Are All Transit Investments Created Equal?

Like all policy decisions, transit investments are made based on an underlying set of values and objectives. The way those objectives are interpreted and addressed can mean vast differences between alternative solutions to perceived problems. Therefore, in order to assess the quality of a transit proposal, we must first assess the foundation upon which transit decisions are made.

As the population of America's cities continues to increase along with congestion and oil prices, an ever greater number of commuters and cities are choosing to make investments in transit. Cities like Washington face a dilemma about where to make transit investments and what kind of investments they should be. Should the primary purpose of rail planning continue to be an emphasis on suburb to central city commuting, primarily in the form of large park and ride facilities on radial rail lines? Or should precious federal dollars be spent on transit projects in an effort to rejuvenate older urban areas?

Recently, much emphasis has been placed on congestion relief as the primary goal of transit. Unfortunately, this goal is one which cannot be achieved. No matter how much additional transportation infrastructure is constructed--or even what mode--congestion will never be eliminated. This failure, however, is nothing to fret about. Congestion is merely an economic phenomenon that occurs when demand exceeds supply. It is neither practical nor feasible to construct enough highway lanes to handle rush-hour demand. In the face of this realization, planners are doing what they have been doing for many years; using freeway medians as a means of penetrating the urban core, attracting riders from their cars, and providing an alternative to sitting in traffic.

This strategy has certainly been successful in some regards. In Washington, where Interstate 66 is host to severe HOV restrictions and permanent width restrictions, the median-running Orange Line has proven extremely popular with commuters. Even so, it seems a bit dubious to site a transit line on “highway’s turf” as Paul Farmer, head of the American Planning Association, so aptly puts it. In November’s edition of Planning, Mr. Farmer outlines some of the problems with using freeways as a means of penetrating the urban core.

Freeways are not typically characterized by dense multi-use nodes. Northern Virginia’s Orange Line is no exception. Interstate 66’s stops are mostly places for commuters to park, rather than live, work, and play. This is in stark contrast to the dense urban neighborhoods which have sprung up around stops in Bethesda, Rosslyn, and Ballston. The transit oriented development at these nodes is not coincidental. Neither is the lack of transit oriented development where the car is king.

Of course, the tradeoff is that transit takes cars off the road—and leaves room for others. For every commuter that parks at Vienna, there is room for one more to fill a space in the traffic jam. The concept is called “induced demand,” and it illustrates one more fallacy of placing trains in freeway rights of way. The idea that transit or road building can reduce congestion is a myth. Only demand-side techniques can permanently reduce congestion. Demand-side techniques include congestion pricing, lane management, and transit oriented development.

Citizens in growing Tysons Corner are trying to harness for themselves transit’s power to reshape the urban—or in this case, suburban-fabric. The Washington Post reported today that activists there have filed a lawsuit against the federal government for foiling the Silver Line’s chances to be constructed underground. Whether subways are more likely to inspire transit oriented development than elevated ones is not clear, however, Tysons chances are greatly improved with transit than without. Of course, some areas are more likely than others to develop the dense nodes that the people of Tysons envision. If anything damages Tysons’ chances to become the Bethesda of Fairfax County, it will likely have more to do with the presence of two major freeways than elevated stations.

Another problem with freeway-running transit lines is that they enable further sprawl to accrue on the periphery of our metropolitan areas. Instead of incentivizing the redevelopment of the central city, auto-oriented transit just allows some commuters to bypass congestion and still lvie in the sprawling hinterlands. While suburban development is not necessarily bad, one must wonder if choosing an auto-oriented locale is the best place for a transit investment. A better strategy for transit would be to invest in communities where household car ownership is low and places which are ripe for redevelopment. Of course, parking and riding will continue to serve as a major source of transit users, but transit lines should still be routed away from freeways for maximum success.

In the Washington area, an example of good transit routing is the Red Line. The suburban terminus of the line is at Shady Grove. The Shady Grove station is close enough to Interstate 270 to allow convenient access for commuters from the suburbs. The line, however, is far enough from the freeway that dense, multi-use nodes can germinate along the line as it runs under Rockville Pike, Wisconsin Avenue, and Connecticut Avenue. These nodes create demand for transit by being centered around it and by providing a mix of uses. The Bethesda Station, for instance, has many jobs drawing Metro riders from the suburbs and from the city proper. It also has housing, which contributes commuters to the subway not only during rush hour, but also during off-peak times, due to the convenience of transit in this node.

If the car is harmful to the urban fabric, then the freeway is toxic. Transit investments can be and have been used to improve cities, but freeways make that extremely difficult. At least in Tysons, the proposed Silver Line has been routed away from the Dulles Toll Road and through the center of the burgeoning business district. Still, one can only hope that those in charge of transportation decisions begin to realize the impact that “congestion mitigation” is having on our cities.

Not all transit investments are created equal. If our policies have any hope for success, they’ll need to follow the advice of Paul Farmer and keep transit in areas where it has a better chance of working. In the face of the looming energy and environmental crisis, we must decide whether transit will serve as an enabler for auto-centric, suburban lifestyles or as an incentive for pedestrian and community friendly traditional neighborhood development. The decision is far from clear-cut, but more consideration must be given to the environs with which we choose to surround transit—these surroundings will either enhance or blunt the ability of transit to reshape our metropolitan regions. There is no better time to reassess the underlying assumptions of our transportation policies than now.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

Now that the Thanksgiving Holiday is over, it's time to get back to the old grindstone. So I'll prolong the workweek just a bit longer whilst I remember my tryptophan trip.

This was my first Thanksgiving outside of Georgia, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. My parents flew up from Atlanta to spend several days with me here in Washington, and I enjoyed their company. I hadn't seen them since I moved to DC in August. Anyway, I treated them to Thanksgiving lunch at a restaurant since I don't have the requisite space or kitchen equipment to fix my own turkey dinner.

So with the reservations in the bag, we took the Metro down to Foggy Bottom on a warm, indian summer day. I have to say that my first non-home-cooked Thanksgiving meal was excellent. My parents and I dined at a fantastic restaurant near the GW Campus. The restaurant, Tonic, is located in historic Quigley's Pharmacy, and the food is to die for.

We had turkey, with dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato mash. It was not quite as good as my usual Thanksgiving, but it was definitely worth the price. I'd recommend the restaurant if you're in the neighborhood, and I intend to go back soon.

I just can't wait for Christmas dinner.

Welcome to the Club, Charlotte

Well, Charlotte's LYNX Light Rail line opened at 10 a.m. this morning. I'm glad to see that Christmas has come early for citizens of the North Carolina city.

The first line, the Blue Line, travels 9.6 miles from Downtown Charlotte to the 485 Beltway. Future extensions will bring the system to a total of almost 20 miles by 2013 and will also add commuter rail, bus rapid transit, and streetcars to the city's transit system.

Good Luck, Charlotte.

The City of Brotherly Love*

*Some restrictions apply

Tensions have been rising for some time in Philadelphia between the City government and the Cradle of Liberty Council. Since 1928, the Boy Scouts of America-Cradle of Liberty Council has leased their Beaux-Arts headquarters from the City for $1 a year. Their rent will be increasing 200,000% next year, says the city council, unless they remove their ban on gays.

The Washington Post is reporting that Philadelphia has given CoL Council until December 3 to allow gays or it will have to pay up. This case is stirring up the embers of the drama which ensued in 2000 when the US Supreme Court allowed the Boy Scouts of America to continue its ban on gays.

I had been actively involved in Scouting for 14 years when I came out. At the time, I considered leaving Scouting the hardest moment of my life. I felt that it was harder even than coming out to my parents. Looking back, I still can't find a time in my life when I was in more emotional turmoil. I had grown up with Scouting, I had given my time to Scouting, I had friends in Scouting. Leaving America's largest youth movement meant being estranged from my second family.

Now, almost two years after my departure, I still long for the day when that estrangement will end. I do not intend a pun when I say that my Scouting uniforms still hang pressed in my closet. Yet the sting has gone. I no longer feel a hole in my chest when I think back on the organization which I love. I have filled my time with other activities, but I can't help wondering which fruits would have been produced from a further Scouting relationship.

Perhaps the greatest irony in my mind is that I don't know that I would have had the strength to come out had it not been for the skills I learned through Scouting. The National Council claims that homosexuals are banned from Scouting because being gay is "inconsistent with the obligations of the Scout Oath and Law." The Boy Scouts of America see their organization as one which teaches a rigid set of values, and they find that these values allow them to exclude certain members of society.

Robert Kennedy, I think, espoused the values of Scouting when he said that "Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence." Scouts are indeed disciples of a moral code which is rarely easy to uphold, but that is Scouting's message. Barry Goldwater tells us that "moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." This is also a Scouting principle. No Scout should be taught to stand by during times of injustice. We were taught by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Members of the Boy Scouts of America have an obligation to stand up in the name of justice. It is time that the Scouting organization rejoined its members in seeking to uphold the tenets of the Scout Oath and Law; in seeking to promote the high ideals of America.

It is a shame that the Cradle of Liberty Council is facing expulsion from its headquarters building, but there is also a sense of irony there. Perhaps the Cradle of Liberty Council will serve as the cradle for yet more liberty. Until that time, I will continue to hold the Scout Oath and Law in my heart silently awaiting my invitation to rejoin the brotherhood of Scouting.

A Rainy Night In Georgia

Georgia is in the midst of one of the worst droughts on record. In late October, when I changed planes in Atlanta, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was reporting that Atlanta had 80 days of water left. This problem was foreseeable, yet no action was taken by state or local leaders. This city has had one of the fastest metropolitan growth rates in the country basically since air conditioning was invented. Projections call for almost 3 million people to move to the metropolitan area by 2030, an increase in population of 75%. If Atlanta doesn't have enough water now, though, how can it expect to survive once a population surge the size of Seattle moves in?

Well, the good news now is that Georgia's two term Governor, Sonny Purdue, has the answer.

Pray.

Wow. I'm surprised that no other politician has thought of that one. Too much congestion? Pray about it. Poll numbers too low? Pray about that too. Jackets going into the annual Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry with a high ranking? Sure, might as well ask the Almighty to intervene in Football. At least divine intervention in sports doesn't violate the laws of nature that messing with the weather would.

From today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

After the prayers, the rain

By SAEED AHMED
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/14/07

When his hour-long prayer vigil for rain ended with the sun shining through Tuesday, Gov. Sonny Perdue made a bold proclamation.

"God can make it rain tomorrow," he said.

Just like Perdue — and the National Weather Service — said, it was a rainy night in Georgia on Wednesday.

The rain was triggered by a cold front coming through, and it was expected to last until the early hours of Thursday morning.

Did Purdue's pleas to the almighty make a difference? Probably just in his poll numbers. A more appropriate question would inquire whether Georgians are finally tired of Pandering Purdue. It's easy for the Governor to hold a 'successful' prayer vigil. He just looks at the 10 day forecast, calls a prayer vigil, and then celebrates a 20% chance of rain the next day.

Who lost weight as Governor?
Who set back transit in Georgia by at least 5 years?
Who created a pointless second ban on gay marriage?
Who did nothing about the water shortage except pray for rain?

Sonny did.

If Mr. Purdue is so keen on holding an office where he gets to pray about things whose processes are already set, maybe he should run for Deacon. Because it won't help in getting things done (only getting elected), because praying that the junior Senator from Indiana will co-sponsor your bill won't really change his mind.

Putting the 'anta' Back in Atlanta

Marthasville
Terminus
The ATL

Thank God that someone had the foresight to give my former home a beautiful name. I think that "Atlanta" seems to just roll off the tongue. It is a beautiful name for one of America's great cities. It is a name that Atlantans should cherish. After all, it could be much much worse. What if the name hadn't been changed? Terminus just doesn't sound like the name of a city with any sophistication. Marthasville brings to mind the picture of a little mountain hamlet with no more than a flashing red light.

But instead what do people do? Instead of using this beautiful name, the feminine form for the name of an ocean 250 miles away, they refer to their city with the blunt IATA code for the airport.

Of course, using abbreviations to refer to places is nothing new. Up here, we call Washington 'DC' all the time, but that does make it considerably shorter. Especially since just saying Washington results in a sentence explaining that we mean the National Capital and not the state, one of the 25 incorporated places, or one of the 31 counties of this name.

Pennsylvanians also have plenty of reason to shorten their references to just P-A. You'll find them driving on the P-A Turnpike and buying tickets for the P-A Lottery. Still, that's another one of our beautiful names that ought to be used in its entirety as much as possible.

At least the aforementioned places actually shorten their names, though. With 'The ATL,' users are actually making their nomenclature longer. Atlanta only has three syllables, 'The ATL' is four. If you include the space, they are the same length, so writing and typing also yield no benefit. Plus, with 'The ATL,' one has to hold down shift for three extra letters.

Let's stick to the name folks. After all, who refers to Chicago as 'The ORD?' What about New York? There it's NYC, not LGA. In lots of places, use of the IATA airport code refers specifically to the airport. Take Miami (MIA) and Denver (DIA), for example.

So let's stick to the full name. It's a nice one, and trust me, Atlanta needs all the help it can get.

Here's To Reading Anti-Glacier Books

"Von der Kuppel der Frauenkirche sah ich diese leidigen Trümmer zwischen die schöne städtische Ordnung hineingesät; da rühmte mir der Küster die Kunst des Baumeisters, welcher Kirche und Kuppel auf einen so unerwünschten Fall schon einferichetet und bombenfest erbaut hatte. Der gute Askristan deutete mir alsdann auf Ruinene nach allen Seiten und sagte bedenklich lakonisch: Das hat der Feind gethan!"
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Two years ago, when I was in Dresden, I didn't have the opportunity, as Goethe did, to stand in the cupola of the Frauenkirche. It was still being rebuilt at the time. This city, the Elbflorenz, had long been considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. One night in February 1945 changed all that. Far from being the worst firebombing in the Second World War, it was perhaps the most unnecessary.

The late winter of 1945 had brought Germany to the edge of oblivion. While the war would stretch for another two months, the war was nearing its end. Thousands of refugees fleeing the Soviet advance had taken refuge in this city. The city had been spared so far because it had little war-making industry--it didn't even have a garrison.

Nonetheless, 35,000 burned to death in a firestorm which burned for two days and cleansed from the banks of the Elbe the greatest remaining example of the Baroque. Regarded by many for years as revenge for the bombing of Coventry, Dresden did little to end the war.

There's a reason that East Germany's national anthem started with the words "Auferstanden aus Ruinen" (risen from the ruins). It's the same reason that the symbol of Atlanta is the Phoenix. Which begs the question: does the scorched Earth have a place in warfare?

I recently finished reading Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five." His book, he says comically, is an anti-glacier book. "There would always be wars, that they were as easy to stop as glaciers. I believe that too," says Vonnegut. Even so, he was inspired to write this book about what he saw in Dresden first-hand.

Journalist Sydney J. Harris says that "'terrorism' is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it, 'war' is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it."

In this age of a "war on terror," one has to ask, then, whether "shocking and awing" the civilian population into submission is the best recipe for peace. Christian teaching says that the other cheek should be turned. Mr. Bush and his administration often claims to be on the same side as Christ, yet his answer to terrorism is to respond with terrorism. It seems unlikely that the fruits of this strategy will be success. As President Carter so eloquently put it, "We will not learn to live in peace by killing each others' children." Or to put it more bluntly, Gandhi admonishes us that "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind."

Perhaps one day, we can realize one of Vonnegut's visions:
In Slaughterhouse Five, the main character, Billy Pilgrim, is unstuck in time. He sees a war film backwards on page 94. This is what he sees:

"When the bombers got back to their base, the steel cylinders were taken from the racks and shipped back to the United States of America, where factories were operating night and day, dismantling the cylinders, separating the dangerous contents into minerals. Touchingly it was mainly women who did this work. The minerals were then shipped to specialists in remote areas. It was their business to put them into the ground, to hide them cleverly, so that they would never hurt anybody ever again."

Of course, the irony does seem to be lost about the glaciers. It's the Republicans these days who are on the warpath. In the sense that Vonnegut meant the quotation, they are very pro-glacier, but on climate policy, they are just as determined to destroy civilization as they allege the gays are. Let's hope that the next administration is anti-glacier on the war front and pro-glacier on the climate front.

It would be a shame if we all died out before we got to see Dresden's finally restored Frauenkirche. The church was reconsecrated on October 30, 2005--over 60 years after its destruction. Incidentally, the Goethe quote at the beginning of this post proved apt. It referred to the 1760 Prussian bombardment of Dresden in which the Frauenkirche was hit by over 100 cannonballs. The Allied bombing of Dresden on the nights of February 13 and 14, 1945 did not bring down the church, but the heat of the fire caused the sandstone columns to explode.

"From the dome of the Frauenkirche I saw this loathsome rubble amongst the beautiful urban orderliness; whilst the verger boasted to me about the art of the master builder who built this church and the dome to withstand such an undesired event by making it bomb-proof. The good verger then pointed to all the ruins around us and said, reflectively and laconically: 'It was the enemy who did that!'"
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Poo-tee-weet?

'Arch'etypes: Part 1

I started my "Introducing Washington" series with a post on the Mall, the center of federal Washington. My next installment gives me a chance to spend some time introducing one of my favorite parts of the metropolitan region. Hundreds of thousands daily pass through the hallowed halls that are our Metro. The public spaces of our city's subway platforms are unique in the world, and are associated with Washington wherever one goes.

It is only fitting that Metro gets a post in the Introducing Washington series. This is the public space that links the rest of the region together. Here, similarity of design means that places as far flung as Alexandria and New Carrollton are linked by common architectural elements. There are certain design motifs that weave themselves throughout the Metro system. Many of these elements repeat themselves hundreds of times over within Metro's 86 stations.

This is the first post of several which will describe Washington's subway. In this installment, I focus on station types. There are 8 main station types, although many designs vary based on location. A few stations are unique and do not fit any of the station types. The stations can be divided into two main categories: underground and at grade/elevated.

Beneath the Streets: Underground Stations
Metro's architect was a Chicagoan named Harry Weese. His vision has shaped the experience of transit riders for over three decades, and will continue to do so for many more. His plans for stations mainly centered on creating an awe-inspiring space. Even though patrons may be well below the surface in many places, they will almost always find a cavernous train room. These vaulted stations echo the Great Hall of Daniel Burnham's Union Station and provide the perfect conditions for the light show that occurs with each train's arrival. I'll focus more on those details in a later post, first let's look at the major differences.

Waffle
The "Waffle" design consists of the coffered vault that Weese originally envisioned for all of Washington's subterranean stations. The surface of the vault resembles that of a waffle, hence the name. These stations were constructed using cast-in-place concrete and proved to be more expensive than other methods. For that reason, designs were later changed. Nevertheless, the waffle architecture dominates in the downtown stations.

Waffle architecture is present in 32 stations:

• Red Line: Union Station to Dupont Circle
  
• Orange Line: Court House to Ballston
  
• Green Line: U Street, Shaw, Archives, Waterfront, Navy Yard
  
• Blue Line: Capitol Heights to Rosslyn, Pentagon to Crystal City

Waffle at
Crystal City







Arch I
The second major design in the Metro system, I am calling Arch I. The Arch types (there are three) are all created from precast concrete sections, making construction cheaper. For this reason, WMATA chose to use them on its later phases of subway construction. Arch I architecture is characterized by a series of arches rising from the tracks to the ceiling. Crossbeams connect each arch, running parallel to the tracks. These crossbeams divide the vault into sections, which is how the different Arch designs can be differentiated. Arch I vaults have three crossbeams running the length of the platform, dividing the ceiling into four parts.

Arch I architecture is present at 7 stations:

• The Red Line from Woodley Park to Medical Center is the only section to include Arch I.

Arch I at
Cleveland Park







Arch II
The Arch II style became the preferred method of subway construction with later stations. These stations are very similar in design and appearance to the Arch I stations. They are also constructed using the same method--precast concrete sections. This design is defined by 5 crossbeams and 6 vault sections. This design is my personal favorite.

Arch II designs are found at 6 stations:

• The Red Line: Glenmont
  
• The Green Line: Congress Heights, Mount Vernon Square, Columbia Heights, Georgia Avenue, and the lower level of Fort Totten

Arch II at
Columbia Heights







Arch III
This design is a modified version of the Arch II design. It is found at only 2 stations, both on the Red Line, Forest Glen and Wheaton. This design was made necessary because these stations are very deep and each track is in its own single-bore tube. These vaults have 4 sections divided by 3 crossbeams.

Arch III at
Forest Glen







Above-ground Stations
The stations which are not underground cannot have the large vaults that characterize the rest of the system.

Gull Wing I
In order to maintain the connectivity of the architectural elements of the system, the surface and elevated stations had a vault-like roof consisting of sweeping concrete 'wings.' I refer to this design as the Gull Wing I design. It is characteristic of the older outdoor stations.

Gull Wing I designs can be found at 14 stations:

• Red Line: Silver Spring, Fort Totten (upper level), Takoma, Brookland, Rhode Island Avenue, Shady Grove
• Orange Line: New Carrollton to Minnesota Avenue
  
• Yellow Line: Eisenhower Avenue
  
• Blue Line: National Airport (half of platforms) , Van Dorn Street

Gull Wing I at
Takoma







Peaked Roof I
The next design, Peaked Roof I, is found at 2 stations only. These stations, on the Blue and Yellow Lines, are at Braddock Road and King Street in Alexandria. The Peaked Roof I design consists of a steeply sloped roof with skylights in the center.

Peaked Roof I at
King Street







Peaked Roof II
A more common design, Peaked Roof II can be found at many surface stations. It consists of a flat roof over the platform with a section of clear skylights forming a peak in the center (along a line parallel to the tracks).

Peaked Roof II can be found at 16 stations:

• Red Line: Grosvenor to Rockville
  
• Orange Line: East Falls Church to Vienna
  
• Green Line: Branch Avenue to Southern Avenue, College Park, Greenbelt
  
• Blue Line: Franconia-Springfield, Addison Road

Peaked Roof II at
Greenbelt







Gull Wing II
The newest design for the Metro includes this type of architecture. It differs greatly in many aspects from earlier designs. There are notable differences in color, materials, and motif elements. These stations are all of those constructed beyond the original system (which was completed in January of 2001). This design can be found at only 3 stations: New York Avenue on the Red Line and Morgan Boulevard and Largo Town Center on the Blue Line.


Gull Wing II at
Largo Town Center







Unique Designs
Several stations differ from these basic designs. They are worthy of mention because of their nonconformity. There are 5 unique stations in the system.

• Yellow: Huntington
• Green: Anacostia, Prince George's Plaza, West Hyattsville
• Blue: Arlington Cemetery
  

Vive La Railvolution!

Well, I'm back from Miami and Railvolution was a blast! Miami-Dade Transit and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority were excellent hosts. While the conference was held in South Beach, far from the nearest Metrorail Station, the Art Deco facades and sea breezes made Railvolution a nice way to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Washington.

The conference was informative and full of great information. From talks on how transit can help save the environment to discussions on the use of rail to revitalize communities, Railvolution 2007 fostered a discussion on everything transit. The highlight of the conference for me was the tour of the Miami Metrorail. We even got a sneak-peek inside the Metrorail and Metromover Central Control Center. I can't wait for Railvolution 2008 in San Francsico! I hope I'm able to go, because I love the Bay Area. After all, I did leave my heart there.

Part of the conference focused on our host city's efforts to expand transit in the region. As we were told, South Florida is a region "ripe for rail." Squeezed in to a narrow corridor between the Everglades and the Atlantic, Tri-Rail offers a growing commuter rail service. The Metrorail has plans to construct major extensions, including a branch to the Miami Airport. Transit Oriented Development is also progressing nicely around such stations as Santa Clara and Dadeland South. Of course, as speakers at the Railvolution Conference reminded us, there are battles yet to be fought.

Soundly Voting for Transit
Tuesday marks a major day for transit, with two votes on the subject in vastly different regions. Seattle voters will be seeing transit on the ballot tomorrow. Sound Transit, which operates light rail in Tacoma and commuter rail in the Tacoma-Seattle-Everett corridor, faces a potential windfall with region voters deciding whether to appropriate $10.8 billion for 50 miles of light rail and an additional $7 billion for roads in the region. Sound Transit is currently constructing the Central Link Light Rail connecting SeaTac Airport to downtown Seattle's revamped Third Street Subway (formerly bus only). The next step, the University Link, serving U-Dub is in the planning stages. This proposal will extend the line north to Lynnwood, south to Tacoma, and east across Lake Washington to Overlake. It comes at the expense of also adding roads across the region, but the improvements are worth it. Let's hope that when the polls close tomorrow, Seattle will finally be getting the transit system that it has been planning since the early 1960s.

And in Charlotte, CATS might not be as afraid as a Lynx in a room full of rocking chairs (to mince euphemisms), but its funding source is under attack. Tuesday, voters will decide whether to confusingly vote no for transit or yes against transit. A yes vote will mean the repeal of the 1998 referendum which forked over a half-penny to transit. Let's hope that a no on Tuesday will mean a good opening for the first opening of Light Rail in North Carolina later this month. Charlotte will be starting service on its Blue Line, the first phase of the Lynx Light Rail System. If Charlotte decides to keep the transit tax, the region can look forward to 36 additional miles of light rail, 13.5 miles of bus rapid transit, and 16.5 miles of streetcar. Once again, we can only hope that the railvolution will continue as places like Charlotte keep up the good work.

And how the railvolution has indeed been progressing. Tri-Rail in South Florida recently completed double tracking its route, allowing for increased headways and capacities. Maryland's Governor, Martin O'Malley, has committed the state to funding a tripling of MARC service over the next 25 years. San Francisco's Muni opened its new T-Third Street Line serving along the western edge of the San Francisco Bay. In October, the FTA agreed to their commitment to partially fund the first phase of Norfolk's Tide Light Rail, which will open to passengers in 2010. On the whole, transit ridership is up and so is support for transit. The railvolution seems to be working, and I'm sure its successes will be televised.

The Disappearing Railroad Blues

"Good mornin' America, how are ya? Say, don't you know me? I'm your native son."

I suppose I am a bit partial to using lyrics in my blog, but they often seem so appropriate. These particular words come from Arlo Guthrie’s “The City of New Orleans” lamenting the death of that train running between New Orleans and Chicago under the now-fallen flag of the Illinois Central Railroad. The Coast Starlight (shown in picture waiting at Seattle's King Street Station) would also likely be deleted if Mr. Bush follows through with his veto threat.

Those sentimental words belie the urgency that many felt at the time as passenger services across the country began to falter. The time, I'm afraid, has come again. Mr. Bush is once again prepared to destroy a part of America's infrastructure.

Today, the Senate passed bill S.294 with bipartisan support. This bill would reauthorize Amtrak, giving it the funding it needs to continue to serve 46 states. This bill would also continue high speed rail initiatives in many areas and would provide needed Homeland Security funding. The bill now goes to the House for passage, and after that, to the President's desk.

Mr. Bush seems determined to ensure that rail service is dropped in 24 states. He and many conservatives are determined to trim all of Amtrak's long distance (national network) services. Economics, they say, dictate that America stop the subsidization of this unprofitable enterprise. Travel on the Northeast Corridor from Newport News to Boston will probably survive, as will service in California, along the Empire Corridor, Keystone Corridor, and between Eugene, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia. Chicago will still play host to the short-haul trains that operate from places like Saint Louis and Milwaukee, but no longer will one be able to ply the rails from sea to shining sea.

Frankly, America needs to get its priorities straight. One of the reasons that Amtrak has almost yearly funding crises, is because it's almost annually starved for funding. Why? Conservatives tell us that we shouldn't reward Amtrak for failing to become self sufficient with a bailout; liberals tell us that Amtrak is a social service. The fact of the matter is that there is truth in both statements, and it is also true that both leave out quite a bit.

Amtrak has conflicting goals. Typically, when a government agency has conflicting goals, it ends up neglecting one and doing poorly at the other. Amtrak is a perfect case study in this phenomenon. Amtrak was set up with two main goals. The first, most obvious, goal is that Amtrak is to operate a national rail system. Therefore Amtrak has an obligation to serve places where density is not conducive to high train ridership. The second goal is that Amtrak should become profitable. This is the goal that Amtrak has neglected. It is not possible for Amtrak to serve all of the United States and turn a profit. We must remember that the entire reason that Amtrak was created was because the private railroad companies were trying to get out of the business of passenger travel.

First, let’s address the neglected goal. The reason that Amtrak cannot be expected to make a profit is the same reason that the railroads asked for the creation of a national passenger system in the first place. Federal subsidies to other modes, most notably air travel and highways, made railroads unable to compete on a level playing field. I am not criticizing things like the Interstate Highway Act, however. Subsidies to highways and air travel caused major positive changes in this country. However, the federal government does not demand that Interstates pay for themselves. The reason is that Interstates pay back this country in ways other than in pure dollars. Railroads do the same thing, and it is essential that passenger service continues to be a viable mode.

A national system will not always be full or profitable, just as an Interstate highway in Idaho won’t ever carry its design capacity or render a true return on investment. In an age of increasing sprawl, oil shocks, and environmental awareness, passenger rail service looks increasingly attractive. As a matter of fact, ridership has been increasing on Amtrak for several years. If anything, this country needs more Amtrak service, not less. A truly national system would offer alternatives to other modes. The federal government should be just as willing to subsidize this mode as it is with other modes. Passenger rail is not a competing mode, but a complimentary mode when looked at from many perspectives, including that of national security. All of us remember the days after September 11, 2001. While the airports were shut down and rental car facilities were empty, our national rail system was still chugging along. Our most energy efficient mode will help to move America away from foreign oil and will mean a cleaner world for our children. The Interstate System is aging rapidly, and needs are far outstripping our ability to meet them. Today, we need Amtrak more than ever.

This year, President Bush should not veto Amtrak; instead he should offer a vision of an America for the Twenty-first Century. That vision must include alternatives, and it must include upgrading America’s transportation infrastructure to accommodate a changing reality. The age of oil is at its end. While Mr. Bush has so far decided to hold out for hydrogen, it is time to realize that we can make a marked difference in consumption now; without major structural change in the way we power our vehicles. Instead of condemning other modes as “social engineering” or as a wasteful social program, Mr. Bush should recognize that the automobile is one of the most subsidized modes on the face of this continent. The federal housing policies that forced Americans into the transit-unfriendly living conditions of today were far more reminiscent of social engineering than any type of national rail program. Mr. Bush should recognize that the power of government lies not in its ability to lay waste to foreign lands, but to create a society built for the betterment of all.

The Fifty States' Quarter

I’ve decided to start a new section of my blog devoted to introducing Washington. My first profile is appropriate because it introduces the most well-known aspect of the Capital City as a part of this region.

For countless Americans the symbol of our national capital is the Mall. This expanse of green is bounded on each side by marble monoliths. This park-like stretch of monuments, museums, and federal offices along with a few surrounding blocks make up Washington’s Federal Quarter.

The idea behind the Mall dates back to Pierre L’Enfant’s plan for Washington. Unfortunately for early Washingtonians, however, the plan was not realized until the McMillan Commission of 1901 cleared the area of its railroad tracks and slums. The area on the reclaimed Potomac Flats was set aside as the National Capital’s contribution to the national memory. Based on the ideas of the city beautiful, this part of Washington became home to the temples of democracy and memorials to fallen Americans.

While all of Washington holds a special place in the American psyche, this is undoubtedly the part that truly belongs to all Americans. From the Lincoln Memorial on the banks of the Potomac, the President who held this country together during its most difficult time looks admonishingly eastward. His gaze falls not only on the eager eyes of school children, but also on the houses of Congress two miles distant.

The Federal Quarter was meant to make Washington rival the capitals of all the other great nations of the world. In that effort, it does a supreme job. Here, in the shadow of the obelisk memorializing the first President, stand America’s monuments, her government offices, and national museums.

This small part of the district is an integral part of the city as much as it is an integral part of the nation. Washingtonians have at their fingertips access to some of America’s finest museums and galleries. The Mall is an excellent place to recreate. One of my first experiences on the Mall as a resident was a free concert on the West Lawn of the Capitol put on by the National Symphony Orchestra. Even in the height of tourist season, residents can be found jogging and playing baseball in this great park. The Mall is Washington’s answer to Central Park and Versailles all rolled into one.

An increasing number of Washington’s visitors are venturing beyond the parts of the city dominated by columns to find a diverse metropolitan area with far more to offer than a mere course in American History. Through these explorations, visitors uncover that Washington is more than a place to build monuments to those who’ve gone before us. They find that the District houses more than Senators and does more than just the business of government.

For many Washingtonians, the Mall is also a reminder of the Washington/National Capital dichotomy. While the residents of Washington experience this city in the same ways that other Americans experience their cities, there is a distinct difference here. Some believe that the District belongs to all Americans as the National Capital. This belief contributes to the continued denial of the District’s right to govern itself.

Of course, this dichotomy does not reduce the importance of the Mall to Washington the city or Washingtonians love for the Mall. The Federal Quarter may remind District residents of their lack of a vote, but it is just as symbolic of America to them as it is to all Americans. It serves as a reminder of the special place which Washington occupies upon the national and world stages. The Federal Quarter is what many see at first glance, and without it Washington would not be Washington at all.

The Federal Quarter is represented by all the state quarters, but the rest of the city is a stark reminder that some American citizens still don’t have their own representative in Congress or in coinage.

Don't Hail Me, I'll Hail You

Look, don't think me unsympathetic. I realize that cabbies up here in DC are between a rock and a hard place, but sometimes I just can't help but think that every single one of them is a maniac! And only part of that assessment is based on the fact that 4 out of 6 heart attacks in the District are caused by a taxi almost killing someone. When I heard about that cracked out lady driving through a street festival down in Southeast, I figured someone had just hailed a cab from more than 4 feet from the curb. In DC, that usually means that every taxi in sight (because every single one is it's own company) rushes to get you (even if that means driving through a plaza). I think if you hailed one when your plane landed at National, there'd be a line waiting for you to deplane right there on the tarmac.

I'm not sure what has driven them to the lengths they go. Perhaps it's being second only to West Virginians in the number of times they serve as the butt of jokes; perhaps it's Mayor Fenty and his kooky idea to get rid of the zone system in favor of a meter system. I mean, I know that the District is being revolutionary with this idea of "meters," and all, but there's no need to freak out and go all luddite on us. It's time for DC to be on the cutting edge, dontcha think? Here's the perfect chance too; as far as I know only a few other cities have converted to meters, for instance, every other city on earth!

Anyway, the practice which boggles me the most is the practice here whereby cabbies treat every person who isn't pushing a shopping cart full of his or her life possessions as a fare. Not a potential fare, but as a fare. If you set foot outside of a building anywhere within 50 miles of the Capitol, you will be swarmed by cabbies. They are more persistent here than the homeless people outside of MARTA stations.

I've never been the type to attract honks just for the pleasure of using the sidewalk, but DC cabbies are not to be outdone. I'm talking about the relatively common practice wherein DC cabbies hail fares. President Kennedy once derided Washington as a city "of southern efficiency and northern charm," and this taxi harassment seems to evoke this idea of Washington as a place where the normal rules of engagement are suspended. You see, in most cities when you want a cab, you walk to the curb and shout 'TAXI!' Here, you just stand around until one honks at you, then you get in.

This process, of course, leads to lots of false positives for the cabbies, though. Perhaps it's their eagerness to beat out their brothers in yellow, but they seem to have no discretion. For instance, just yesterday I saw a cabbie hail a guy waiting on a street corner for the walk signal. I also saw a person taking the trash out yesterday hailed.

This leads me to wonder how cabbies cope with complicated situations. Do they hail waiters in sidewalk cafes? Do they drive around in cemeteries honking at funerals? What about hookers? I can imagine that would be a bit touchy (whose meter is running then?) I'm honestly surprised that more "Express" hawkers don't end up being thrown bodily into a taxi by some overzealous driver eager for a nice tip.

They are even omnipresent at that most American of institutions, the mall. And no, I don't mean the one with monuments, I mean the one with kiosks and canned music. The mall across the street from my apartment has a constant parade of taxis. They drive along the front of the mall, turn around and repeat as necessary. Why? Not only does everyone drive to the mall, but there's also a Metro station right across the street.

Personally, I think that the real reason that there are so many traffic circles in DC is so that the Taxis have a place to queue up without stopping driving. Oh, and they're great places for the taxis to show that they all have a little bit of Italy in their veins: Somehow they can cut across four lanes and a median from the Mass Ave express lanes on Dupont Circle to P Street with a honk and only leave a few traumatized tourists from South Carolina and Nebraska in their wake (as if driving in DC wasn't traumatic enough already).

I've never set foot in a cab, and I don't plan to either. In this city, there's really no excuse to skip out on transit, and Washington is really very walkable. So I'll say this to the cabbies: even if I pause to tie my shoe, read the Post headline, or photograph something, don't hail me, I'll hail you.

When Is It Going to Stop?

"When is it going to stop?"

That's what the Washington Post wanted to know on June 16 of this year, and they wanted to know it on the front page. This came in the wake of a fatal car accident that struck Northern Virgina particularly hard. The night of their graduation, two Fairfax County graduates and two others were killed on the Beltway. The case is undoubtedly tragic. I remember back in high school, it seemed that at least one person in each class could be expected to lose his or her life behind the wheel. I don't remember anything so tragic as a graduation night accident, though.

And while this particularly bloody crash was definitely gruesome, I don't know why it was a shocker to anyone. Today, in the metro section alone, let's see what the Post has to say:

Driver Whose Trailer Unhitched Won't Be Charged in Bridge Crash
"...The crash occurred May 10 on the west bound span....Police identified the dead as Randall R. Orff, 47, and his son Jonathan R. Orff, 19, both firefighters from Millington on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and James H. Ingle, 44, of Preston, also on the Eastern Shore."

3 Dead

Woman Is Killed When Her Car Hits School Bus
"A woman was killed yesterday in Bowie....Lorenda Gordon, 49, was driving....The bus driver and a driver's aide suffered minor injuries."

1 Dead

Pedestrian, 80, Dies After Being Hit by Car
"A pedestrian was killed last night....The 80-year old man stepped into the intersection at Seventh and D Streets SW and was hit about 8 p.m. He was pronounced dead at George Washington University Hospital."

1 Dead

Man Held Without Bond in Crash That Killed Child
"A man charged in a hit-and-run incident Sunday in which a toddler was killed....is charged with second-degree murder in the crash...that killed 2-year-old Brandi McComb and injured three women."

1 Dead

Woman Dies in Beltway Crash
"A Prince George's County woman was killed...when her car skidded into the back of a tractor-trailer...Carla Ann Steen, 36...heading north in the rain...slid off the ramp..."

1 Dead

Man Changing Tire Fatally Struck
"A man changing a tire on the shoulder of westbound Interstate 66...struck and killed...stopped near Centreville...hit by a Ford Ranger..."

1 Dead

Motorcyclist Dies in Accident
"A Mananas man was killed...lost control...William A Moran, 32...crossed the opposite lane of traffic...pronounced dead at the scene..."

1 Dead

Where is the shock now? Most of these stories appeared in sections titled "Maryland Briefing" or "Anne Arundel County." None--not one--even made it onto the front of the metro section. These sorts of things are so commonplace that they warrant perhaps a 15 second spot on the evening news. How commonplace are they? In the United States, 5 people die in car accidents each hour.

On Average 43,000 Americans die in car crashes annually.

How clear can it be?

When is it going to stop? Does it look like it's even close to stopping?

It will stop when Americans care. Sure, we all know people who have died in car accidents. A girl who grew up three doors down, a guy on the drum line's brother, the father, the son, the graduate... The list could go on indefinitely. We know that people die. We know that could be us. How many times have told the person in the passenger seat "that guy is going to kill somebody, cutting across traffic like that!?"

But we don't do anything about it. What if all 43,000 died on one day? What would it be like if 43,000 random people just up and died on, say, the second Tuesday of September? Are we clear on the magnitude of this problem? Georgia Tech has 17,000 students, Georgia has only 34,000, the University of Maryland has 35,000.


So let's go back to a bright, clear Tuesday in September. If it was for 2005, 43,443 Americans would have died. In 2004, 42,836. 2003 would have seen 42,643. 43,005 would have lost their lives in 2002. And on September 11, 2001--that bright, clear day--42,196 people would have died, senselessly.

What would America's reaction have been then? What would have assuaged our anger if terrorists had killed 42,000 Americans? How many nations would have had to fall before we were satisfied that the world was safe for democracy? Conversely, how would we feel if 43,000 American soldiers had been sent home from Iraq in caskets? Would Americans still support a war that had killed so many? Only 36,000 Americans died in Korea, and that was undoubtedly enough.

Where is the outrage? If a natural disaster claimed 43,000 Americans it would be front page news for weeks. When terrorists claim only a percentage of that, there are wars. When wars claim a fraction, there are protests. How many must die before we commit ourselves to change? How red must the streets run before enough is enough?

What I find laughable about this country is our assessment of risk. I'm sure there are psychologists who would tell me that it's not just Americans who are afraid of the wrong things, but I can't help but see a country so afraid of terrorism that it allows the government warrantless wiretaps, a country so afraid of crime that it won't take the subway, a country so afraid for family values that it makes irrational electoral decisions; yet so blase about cars that it refuses to buckle up, refuses to give up the keys after knocking 'em back at the tavern, does 85 in the 55 zone.

We could make our cars safer--if we wanted to. We could reduce our dependence on the automobile--if we wanted to. We could keep so many alive--if we wanted to.

We could pull over to talk when the phone rings. We could just go around the block when we miss our exit. We could take just a little longer checking the mirror--if we cared enough.

When is it going to stop?

It will stop when we care enough to stop it. From here, it doesn't seem like there are going to be new traffic patterns any time soon.

Fruit of the Broom

I was very surprised to see the caption "Dumbledore Gay" on a news broadcast while I ate breakfast at my hotel in Philadelphia on Sunday. I was not surprised to see the coverage of the fundamentalists who are quite upset by this revelation. Since mid August, I have read the entire 7-book series twice. As I said, I was quite surprised, because nowhere in the entire series does Dumbledore out himself. Instead the public and posthumous outing of this esteemed Hogwarts official was made by author J.K. Rowling, quoted as saying "Dumbledore is gay, actually" at a recent Q&A session in New York.

This news tidbit has been reported in the muggle media as well as in the Daily Prophet. The Quibbler is reporting record sales of its issue reportedly exposing Dumbledore's old flames. Officials in the newly instated Shacklebolt Administration have refused comment, saying that "the personal lives of our fellow witches and wizards is none of the Ministry's concern." The Daily Prophet interviewed several bargoers at Merlin's Beard, a popular hangout for witches of a certain persuasion in Hogsmeade's fabulous Horizont Alley. One witch, quoted on the condition of anonymity, reported that she is "proud to hear that Dumbledore's sexuality is finally out in the open." She says that "it is time for the Ministry of Magic to recognize that witches and wizards represent a broad spectrum of individuals" and "that it is time for the discrimination to stop." Another patron "doesn't see what all the fuss is about." He says that since "Dumbledore wasn't exactly a Hippogriff Hawk and only made the occasional appearance at Showtunes Tuesday, it shouldn't matter who he slept with." If nothing else can be said about this revelation, it is that the owls will surely be flying for some time. No comment was made available by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by press time.

I applaud Rowling's characterization of one of the pillars of the Hogwarts community. When I originally read the Harry Potter books, I was dismayed at the lack of openly gay characters. It seemed to me that the gay community deserved representation in this modern take on the struggle between good and evil. Still, I thought to myself that since the books were geared to a younger audience, it might not be an appropriate venue for this particular battle against evil. Of course, there are good ways of exposing children to diversity, and I had hoped at some level that Rowling would be able to work it into this series.

Of course, now that Professor Dumbledore has stepped out of the proverbial broom closet, fundamentalists are coming out of the woodwork. I'm not particularly sure how this affects their children since they already wouldn't allow them to read the books (see my earlier post). Of course from all the commotion that they are making, one would think that the books have Dumbledore skipping classes to go to circuit parties or being seen at less-than-reputable Hogsmeade establishments in drag. The fact that Dumbledore seeks for the other Quidditch team has little bearing on the well-being of the readers of the acclaimed series because Dumbledore spends his entire tenure at Hogwarts in the closet.

I'm not sure what upsets the fundamentalists more, the fact that Rowling recognizes that there are such things as gay people or that she portrays a good person as homosexual. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. It could be that the fundamentalist community is rallying against what they see as a historical inaccuracy. By their (convoluted) logic, in the great battle of good against evil, surely all of the homosexuals would have been on the side of Mr. Voldemort.

What is really at stake here, however, is something far simpler than a battle over children's books and gay rights. Fundamentalism's take on literature and symbolism seems to be based on a tenuous dichotomy wherein literature can reflect Truth or is meaningless. Meaningless, however, does not mean harmless from the zealot's viewpoint. From their perspective, revelations like Rowling's make their struggle harder by empowering free thought. For fundamentalism, any viewpoint of reality which allows symbolism to dilute the Word through interpretation is dangerous. Rowling's books offer a non-Christian interpretation on the struggle which fundamentalism claims to have a monopoly on: good versus evil. By attempting to reflect some semblance of reality in her books, Rowling has attempted what the fundamentalist community sees as a deliberate and offensive assault on their version of reality, which does not leave room for empowered women or openly gay persons.

The fact of the matter is that the Harry Potter books are true to form. In real life, we interact with gay people every day. Many of us have gay mentors and friends. Not all of those people live publicly gay lives, and like Dumbledore carry the burden of the closet in silence. This newly established battle over Dumbledore's legacy demonstrates how entrenched anti-homosexual feelings are in today's world. It is a shame that Dumbledore must symbolize the truth that many people live every day of their lives. I commend Ms. Rowling for her symbolism and her advocacy on behalf of those of us who find ourselves in yet one more alienated minority group.

Where Have All the Streetcars Gone, Long Time Passing?

They've gone to Philadelphia, apparently. I snapped a picture of the #15 Girard Avenue line when I was there this weekend. Of course, Phily has had its share of bustitutions but this one of the last American cities to still use historic streetcars as a regular part of the transit network and not merely as a tourist attraction.

Anyway, I was very impressed with Philadelphia. Downtown, where I stayed with a friend from back home, is bustling all day and all night. We did quite a bit of walking, and I've decided to add Philadelphia to the list of cities I'm willing to live in. That's not to say that I'm planning on leaving Washington anytime soon, but I recommend visiting Phily if you get a chance. I didn't get to see everything, so I have reason to go back, but I feel like I saw quite a lot.

One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to beautiful Fairmount Park. The park runs for quite some distance up the Schuylkill River from Logan Square. There are some beautiful views of the skyline along the way, too. My friend and I made the traditional pilgrimage to the building where the United States got its start. But of course we couldn't get in because of all of the police baracades surrounding Independence Hall. The tickets were all gone for the day, so we just snapped some pictures and moved on. I couldn't help but wonder, though, what the founders would have thought of the national security Zeitgeist that is gripping this country. A quick subway trip over to the west bank showed that the University of Pennsylvania is contributing to a vibrant district which reminded me of Seattle's U District. I did consider Penn for grad school, but since it's private, I thought it a bit expensive.

Anyway, as is customary for me on trips to new cities, I did a bit of exploring on transit. In this case, that was mainly on SEPTA, but I also paid a visit to Jersey by way of PATCO. The ride across the outside of the Ben Franklin Bridge is spectacular. And while the Broad Street Subway and Market-Frankford Line are a litte dirty by Washington standards, they have that character that the modern systems lack. I don't know why, but although I haven't yet found a transit system I don't like, I am particularly attracted to the older systems. So far my favorite is the L in Chicago, but Philadelphia's is fun to ride too. Anyway, one interesting aspect of Southeastern Pennsylvania is rail transit outside of the city core. Philadelphia boasts one of America's only "S-Bahn" systems. The SEPTA regional rail network offers commuter-rail type service on high-frequencies every day of the week. Downtown, there is even a multi-track underground through-terminal which feeds trains from the former Pennsylvania Lines onto the former Reading Lines. It is a unique experience for the States. Other than perhaps on the Long Island Railroad and Caltrain, you have to go to Germany to experience a truly regional system. Of course, many American cities had similar systems once upon a time. Just like the streetcar tracks, though, we ripped them up in the name of progress.

Oh, when will they ever learn?