Lower speed limits, wider lanes won’t fix the GW Parkway
The GW Parkway at the Key Bridge. Photo by bankbryan on Flickr.
It was designed as a scenic, recreational “gateway” to Washington, but the George Washington Parkway has become a major commuter highway—and a dangerous one at that. The Post discusses the road’s inherent conflicts between its scenic, curving, historic character and the inevitable dangers of high-speed traffic on a narrow road right at the Potomac’s edge.
The National Park Service is taking the traffic engineer’s approach: add merge lanes, expand ramps, and widen shoulders to cut down on conflicts. But they’ve drawn the line against changes like high-powered lighting that cuts against the “parkway” character. The article quotes police who wish people would only obey the 50-mph speed limit (the average speed is more like 65).
The ramp-wideners and speed-limit-enforcers, as is often the case, are thinking about the road the wrong way around. Speed limits don’t meaningfully reduce speeds. People drive at the speed that their instincts tell them is appropriate for the road. When we widen a ramp, it only makes people feel a little more comfortable driving a little faster, negating the safety value.