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The problem with Dan's point, which is true to a degree, is that transit service expansion in the metropolitan is really two different questions (which I discuss in my writings on transportation planning at the regional, metropolitan, suburban, and center city scales), a question of scales of service and therefore planning:

- developing jurisdiction specific transit plans (e.g., Fairfax doing streetcar and lightrail instead of worrying about extending the Metro past Vienna) that are appropriate to their needs; while still

- planning at the metropolitan level the foundational transit services while maintaining the capacity of this system to be successfully, especially at the core of the region ("the Central Business District" in DC).

With regard to the former, Arlington probably is doing this the best so far, and in theory, DC, with its streetcar and Circulator planning initiatives, is also. (I am on record about flaws in the DC planning process.)

For the most part, plans to extend Metrorail service to outlying areas aren't part of a well balanced transportation planning process for either the outlying jurisdictions, or the footprint of the area currently served. E.g., the Silver Line extension could also have been used to develop and deliver a separated blue line in DC, but this was never on the table.

As far as rail improvements within the core of the region, and within DC specifically, it is to DC's advantage to do this as much as possible, as much as it makes sense, to get towards the Paris ideal of greater concentration of high quality fixed rail transit service. Streetcars, even light rail, aren't the solution for every need.

by Richard Layman on Jan 24, 2011 12:09 pm • link • report