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Thanks, travelers, for a decade-long conversation - The Washington Post

As I retire, I want to devote my last column to travelers who wrote in to discuss their tips and travails. Some wanted to get something fixed. Some just wanted to vent. All were welcome.

I’m not a commuter, but I have a real gridlock problem. When people in a left lane don’t pull up to the vehicle in front of them, they block the ability of people trying to turn left from accessing the left-turn lane.

I can’t even count how many times I’ve missed the left green arrow because of this.

It seems that if cars are moving, people tailgate, or switch lanes to pull in front if you’ve left any space between you and the car ahead. Yet at a stoplight, they leave multiple car lengths, blocking the left-turn lane.

All it takes to solve the problem is a little thought and consideration of others.

<author>
Linda Thomas, Vienna
</author>

P.S. I’ve been reading your column for 30 years. Can that be true?

DG: It's been wonderful to have such readers. The Dr. Gridlock column was founded a little over three decades ago by Ron Shaffer. When Ron retired in 2006, I got to be the second Dr. Gridlock.

In the 1980s, the word “gridlock” was buzzy. Its popularity goes back only to 1980, when a New York transportation official, Sam Schwartz, used it to warn commuters what would happen if they all drove into the middle of the city during a transit strike.

It’s hard to imagine a time when the word itself wasn’t part of our everyday discussions. Harder still to imagine a time when it won’t be.

I’ve always considered letter-writers to be like guests in my house. I can think of no space at The Washington Post where there’s a more direct interaction with our readers. You told me what you thought, and you backed it with your name and community.

I told you what I thought of your premise and backed it with my byline.

Some topics came up and then disappeared. That might have been because we solved them, but more likely, these vexations went away when a project was completed. Together, we worked our way through the rebuilding of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and the construction of the Intercounty Connector, the 11th Street bridge, the high-occupancy toll lanes and the Silver Line.

But other issues kept coming back. Many were complaints about how other travelers behaved and why.

Letter-writers told me they were observing trends. Usually, I was unable to verify the trend part. Have drivers recently adjusted how much space they leave between their vehicles and the ones ahead? Have they just now decided that they won’t pull into intersections to await a left turn? Are more people driving in the dark without headlights?

Is everybody getting less sensitive to everybody else?

I have no idea. But I can tell you the behaviors that people say are trending now are the same behaviors that people wrote in to discuss a decade ago.

When travelers saw a writer venting about a type of behavior, they followed up with interesting theories. I got this letter about the headlight mystery.

Here’s another explanation for people driving without headlights on. It has happened to us a few times. My husband and I both have our lights set on automatic. We have both picked up cars after repairs and not realized that our lights were no longer on automatic. If it is still daylight when the car is picked up, it can take a while to notice.

<author>
Eugenia Gregory, Mount Airy
</author>

DG: Even when we couldn't solve a travel mystery, I enjoyed displaying letters like that because they might raise people's consciousness. More travelers might then ask themselves, "Am I doing the right thing? Am I paying attention?"

I know letter-writers have raised my consciousness.

When I’m driving, riding or walking, I’ve got their theories and their pet peeves in mind. I’m trying to prove or disprove them by observation — and I’m trying not to duplicate them in my own behavior.

I certainly wouldn’t want to run afoul of this letter-writer.

The most blatant aggression I frequently see is flooring it: fast acceleration when there is a green light ahead. Of course, they can’t make it from 100 yards back, but they go through just after the yellow light turns red.

Such racing for the green happens often. One day a middle-aged friend told me to “step on it; you can make it.”

I always start slowing down as soon as I see a green light ahead because I know all green lights change. We were on our way to a shopping center and had no deadline.

<author>
Margaret Corley, Ashburn
</author>

After a decade of reading your letters, I proceed as though the driver’s license examiner were still sitting beside me. I stop at every stop sign. And I do mean stop. It’s the safe thing to do, of course, but I also figure there might be a kid — a driver of the future — who would watch and think this isn’t such a bad idea after all.

Take care of one another. I’ll still be watching.

Robert Thomson was The Washington Post’s “Dr. Gridlock," answering travelers’ questions and sharing their pain on the roads, trains and buses in the Washington region. He left The Post in March 2017. 

Robert Thomson

Linda Thomas, Vienna

Eugenia Gregory, Mount Airy

Margaret Corley, Ashburn

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Penguin mural back at Silver Spring Metro station

That long, somewhat strange trip to becoming ‘Dr. Gridlock’ - The Washington Post

In recent weeks, I’ve used the phrase, “Since I became Dr. Gridlock in 2006 . . .”

That’s an odd construction to describe my column-writing job. A standard expression would be, “Since I became a columnist in 2006 . . .”

At first, I sought to maintain the title as just an alter ego. While Dan Tangherlini was in charge of Metro, he took me along on a tour of the Brentwood rail yard. He introduced me to workers there as “Dr. Gridlock,” and each time he did, I would shake hands with the employee and say, “Robert Thomson,” to indicate that I retailed a separate personality.

These days, when I meet someone in a professional capacity, I say, “I’m Dr. Gridlock.”

The response is either a smile of acceptance about the persona or the wide-eyed stare that says, “Does security know you’re here?”

Most people were willing to accept. It’s odd how authority is conveyed in our society. The Washington Post says you’re a doctor, then you’re a doctor. I didn’t even have to go to graduate school.

At news conferences with local transportation officials where reporters take turns asking questions, the official doing the Q&A would point to me and say, “Doc?”

Dr. Gridlock is like the chairman who presides over Kitchen Stadium on “Iron Chef.” You know he’s not really the chairman of anything, but it’s such a neat idea, you sort of want it to be real.

You should see me at cocktail parties. It’s like the old cartoons where people realize that a guest is a medical doctor and start divulging their symptoms. In my case, people who were strangers a moment before begin to share their deepest concerns — about their commutes.

I love that. I’m a slug at parties until someone starts talking about why something is the way it is on a commute. Then you can’t shut me up.

Some people take the idea a little too far. I’ve gotten “Dear Dr. Gridlock” letters expressing outrage over my response on topics such as right turns on red, or whether a driver absolutely must move into an intersection when waiting to make a left turn.

The letter-writers would blame me for regionwide traffic congestion on the day after my column appeared.

In retiring, I’m pleased to look back and say I never had that kind of power. As the Dear Abby of Traffic, I knew a little bit about a lot of things so I could help letter writers work on their relationships with our transportation system.

But I never thought I knew enough about any one thing, or about what was going to happen next.

I did have an advantage over the average traveler. I didn’t commute. As soon as I closed the front door behind me, I was at work. Every experience walking, riding or driving contributed to the columns.

But that’s only because I was supported by an army of researchers: All the travelers who would write in, use social media or join online chats to tell me what they saw. They’re the real authorities on how we get around.

No matter how much I traveled, I could never duplicate what they saw following the same routes day after day and being sensitive to the changes. They are very good observers, and they want to help each other.

I stored up their advice over the years so I could appear smarter by repeating it.

And they sensitized me about what to look for in my travels. If a transportation agency put an obstacle in their path, they would tell me so that I could experience it, then highlight the problem in a column.

These travelers also vented about each other’s behavior, and I encouraged that. My cure for road rage was to ask people to let out the anger in a Dr. Gridlock column rather than on a street.

The commute is the part of our day when we’re bound to mingle with strangers. We should share that experience as equals. But some people consider it a zero-sum game. If they see somebody else winning, they must be losing.

My wish for the future is that people stop dividing themselves into categories based on how they get around and just look out for each other. We’re all in this together.

Dr. Gridlock also appears Thursday in Local Living. Comments and questions are welcome and may be used in a column, along with the writer's name and home community. Write Dr. Gridlock at The Washington Post, 1301 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071, or ­email <a href="mailto:drgridlock@washpost.com">drgridlock@washpost.com</a>.

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Dr. Gridlock’s weekend travel tips - The Washington Post

Many traffic-generating activities are scheduled for this weekend in the District, but the rainy weather may dampen enthusiasm for some of them.

The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/?utm_term=.39a52204b2a8">Capital Weather Gang</a> is particularly doubtful about the Nationals’ exhibition game on Friday afternoon. We’re going to have quite a bit of rain into the evening. Sunday will be the better of the two weekend days. Watch the forecast for Saturday, April Fools’ Day, if you’re planning a trip to the <a href="http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/blossom-kite-festival/">Cherry Blossom Kite Festival</a>.

Sporting events: The Nationals play an exhibition game with the Boston Red Sox at 4:05 p.m. Friday in Nationals Park. The Nats and Sox also have a 2 p.m. game Saturday at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, but those tickets are not available to the general public. Opening Day of the regular season at Nationals Park is Monday with the Marlins at 1:05 p.m.

The nearest Metro station, Navy Yard, will be especially crowded before and after the home opener. Traffic will be slow near M and South Capitol streets on the Southeast-Southwest Freeway and on the 14th Street, 11th Street and Douglass bridges. Leave plenty of extra time to make first pitch.

D.C. United has a 7 p.m. game Saturday with the Philadelphia Union at RFK Stadium.

[Going Out Guide: 10 things to do this weekend]

Metrorail 
On another big weekend for the Cherry Blossom Festival, the work schedule for the transit system is fairly light. But the SafeTrack maintenance project continues on the Blue and Yellow lines.

Blue Line. For the SafeTrack project, trains share a track between the Braddock Road and Van Dorn Street stations. They are scheduled to operate every 24 minutes between Franconia-Springfield and Largo Town Center. From 10 p.m. Sunday until the rail system’s midnight closing, trains will share a track between the Smithsonian and Federal Center SW stations while crews work on ceiling tiles.

Yellow Line. Also for SafeTrack, trains will share a track between Braddock Road and the Huntington terminal. Trains are scheduled to operate every 24 minutes between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square. More trains will be in service between Mount Vernon Square and Reagan National Airport.

Red Line. Trains will be on their regular weekend schedule. But from 10 p.m. to the midnight close on Friday and Saturday, they will share a track between Farragut North and Judiciary Square to allow for preventive maintenance.

Orange Line. Trains will be on their regular weekend schedule. But from 10 p.m. to closing Sunday, trains will share a track between Smithsonian and Federal Center SW while crews replace ceiling tiles.

Silver Line. Trains will be on their regular weekend schedule. But from 10 p.m. to closing on Sunday, they will operate between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston only while crews work on other parts of the line.

Green Line. Trains will be on their regular weekend schedule. But from 10 p.m. to closing on Friday and Saturday, they will share a track between Suitland and Branch Avenue while crews install communication cables.

Cherry Blossom Festival 
Two big events are scheduled for this weekend.

Saturday: Blossom Kite Festival, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Washington Monument grounds near 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. The festival includes competitions but also has open areas for flying kites. It’s highly dependent on good weather. The rain date is Sunday, April 2. Nearest Metro stations: Smithsonian, Federal Triangle.

Sunday: Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk. The 10-mile run starts at 7:20 a.m. and the 5K at 8:40 a.m. They both launch from 15th Street NW near the Washington Monument grounds and finish in the same area. <a href="http://www.cherryblossom.org/generalinfo/racedaymaps.php">See course maps.</a> The nearest Metro stations are Smithsonian and Federal Triangle, but note that this is a Sunday, so Metrorail won’t open till 7 a.m.

The Metro crowding that occurs during cherry blossom time is most noticeable on weekends and at midday during the week — and at the Smithsonian station, which is nearest to the Tidal Basin.

[See more travel tips for the Cherry Blossom Festival]

The D.C. Circulator’s Mall route is a great option during the festival. This is not a tour bus, but it’s a convenient way to reach many sites. The red, silver and yellow buses pass by Union Station, the Smithsonian museums, the Mall monuments and the Tidal Basin. Maps and more details are available from the Circulator website at <a href="http://www.dccirculator.com/">dccirculator.com.</a>

During the peak bloom and beyond, drivers are likely to wander in confusion and frustration seeking parking near the Tidal Basin. Visitor parking is available along Ohio Drive SW between the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson memorials, but there is nowhere near enough space to accommodate the demand. Our best advice is to avoid driving and use Metro.

Parking for people with disabilities is available along West Basin Drive at the Roosevelt Memorial and along Ohio Drive on the Washington Boundary Channel side of Hains Point, north of the intersection with Buckeye Drive. At festival time, Ohio Drive will be one way northbound between Inlet Bridge and 23rd Street.

Gridlock

The Washington Post's transportation blog.

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Reuters

Nissan's head of automated driving, Tetsuya Lijima, sits at the controls of a modified Nissan Leaf, driverless car, during its first demonstration on public roads

Where are we going with these ‘driverless’ cars? - The Washington Post

Since the days when John Henry was a steel-driving man, people have looked at transportation innovation with skepticism and outright alarm.

The high-tech, automated vehicle might become the 21st-century equivalent of Henry’s steam-powered nemesis.

Everyone should stop using the term “driverless” cars and instead substitute “computer-driven” cars. In reality, “driverless” cars are driven by a team of computer programmers who, for all their skill, cannot possibly anticipate all the circumstances in which human drivers will be driving.

I am fine with lane-change warnings, and front and rear sensors that activate brakes when I’ve missed something. But that’s as far as I go, for now.

For example, I recently found myself stuck in the right lane of two, waiting for a car to pull out of a parking lot on the right, so cars in front of me could turn right into the lot. The left lane behind me was clear. How will the computer-driven car decide whether to stay in the right lane or pull into the left lane to bypass the line?

I might decide differently on different days, depending on how quickly I want to reach my destination.

Or another real situation: Rain turns to sleet to freezing rain. A few minutes later, the SUV in front of my minivan on a four-lane divided highway starts spinning in the middle of the road.

Will the computer compound the problem by applying my brakes, sending my car spinning? Or will it, as I did, gently put the two left wheels in the median, pass the spinning vehicle, return to the roadway and stop on the shoulder under the next overpass so I can let my heart rate return to normal?

Yes, human drivers make many unforced errors that lead to injury and death. But we also make quick judgments that avert injury and death, and it’s not at all clear to me that, in the next 10, 20, 30 years, the computer programmers will do better.

DG: I like to control my fate as much as anyone. (I hate automatic transmissions.)

If an automated vehicle can’t handle the scenarios Watkins describes, don’t get into it. But that limited ability would be well below the thresholds on safety and efficiency that people in government and the private sector are discussing for the vehicles.

An automated car will have a much bigger brain than what we commonly envision. It will have been tested in ordinary and extreme circumstances, reflecting many types of weather, road designs and surprise situations over millions of miles.

The electronic brain behind these new vehicles isn’t going to be some knockoff version of the artificial intelligence that powers a kid’s video game. Travelers will not be visiting auto showrooms so they can serve as lab rats.

You may be able to tell from my description — based on listening to transportation experts and reading their stuff — that I don’t expect you will soon see these cars at dealerships. I’m much less optimistic on the timetable than the people who expect them in about five years.

On the other hand, I’m much more optimistic than Watkins. Let’s flip the topic around to consider the upside of automated vehicles.

Safety experts tell us that 94 percent of crashes involve human error. The result of eliminating human control of a vehicle should be clear, but our ability to appreciate this value is clouded by what safety experts refer to as the “Lake Wobegon effect.”

Like the children in Garrison Keillor’s fictional community, every driver is above average. Or at least, we see ourselves that way.

Tom Vanderbilt describes the effect in his wonderful book “Traffic” and asks, “What evidence do we have to measure our superiority?”

We got home alive and didn’t injure anyone. But that’s not telling us how good a job we did as drivers. We may have taken our eyes off the road to fiddle with the radio and strayed from a lane. Even if we were aware of it, we probably wouldn’t deduct points from our personal scorecard.

That standard is way too low for automated vehicles. They are designed to be alert all the time. A vehicle that strays from a lane hasn’t made a forgivable error. It has experienced a malfunction that must be corrected in the testing phase.

So this isn’t just about getting drunk drivers away from the controls or helping young people, the disabled and the elderly stay mobile — important as those things are. The automated vehicle promises a revolution in safety for everyone.

Yes, the complexities are daunting. It’s not just the groundbreaking technology. We can’t rely on the private developers to set their own safety standards, so the government is going to have to work that out. And you almost feel sorry for the insurance agents. How are they supposed to set premiums before we have some experience with these vehicles in everyday driving?

But the day will come, if only because of the potentially lucrative markets. Would you want to be the rental car executive or the taxi fleet owner who isn’t prepared for the business impact?

Robert Thomson

Washington, D.C.

Thanks, travelers, for a decade-long conversation

That long, somewhat strange trip to becoming ‘Dr. Gridlock’

Dr. Gridlock’s weekend travel tips

Where are we going with these ‘driverless’ cars?

Are we there yet? Looking back over a decade of local travel

Dr. Gridlock’s cherry blossom weekend travel tips

‘Death spiral’? No. Metro is too necessary to fail.

Your guide to navigating the annual Cherry Blossom Festival

Dr. Gridlock’s travel tips for St. Patrick’s Day weekend

SoberRide taking new route on St. Patrick’s Day