Same old BRT story: start with a promise that it's "just like rail," and end up with a handful of repainted buses that are anything but rapid.

There have been so many bus technology promises that have failed to deliver (probably half a dozen failed attempts at guided buses) that the claims that signal timing could improve anything needs exceptionally strong empirical evidence before anyone takes it seriously.

Or just recognize that BRT is, at root, a grab bag of excuses to avoid investing in transit that works.

by Thm on May 23, 2012 8:52 am • link • report

Should Florida Avenue be an extension of U street? Of course! At Rhode Island Avenue there are huge parcels of land available for building a proper town center for Eckington and Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park, as long as they preserve the surrounding historic fabric. Old LeDroit Park rivals Georgetown in charm.

As for the NIMBY's of Silver Spring, sad day for you!

by Thayer-D on May 23, 2012 9:04 am • link • report

Regarding Hine: the blatantly slanted commentary is troubling, and may be the result of an "astroturf" planted by the developer, Stanton-Eastblanc. These developers planted fake community support letters and emails to win the contract to develope this site.

by goldfish on May 23, 2012 9:07 am • link • report

Two things:

Food trucks: I hate the "investing in the area" excuse when it comes to not wanting renters, and it looks like I hate it when applied to food trucks. It comes from a mostly self appointed group who is already in control.

Del Ray Trolley: Seems like a good idea. Del Ray and Arlandria have a lot to offer. I wouldn't necessarily worry about the traffic. In my experience Mt. Vernon ave is much easier to deal with than King street. The addition of a bus route won't be a huge measurable impact.

by X on May 23, 2012 9:16 am • link • report

Im not sure its fair to call the proposal "non BRT" since IIUC it would still involve dedicated lanes, just not so many. Would you call the CCPY transitway "non-BRT" since its not 100% dedicated lanes? One of the advantages of BRT is its ability to mix dedicated lanes where they are more easily available, with conventional operation where they are not - plus the ability to start with a smaller proportion of dedicated lanes and add more dedicated lanes later, as funding is available, ridership grows, etc - or even convert to rail (as the plan is for CCPY). Now on the other hand you don't want a system whose operational charecteristics are so weak they damage the brand - thats a real consideration, but the specifics need to be examined.

I like the idea of giving ratings to BRT - bronze, silver, gold, etc. Silver quality BRT is not as good as gold quality BRT. But its still better than conventional bus.

And of course if Md would drop one of its proposed LRT lines, they could probably build CCT as gold BRT sooner - but would that be a good idea?

by AWalkerIntheCity on May 23, 2012 9:22 am • link • report

Maybe the residents of Capitol Hill who opposed Hine and essentially forced the developer to remove a story would be willing to chip in and pay the District the different in tax and other revenues for the next 100 years?

by William on May 23, 2012 9:31 am • link • report

@ Goldfish

What’s troubling is the elimination of a floor of metro proximate office space due to dissent of a few. I echo William’s sentiment. How do you propose we offset the lost revenue resulting from lower real estate taxes, income taxes (it’s likely at least some portion of the work force would live within the district), and impact on surrounding businesses?

by jim on May 23, 2012 9:36 am • link • report

What’s troubling is the elimination of a floor of metro proximate office space due to dissent of a few.

Check your numbers: see www.change.org/petitions/save-the-flea-market-at-eastern-market

by goldfish on May 23, 2012 9:40 am • link • report

I continue to be confused about the SS Transit Center issues. Is the contract written so poorly that the contractor can build a structure that doesn't meet the requested specs? They seem to be admitting that it isn't what they were contracted to build, but they still think the work meets the terms of the contract. I feel like I'm missing something.

And nothing about the screaming Examiner headline (also reported in the Post) that MoCo is considering a huge hike in property taxes to pay for the BRT lines?

by Gray on May 23, 2012 9:41 am • link • report

Gray: The revenue angle was in the BRT article yesterday. Just because the Examiner would like every headline to scream about taxes doesn't mean we should.

by David Alpert on May 23, 2012 9:44 am • link • report

DELRAY TROLLEY seems like a great idea! I agree with 'X' her who mentions that Mt. Vernon Avenue is a lot less congested than King Street. This would be, if taxpayers want it, a great addition to transportation in Alexandria. Particularly good for business!

So the elitists at the Brookings think area jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia should pay for DC's water issues? Okay, let's revoke 'Home Rule' and revert back to the Constitutional standard for DC (now more than five decades into the corruption of Home Rule & mismanagement) and the nation's taxpayers will happily pay. It's a lot cheaper than keeping the waste and fraud of DC government in the black.

by Pelham1861 on May 23, 2012 9:47 am • link • report

is there a single decent restuarant in Rosslyn?

I love my Chipotle, but the rest? Chopt? Starbucks?

The problem is the 9% restaurant tax (10 in DC). At $9, that is close to 90 cents and really makes a difference in the profit. I know the food trucks are all much better values because of that.

I'd like to see an exemeption for all restaurant meals under $10.

by charlie on May 23, 2012 9:48 am • link • report

I don't know that I've ever met a fellow DC driver that thinks VA drivers are the worst. I thought we all just hated MD drivers...

by MM on May 23, 2012 9:49 am • link • report

Bicyclists think that drivers from MD, VA, and DC are *all* the worst!

by Wilbur on May 23, 2012 9:52 am • link • report

@David Alpert:

The only mention of taxes in that piece was in passing at the end of the post:

The report suggests a fairly modest increase in property tax, focused around areas near the lines.

And as reported by the Post, that's not even really true. The report provided a variety of tax proposals (with real numbers! Though I guess they can be boiled down to "fairly modest"). Some apply to all non-farm property in the county, while some are focused along the routes.

by Gray on May 23, 2012 9:52 am • link • report

The Post story doesn't say anything explicit about the probable reason why the Johns Hopkins University paid for a study that concluded that the CCT could be built more quickly for less money, namely the staging requirements in the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan. As I understand it, JHU can't build anymore on Belward Farm than what's already approved, until the CCT is fully-funded from Shady Grove to Metropolitan Grove within the first six years of the county's capital improvement plan (or the state's capital plan).

(The captcha is a picture. What is the procedure for typing in a picture?)

by Miriam on May 23, 2012 9:53 am • link • report

@Pelham1861: In your opinion, what makes people at Brookings "elitists"?

by Gray on May 23, 2012 9:53 am • link • report

Some things never change:

"...back on November 24th, 1908. A teenager, working for Hamilton Dairy, was speeding down 15th St. NW on his bicycle, approaching H St. Teddy Roosevelt was crossing the street with two secret service agents tailing him. The boy narrowly missed the president and a visibly agitate Roosevelt threw his arms up in the air in anger. The article goes on to mention Boyce’s involvement.

"When President Roosevelt returned to the White House, after attending services at St. John’s Church, Sixteenth and H streets northwest, one of the secret service men, accompanied by Sergt. John A. Boyce, of the Second precinct, went to the dairy and arrested Gilbert Boyer, aged 19, of 61 G street northwest. The boy was taken to the station house, charged with “not having suitable bell on bicycle,” and subsequently was released on $5 collateral. When his name was called in police court yesterday Boyer failed to respond, thus forfeiting his collateral.

“I didn’t know it was the President,” said Boyer yesterday to a Post reporter. “He looked just like other men to me. I was carrying a basket of milk bottles in one hand, and it was hard for me to get along. I couldn’t have rung a bell if I had had a gong on the wheel. When I saw that I was going to run into the man I yelled and he jumped back just in time to keep from being hit. His glasses danced on his nose and he looked mad. He opened his mouth, but I don’t know what he said, for I was getting away."

http://ghostsofdc.org/2012/05/21/officer-sprinkle-trinidad/

by Lance on May 23, 2012 9:59 am • link • report

@Pelham1861

Well, yes, it is the water coming from MD and VA that is causing the problem. Ideally the Federal Government does pick up a larger portion here, as this is no individual states responsibility. The water from these rivers comes from MD, VA, and West Virginia .

by Kyle W on May 23, 2012 9:59 am • link • report

So obviously the proposals by the Rosslyn BID are a self-serving attempt to drive out food trucks. Sure, there needs to be a concrete system for inspections and all. But how do they propose that all of these requirements be met simultaneously?

•“Dedicate a location for food trucks that is not along the main retail areas.”
•“Limit the number of food trucks-food carts per block to no more than two (2) and ensure adequate sidewalk clearance for safe passage of pedestrians.”
•“Restrict the proximity of food trucks to not less than 65 feet away from the front of restaurants.”
•“Require that food truck/food cart employees must have restroom access within 200 feet of the food truck-food cart.”

by Gray on May 23, 2012 10:00 am • link • report

@ Gray:But how do they propose that all of these requirements be met simultaneously?

They don't. They want to get rid of food trucks. So much is obvious. Don't you love enterprises getting together to kill competition? Is that not collusion?

by Jasper on May 23, 2012 10:11 am • link • report

@Pelham1861: I'm going to assume that you didn't know that DC Water is a regional sewer utility, not a municipal one. Its coverage area extends for over 700 square miles, reaching well into Loudoun County.

by cminus on May 23, 2012 10:11 am • link • report

Re: Rosslyn food trucks.
The retailers have a lot of power in the Rosslyn BID and the only counterbalance to them in the BID are the professional businesses. Companies like CEB, who's employees surely are huge consumers of truck food, need to stand up for their employee's lunch choices. A good compromise would be to scrap all the proposed food truck regulations and instead ask them to pay the same sales tax as the retailers.

In your opinion, what makes people at Brookings "elitists"?

Brookings is the most prestigious thinktank filled with scholars and luminaries at the highest level. It's like asking what makes Harvard elite. While I don't like how the elite have such disproportionate power, I do like my academic papers on complex policy topics to be written by the elite.

by Falls Church on May 23, 2012 10:13 am • link • report

DC Water is a regional sewer utility, not a municipal one. Its coverage area extends for over 700 square miles, reaching well into Loudoun County.

Which is why the new sewers should be paid for by DC Water customers and not VA/MD governments. I realize pollution from VA/MD is part of the reason the sewer upgrades are needed, but assuming everyone is acting in accordance with all environmental regulations, then the problem is DC Water's. If the environmental regulations are not adequate or not being enforced, that's a different issue.

by Falls Church on May 23, 2012 10:22 am • link • report

RE: Del Ray Trolley

I think the whole concept is wrong. All they have done here is revise the AT10 bus. What I have proposed is something more like a DC Circulator line that links Del Ray and Old Town in a sort of Figure 8 with the Monroe Ave. Bridge in the middle. It would link Old Town, Potomac Yard, Arlandria, and Potomac Green (all the areas on the east side of town someone might want to go). It is more expensive, but it also makes some existing service (both AT and MetroBus) unnecessary.

by movement on May 23, 2012 10:30 am • link • report

Or just recognize that BRT is, at root, a grab bag of excuses to avoid investing in transit that works.

Pretty much, yes. Since BRT is basically impossible to implement in any sort of form that is an advantage over a regular bus service, I wish people would stop proposing it. Every proposal for BRT needs a naysayer like a Russian computer science researcher who would mock certain research proposals by saying, "Is like Communist Dream! It will never work!"

Meanwhile, lots of rail projects, once they are in place and the money laid out for them, work pretty well.

by JustMe on May 23, 2012 10:33 am • link • report

@MM:

I don't know that I've ever met a fellow DC driver that thinks VA drivers are the worst. I thought we all just hated MD drivers...

It's been my experience that if you live on the east side of the city, you hate Maryland drivers; if you live on the west side, you hate Virginian drivers.

by oboe on May 23, 2012 10:37 am • link • report

Trolleybus? That's not a trolleybus; these are trolleybuses. The bus in the article looks like an ordinary bus (albeit a short one) with a silly-looking body built on top.

by Kurt Raschke on May 23, 2012 10:39 am • link • report

One other thing:

DC residents think Virginia drivers are the worst; VA and MD drivers blame DC drivers. Drivers are most annoyed by texting drivers, tailgaters, and drivers who are "too slow."

It's also my experience that DC drivers hate reckless drivers from MD and VA. VA and MD drivers dislike DC drivers because they tend to drive the speed limit.

by oboe on May 23, 2012 10:39 am • link • report

@ oboe; that's silly. We all know people don't drive in DC, so how can the drivers be hated? In fact, I am going to suggest to the mayor that we ban drivers licences for anyone who moves into the District.

@ Fallschurch; I thought the BID was going away? Or was it Rosslyn Renaissance?

Sadly, I think you could triple the number of food trucks and it wouldn't be enough.

by charlie on May 23, 2012 10:56 am • link • report

I didn't know there were enough restaurants in Rosslyn to get together and have some muscle.

On the main drag of Lynn Street, there's, what? A Cosi, a Chopt, a Chiptole, a McDonalds, and I think the Brown Bag Sandwich Shop is still there. I remember a Baja Fresh in the ABC building, a decent deli near the Metro, and the prestigious Continental, home of impressively disgusting salads (calamari salad with ranch? You're on!). If you go west on Wilson a ways, you can get to Santa Fe Cafe, Cafe Asia, and Red Hot and Blue, but I don't think food trucks actually hang out over there anyway.

by worthing on May 23, 2012 11:04 am • link • report

@Falls Church: The sewers were previously up to federal standards, but the standards have been increased. What's more, much of the region's sewer system is storm sewer, and much of that serves public property rather than an identifiable billable subscriber.

It's looking increasingly likely that the issue will be moot, however, as DC Water disagrees with Brookings' conclusions -- they're saying they can raise capital funds at a low enough rate to meet the interest payments from current revenues.

by cminus on May 23, 2012 11:14 am • link • report

@Charlie -- I vaguely heard that RR & BID were going to merge but don't know the details.

@worthing -- there are a few other lunch spots you're missing but the dearth of lunch options is what allows places like Chopt to have a huge line at peak times and likely make fat $$$ at the expense of greater choice. You can't blame the lunch places for acting in self-interest with the proposed regulations, but other stakeholders need to provide a counterbalance.

@cminus -- if public properties aren't paying for their storm sewer services, free riding off of everyone else, then I agree they should pay for the services rendered.

by Falls Church on May 23, 2012 11:38 am • link • report

Agree with oboe

Every time a driver tries to push me out of a crosswalk (while walking) it's an MD plate.

by Michael on May 23, 2012 11:43 am • link • report

We all know people don't drive in DC, so how can the drivers be hated?

They are hated when they drive the speed limit on the GW Parkway in the left lane. Particularly, the stretch from Rosslyn to the Beltway North.

by Falls Church on May 23, 2012 11:43 am • link • report

I agree that what side of the city you're from shapes your perception of who the worst drivers are. Being an east-sider since the day I moved here, MD drivers drive me batty. However, on the whole I'd conclude that MD drivers tend to be reckless (even on their home turf), while VA drivers seem to be slightly less prepared for upcoming events (while I doubt they are lost, they sometimes appear it because they make sudden lane changes or turns). DC drivers do seem to drive a little slower, but usually at or above the speed limit or a safe speed (which is sometimes not the speed limit due to road, traffic, or other - pedestrian, cyclist, events - considerations). DC drivers probably don't have as far to go when they're inside the District (why bother driving like you're racing when you're only going 2 miles), and seem to me to be more tuned into the presence of other road users and upcoming traffic snarls (intersections where many drivers will need to change lanes, traffic calming devices, heavily patrolled/camera enforced intersections, etc.). I'm guilty of this, as well. For instance, I know coming off of Q St. on to RIA headed east, that there is no WAY you're getting through the next light (10th St.). So while half of MD guns it, I just kinda roll through...and end up sitting at the same light as all those drivers who tried to push it. I also roll a lot in areas where there's a stop sign every block...why bother speeding up a ton just to slow down again? I have some war stories about how much this annoys MD drivers, but there's just no point in driving like a jackrabbit...no advantage at ALL (my average speed is likely the same as theirs...and I have many stories of "catching back up to them" to reinforce this) and it wastes gas.

by Ms. D on May 23, 2012 12:01 pm • link • report

@charlie:

In fact, I am going to suggest to the mayor that we ban drivers licences for anyone who moves into the District.

Make the ban apply only to cars operating in the city itself and you've got yourself a deal. :)

by oboe on May 23, 2012 12:41 pm • link • report

is there a single decent restuarant in Rosslyn?

The BID website lists 31:

AllSpice Cafe & Catering - 1401 Wilson Blvd
Amuse (Hotel Le Meridien Arlington) - 1121 N 19th St
The Bistro (Courtyard, Arlington Rosslyn) - 1533 Clarendon Blvd.
the brown bag - 1735 N Lynn St
Café Asia - 1550 Wilson Blvd
China Garden Restaurant - 1100 Wilson Blvd
Chop't Creative Salad Company - 1735 N Lynn St
Cityhouse (Hyatt Arlington) - 1325 Wilson Blvd
Connexion (Key Bridge Marriott) - 1401 Lee Hwy
Continental Modern Pool Lounge - 1911 N Fort Myer Dr
Courtyard Café (Courtyard by Marriott) - 1533 Clarendon Blvd
Culinaire Restaurant - 1820 N Fort Myer Dr
DELIGHTFUL FOOD COURT - 1911 N FORT MYER
Guajillo Restaurant - 1727 Wilson Blvd
Il Radicchio of Arlington - 1801 Clarendon Blvd
Kanpai Japanese Cuisine - 1401 Wilson Blvd
Key Bridge Terrace Bar (Hyatt Arlington) - 1401 Wilson Blvd.
Pho 75 - 1721 Wilson Blvd.
PIOLA - 1550 Wilson Blvd
Quarterdeck Restaurant - 1200 N Fort Myer Dr
Ray's Hell Burger - 1713 Wilson Blvd
Ray's To The Third - 1650 Wilson Blvd
Red Hot & Blue - 1600 Wilson Blvd
Revival (Key Bridge Marriott) - 1401 Lee Hwy
Ruby Tuesday - 1300 Wilson Blvd
Santa Fe Cafe - 1500 Wilson Blvd
Tivoli Gourmet & Pastry Shop - 1700 N Moore St
Tivoli Restaurant (Closed) - 1700 N Moore St
Tomo Sushi - 1735 N Lynn St
Vantage Point (Holiday Inn) - 1900 Fort Myer Dr
Village Bistro - 1723 Wilson Blvd

by Juanita de Talmas on May 23, 2012 1:05 pm • link • report

Worst drivers?

Virginia drivers without a doubt.

Virginia drivers act as if they don't know - or don't care - that other drivers are behind them. Whether it's left lane cruising, driving too slow for current traffic and conditions or sudden maneuvers, you can count on someone from Virginia to make for an exciting trip.

And it's not just local. I've been held up in traffic slowed down by a left-lane cruiser in every state along the East Coast. The culprit? VERY often someone with Virginia plates.

by ceefer66 on May 23, 2012 1:14 pm • link • report

Which is why the new sewers should be paid for by DC Water customers and not VA/MD governments. I realize pollution from VA/MD is part of the reason the sewer upgrades are needed, but assuming everyone is acting in accordance with all environmental regulations, then the problem is DC Water's. If the environmental regulations are not adequate or not being enforced, that's a different issue.

The regional pollution issue is a lot like the regional poverty issue. The 'burbs offload the negative externalities of having lots of poor folks by letting them flow "downstream" to DC. And there's nothing illegal about this. Of course, whether it's immoral is a different question altogether.

by oboe on May 23, 2012 1:16 pm • link • report

I drive in DC, Maryland and Virginia everyday. In general, DC plates are easily the worst followed by Maryland and then Virginia. DC plates are up there with New Jersey and Massachusetts for those I use extra caution around. In the past I've said MD plates are worse in VA and VA plates are worse in MD, but MD and VA can both agree DC plates are the worst. I've seen too much crazy driving in Maryland by Maryland plates to really stand by that though. I regularly see MD plates driving on shoulders and especially since the laws have been in place for nearly 10 years I have an even greater problem with mobile phone users in Maryland. VA drivers are more likely to not drive at speed in the left lane and it's frustrating when the right lane often moves better, but it just becomes a matter of remembering traffic patterns (a few examples are southbound 395 HOV lane is faster shortly after the entrance that's about a mile south of Duke Street until the Franconia-Springfield Parkway exit, 495-S after Eisenhower until there are 4 lanes, 395 S after Duke Street until the HOV exit). Also, VA drivers in this area have nothing on the more Southern style drivers throughout the Commonwealth. It's unfortunate that they have never been able to make drive to the right, pass on the left law in VA.

by selxic on May 23, 2012 2:05 pm • link • report

You will not find the worst drivers in suburban Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, you will find them on Delmarva Peninsula. I have seen more stupid driver trick in the 6 years I have lived over here then in the previous 35 plus years I lived in the Washington Area.

by Sand Box John on May 23, 2012 2:13 pm • link • report

BRT has plenty of promise but it never seems to deliver on it. It is the darling of politicians who want to put something flashy in place quickly, and who are long gone when the reality of BRT rears its ugly head.

You don't need an expensive BRT system to pre-empt traffic lights. DC Transit had a simple system. At intersections with a small lightning bolt logo posted a bus driver could pull what looked like a turn signal lever to extend the green.

Surely in this electronic age, the traffic control system can adapt itself based on a destination code transmitted by each bus. As an added benefit, emergency vehicles could transmit codes to give them a green.

Putting the bus on a private right of way is expensive. If concrete is used the surface should last 10 years or longer before getting so bad people find out why buses are not as popular as light rail. Pave it with asphalt and see how quickly the surface ripples as buses apply their brakes on a hot day.

An ideal solution is BRT with trolley buses but that requires a high volume of traffic to be cost effective. Modern trolley buses are dual mode and can run without wires once they leave the trunk line. Once trolley buses are in place the system can be easily extended. The hard part is convincing someone to invest in them in the first place.

Light rail is an ideal solution, although often costly comparted to BRT. Light rail vehicles will still be around when the second generation of BRT buses are retired. Rails provide a much smoother ride than rubber tires on bumpy concrete. The hill at the Veirs Mill could be a challenge for light rail. Some sort of bridge might be required to connect the two sides of the big dip there and that would be expensive. The hill by St. Catherine's church would also be a challenge.

All things considered, electric or fuel BRT could be a good solution for Veirs Mill Road but I doubt it would be very good for the Corridor Cities Transitway. Whatever Montgomery County decides it will probably be the wrong th ing and cost the taxpayers too much money.

by Bob on May 23, 2012 2:13 pm • link • report

There was a statistic in the Post awhile back on the percentage of DC, MD, & VA tags nabbed by the DC traffic cameras. Now one would think the breakdown would be mostly DC plates, as it is their home turf, or else the distribution would be roughly 1/3 each. But no, the breakdown was approximately:
50% MD
25% DC
25% VA
I think that tells you who the worst drivers are.

by Vinh An Nguyen on May 23, 2012 2:17 pm • link • report

While quite a bit of that is bad habits and I agree with your point, Vinh An Nguyen, you must admit placement likely has something to do with those stats. I'm curious of where the drivers on a given road are from.

by selxic on May 23, 2012 2:40 pm • link • report

As a driver, I agree that MD drivers are significantly worse than VA drivers.

When a pedestrian and cyclist, though, I find them equally inconsiderate. But MD drivers are responsible for most of the truly scary incidents I have had.

by Phil on May 23, 2012 3:49 pm • link • report

My experience is that MD drivers are the worst. They seem to have a complete mental breakdown whenever we get a little bit of rain.

by JustMe on May 23, 2012 4:11 pm • link • report