DC Metro not enforcing rules at this time

[Monello]

If I may ...

I imaging at some point, another area of 10 square miles, of vacant land, somewhere in the good 'ol US of A, will be identified as the next location for a new said District, encompassing, that will be restricted for the sole purpose of Federal use, Federal Buildings and Federal employee housing only. Once a Federal employees retires, they would be required to move out. Commit a crime, forced to move out. Kinda like living on an Army base in the barracks, but different.

I think the new beltway expansion will be built right on top of the existing beltway. They can't expand left or right, so the only way left to go is up. Make prefab sections somewhere else. Drag them to the site and attach them erector set style. The lower road will be in constant shade which will be somewhat depressing on winter days. The construction process will jam up an already horrible situation. But once it's finished, things should go along smoothly. Just like the expansion of the Wilson bridge years ago.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

I think the story is the timing, the WMATA police chief telling his officers not to enforce any of the regulations and then the person who was blacklisted for confronting a WMATA employee for eating on a train all happened around the same time as DC city council announced the parking vigilante program. The, what could possibly go wrong with people given the power to tag parked vehicles for violations.

I think WMATA has serious operational issues coupled with the obvious low ridership likely caused by crap infrastructure.

I also agree that giving 80 people limited police powers (i.e. vigilantes) for parking enforcement is a bad idea. But know that this was just one part of an overall traffic safety bill aimed at zero deaths. While right off the bat, it's ambitious, the overall bill includes changes to speed limits, more 4-way stops, no right on red, etc. If that wasn't enough, it pushes the city to reduce car travel to just 25% of all commuting. While some council members have voiced support, the bill hasn't had any hearings or votes on it yet.
http://lims.dccouncil.us/Download/42522/B23-0288-Introduction.pdf

 

[BernieP]

I think WMATA has serious operational issues coupled with the obvious low ridership likely caused by crap infrastructure.

I also agree that giving 80 people limited police powers (i.e. vigilantes) for parking enforcement is a bad idea. But know that this was just one part of an overall traffic safety bill aimed at zero deaths. While right off the bat, it's ambitious, the overall bill includes changes to speed limits, more 4-way stops, no right on red, etc. If that wasn't enough, it pushes the city to reduce car travel to just 25% of all commuting. While some council members have voiced support, the bill hasn't had any hearings or votes on it yet.
http://lims.dccouncil.us/Download/42522/B23-0288-Introduction.pdf

Cars are probably the lesser of evils, the city buses are dangerous. I hate driving in DC, as do a lot of people, but often it's the only option.
The mismanagement of WMATA over the METRO has made a once showcase system crap.
They struggle for revenue but all but encourage fair jumpers. Not enforcing the rules is only going to drive paying riders away
I have a rather negative opinion of DC, it's a city, barely, not a state. City government is inept and corrupt. They don't want to clean the District up, they just want more federal money to line their pockets.
It's a half step ahead of Baltimore.

 

[glhs837]

Yeah, this zero death thing reeks to me of govt overreach mixed with some good ol fashioned revenue enhancement. Like Maryland only putting speed cameras in schools zones "to save the children", when in fact, there's not been one case in recorded MD history of a speeder hitting a school kid in a school zone. They say it's about zero deaths, when in reality, it's about being able to ticket for far more things with the cameras. Not buying it.

 

[BernieP]

DC does have a problem, but some of the deaths I think are self induced. IMHO some of the bike riders are dangerous, they seem to have made up their own set of rules that combine motor vehicle rules with pedestrian rules.
I see it here too, but in DC the traffic density and even the lanes don't allow for mistakes.
Again, the buses are one of the biggest hazards as they don't seem to give a sheet over anyone but their own right of way.
The roads are a mess, potholes are unreal. On street parking is random and capricious, enforcement isn't a bad idea, just not your unfriendly neighbor on the block.
But they aren't going to reduce private vehicles, taxis (including Uber) if they don't improve mass transit.
METRO has declined over the years, and a large part of it is wasteful spending. They know they lose millions a year in lost fair from people jumping the gates, and they pretty much know who does it. What WMATA has said is we condone being a hoodlum, any wonder DC has a problem and fewer people will want to use METRO or the bus?

 

[glhs837]

Bounce DC city income intake from enforcement back out to DC city expenditures on road maint. Traffic enforcement has been a huge cash cow. I'll be less than half of that has gone back into the infrastructure from whence it sprang.

 

[glhs837]

Traffic Tickets: the District Profits and Residents Pay

The American rite of passage known as a traffic ticket can ruin a good day and tank a bad one. But in D.C., where tickets top off at $300, double […]

www.washingtoncitypaper.com

T'aint about safety, it's about the Benjamin's, to quote a certain nice young lady. Here's the interesting part....

Traffic deaths and the issuance of automated tickets are both on the rise. While city data on red light, speeding, and stop light related crashes are available until 2015, MPD did not produce data on crashes in 2016, 2017, or 2018 in response to City Paper’s several requests.

We all know why the stopped producing data....... And if I'm one of the council members elected by citizens tired of being taxed by the cameras, I woud say "You get nothing til we see the independent data that shows this crap makes people safer".

 

[Chris0nllyn]

We all know why the stopped producing data....... And if I'm one of the council members elected by citizens tired of being taxed by the cameras, I woud say "You get nothing til we see the independent data that shows this crap makes people safer".

It's because the data shows few deaths.

In 2018, 34 people died. 15 pedestrians, 8 people on motorcycles, 3 on bikes, and 1 on a scooter. And 2018 was 13% higher than 2017.
https://dcist.com/story/18/12/24/2018-saw-a-significant-rise-in-traffic-fatalities-in-d-c-and-fairfax/

 

[glhs837]

Right, so they have placed this massive enforcement machine in the name of safety, and it hasnt gotten any safer. Obviously, enforcement and more laws dont help. Well, they give you more places to pinch dollars from citizens.

 

[awpitt]

Ms. Tynes approached the offending employee, who promptly blew her off. I'm sure there was some finger wagging and head bobbing involved along with a rude reply. Had the eater just been a little less hostile, perhaps this never makes it to social media.

None of us were there so all we can do is speculate.

Reverse the races in this story and the eater becomes someone with white privilege. And no book deals are squashed. Goose, gander; not exactly.

Again speculation. None of us knows that for sure.

Ms. Tynes' book deal is in jeopardy because the book company is caving to PC pressure. Trying to appear all righteous.

Once again, speculation. I don't thing any of us works for that publisher so we don't know what their intentions were. Nor do we know what the term of the contract were.

Barack Obama unjustly accused police of acting improper by taking the place of Louis Gates when the police were called to Gates' home about a possible break in. He made it about race in taking the side of the suspected black perpetrator in this case. By the standards above, he should also lose any book deal(s).

Not sure what this has to do with Obama. He's not Prez anymore. Trump is there now.

 

[PrchJrkr]

Urp.



Urp.


Urp.



Urp a durp...

 

[awpitt]

I think the new beltway expansion will be built right on top of the existing beltway. They can't expand left or right, so the only way left to go is up. Make prefab sections somewhere else. Drag them to the site and attach them erector set style. The lower road will be in constant shade which will be somewhat depressing on winter days. The construction process will jam up an already horrible situation. But once it's finished, things should go along smoothly. Just like the expansion of the Wilson bridge years ago.

That's an excellent idea. You're right about how they can't expand horizontally. They'll have to build on top. They could actually double the capacity instead of just adding a couple of lanes.

 

[LightRoasted]

If I may ...

You're right about how they can't expand horizontally.

Thinking you refer to can't expand 'laterally' to the existing beltway? Not nitpicking. Similar, but different.

 

[awpitt]

If I may ...


Thinking you refer to can't expand 'laterally' to the existing beltway? Not nitpicking. Similar, but different.

Okay. Let's say they really can't widen the road.

 

[stgislander]

Haven't there been studies that indicate that if you add the ability to handle more traffic, the volume will quickly fill up again because more people will move into the area?

 

[BernieP]

That's an excellent idea. You're right about how they can't expand horizontally. They'll have to build on top. They could actually double the capacity instead of just adding a couple of lanes.

that way when the roadway overhead fails they can kill twice as many people - win win

suffice to say the beltway isn't inside the boundaries of the district, the problems are the narrow streets and on street parking along with the heavy vehicle traffic.

If I may, tI don't think Charles L'Enfant considered motor vehicles when he designed the confusing overlapping grid system with circles.
Add to that more residents than what was probably intended and you have a network of streets that confusing at best, with too many cars and then you mix in pedestrian , bicycle, scooters and other forms of traffic. They can't expand the streets so the alternative is to get some of the motor vehicle traffic off them.
The Metro system was supposed to aid in that, but it can't handle the riders and instead of improving it's gotten worse.
Some of the blame does reside in Va and MD as there are few alternatives to the good old personal vehicle for commuting into the city from the more distant burbs.
Instead of taking action to make the situation better, they are catering to political correctness and greed.

 

[officeguy]

Haven't there been studies that indicate that if you add the ability to handle more traffic, the volume will quickly fill up again because more people will move into the area?

That's what the people say who don't want more roads.

 

[stgislander]

That's what the people say who don't want more roads.

I'll take that as an "I don't know."

 

[Chris0nllyn]

Haven't there been studies that indicate that if you add the ability to handle more traffic, the volume will quickly fill up again because more people will move into the area?

Yep. Called "Induced Demand".
https://www.wired.com/2014/06/wuwt-traffic-induced-demand/

 

[officeguy]

I'll take that as an "I don't know."

I am familiar with the 'induced demand' ideology, I just dont think they have good data. The data they are lacking is what would have happened had the studied road expansions not happened.

I do know that both the Wilson Bridge and the express lanes on the beltway in VA have reduced the delays along those stretches of highway and have not been eliminated by 'induced demand' as the theorists would want you to believe.