Friday, March 7, 2008

There is more to say on why bus rapid transit is not the solution to the Dulles rail problem ["Taking the Bus Is Not an Option," Close to Home, March 2], especially for Tysons Corner, where a poor transit choice would handicap ambitious plans for developing a livable cityscape. It is a pity that bus rapid transit is clouding the difficult task of reorganizing the Dulles rail investment more efficiently for the long-term good of Northern Virginia.

Bus rapid transit has its place in limited situations but is not practical when matched against the vision for Tysons Corner. "Next to a bus stop" does not have quite the ring of "next to a Metro station" when marketing the space in the many mixed-use high-rises planned for Tysons. And bus rapid transit's dedicated lanes would crowd out and cause more congestion for other road traffic.

One has only to try to imagine central New York, London or Paris with bus rapid transit instead of their subways to appreciate how impractical such transit would be for Tysons Corner.

JULIAN BLACKWOOD

McLean