🚀 go-pugleaf

On Wed, 09 Dec 1998 02:24:05 -0500, Douglas Andrew Willinger
<dougwill@idt.net> wrote:
>> 
>> Outer Beltway??
>> 
>> > that has good
>> > connect points at both ends.. and you pointed out the problem
>> > with I-64. We simply must have corridors that are dedicated to through
>> > traffic around these urban cores. Otherwise... we face a bleak future
>> > IMHO.
>> 
>> Congestion will always exist in large metropolitan areas during peak
>> hours, IMO.  The solution is to allocate the regional transportation
>> funds (road and transit) in such a way so as to maximize their
>> effectiveness; so that congestion can be minimized as much as possible.
>
>How about constructing the through the city routes for I-66, I-270 and
>I-95
>for D.C.?  This would be far more effective for serving traffic than
>outer, outer bypasses, that would require (for most people, probably) to
>drive way out of there way to get somewhere.  Given the available right
>of ways, the through the District of Columbia highways could certianaly
>be constucted with reletively little envirnmental disruption and broad
>societal benifit.
>
If anyone has read any of my posts, you know that I am opposed to
roads that will damage/destroy significant natural and historic
resources and spur growth where there currently little.

I believe that the fundamental problem lies with the concept of trying
to design the roads to relieve local congestion AND to provide
capacity for intra-region travel. In a word - this does NOT work. Huge
amounts of money are being spent trying to develop roads that will
solve both problems. As soon as a 'local' new road is built - often
called a bypass or outer beltway.. it becomes the engine for more land
development and soon it is only fit for local traffic. This has to
change. It is a huge money sinkhole that results in ineffective
transportation solutions. 

Ask anyone who has tried to travel the East Coast through Wash. D.C.
and you will find out what a terrible mess Washington is considered.
People will literally drive a hundred miles out of their way to avoid
it.