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You really cannot use Detroit as a comparison, for two significant reasons. 1) The entire auto industry resides there and people are infused into the car culture fairly completely, 2) geography plays a huge role in exurban growth there, as nearly all of southern Michigan is fairly flat land that could be expanded outwards for a couple hundred miles in every direction with only rivers and lakes stopping further expansion. The DC region does not have the same car culture identity and has real mountainous geographic limitations to unlimited exurban growth.

Having lived in Detroit for 43 years and driving its freeways for over two decades, I know its history all too well. While I completely agree with article on the need to focus on mass transportation instead of freeway construction for moving people, I do find it frustrating that there is never any easy way to travel from one end of town to another with the way the roads are now. Too many intersections have too long traffic lights. Some streets have more traffic lights than is necessary. Others streets have badly mistimed traffic lights that would improve the flow of conjestion if timed better. Some traffic lights should become blinking yellow lights after 9pm, but are not. And many intersections could use something as simple as an overpass or a viaduct to allow continuous flow of traffic.

A bypass road or freeway for truck traffic passing by the region is long overdue too. The failure of my home town to properly connect 1-275 all the way around the city results in truck traffic riding into the heart of downtown Detroit and adding to the general conjestion. This is not something that can be solved by mass transit and will be a problem as long as their is trucks going up and down the eastern seaboard.

I don't understand why this is even and us v them issue. You need improved public transportation and you need improved roads. You need them both.

by Ray B on May 1, 2012 2:13 pm • link • report