Budget
National Harbor bus reroute deepens inequality
Maryland can't come up with more money to protect bus service for residents who depend on buses for mobility, but they're subsidizing a glorified shuttle bus from the Green Line to the National Harbor private resort and conference center. As part of the cuts, Metro is rerouting the NH1 bus to take the Beltway to the Branch Avenue Metro instead of its current route along Indian Head Highway to Southern Avenue.
National Harbor. Photo by afagen.
Metro Riders' Advisory Council member Frank DeBernardo attended Monday's Hyattsville public hearing, where many residents objected to Maryland's bus cuts, which disproportionately hit Prince George's County. Several speakers claimed that Maryland has 70% of the bus cuts (thanks to its unwillingness to contribute more to Metro, as the other jurisdictions did), and Prince George's has 80% of the Maryland cuts. Moreover, the cuts impact low-income and minority residents compared to others even within the County. DeBernardo reports:
[The NH1] re-routing, suggested by the Gaylord National Harbor resort, would cut service to local citizens in favor of tourists at National Harbor. Many consider this discriminatory since [one speaker] suggested that part of the motivation for the re-routing was so that National Harbor tourists would not have to use the Southern Avenue Metro station, located in a low socio-economic neighborhood, and would be able to ride the Metrobus with people who had "superior etiquette skills."We don't know for sure what National Harbor's intentions were in requesting the change, whether a fear of black people or a love of green paper, but it's unfair either way. As we've criticized in the past, National Harbor built a resort far from DC, discovered that visitors were disappointed, then complained that people couldn't easily reach it from DC.
But Maryland and Prince George's officials deserve the real blame for encouraging the development and then enabling it by subsidizing transit. The NH1 suddenly jumped onto Metro's list of priority bus corridors. Prince George's transportation plan includes road widenings around National Harbor and transit lines to reach it.
It's a great business model if you can get it: buy really cheap land with poor transit access very far from other development, build a huge resort, then stick the state and county with the responsibility of paying for people to get to you. When their budgets go sour, they cut transit service for all the existing residents just to keep you happy. It doesn't hurt DC and Virginia residents directly, since Maryland is paying for the transit all on its own. But if I lived in Maryland, I'd be pretty mad my tax dollars are going to this boondoggle.
Now that the NH1 will mostly just go from Metro to the resort, it's basically a private shuttle bus. National Harbor should run the shuttle themselves, or reimburse Maryland for the full cost. If they can make enough profit to afford to move people to and from their facilities, then good for them. But they shouldn't expect free elite transit service from the state any more than they should expect the state to pay for all their toilet paper.
 | David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.   |
Comments
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by Bianchi on Apr 16, 2009 4:07 pm • link • report
by Steve on Apr 16, 2009 4:55 pm • link • report
by kreeggo on Apr 16, 2009 5:33 pm • link • report
by rg on Apr 16, 2009 5:42 pm • link • report
by MPC on Apr 16, 2009 5:59 pm • link • report
That's really funny because earlier you were complaining that the lack of of transit to NH was inequality for the blacks who had to commute there, so I guess any solution that a local government does outside of throw more money at novelty trains and buses is unacceptable to you.
I dunno about David, but I'd say you're half-right. Any solution to this problem that a local government pays for is unacceptable.
National Harbor's problems getting guests and staff to and from it are entirely of their own making, and it was painfully obvious that this was going to happen at the time they chose to build where they did. They built where land was cheap, and now they've found out why it was cheap. So if they now want the kind of transit access they'd have had if they hadn't been penny-wise and pound-foolish, they should pay for it themselves rather than stick taxpayers with the bill. If they can't, well, they're not too big to fail.
by cminus on Apr 16, 2009 6:17 pm • link • report
by Glenn on Apr 16, 2009 6:21 pm • link • report
Why did they extend Metro to Largo Town Center, or are going to out to Reston? Those sound like private enterprise on the fringe.
by MPC on Apr 16, 2009 6:22 pm • link • report
by Turnip on Apr 16, 2009 7:07 pm • link • report
by Vik on Apr 16, 2009 9:20 pm • link • report
When National Harbor was first proposed, a number of community groups rose up in opposition to the plan. Among their concerns was the fact that the development was detached from surrounding community and too far from transit options. In an agreement reached between the developers and local Oxon Hill community groups, the civic associations agreed to drop their lawsuit in exchange for greater investment in the surrounding community and access to transit. National Harbor's developers reneged on every aspect of that agreement. Instead, National Harbor successfully petitioned the state to build $500 million worth of new road improvements off 495. Maryland has thrown away more than enough money to this project. If NH wants better access to transit, let them pay for it.
by Adam L on Apr 17, 2009 12:01 am • link • report
This is very typical coming from Virginians who have Forever Despised Maryland from trying to compete against Northern Virginia's Economic/Business Growth especially against PG County. The Maryland Haterswant to paint the National Harbor as some far away sprawling land that takes two hours to reach from DC when in Reality it is a stones throw across the Potomac River from its Competitor of Alexandria, Virginia in which the up their Standards build building a Brand New Multi-Sprawling Downtown Extension of Alexandria from King Street to the Beltway.
One of the Virginian's already stated that the National Harbor will never have the same Level of Economic/Business Respect as Dulles and Tysons Corner in which that Further proves that alot of Virginians are Hoping to make the National Harbor and any other High End Development in Maryland a Major Failure in the name of Making Northern Virginia the Highly Respected Major Draw for Business/Economic/Retail Sprawling Growth.
Hey maybe that is why alot of Virginian's...... Opps I mean Political Affiliated Environmentalist were/are on a Mission to prevent the Completion of the Inter-County Connector and the Konterra(another Major Project for Northern PG County and Eastern Montgomery County) Development due to the possibility that it will Interfere with the Successful Sprawling Business/Economic/Retail Rich Northern Virginia.
by Tom on Apr 17, 2009 1:58 am • link • report
Which you forgot to add: Which is served by 2 Metro Stations serving both the yellow and blue lines.
by RJ on Apr 17, 2009 9:08 am • link • report
by RichardatCourthouse on Apr 17, 2009 9:16 am • link • report
Class A riverfront development, heavily used, and you talk about "anabling". It certainly should be enabled. And the County should pay its share of Metro, too. Enough, already.
by architect in MD on Apr 17, 2009 9:37 am • link • report
Yeah, they couldn't have built National Harbor in Cheverly, because there's no water to harbor from. The sad fact is, a big destination development called "National Harbor" is a poor fit for Prince George's, since the county has no meaningful water access that's also easily transit-accessible. But so what? It's not as if riverfront property is required for development. Tyson's isn't on the water, and neither is DC-USA or Arundel Mills or H Street NE.
by cminus on Apr 17, 2009 11:03 am • link • report
by NikolasM on Apr 17, 2009 11:03 am • link • report
While at NH several people expressed to me dismay that they were stuck out in bumF**k when they thought they were coming to a convention in Washington DC. One man joked that he had a view of the Wash. Mon. from his hotel but it was the size of his pinky nail. Taking the faery across to Alexandria was itself daunting in mid-feb, but then changing from bus to metro or finding the metro in Alexandria was an extra barrier to people who have never been here and aren't transit savvy. Plus the time. There's just not time to go see DC after sessions when you have to add 3 hrs for travel (1+ @ way). They were disappointed!
The Potomac is interesting in this area in large part due to it's history with our nation. No one comes to DC expecting a water-dominated experience. Yeah its pretty but so is L'Enfants city. DC is the main attraction! No one comes to this area for the fishing or to be a tourist at Tysons Corner. It's DC!
Personally the water front down there was prettier to me when the wild geese could use it. It's just another loss of wildlife habitat for some greedy mans quest for money. Thats how I see it. There was absolutely no need for more hotels and convention space in this area and certainly not so far from transit/ easy access to the main attraction -(DC). Plus there's the irony of the indoor fake neighborhood that evokes Georgetown or Dupont or Old Town Alex. More irony in the fact that wildlife habitat was destroyed, driving is the expected way to get there yet they (NH) have all these little inserts about how "green" they are. BS. The whole thing is so far from "green". It's a disneyesque epcot experience. Which is great if that's what you want. If I had travelled halfway across the continent hoping to see DC I would have been very disappointed to find myself stranded at NH with its epcot city neighborhood.
It was not "heavily used" when I was there. There was still construction everywhere. Maybe it will be in the summer when/if there's swimming.
And oh, one of the keynote speakers at the conference noted the lack of transit and suggested that next year the conference be held somewhere with transit accessibility. It was apropos to the topic of his address. Someone else noted all the single-use plastic cups supplied by NH. That too was apropos. "Green" my ass.
by Bianchi on Apr 17, 2009 10:11 pm • link • report
"Brand New Multi-Sprawling Downtown Extension of Alexandria from King Street to the Beltway"
Which you forgot to add: Which is served by 2 Metro Stations serving both the yellow and blue lines.
Tom -
Nice try RJ but, Tysons Corner, Reston, and Dulles were Developing Established almost 4 Decades before the Groundbreaking of any Rail Service in which you also failed to include in your argument against Development in PG County..........
by Tom on Apr 18, 2009 12:25 am • link • report
Tom, hasn't this very same blog promoted development in PG County... but near its underutilized Metro stations?
Tom -
Unfortunately not on the same High End Level of Respect as Northern Virginia and DC.........
And why Discriminate Development in PG County(BTW of Montgomery County) only to nearby Metro Stations but have no Problems supporting High Class Development from Tysons Corner to Dulles in Which it was Developed Several Decades before the thought of Groundbreaking of any form of Rail Service.
The National Harbor is built just Like How Tysons Corner, Reston, and Dulles is built before Rail and the PG County haters want to continue to hate The National Harbor even though there are bus services to the National Harbor and Future plans to Extend Rail Service to the National Harbor.
by Tom on Apr 18, 2009 12:35 am • link • report
PG ducks taxes, obstructs efforts to improve quality in policing, schools, retail, housing choice and mobility and then you whine for them about discrimination. Get over it - and get the politicians hands out of National Harbor developers pockets, too - remember the liquor license fiasco?
Tom -
Isn't the politicians in Fairfax County, Arlington/Alexandria, Loudon County, and Prince William County have their hands in the Developers Pockets because I am still trying to figure out how in the heck did they get away with soo much Sprawling Development with their Multi-Lane Highways, Massive Office Parks, and Multi-Level Upscale Retail Indoor Shopping Malls????????
architect in MD -
Class A riverfront development, heavily used, and you talk about "anabling". It certainly should be enabled. And the County should pay its share of Metro, too. Enough, already.
Tom -
The Last time I checked; Northern Virginia doesn't pay as much for Metro as Suburban Maryland does but yet Northern Virginia have a Far Better Bus and Rail System than Maryland does when it comes to pricing and Bus Routing....
by Tom on Apr 18, 2009 12:45 am • link • report
by Tom on Apr 18, 2009 12:58 am • link • report
Your arguments are bunk. First off, like I said in my previous comment, rail to Dulles and Tyson's has always been a part of Metro's master plan ever since the system's inception. Engineers even developed plans for a Metro station at Dulles airport as far back as 1969. I don't think anybody envisioned that it would take nearly half a century to actually generate the political will necessary to get the Dulles-Tysons rail project moving.
Second, you're correct in saying that the majority of the development in Dulles-Tyson's area did not wait for rail service. However, that development started decades ago before access to transit was a "must-have" feature. Remember, Metro was not designed to be a model for urban planning and sustainable communities; it was meant instead as a way to quickly shuttle people from suburban residential areas to employment centers downtown. Today, however, access to transit and thoughtful urban planning are essential ingredients to successful commercial endeavors. National Harbor's backers had the opportunity to build on cheap, undeveloped land within minutes of PRE-EXISITING Metrorail stations in PG County. They squandered that opportunity.
Third, as far as I know, there are no plans to build up the area around National Harbor that resembles anything close to the Dulles-Tyson's corridor. National Harbor was designed and implemented to be essentially "Oz"; a distant, disconnected, self-sustaining commercial paradise. Trying to compare an area that spans two counties and employs hundreds of thousands of people to a stand-alone development like National Harbor is ridiculous.
by Adam L on Apr 18, 2009 1:20 am • link • report
by Lance on Apr 18, 2009 4:45 pm • link • report
by Daniel M. Laenker on Apr 18, 2009 7:31 pm • link • report
I am glad NH is there. It should serve to the region as a reminder that we should never ever let a large developer develop introspective crap in our area. Regardless of how much they fill the pockets of our politicians.
Gaylord has built a little trap for visitors of conferences. It's sad for the folks who go there, it's an embarrassment to the region, and will give a bad name to DC (not PG county) for years. And trust me, those conferences will come. The conference industry has undoubtedly found out that planning a conference @ NH allows them to charge DC prices, while paying PG prices.
by Jasper on Apr 19, 2009 2:06 pm • link • report
Your arguments are bunk. First off, like I said in my previous comment, rail to Dulles and Tyson's has always been a part of Metro's master plan ever since the system's inception. Engineers even developed plans for a Metro station at Dulles airport as far back as 1969. I don't think anybody envisioned that it would take nearly half a century to actually generate the political will necessary to get the Dulles-Tysons rail project moving.
Tom-
That still doesn't excuse your biased hatred towards the National Harbor because you fail to admit that there is a Right-a-Way along the New Wilson Bridge for a Rail Extension that will serve the National Harbor in the Future.
Adam L-
Second, you're correct in saying that the majority of the development in Dulles-Tyson's area did not wait for rail service. However, that development started decades ago before access to transit was a "must-have" feature.
Tom-
That makes no difference either way you state it. Plus you intentionally fail to mention that Reston Town Center, Sterling, and Dulles Town Center(Which includes a Major 2 Story Indoor Shopping Mall) was Completed during the Late 1980's - Mid 1990's in which Metro Rail was Already in Existence and a "Must Have" Feature.
Adam L-
Remember, Metro was not designed to be a model for urban planning and sustainable communities; it was meant instead as a way to quickly shuttle people from suburban residential areas to employment centers downtown. Today, however, access to transit and thoughtful urban planning are essential ingredients to successful commercial endeavors. National Harbor's backers had the opportunity to build on cheap, undeveloped land within minutes of PRE-EXISITING Metrorail stations in PG County. They squandered that opportunity.
Tom-
If you lived in Maryland you would know that the Southern Avenue Metro Station and Eisenhower Metro Rail Station is within 10-15 Minutes from the National Harbor.
Adam L-
Third, as far as I know, there are no plans to build up the area around National Harbor that resembles anything close to the Dulles-Tyson's corridor. National Harbor was designed and implemented to be essentially "Oz"; a distant, disconnected, self-sustaining commercial paradise. Trying to compare an area that spans two counties and employs hundreds of thousands of people to a stand-alone development like National Harbor is ridiculous.
Tom-
There are plans to build a Rail Line to serve the National Harbor, Never say Never.
I'm sorry but your Transit Argument is still Mute, and further proves that you don't like the National Harbor because it was built in PG County and not in Virginia or DC.
If its not Hating on the National Harbor then its Hating on the Completion of the Inter-County Connector, or Hating the Konterra Project in Northern PG County in which they already have a MARC Rail Station....
This ridicules anti-progressive argument is what caused the Failure of Completing the Plans to Build a MAJOR Entertainment Center in Silver Spring(The American Dream Project) 15 Years ago that would have been 5x's the size of Tysons Corner and yet it was located withing walking Distance to the Red Line Metro Station........
by Tom on Apr 21, 2009 12:32 am • link • report
NH is a prefect example of horrible urban planning due to big $$$ near politicians. However, it's also the free market at work folks! You get what you pay for. Gaylord paid little, spent a lot of money and now gets nothing. The few people that I know (from out of town) were really excited to have a conference near DC, until they found out they had no way to get to DC. Single women are scared of the bus line, and advised by staff not to take it. The watertaxi to Alexandria is a rip off. A bunch of friends recently visited it, having heard the hype. They were less than impressed.
Tom-
This is well expected by certain people who live south of Maryland that have Zero Respect for any parts of Suburban Maryland Developing like Sprawling Fairfax County, Loudon County, and Alexandria/Arlington.
Jasper-
I am glad NH is there. It should serve to the region as a reminder that we should never ever let a large developer develop introspective crap in our area. Regardless of how much they fill the pockets of our politicians.
Tom-
But yet Developers have not finished over Building the Rapidly Growing Eastern Loudon County. in Fact I just Heard that there is another Extension of Reston Town Center that will be 3x's the size of the Current Town Center.
Jasper-
Gaylord has built a little trap for visitors of conferences. It's sad for the folks who go there, it's an embarrassment to the region, and will give a bad name to DC (not PG county) for years. And trust me, those conferences will come. The conference industry has undoubtedly found out that planning a conference @ NH allows them to charge DC prices, while paying PG prices.
Tom-
Can you honestly explain the Difference between Northern Virginia Prices and Prince Georges County Prices?
by Tom on Apr 21, 2009 12:48 am • link • report
And you know, northern Virginia has some really shitty parts as well - the Route 1 corridor is an example of this. But the disparity between that and Loudoun can also in part be attributed to prevailing winds, as well as the fact that Loudoun is a lot more convenient to Dulles than National Harbor is to BWI.
But you seem pretty indifferent to the facts, or reality on the ground, or the actual tone and coverage of this site of numerous development issues. You're sounding like a crank, and one that has a deep need to imagine us somehow feeling "hateful" toward PG County rather than criticizing a single project on the basis of its components.
And now you're calling criticizm of sprawl-intensive projects "anti-progressive"? What are you actually trying to say?
by Daniel M. Laenker on Apr 21, 2009 3:04 am • link • report
by David Alpert on Apr 21, 2009 7:05 am • link • report
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