, March 4, 2007

D r. Gridlock:

The Baltimore-Washington Parkway has been two lanes each way for over 40 years. There are no businesses on it, no homes, no nothing but exit and on-ramps and trees on both sides.

Why couldn't this roadway be widened to four lanes each way? It has become a major route to Baltimore but creeps along much of the time to 10 mph. All we would lose are a few trees on each side.

Erwin A. Siegel

Alexandria

The 29-mile-long BW Parkway is one of many roads in our region that handles traffic volumes planners never envisioned. Between the District line and Fort Meade, the parkway is under the control of the National Park Service. Note the middle name of that organization.

Tell those folks that all we would lose are a few trees.

The NPS portion of the parkway did get a major upgrade in a project that stretched out over more than a decade. One thing that didn't stretch was the width of the roadway. It's still four lanes.

But the northern part of the parkway is controlled by Maryland's State Highway Administration, also aptly named.

SHA will widen the roadway from four to six lanes between Interstates 695 and 195. The $23 million project will begin in May and take approximately three years, said Chuck Gischlar, an SHA spokesman. Meanwhile, planning is underway to widen the parkway between Route 100 and I-195, but there's no money for it yet. The state already widened the other portion it controls -- between Baltimore and I-695.

Train and Bus Troubles

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

It is rush hour, 6:30 p.m. on Monday. A large and restless crowd is on the platform at Metro Center. For almost 15 minutes, no information displays on the monitors, no trains pass (four the other way), no announcements are made and the manager loitering on the platform knows nothing.

Peter Levine

Washington

I received lots of complaints from Blue and Orange Line riders about the crowding and delays that occurred after 4 p.m. Monday when a train reported smoke in the tunnel near Federal Triangle.

The smoke report forced Metro to turn back trains in the middle of the downtown tunnel just as the afternoon rush was beginning. Because a main artery was severed at a critical point, it took the train controllers a long time -- especially from homebound riders' point of view -- to restore normal service and ease crowding, even after the trains started moving again.

Compounding the problem for riders, said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel, was a computer failure that knocked out train information displays in the stations.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Metrobus driver safety doesn't seem to be catching on too well. Throughout my ride today from Tenleytown to Washington Circle, the driver maintained a conversation with a passenger at his side. Directly above them was a sign that said: "Please do not talk to me while I'm driving. Safe operation of this bus requires my full attention."

On my return trip, another driver crossed two intersections after the light had changed to red. Not encouraging.

B. R. Williams

Washington

When JetBlue failed its customers during the storm a couple of weeks ago, executives engaged in a public fit of remorse that led to a bill of rights for their passengers.

The transit authority has gotten much better about explaining its problems, but the last word is usually, "Thank you for riding Metro," as opposed to JetBlue's specific pledge to fix things or else. The difference is that people can always fly on a different airline. Washingtonians can't transfer their allegiance to Sam's Subway or Barbara's Bus.

But what passengers lack in economic clout they can make up with their voices. Tell Metro management, tell Metro board members, tell the Metro Riders' Advisory Council. The agency's customer assistance number is 202-637-1328.

Not for Singles

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I have a question regarding the Stringfellow exit that is open only during busy hours (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) on I-66 westbound. The sign for the exit says it's HOV only. Does it mean I can't take this exit unless I have at least two people in the car? Or does the sign apply to cars that continue driving in the left lane?

Austin Chau

Fair Lakes

You must have two or more people aboard to legally use the exit, said Ryan Hall, a Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman.

Dr. Gridlock appears Thursday in the Extras and Sunday in the Metro section. You can e-mail questions and comments todrgridlock@washpost.com. Include your name, home community and phone number.