Gray Proposes Doubling Circulator Fare

The DC Circulator System, best known for its cherry-red buses that ply the major thoroughfares of Washington, has been a unique success for a city plagued by transit problems, particularly below ground. For cash-strapped college students in particular, its $1 flat-fare for an unlimited number of rides has been particularly attractive, alongside a schedule that is considerably more frequent and reliably timely than most Metrobus routes. Since its creation in 2005, the system has been one of the few in the region to experience more ridership growth than cost increases.

DC Tied For Worst Traffic In The Country

For years, Los Angeles has been regarded as America's most-congested city.  That unwelcome honor, however, has been passed along this year.

According to a survey by the Texas Transportation Institute, Washington DC and Chicago are tied for the most congestion, with 70 hours a year per person spent in traffic.  That comes out to about 3 days, while Los Angeles stands in third place with 63 hours wasted.

Nationally, traffic congestion costs the country billions of dollars each year.  2009's bill, 115 billion is a marked increase 1982's 24 billion.  Average congestion time nationwide has also shown a long-term upward trend; commuters spent a mere 14 hours in traffic in 1984, less than half of the 32 hours of today.

DC's diminutive size sets it apart from the sprawling metropolises of Chicago and Los Angeles, a problem exacerbated by the daytime doubling of the city's population by commuters.  Space for that many cars simply does not exist. Current strategies to prevent congestion, such as staggering work hours and fixing trafic light timing are band-aids to the bigger problem: DC continues to grow in population, but not in space.

Perhaps predictably, the Washington Post and AAA both report that road rage in the area has risen in area among commuting drivers.

Finally in campus transportation news, WMATA anticipates serious repairs to the entrance of the Foggy Bottom Metro station.  A Wednesday press release indicated that the transit agency will replace all existing escalators, the awning over the entrance, and install a stairwell.  Work could take over a year.

DC News Roundup

With Council Chairman Vincent Gray moving ever closer to his installation as mayor of DC, news abounds about the structure and content of his new administration.  Here is a brief collection of the important items of the last week:

Gray names chief of staff and city administrator, gives others walking papers

In the largest set of personnel moves since the departure of Michelle Rhee, Vincent Gray chose Gerri Hall to serve as his Chief of Staff and Allen Lew to stay on as City Administrator.

Gerri Hall is a former executive at Amtrak and is currently a vice preseident for human resources at Sodexho, a food services provider.  GW students will be familiar with the corporation as the manager of the J-Street and Mount Vernon dining halls.

Allen Lew currently serves as the director of the District's Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization, an office created in the Fenty administration to oversee school reforms.  In his new role of city administrator he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of city departments.

Despite a petition drive by some DC residents to keep him on, Department of Transportation  director Gabe Klein submitted his resignation Wednesday.  Klein spearheaded the implementation of smart-growth strategies in the city, and was particularly well-liked by cyclists and public transit advocates.  

Megabus to Expand DC Service

Popular discount bus carrier Megabus announced Tuesday that it will designate Washington, DC as its fifth travel hub, increasing by 10 the number of destinations district residents can travel to directly.

Beginning on December 15th, direct tickets to Boston, MA; Charlotte, VA; Hampton, VA; Harrisburg, PA; Knoxville, TN; Pittsburgh, PA; Raleigh/Durham, NC; Richmond, VA; and Toronto, Ontario will be available.  With the newly-added destinations, DC residents will be able to travel directly to 13 cities in the eastern US and Canada.

In a press release, Megabus President Dale Mosler expressed hope that the appeal of low-cost bus service would increase in a down economy.  To celebrate the expansion, the company is also offering 10,000 free tickets to and from the new cities between December 15th and January 15th.

The Washington Post also reports that Megabus will be changing  its DC pickup and drop-off station in the near future. Its current location, the large parking lot off of New York Avenue and Mt. Vernon Square, is slated for redevelopment.  A new site has not yet been selected.

Public Transit Advocate Calls for Second Foggy Bottom Metro Entrance

Source: WMATA

Highly influential DC Transit advocate David Alpert, Editor-in-chief of the popular transit blog Greater Greater Washington, has called for a second entrance to the Foggy Bottom Metro station to be built at the corner of 22nd and I Streets.

The construction of GW's new Science and Engineering Complex on the adjacent block provides GWU with an opportunity to begin construction on the potential mezzanine of the new entrance, says Alpert, as plans for the new building already require digging down several stories. In addition, GWU has already agreed to reserve the location of the current women studies building for a second entrance when Square 77 (the block on which Rome, Phillips, and Smith Halls now stand) is eventually redeveloped.

Alpert notes that overcrowding at the Foggy Bottom station is an important issue when considering GWU's continued growth.  The station is the busiest in the system with only a single mezzanine, and plans already exist to add an additional entrance to Rosslyn, the second-busiest in the category.

With a stretched budget and a host of other capital projects on its plate, WMATA is unlikely to find public funding for the additional entrance, a problem that Alpert suggests could be solved by seeking money from the developer, GWU.  Whether or not the university would be open this additional expense, however, has yet to be seen.

More information on WMATA's 2007 study on a second entrance can be found here.

DC Bikesharing Gets Expanded Service, New Look

In recent years the District Department of Transportation has made promoting bike use throughout the city a top priority, perhaps most visibly through its continuing construction of bike lanes on major thoroughfares such as Pennsylvania and New Hampshire Avenues. But in an upgrade to a previous small scale experiment, the DDOT is planning to take its enthusiasm for cyclists a step further: from providing paths for biking to the bikes themselves.

Many GW students have unknowingly passed a component of DC's previous bike sharing scheme, SmartBike DC, when walking up the west side of 23rd St near GWU Hospital; the long bicycle rack allowed paying members of the system to rent the red and white bikes. Those with access to the racks could "check out" the bicycles and ride them anywhere - so long as they were eventually parked in one of nine other sharing stations. At $40 a year, membership was comparatively cheap, yet the small scale of the 10-station, 100-bike network limited its utility to the few people who were within walking distance of the racks.

This limitation, however, is soon to change. Partnering with Public Bike System, manufacturer for Montreal and London's bike sharing programs, DDOT is replacing the current system with a new 110-station, 1,100 bike system named Capital Bikeshare. Along with expanded availability, the city is replacing the current fleet of worse-for-wear bikes with visibly stronger, more rugged models.

Instead of just one station, GW students will be within a stone's throw of four; in addition to the existing station outside GWU Hospital, more will be placed outside the headquarters of the American Red Cross, on 21st and Pennsylvania across the Park from Lindy's, and on 18th and H opposite Founding Farmers. Dupont Circle, U Street, Eastern Market, Capital Hill, and Adams Morgan are all served by one or more stations as well.

However, this increased access comes at a price. While the current promotional price for a 1-year membership is $50, this will eventually rise to $80. Corresponding monthly and daily Capital Bikeshare plans will also be somewhat more expensive than their SmartBike DC counterparts, but DDOT hopes that the vastly increased service will more than justify the hike. While the system doesn't officially open until the end of the September, as stations are still being installed, promotional-priced memberships, station maps, and additional information are available at www.capitalbikeshare.com.

Have you bought a car through Cash-for-Clunkers?

[caption id="attachment_2248" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="New car buyers can secure between $3,500 -$4,500 for trading in their used vehicles. Photograph used with permission."][/caption]

 We want to hear from you.

The popular "Cash for Clunkers" program allows cars with poor gas mileage (generally less than 18 miles per gallon) to be traded in for a rebate towards a new car.

Some say the program will help the environment and auto industry. Others are saying it's a waste of money and a government bailout.

Have you taken advantage of the program? Let us know how it went. Didn't use the program but have an opinion?

E-mail us at wrgwnewsdirector@gmail.com