[DMCForum] Re: Washington DC Traffic.

["content22207" <brobertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Washington DC was laid out by Pierre L'Enfant (burried in Arlington
Cemetery). The idea was to put cannon in each traffic circle to fire
on invading British. That's why the streets are so screwy with
diagnonal avenues overlaying a traditional grid.

DC itself is screwy because Congress makes most of its decisions
(budget, capital expenditures, ordinances, etc). Imagine your local
government being run by the 535 bozo's on capital hill. For most of
the 20th century the DC jail was located in Virginia (built and
operated by VA DOC) because Congress couldn't figure out how to build
one in the District.

I don't drive into the city if I can help it -- that's what the subway
is for.

The entire DC metro area exploded in growth under the supposedly
"smaller government" Reagan administration. Population doubled. Real
estate prices soared. Building heights in the District itself are
limited to 12 stories, but across the river and in Maryland they
suddenly rose more than 50. It definitely isn't the same area I grew
up in (yet the little blue roof IHOP in Arlington County is *STILL*
there, totally surrounded by 50 plus story sky scrapers! Go team).
BTW, while I was up there I discovered the suburb of Loudin County has
the fastest growing population in the country.

Traffic sucks because they basically have built no new roads since WW
II. The whole area is strangling under a highway system that dates
back to 1950. If you are ever up there, check out what was supposed to
become the big I-395 express route through the city -- 8 lanes through
a long tunnel under the capital etc, that dead ends as a parking lot.
No kidding -- you come roaring up to a toll booth and gate at 50 MPH.
All the traffic is forced up onto New York Avenue, which just makes
that bad traffic situation worse. Craziness.

Now you see why I live in the provinces. Art museums and theaters are
a tad sparse, but at least I can drive where I need to go (without
anyone crashing into me -- almost lost my DeLorean several times to
near collisions last week).

Bill Robertson
#5939

>--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Josh Porter" <joshp1986@xxxx> wrote:
> I heard that the reason it is so hard for outsiders to navigate 
> through DC is the people that planned out the streets did that on 
> purpose. So that people going after the president would have a 
> difficult time getting to the white house. I don't know if that is 
> true but makes sense to me.
> 
> Houston is another hard town for me to get through. Compared to where 
> I live they have no signage. I went down to Johnson space center 
> before the open house, I got lost going down there and coming back.
> 
> Josh
> 
> --- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Marc Levy <malevy_nj@xxxx> wrote:
> > No argument there.. Traffic does suck, and many
> > decisions are made based on traffic..  Especially
> > living near the Jersey shore, all "locals" know what
> > roads to avoid in the summer.
> > 
> > .... And while I will agree that a 2004 emissions
> > equipped vehicle sitting in traffic can *possibly*
> > produce more pollution than your de-emission DeLorean
> > at highway speeds, I still don't see how that is
> > proper rational.
> > 
> > (Having just returned from dropping off a load of used
> > oil to the recycling center)
> > 
> > --- content22207 <brobertson@xxxx> wrote:
> > 
> > > But I only drive in that traffic a couple of times
> > > per year. The rest
> > > of the time I'm actually moving at a very fast clip
> > > from Point A to
> > > Point B. To be honest I don't see how people survive
> > > up North. I'd
> > > have to shoot myself to put myself out of my misery.
> > > I left at 1:00
> > > this afternoon just to avoid rush hour, and got
> > > stuck in it anyway!
> > > When does rush hour start? 9:00 am? Rediculous. If
> > > all those people
> > > were going home at 1:00 in the afternoon, what time
> > > did they go into
> > > the office? 4:00 am? Rediculous. I was going to go
> > > to the new Air &
> > > Space Museum after lunch Wednesday, and was
> > > counseled that was too
> > > late because of traffic! Made it out there the next
> > > day by leaving the
> > > house at 8:30 am (for a 10:00 opening time).
> > > Rediculous. North
> > > Carolina may not be the Garden of Eden, but it runs
> > > circles around DC
> > > traffic.
> > > 
> > > Bill Robertson
> > > #5939
> > >
> > 
> > 
> >             
> > ____________________________________________________
> > Sell on Yahoo! Auctions ? no fees. Bid on great items.  
> > http://auctions.yahoo.com/

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