text:
Kim Lien
Ho Chi Minh's birthplace
What we say:
Ho Chi Minh was born and raised in Kim Lien (Que Ngoai Bac Ho), a small hamlet 14 km to the northwest of Vinh, making it 'hallowed ground' for patriotic Vietnamese. You won't find much there but a few huts with thatched roofs -- there's a loom, a spinning wheel, the family kitchen, etc., all carefully preserved. A third building houses the family temple for honouring their ancestors. It sits on the family plot of land, which is still tended and sown by caretakers to this day.
For Vietnamese visitors, its an object lesson in how such a great man can come from such humble beginnings. Uncle Ho is so much larger than life in the Vietnamese imagination, they never tire of remarking that he was, in fact, one of the people. Most foreigners won't really feel the need to visit here, but if your stay in Vietnam has made you curious about the man behind the personality cult, it helps give a more complete picture.
Admission is free, though at peak times you may be obligated to buy three bouquets of flowers for 10,000 VND each, to be laid at certain altars throughout the site. On our visit in low season, this wasn't the case. The site closes during mid-day, so it makes sense to plan your trip so that you don't have to wait around for two hours.
To get here, head west from the roundabout at the base of Quant Trung street (Dang Thai Than Street is the most direct route) till it meets Highway 46. Follow that for about 12 more kilometres west to where you'll see a big sign announcing that Uncle Ho 'warmly welcomes' you to his homeland -- in English. Take a left there. You may see signs along the way prompting you to take a right towards Mo Ba Boan Thi Loan, the tomb of Ho Chi Minh's mother, but ignore those if you just want to head to the birthplace.
More details14km from Vinh
Opening Hours: 07:30 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 17:00
Last updated: 16th December, 2007
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Coil and heat exchanger with the same
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What is the GED?
The 2014 GED test is a four-subject high school equivalency test that measures skills required by high schools and requested by colleges and employers.
Subject areas of the General Educational Development (GED) Certificate include:
Preparation is an essential part of any important examination. Those who study are more likely to pass. You probably have gained some knowledge and skills throughout life experience, reading, and informal training, but remember that the GED test is a rigorous four part test that takes seven hours to complete. Regardless of your ability, you'll be more certain to perform your best on the tests if you know what to expect before the testing day arrives.
Test Facts:
How do I get started?
Visit MyGED at www.GED.com or call 1-877-392-6433 to sign up and create your MyGED account. You can also learn about the 2014 GED program, see success stories, and try a sample test question.
Where do I register and schedule my test?
All scheduling is done through www.GED.com or by calling 1-877-392-6433. You will see a yellow "Start scheduling" button on your dashboard Study tile. Click "Start scheduling" to answer the scheduling questions, select your test subject, your day and time, and pay for your test. Special note: You must have an email address, photo identification at time of testing, and a credit/debit card to pay for your tests.
Is there an age requirement?
You must be 18 or older to take the GED tests. If you are 16 or 17, you may take the tests if you do the following:
What is the Cost of the Tests?
The best news of all is that it's FREE to prepare for the GED. There is no charge for instruction, use of books, or other supplies. The GED is made up of 4 tests, each costing $30 ($120 total). Payment is made during the scheduling process and must be paid with a credit or debit card. You can pay as you go for one subject at a time.
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What can I bring into the testing room?
You will be given an erasable noteboard and marker to take into the testing room.
Are there any other rules about the testing room?
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Can I take a break during the test?
When you schedule more than one subject in the same day, you will automatically be given a ten minute break between tests. Unscheduled breaks are not allowed and your test will not be scored if you leave the room during an unscheduled break. During scheduled breaks, you may access your personal items. If you need to leave the room, have questions about the test, or are experiencing problems with your computer, raise your hand and notify the test administrator.
Is there a cell phone policy?
Cell phones are strictly forbidden in the testing room. If you are found with a cell phone during testing, you will be escorted out and your test will not be scored. You will also need to reschedule and pay for another test.
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You will be given an erasable noteboard and access to an on-screen calculator for certain subjects. As mentioned, cell phones are strictly forbidden in the testing room. You must have photo identification with you. TIP: Make sure you know where the testing center is and arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled GED test appointment. You will need to check in when you get there. If you arrive more than 15 minutes after your scheduled appointment time, you may not be admitted and may lose your test fee.
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You can take a test module, and two subsequent module retests, with no restrictions between retakes. If you fail the second or any subsequent retest, you must wait 60 days for each successive attempt. If you are lacking more than a few points, we recommend that you take the GED prep class at the Lewis-Clark State College Adult Learning Center. Before retesting, give yourself sufficient time to adequately prepare.
Will passing the GED tests get me into college?
Roughly 98 percent of U.S. colleges and universities accept GED graduates in the same manner as high school graduates. Be sure to check with the institution in which you are applying to see if they accept GED graduates. The colleges to which you apply may also require you to take placement or achievement tests so that they can determine whether you need additional coursework.
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South Park exposed our secret. After an episode aptly titled "Casa Bonita" aired in 2003, the existence of Casa Bonita became known to the world outside of Colorado. Up until that point, Casa Bonita was mostly a regional gem. If you grew up in Colorado, chances are you celebrated at least one birt ... More >>
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Sunday, November 11, Glenn Miller Ballroom, University of Colorado, Boulder, 303-492-7704.
The best in legitimate, artist-approved exclusives.
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» Message Boards » Site Content » Contact/Support/Billing » Sparky, my friend
|Sparky, my friend
|October 26, 2011 4:28:21 AM UTC
|Post #1
Member #: 181,440
Joined: 10/26/2011
Sparky, this is Tara. North Texas U. Of Greg, Paige, Allison days. I have been thinking about you, and I miss you. Just want to touch base and see how you are. Are you some kind of celeb now? Trying to get in touch with you is hell. No . . . not a groupie . . . f-you who think that is what this is about :-) Spark . . .how do I get in touch with you?
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Christophe Lemaire
Regular-Fit Lightweight Cotton Trousers$445
Editors' Notes
Editors' NotesParisian label Christophe Lemaire brings pared-back elegance to its luxuriously crafted menswear as demonstrated by these practically weightless cotton trousers. Deftly tailored for a smart silhouette with an elasticated waistband for a touch of athletic style, this pair embodies fresh, modern sophistication. Wear them with leather slippers or low top sneakers for a louche summer look - turn up the cuffs for a cropped leg. Shown here with Christophe Lemaire T-shirt and shoes, Bottega Veneta belt, Le Gramme bracelet and Luis Morais bracelet.
Size & Fit
Size & Fit
- Size 2 = W30, 3 = W32, 4 = W34 and 5 = W36
- Fits true to size. Take your normal size
- Straight-leg, low-crotch style trousers adjustable at waist
- Cropped length
- Those who are in between sizes should go down to the nearest size
- Model wears a 3
- Model measures: waist size 32, height 6'1"/ 185cm
Details & Care
Details & Care
- Navy cotton lightweight trousers
- Regular fit, pleats, four pockets, elasticated waist, buttoned fly, can be turned up for a cropped fit
- 100% cotton
- Dry clean
Free Delivery & Returns
Free Delivery & Returns
Ground shipping anywhere in the US is free
Please try items in the comfort of your own home. If you don't like them, or they don't fit, we'll happily collect them from your home or office for free.


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Get in the game with an ergonomic gaming keyboard built especially with gamers in mind by Razer, Logitech and Mad Catz.
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The Dishonored Universe is quite extensive with a number of other cities and locations existing within and outside of Dunwall. There is a large amount of lore within can be found within notes, books, conversations by npcs', posters which are littered throughout the game. This section will contain information about the extended Dishonored universe including locations, characters and general information
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Ecologists have produced the most detailed picture yet of how bumblebees use the landscape thanks to DNA technology and remote sensing. The results – which come from the largest ever study of wild bumblebee nests – could help farmers and policy makers ensure the countryside is better suited to the needs of these vital but declining pollinators. Continue readingShare on Facebook
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Auto Repair for Traveling the Road Ahead
In this economy, we do almost anything to save money. From extreme couponing to down grading many facets of our life, saving money is more important than ever. However, how much money will skipping necessary auto repair or maintenance save you in the long run? The average American spends roughly $120 annually on oil changes, while the average transmission will cost nearly $4,000. Let this put into perspective: while saving a few dollars now might seem like a frugal idea, in the long run might be incredibly costly.
Simple auto repair such as tune-ups and oil changes will not only increase the life of your vehicle in the long term, but improve the performance, maneuverability and fuel economy in the short term. Regular auto repair also helps to improve the safety of your vehicle. Often small problems cannot be detected ...[more]
April: National Car Care Month
April Showers Bring...Hydroplaning?
It's springtime in Columbus again, and we all know what that means – rain, rain, rain. Boyd's Tire & Service Center wants to make sure you and your family stay safe while driving in these April showers.
Hydroplaning happens when a layer of water comes between your tires and the road, causing your vehicle to actually float on top of the water. During this time, you may lose total control of steering, and in turn, the car. Hydroplaning usually causes the steering wheel to jerk and pulls the vehicle towards the puddle of water.
One of the things you can do to prevent your vehicle from hydroplaning is to regularly inspect your tires.
1. Make sure your tires are properly inflated. When your tires are over or under inflated, hydroplaning beco ...[more]
Spring is the Season for Change
How Do Potholes Damage Your Vehicle?
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COLUMBUS, OH- Boyd's Tire & Service is Central Ohio's premier, locally owned and operated, automotive service center. Since 1996 Boyd's Tire & Service Centers have been known locally for their expert service and unbeatable values on everything from top quality tires and emergency repairs, to basic services like oil changes and tire repairs. At Boyd's Tire & Service, customers will always be able to rely on some of the most knowledgeable highly skilled ASE trained technicians in the city, to provide quick and accurate estimates and repairs.
Do You Have Good Brakes?
Determining the Age of a Tire
Breaking in New Winter Tires
- Depending on the kind of tires you select, you may notice a change in the feel/sound of your commute. Because winter tires have more of a grip on the road, they might sound louder depending on your vehicle. If you notice it at all, don't panic. You are only hearing the added contact. If you add studs or chains to the mix, the sound will increase as well, and you may feel as if you are driving an armored tank down the road. Keep ...[more]
5 Simple New Years Resolutions for Your Vehicle
This year you might resolve to fix your house, work out more, eat healthier, or go for that goal you've had your eye on for years. This year should also be the year that you resolve to fix or maintain your vehicle, lower your repair costs, lower your gas usage, and add a few years onto your trusted vehicle. With a few simple resolutions, you can keep your vehicle as happy and healthy as you strive to be this year.
- Keep up on your oil changes! Your seasonal (every 3 months or every 3,000 miles) oil changes are the best thin ...[more]
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Top Ten Chocolate Snacks
6 January 26, 2012
The season of the heart shaped box is here! Or, as I like to call it - "chocolate season".
The displays of chocolate seem to be at the end of every aisle of the supermarket. I think I found myself picking up and putting down about four different beautiful packages. Yes, I did end up buying some - but not for myself, of course.
Chocolate is a wonderful substance. I feel better after I've had some and find myself craving it at certain times of the month. ahem. That is why you are handed a coupon for a bag of Hershey's kisses when you buy a package of tampons.
I have compiled a list of healthier and lower calorie chocolate options to keep you from consuming too many from the heart shaped box (2 chocolates = 150 calories).
I use chocolate chips in many of the recipes to give the flavor of chocolate without adding too many of the calories.
Here are ten chocolate snacks in no particular order:
1. Love Salted Chocolate Caramels? Try This Healthy Candy Alternative
2. Vegan, Luxurious, Hot......Chocolate
3. Three Tips For An Insanely Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie
4. Do It Yourself Skinny Candy: Fun To Make & Eat
5. A Chocolate Shake With Only 116 Cals
6. Need Some Intense Dark Twilight Delight?
7. Love S'Mores? Try This 52 Calorie Treat
8. Dress Up Your Apple Slices With Cookie Dough Dip
9. A Cookie Without Dairy or Egg (It is STILL Delicious!)
10. Wow Your Friends With The World's Simplest Cookie Recipe
How do you deal with chocolate season?
Other posts you might like:
|Top Ten Budget Healthy Snacks 2011
Are you financially stretched? Honestly, who isn't feeling the pain of our economic downturn?... read more
|Top Ten High Protein Snacks
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6 Comments:
I deal with the chocolate season and throughout the year, by having my daily Shakeology smoothie. This nutritional snack has been key to my 100 lb weight loss success!
CoachTod on January 26, 2012
Great post- thank you!
Tracey on January 26, 2012
I will deal with it by mixing up a new favorite chocolate dip! I bought some sugar-free strawberry jelly (10 calories per Tbsp if i remember right), which i didn't care for too much straight out of the jar (too much splenda in it, i think) so i got to thinking how i could doctor it up to make it more palatable. I stirred 1 tsp of regular cocoa powder and 1 tsp of dark chocolate cocoa powder in to a small bowl of a warmed up Tbsp of the jelly and it is DIVINE. The cocoas have about 5 calories per tsp, i think. Dip your favorite fruit or cracker in it and WOW it's awesome. Especially for 20 calories!
Angie M. on January 26, 2012
I just eat a small handful of Gheridelli 60% Cacao chips. They call them bittersweet but they don't taste bad, they taste like good dark chocolate. I don't need to cook it or mix it with anything. Though sometimes I add walnuts.
Marcy K on January 26, 2012
Oh my, I just fell into chocolate heaven! I have to scopp out all of these recipes! Thanks for sharing!!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers on January 26, 2012
This is the first I've heard about Shakeology - what's the info on this?
Kate on February 23, 2012


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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri House committee is considering legislation that would eliminate a time limit for prosecuting cases that involve sexual offenses against children or teenagers.
Currently, prosecutions must start within 30 years after the victim turns 18. It does not apply to cases of forcible rape or forcible sodomy, attempted forcible rape or attempted forcible sodomy and kidnapping.
A House public safety committee considered a proposal Monday that would repeal the time requirement for sexual offenses that involve someone age 18 or younger. The legislation also would allow child abuse cases to be prosecuted at any time.
In January, a state task force focused on preventing child sex abuse recommended eliminating the statute of limitations for first-degree statutory rape and first-degree statutory sodomy.
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Actress Angelina Jolie recently had a preventive double mastectomy after learning she had inherited a genetic mutation that likely would have led to breast cancer. Jolie revealed her surgery in a column in The New York Times on Tuesday:
"I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."


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1) I understand I first need to create user S in D2 using CREATE USER command as sys. Then I should import S from D1 to D2 using TABLES clause. Am I correct ?yes this true , and in import option you could use :
2) I need to know what privileges do I need to give S in D2 for it to function well for basic DB operations. Like I know it will have privileges on 5 tables added, but is there anything else to be taken care of ?You can check D1 user privileges before start import to know what priv you should give it by using :
set heading off
set pages 0
set long 9999999
select dbms_metadata.get_granted_ddl('ROLE_GRANT', user)
from dual;
select dbms_metadata.get_granted_ddl('SYSTEM_GRANT', user)
from dual;
select dbms_metadata.get_granted_ddl('OBJECT_GRANT', user)
from dual;


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plum 'Jubilee'
- Position: full sun
- Soil: will tolerate most soils, except very chalky or badly drained
- Rate of growth: slow growing
- Ultimate size on St Julien rootstock: 4 x 4m (13x13ft)
- Flowering period: April to May
- Flower colour: white
- Hardiness: fully hardy
A strong-growing, self-fertile plum, that is similar to Victoria, but produces larger fruits, which will be ready to pick aproximately one week earlier. The dwarfing rootstock will produce a handsome tree that is ideal for smaller gardens.
- Garden care: When planting incorporate lots of well-rotted garden compost in the planting hole and stake firmly. Prune in summer to reduce the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker
Quince A 12lt within 2-3 weeks
MM106 12lt bush within 5 days (exc weekends)
15lt pot (1.5-1.8m) within 2-3 weeks
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Dianthus by the mailboxThis photo was shot on film. Taken by tdsherman325 with a Zenit E loaded with Kodak Gold 200 (35mm) film in Abilene, Texas, United States. These tags describe this photo: 135, 35mm, c41, color, colour, kodak, outdoors, slr, garden, flower, and flowers. Date: 2012-04-10. Time: Noon.
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June 18, 2012
DWU surpasses goal set for annual Wesleyan Fund
MITCHELL — Dakota Wesleyan University has surpassed its annual fund goal for the 12th year.
DWU has not only met its annual Wesleyan Fund goal, but actually exceeded it with donations in the amount of $705,000. The Wesleyan Fund is the annual fund that contributes to programs, facility maintenance and student scholarships.
"The Wesleyan Fund does everything from supporting student financial aid to keeping our lights on; it's a general fund that supplements tuition dollars," said Theresa Kriese, vice president for business and advancement. "The support our alumni, friends and the Mitchell community have shown us over the years has been humbling. We set a goal of $703,000 this year and actually surpassed it, showing that those who know DWU know that it is a good investment and an asset to our city, as well as our state."
For several years, DWU raised roughly $500,000 annually for the Wesleyan Fund. In the 2007-08 academic year, the college decided to raise that goal to $650,000, which was a 30 percent increase from the year before. The goal has been increased and met each year.
Like many schools during the recession, DWU engaged in general belt-tightening. Today, central administrative positions are fewer than in 2007, despite university growth. For example, a team of six vice presidents is now three, and the institutional advancement office, once home to eight full-time and two part-time staffers, now has four full-time and three part-time employees. Bob Duffett, DWU president, says that most of those dollars saved have been allocated to academics.
"We are committed to academic excellence and determined that putting resources into programs and top-notch faculty has the most impact on our students," he said.
DWU depends on its alumni, friends and community members to reach the Wesleyan Fund goal each year – including its own staff and faculty.
"We think it's a powerful message that 96 percent of Dakota Wesleyan faculty and staff make monthly or annual donations toward the Wesleyan Fund," Kriese said.
There were 183 John Wesley Society members for 2011-12, compared 147 just four years ago. John Wesley Society members are contributors of $1,000 or more annually.
More information about the Wesleyan Fund can be found at the advancement website, www.dwu.edu/giving/index.htm. DWU is a private, liberal arts university associated with the Dakotas Conference of the United Methodist Church. For more information about Dakota Wesleyan University, visit www.dwu.edu.
|Dakota Wesleyan University
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Mitchell, SD 57301
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Last updated: 6/18/12


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Posts about Bus Priority
DC pulls back on the one bus lane it was actively planning
The snail's pace of progress on speeding up DC's busy bus routes has taken another step, but a step backward: A dedicated bus lane east and west across downtown has moved from being on the list of projects to build in the near future back to the purgatory of projects in planning.
Elected leaders and transportation officials have been talking for several years about designing dedicated bus lanes for H and I Streets past the White House, which carry some of the highest volumes of bus traffic in the region. Numerous routes all converge there to travel east and west.
In 2011, staff from then-transportation chair Tommy Wells' office, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), and WMATA were talking about how to move forward on bus lanes. Wells was really pushing the city to do more for bus riders, and WMATA had recently issued their "Priority Corridor Network" vision that recommended bus lanes, queue jumpers, signal priority, and more to maximize the region's large investment in bus service.
There was a consensus at the time around starting with one really high-quality bus route with dedicated lanes, real enforcement to make the lanes work, signal priority, and more. This demonstration project would go in a corridor where there are enough buses to make such a project really improve travel times for a lot of bus riders. Folks at the time agreed that a good place to start was H and I.
DDOT started collaborating with WMATA on a study about how to design these lanes. It also added a bus lane project for H and I onto the regional Constrained Long-Range Plan (CLRP), a regional mechanism for DC, Maryland, and Virginia to assemble their lists of transportation projects and ensure they comply with federal air quality rules.
Momentum stalls, and DDOT stops being supportive
The study took a long time to get through procurement, and there were other bureaucratic obstacles that slowed things down. Still, by late 2012 WMATA was close to having options ready to go. Instead, DDOT basically pulled out of the study.
In June of 2013, DDOT Director Terry Bellamy sent a letter to WMATA planning head Shyam Kannan, which we have been able to obtain. The letter says DDOT wasn't interested in pursuing the option of two-way buses using a contraflow lane on H Street, which is what the study ended up recommending.
This year, DDOT removed the bus lanes from the CLRP, and is listing them as a study rather than a project to actually happen. Councilmember Mary Cheh asked about the project this spring in preparation for the annual oversight hearing, and DDOT's response is a classic engineer non-answer saying, in effect, that there are a lot of technical details to work out, and maybe they will work them out sometime in the future, but not now.
What's going on? Mostly, DDOT couldn't do this and the streetcar on K Street at the same time. According to Sam Zimbabwe, DDOT's Associate Director in charge of planning, building the K Street dedicated lanes for the streetcar will likely require moving buses temporarily off K, rerouting traffic, and more, although DDOT has not decided the details this time. DDOT may need the flexibility to configure H and/or I in various ways during construction on K.
The agency is also concerned about operational issues, such as how driveways into parking garages and deliveries would work with the lane. As DDOT's responses to Mary Cheh show, the agency also wants to look at fixes identified by the WMATA study that don't involve a lane, such as ways to reduce bus dwell times at stops or prohibiting right turns at some intersections during rush hours.
Sources who participated in internal bus lane discussions, and insisted on remaining anonymous, also say that during the study, DDOT was going through environmental review for the K Street streetcar, and having better bus service on H and I would have reduced the apparent benefit of investing in the streetcar.
Will bus lanes take a generation?
DDOT is still keeping this project on its list of projects under design, and the moveDC long-range plan still shows bus lanes here. But it's clear that, perhaps because of staff turnover or political priorities, DDOT has gone from trying hard to build a bus lane to thinking of this as a low priority at best.
There's more momentum at the moment for a 16th Street bus lane, and maybe that can be the first example instead of H and I. But any lane will need a detailed analysis that could take a year or more, and would have to go onto the CLRP. The H and/or I Street concept had already surmounted at least these obstacles, and could have become reality more quickly.
Even if DDOT has good reasons to wait on H and I, there are always reasons to slow down or not to move forward. Over the years, there has also been plenty of off-the-record finger pointing between DDOT and WMATA about which agency is not doing what needs to be done. Ultimately, it takes courage and commitment to actually work through all of the issues, problems, and community concerns and build something, just as DDOT is now doing with several streetcar lines.
The streetcar is a good project, but there will still be many bus lines serving large numbers of riders. The streetcar will attract a lot of transit riders and drive growth in corridors like H Street, but without dedicated lanes (and in most places, there won't be), it won't be a speedy way to get from one part of the city to another. There also won't be streetcars everywhere in the city, and definitely not Metrorail lines, which are extremely expensive.
Buses move a lot of people today, and if they could spend less time in traffic, could move a lot more without more expense, or save a lot of money. (On 16th Street, for example, the delay around not having bus lanes adds $8 million a year in costs that either could go to more bus service or other city priorities.)
The reasons are clear, and many opportunities are available if and when the transportation department wants to pick up on them. It will just require leadership that's interested in actually making it happen.
On 16th Street, the cost of not adding bus lanes is $8 million a year
The Metrobuses on 16th Street NW carry half of all traffic during peak hours, using only 3% of the vehicles. But buses share street space with cars. If they had their own lane, WMATA could save close to $8 million a year.
It goes without saying that it costs money to run buses. But it's less obvious that the speed of a bus is directly related to the cost of providing the service. Simply put, if we double the speed of a bus, we can provide the same service for half the cost. Or for the same cost, we can provide twice as much service.
Bus lanes are one of the tools we can use to make buses move faster and be more efficient. On 16th Street, since buses carry such a large proportion of the users of the street, bus lanes are a perfect tool. Talk of a bus lane has even made it into the mayoral race, though it's not entirely clear how strongly each of the candidates would support it.
Saving time
WMATA's Priority Corridor Network study looked at several corridors, including 16th Street. It determined that, if nothing changed, by 2030 a bus would take about 40 minutes to get from Silver Spring to McPherson Square. However, if there were a bus lane, buses in 2030 would be able to cover the same distance in just over 20 minutes.
That means a bus lane would cut transit travel time in half. It would also mean that a bus rider could cover the distance between Silver Spring and downtown DC faster than a motorist, which would make transit more competitive.
But even with one fewer lane, estimates show that motorists' travel time wouldn't increase significantly. With the bus lanes, a 2030 car trip would be 4 minutes longer than without them.
Saving money
Right now, it costs $16.1 million dollars each year to run the 16th Street buses, the S1, S2, S4, and S9. Bus lanes could cut those costs in half. And that means there's an opportunity cost of not installing the lanes. That cost is about $8 million dollars a year.
Of course, because the 16th Street Line is a regional route, that money wouldn't all go back to the District's coffers. It would go back to all the jurisdictions. DC would save about $3.3 million, Prince George's would save about $1.4 million, and Montgomery and Fairfax would save about $1.1 million each.
The District should support bus lanes on 16th Street not only because it's good for transit users. They should also support the bus lanes because they represent a more efficient use of the space (remember, buses move 50% of the people on 16th Street already). But just as importantly, the District should support bus lanes because there's a real monetary cost to the region for not supporting them.
A bus lane for 16th Street? Which mayoral candidates agree?We interviewed candidates for DC mayor and competitive council races for the April 1 primary, and recorded the conversations on video. We will be posting the videos for each subject area and each race over a few weeks. See all of the interviews here.
Left to right: Muriel Bowser, Tommy Wells, Vincent Gray, Jack Evans, Andy Shallal. Images from the candidate websites.
Bus priority, bus lanes, Bus Rapid Transit
Tommy Wells is unequivocally for bus lanes, and made a case that tries to appeal not just to transit riders but to drivers who might not benefit. (He likely focused on this because I specifically asked in my question how to build a bus lane when some drivers will feel they are losing out.)
Of course I would go for the dedicated bus lanes. If we're successful in getting people to walk more and use public transportation, there will be more room for cars. The only hope our local residents have is in creating a multimodal city, so we get more people that have a choice out of their cars.Wells also had general criticism for the anemic pace of bus improvements in the city.
The amount of parking we have in the city is fixed. For the most part, the amount of lanes and roadways is fixed. So we can't say, let's widen 16th Street, because we have front yards there, sidewalks there.
We are adding jobs at a record rate. If people drive down 16th Street from outside the District, then someone who is car dependent on 16th will never be able to get there. The only way is making it faster if you take public transportation.
We've not been making improvements in public transportation with buses. It's really the last thing they do. They've had money for over 4 years to - signal prioritization
— which means when a bus comes up to a light, it turns green. It's about as basic a technology as possible. And they're a bunch of Neanderthals — not to insult Neanderthals. ... It's ridiculous that we can't expedite bus transportation through the city. The money is there, the technology is there.
Mayor Vince Gray briefly talked about how he agrees with the idea of bus lanes (and it's his transportation agency that's put them in the moveDC plan), though he pivoted to talking primarily about bicycles.
I think buses continue to be an important transportation modality. ... Many people use buses as their preferred way of ... getting from one place to the other. I think having, for example, some express lanes that move buses quickly from one place to the other is an important way to go.
I think ultimately, though, having ways in which people can get to where they want to get to because they have amenities and conveniences and work close to where they are instead of having to use vehicular transportation, is a good approach. Getting people more acclimated to using bicycles. Having more bicycle lanes.
We've got to get everybody adapted to the idea that bicycles are an increasingly important way of people getting around in the city. Not everybody has bought into that yet, and that's going to take time as well.
We now have the most robust bicycle program in America. We have well over 20,000 people who are part of our bikeshare program. Others are coming here now to learn about us so they can emulate the bikeshare program. We're increasingly putting residential opportunities in places where they didn't exist heretofore, so that folks can then have a better opportunity to walk to the amenities, to walk to work, and not have the need for vehicular transportation.
Muriel Bowser is generally open to the idea of a bus lane, but would need to see specific proposals. Speaking about the 16th Street concept, which runs through her ward, she said,
I don't know [about the lane], and I've said this before, and I know you had a series on your blog about 16th Street and dedicated bus lanes. There's been really no proposal that's been presented to me about what that would look like for 16th Street.
Let me just say more generally that I think we have to, yes, where it makes sense we should have bus lanes.
Where it doesn't make sense, have priority signalization for buses. Anything that will move buses more efficiently will help.
What I've been very impressed with over the last several years is we got express bus service on 16th Street and on Georgia Avenue. The success of that MetroExtra bus has been tremendous. So give it a special bus, give it limited stops, you make it more comfortable and convenient, and guess what? People will ride the bus.
Now imagine if they can also get there faster. So I think that wherever possible, we need to prioritize bus travel across the city. We know in many ways it's more efficient. We can't put a Metro stop everywhere. We can't put a streetcar everywhere. But we can look at the changes in demand and react pretty quickly with bus service. ... I'm very committed to making sure we have high-quality bus service in DC.
Jack Evans, having recently met with Putta and other proponents, is supportive of a 16th Street lane, provided the right design can be worked out:
What you'd have to do is a comprehensive study of 16th Street. ... I think it's a good idea that we do figure out how to get a dedicated bus lane. Now, you wouldn't do it all the time. You'd have to figure out rush hour how to do it. Maybe eliminate parking, which I think is gone on some parts of the 16th Street. Maybe run the bus lane down the center or on the side. But there's a way of making it all work for everybody. And I think that given the amount of transportation on 16th Street, it's something we absolutely must do. We just have to figure out how to do it.
Finally, Andy Shallal likes the idea of bus lanes, especially as an alternative to streetcars, which he is not very enthusiastic about. (More on that in the next post.) He said, "I think it's a great idea, I do. It certainly is a lot more effective than having to put trolley cars. So yes, absolutely, having dedicated lanes for buses is a great idea."
Also, the Coalition for Smarter Growth will kick off its campaign for the lane with a happy hour on Wednesday, March 12, 6-8 pm at JoJo Restaurant and Bar at 16th and U.
You can watch this whole portion of my interviews with each candidate below.
CSG explains Metro Momentum in new video
The Coalition for Smarter Growth has just released a video supporting Metro Momentum, WMATA's plan to increase Metrorail and Metrobus capacity, and a web tool to contact your local elected officials in support of funding Momentum.
Momentum is WMATA's strategic plan to increase capacity in the Metro system to keep pace with job and population growth in coming decades. The Momentum plan has two parts Metro 2025, which is the core of the plan, calls for upgrades to all facets of our existing transit systems including running all 8-car trains at rush hour, restoring service on the Blue Line to pre-Rush Plus levels, and running more Red Line trains all the way to the end of the line to leverage as much as we can from a system that is already very popular. There are 7 main components of Metro 2025: These are all good things for the region and many of the proposals are familiar to public transportation advocates, but now it's time for those advocates to begin educating others, and for the public to contact their elected officials to tell them that in order for DC region to grow more sustainably we must expand transportation options to all of the region's commuters and travelers.
Sexier improvements, like the "Metro Loop" and a new station in Rosslyn, are pieces of the Metro 2040 part of Momentum.
Metro 2025, which is the core of the plan, calls for upgrades to all facets of our existing transit systems including running all 8-car trains at rush hour, restoring service on the Blue Line to pre-Rush Plus levels, and running more Red Line trains all the way to the end of the line to leverage as much as we can from a system that is already very popular. There are 7 main components of Metro 2025:
These are all good things for the region and many of the proposals are familiar to public transportation advocates, but now it's time for those advocates to begin educating others, and for the public to contact their elected officials to tell them that in order for DC region to grow more sustainably we must expand transportation options to all of the region's commuters and travelers.
Heavy rail, streetcars or BRT? Transit isn't "one size fits all"
The District is building a streetcar system while also studying the potential for express bus lanes in key areas. Montgomery County is looking at building a bus rapid transit (BRT) network. Arlington and Fairfax are planning a streetcar on Columbia Pike, while a BRT line is under construction in the Crystal City-Potomac Yard area.
It's easy to get confused about the differences between these various transit projects. Moreover, it's easy for opponents of certain projects to use this confusion to misdirect residents when comparing different types of transit projects.
Two weeks ago, for instance, Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey wrote in an op-ed that she opposes a streetcar on Columbia Pike and instead favors what she calls "modern bus transit." Unfortunately, nowhere did she define this term, which isn't a real name for a type of transit. Personally, I favor "Star Trek"-style transporters on Columbia Pike, which would be far faster than any car, bus or train, but those are just as nonexistent.
Continue reading my latest op-ed in the Washington Post.
Circulator will go to Mall, bus priority gets funding
The DC Circulator bus will add service to the National Mall by 2015, and Mayor Gray has added funding to the budget to improve bus service elsewhere in the city, Mayor Gray and Councilmember Mary Cheh just announced in a press release.
The Circulator service would not be the same as the old loop around Constitution and Independence Avenues, which DC discontinued in 2011. That line ran without any cooperation from the National Park Service (NPS), which wouldn't even mention it on signs, claiming that their concession contract with the Tourmobile prohibited even telling people about other, cheaper forms of transportation.
When NPS terminated the Tourmobile contract and updated its concession agreements to be more flexible, officials began working with DC to prepare for Circulators that could offer transportation within NPS land and to and from adjacent neighborhoods.
Multiple sources have said that the District expects to get much of the operating funding for the Circulator from the National Park Service and/or Mall visitors. A Circulator on the Mall primarily benefits tourists, though with easy transportation to and from nearby neighborhoods, it could also help encourage tourists to spend some money at local shops and restaurants.
That funding might come from Circulator fares, parking meters on the Mall (where on-street spaces are now free and thus usually nearly impossible to get), or other sources. Specific details are not yet public and, based on the press release, may not be yet worked out between DC and NPS.
Circulator Phase 1 expansion. Image from the Circulator plan.
This is the diagram of proposed Circulator routes from a recent plan from DC Surface Transit, the public-private partnership that runs the Circulator. According to the press release, funds in the coming fiscal year will fund planning the actual routes, which might or might not be the same as some of these.
New fund supports bus priority around the city
In addition, Gray has added a $750,000 annual capital fund to support projects that improve bus service and reduce delays. This could presumably fund dedicated bus lanes, queue jumpers, signal priority, off-board fare payment or other projects that make buses a quicker and more appealing way to travel.
DC won a TIGER grant way back in 2010 to improve buses on several corridors, but 3 years later we've seen few if any changes. According to an email forward to me from DDOT, they are planning to use the money to optimize traffic signals downtown and install backup traffic signal power.
The TIGER money will also fund 120 real-time digital displays in some bus stops, "some minor bus stop improvements on 16th Street, Wisconsin Avenue, and Georgia Avenue," and "some bus stop safety features" on H Street and Benning Road, the email says. For a grant which was supposed to fund "shovel-ready" stimulus projects in the immediate term, though, it's taken quite a long time.
Finally, DDOT is working on a short bus lane on Georgia Avenue between Florida Avenue and Barry Place, a spot where buses get significantly stuck in traffic.
There is also an ongoing WMATA study looking at potential bus lanes on H and I Streets in the area north of and around the White House. This would be a more complex project, but it's important for DC to take some big steps that speed up buses significantly, in addition to small and easier steps like new signals.
Neighborhoods still benefit from performance parking
Another new fund creates a pool of money for neighborhood improvements in areas that adopt performance parking. The original performance parking law dedicated some of the extra money to neighborhood-specific projects, and around the ballpark, it has already funded new trash cans, benches, bike racks, and signs for a historic heritage trail.
Gray's budget eliminated the dedicated funding, but to make up for the loss, this new fund will let neighborhoods with performance parking still have some say in local fixes. This fund will have $589,000 for the rest of this current fiscal year and $750,000 a year in future years.
Gray aims high with sustainability plan; can agencies deliver?
Last week, the Gray administration unveiled its sustainability plan, which sets some very ambitious, yet very important objectives for 2032, like attracting 250,000 new residents and making 75% of trips happen by walking, biking, and transit, along with fewer greenhouse gas emissions, more access to healthy food, cleaner water, and much more.
This plan is perhaps the boldest statement yet by a mayor about the city's future. Some plans equivocate and promise everyone what they want. The sustainability plan does not. Our future is more walking, biking, and transit, and many new residents who aren't driving, says the mayor. Period.
To achieve these goals, agencies will have to push forward not just on their existing laudable initiatives, but go beyond. To shift the numbers of transit, walking, and bicycle trips, DC must do more than just build the streetcar and incrementally grow bicycle infrastructure. The administration also should set intermediate goals to push agencies to make significant progress each and every year.
Many specific actions are important steps forward
Strong policy statements like this make a big impact. When agency heads and employees look at a potential action, they'll know they should consider it through the lens of these policies. That doesn't mean people won't keep doing other things that confound the goals at times, but one group inside one agency can use these statements as ammunition to argue for policies that support the goals.
The plan also lists a number of specific actions agencies can take in a number of areas, from waste to building energy efficiency to parks and trees. The land use section includes the most significant (and controversial) parts of the zoning update, reducing parking minimums and allowing more accessory dwellings.
In the transportation section, there are a few promising new steps. Most are things DC already plans, such as streetcars, more bike lanes, and expanding performance parking.
Notably, the plan also suggests exploring a regional congestion pricing system. That's entirely speculative at this point, and the plan says that unless Maryland and Virginia agree, it'd be almost impossible to set up any sort of congestion pricing system. But just putting it in the plan is a meaningful step.
Another significant policy statement calls on DC to "Program crosswalks and traffic lights for improved safety and convenience of pedestrians and cyclists." That's right, it says that pedestrian and cyclist safety should take precedence over vehicle speed. It also suggests timing lights along major corridors for traffic, as groups like the Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade repeatedly ask, but notably recommends timing such lights for motor vehicles and bicycles, not just the former.
To reach goals, agencies will have to do even more
Many of these statements commit DC agencies to go beyond what they have done to date. But is it enough to achieve the even more ambitious goals, like 75% of trips by transit, walk or biking, 250,00 new residents, and cutting in half citywide unemployment, obesity, and energy use?
On land use, the zoning update takes a significant step, but still an incremental one. There are many conditions that will limit accessory dwellings. Reducing parking minimums may make some housing cheaper and make some buildings feasible around the margin, but it does not add to the total amount of potential housing.
According to Planning director Harriet Tregoning, DC could add enough housing for 250,000 more residents just under existing zoning, but that assumes building up to the zoning limit across most of the city. Wholesale redevelopment of neighborhoods is not what anyone really wants.
Rather, it would be better to focus more new housing near Metro stations, streetcars, and high-frequency bus corridors. To do that, though, some administration will have to modify the Comprehensive Plan and zoning to create denser areas somewhere, or even revisit the height limit in some parts of the city.
The Office of Planning also backed away from earlier proposals to also set thresholds where a new development has to set up a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan. That now only applies to parking lots over 100,000 square feet, not large garages in many buildings which will contribute to more traffic and inhibit reaching some of the mode share goals.
Can DC reach 75% non-auto mode share?
The transportation section aims to increase public transit's share of trips ("mode share") to 50%, and walking and biking to 25%. There isn't actually data on total trips today, but the plan shows a breakdown of commute trips (which the Census asks about). There, transit had 38% share in 2010, walking 12%, and "other means" (since bicycling isn't a specific category) 4%.
That means if we use commute data and count all "other" in the walking and bicycling group (since it's probably fine to also count rollerbladers and Razor scooter riders), transit has to gain 12 percentage points and walking plus biking 9.
Implementation steps include DDOT's current plans to add some more bike lanes and Capital Bikeshare stations, build out the streetcar system, plus recommendations to improve transit connections such as better service for low-income riders and later hours, set up a dedicated source of funding for transit, and make transit systems "resilient" to intense heat and storms that we'll see more often thanks to climate change.
Will this get 12% of commuters to switch to transit, though? Especially while the vast bulk of DDOT spending is still going to projects like big racetracks on South Capitol Street, which will add more car capacity to Saint Elizabeths rather than boosting transit connectivity.
If congestion pricing actually comes about, that could drive the mode shift, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Meanwhile, though, DDOT could meaningfully improve transit by building a network of dedicated bus lanes that make the bus truly an appealing alternative for residents from Glover Park to Fairfax Village to Woodridge.
DC won TIGER grants for bus priority projects from 2009, but those still haven't yielded anything on the ground. Last year, Mary Cheh set up a fund for DDOT to pay for bus projects, but it hasn't done any. H and I street bus lanes are on the long-term regional transportation plan, but if DDOT is making any concrete progress, it's pretty covert, and most of all isn't anywhere in the plan.
DDOT also needs to step it up on bicycle infrastructure. The plan laudably calls for 200 more Capital Bikeshare stations (so far, DC has committed to 87, and 100 miles of "connected" bicycle lanes, compared to about 50 (and not all connected) today, "prioritizing" ones east of the Anacostia.
But as WABA noted in its action alert at the end of 2011 about anemic progress in bike lanes, DC had installed 4-8 lanes per year from 2006-2010, which if continued should put the District at 130-210 by 2032 rather than just 100. Gabe Klein's Action Agenda set a target of 80 miles by 2012, so only 25% more than that 20 years later seems a bit underwhelming.
MoveDC is key
Tregoning, who spearheaded the overall plan while working with individual agencies on the specific proposals, said that these sets of actions aren't supposed to be an exhaustive list of everything to do in the next 20 years. Among other reasons, they wanted to actually publish the plan, not spend endless years tinkering with the lists On transportation, in particular, the MoveDC citywide transportation plan is the opportunity to create a more detailed list of everything DC has to do. Gray's 50%-25%-25% targets provide a perfect frame for that plan. If a proposed piece of MoveDC moves us toward the targets, it should go in; if it pushes the other way, it should come out.
The 50%-25%-25% also gives MoveDC a high bar to hit. We'll all need to ensure MoveDC is more like the sustainability plan, with clear and aggressive goals, and less like some other plans which try to give everybody what they want and end up meaning little.
Intermediate goals are also necessary
How can we avoid getting to 2032, looking back on this plan, and seeing these great targets but having only moved imperceptibly toward them? The administration could set intermediate goals and really hold agency heads' feet to the fire to reach them.
What can we do to boost transit at least 0.6 percentage points in 2013 (1/20th of the way to the 12 point growth in the plan) and walking and bicycling 0.45 (1/20th of 6 points)? What can we do to get recycling up, obesity down, more buildings retrofitted for energy efficiency, and more parks not just by 2032, but by 2014 and then 2018?
To really hit these goals or at least come close, a next step needs to be a set of intermediate targets, perhaps one for the end of Mayor Gray's current term, and for every 4-year mayoral term thereafter. We should also ask mayoral candidates, in the 2014 race and future races, if they are willing to commit to these targets, both the long-term and intermediate ones, and ask their agency heads to do the same.
At the press conference, Gray noted that this plan's 20-year horizon certainly extends beyond his administration, whether or not he runs for or wins reelection. But, he said, this is a product not just from him but from his agency employees, many of whom still may be around that long. They can reach these targets as long as this and future mayors continue to send clear messages that the objectives in the plan are not just nice words on a paper but a real vision for the future of DC.
On transportation, in particular, the MoveDC citywide transportation plan is the opportunity to create a more detailed list of everything DC has to do. Gray's 50%-25%-25% targets provide a perfect frame for that plan. If a proposed piece of MoveDC moves us toward the targets, it should go in; if it pushes the other way, it should come out.
The 50%-25%-25% also gives MoveDC a high bar to hit. We'll all need to ensure MoveDC is more like the sustainability plan, with clear and aggressive goals, and less like some other plans which try to give everybody what they want and end up meaning little.
Intermediate goals are also necessary
How can we avoid getting to 2032, looking back on this plan, and seeing these great targets but having only moved imperceptibly toward them? The administration could set intermediate goals and really hold agency heads' feet to the fire to reach them.
What can we do to boost transit at least 0.6 percentage points in 2013 (1/20th of the way to the 12 point growth in the plan) and walking and bicycling 0.45 (1/20th of 6 points)? What can we do to get recycling up, obesity down, more buildings retrofitted for energy efficiency, and more parks not just by 2032, but by 2014 and then 2018?
To really hit these goals or at least come close, a next step needs to be a set of intermediate targets, perhaps one for the end of Mayor Gray's current term, and for every 4-year mayoral term thereafter. We should also ask mayoral candidates, in the 2014 race and future races, if they are willing to commit to these targets, both the long-term and intermediate ones, and ask their agency heads to do the same.
At the press conference, Gray noted that this plan's 20-year horizon certainly extends beyond his administration, whether or not he runs for or wins reelection. But, he said, this is a product not just from him but from his agency employees, many of whom still may be around that long. They can reach these targets as long as this and future mayors continue to send clear messages that the objectives in the plan are not just nice words on a paper but a real vision for the future of DC.
WMATA plan: Not $26 billion, not mostly about tunnels
New Metro tunnels in downtown DC sound really cool (and expensive), but they're not what's most important about the "Momentum" strategic plan WMATA planners showed their board on Thursday. Rather, the crux of the plan is the smaller, yet very important, projects Metro needs for 2025.
The capital improvements in "Metro 2025" come to about $6 billion, and include these 7 items:
- 100% 8-car trains ($2 billion)
- More capacity at core stations, including pedestrian tunnels ($
21 billion)
- Fixing the bottleneck at Rosslyn ($1 billion)
- More places to turn trains ($500 million)
- Next generation communications infrastructure ($400 million)
- Speed up buses on priority corridors ($600 million)
- More buses and new garage to grow bus system ($500 million)
The Momemtum plan also talks about some downtown tunnels in a future phase, "Metro 2040," but Tom Harrington, Director of Long-Range Planning for WMATA, emphasized in an interview that WMATA has not made any decisions about where specifically such tunnels would go, or which they want to build.
Rather, those sections are more general placeholders than anything else. While it's likely Metro needs at least one new tunnel to add capacity, WMATA can't even begin to plan for those tunnels until the elements of the 2025 plan get funding.
Given how long it takes to design, build, and fund transit in the United States, it's not too early to start talking about and building support around the elements of the 2040 plan. But what's more important now is laying the groundwork to enable those plans to go forward. That's the 2025 plan.
Harrington added that the $26 billion figure in the Washington Post's headline, which most other reporters subsequently focused on, isn't really the price tag for WMATA's plans. Rather, that covers the total cost of all transit projects the region's governments hope to build as well as future projects for WMATA.
As we discussed on Thursday, the plan also contains a lot of priorities for WMATA to improve its own operations. They include finishing repairs on the system, ensuring it's safe, devising better plans for communicating disruptions, making the system more "self-service," lowering costs and increasing efficiency, environmentally sustainable practices, and more.
The plan is not very detailed about these, and we look forward to hearing and discussing them more when there's more to understand.
Meanwhile, let's look more at the 7 capital items:
They didn't build enough power stations and yard space to house all of those cars, anticipating that as the system grew, the local, state, and federal governments would fund the system's growth. That investment didn't continue much after the initial system was built, however. Today, Metro is overcrowded in many places, and needs the longer trains.
Core station capacity: The main transfer stations (Metro Center, Gallery Place, and L'Enfant Plaza), plus Union Station which is a transfer point between Metro and commuter rail or Amtrak, are jammed during rush hour. Metro needs to expand key spaces inside the stations and increase the numbers of escalators, elevators, and/or stairways between the different levels of the stations.
Fix Rosslyn: This is the system's biggest bottleneck. We'll talk about this in part 2.
Turnbacks: Many subway systems have places where "gap trains" can wait to enter service in a busy section if trains get delayed, or places to push a disabled train out of the way. The Momentum plan isn't clear on where these would be, and Shyam Kannan, Managing Director for Planning, said WMATA is finishing up a study on this now.
In the past, WMATA planners have talked about adding pocket tracks north of Fort Totten and east of Eastern Market. A pocket track north of Fort Totten would also make it possible to run Yellow Line trains to Fort Totten during rush. Here's an explanation of why it's not possible to do that today; basically, they turn around on the main tracks, which takes too long to avoid delaying other trains at rush frequencies.
Communications infrastructure: The current "PIDS" screens in rail stations use very old technology dating back to Metro's early years. According to Kannan, during a service disruption, someone has to manually modify the information in the computer system to get the PIDS to work properly. They want to replace this whole system with a more modern one that doesn't have the flaws of the old.
This project also will involve systems to help riders get real-time bus and train predictions, Kannan said. Metro would like to place large screens, perhaps 4 by 6 feet, in many rail stations and busy bus stops to tell riders about the locations of trains and buses, as well as information about other modes like commuter rail and commuter buses. Better apps for smartphones and tablets, as well as open data to help other developers make their own tools, are also part of this piece of the strategic plan.
Bus priority corridors: Let's not forget buses. As we've talked about many, many times, making the buses more efficient, with features like "queue jumpers" to bypass congested areas, is an inexpensive way to improve transit and could even save money. If a bus can travel its route more quickly, you can have the same bus frequency with fewer buses and drivers, or more frequent service with the same numbers.
WMATA has identified a set of corridors ripe for optimizing bus service, but it needs more cooperation from local jurisdictions, which control the roads, signals, and bus stops, to make it happen. Some early elements are in the works; DC is planning bus lanes on H and I Streets past the White House, for instance.
More buses and a bus garage: A lot of bus riders wait longer than they should have to. We should beef up service on busy lines and in key places, like east of the Anacostia, which need better connectivity.
Also, WMATA needs to replace its aging garages in DC with a new one somewhere; Walter Reed was a promising spot, but Muriel Bowser and Vincent Gray blocked the idea; most recently, they have apparently been eying the Armed Forces Retirement Home, at North Capitol and Irving.
These are not in the region's plans today
These 7 items are extremely important for mobility in our region. They aren't just things that would be nice to have, but necessities if we don't want terrible overcrowding and delays.
However, these items are still not in the Constrained Long-Range Plan (CLRP), the list of transportation projects each jurisdiction gives to the Transportation Planning Board to staple together into a regional plan. (DC just proposed adding the I Street bus lane, and already had H Street in there).
As the TPB explains:
The CLRP (Financially Constrained Long-Range Plan) includes all "regionally significant" highway, transit and High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV), bicycle and pedestrian projects, and studies that the TPB realistically anticipates can be implemented by 2040. Some of these projects are scheduled for completion in the next few years, while others will be completed much later.That means without action by regional leaders, we could get to 2040 and still have no more 8-car trains, the same and even worse Rush Plus crowding problems, terrible jams at transfer stations, buses stuck in even more traffic, and no room to park buses to expand service.
These improvements are basically necessary to keep Metro running efficiently over the next decade and to set the stage for future expansion. But it will not be easy to build these projects unless regional leaders are able to work together to secure funding for Metro's future.
Weekend video: Bus ecstasy in Denmark
We mentioned this at the bottom of a Breakfast Links this week, but it's worth highlighting more directly. This ad, for Denmark's Midtraffik bus service, takes transit advertising to a new level:
The bus driver is cool, the passengers overjoyed to get on, and the ride speeds past traffic thanks to a dedicated lane. Bus service here (or there) might never achieve quite this level of passion in its riders, but projects like Montgomery's BRT or express bus lanes on H and I Streets could get us a lot closer.
Metro proving need for bus lanes on H and I Streets
40% of the people traveling in vehicles along H and I Streets near the White House are on only 2% of the vehicles: local and commuter buses. That makes this a perfect spot to build bus lanes, which will both save money and improve service at the same time.
For years now, Metro has been talking about "bus priority." It's now taken an important step to study how to actually make this a reality on H and I.
The District alone spends $190 million per year on bus service, 3½ the amount it spends on Metrorail and 2 times the whole DDOT budget. While much press scrutiny goes into WMATA's administrative budget items like executive travel, there are enormous opportunities to save far more taxpayer money, and provide a better service to riders, by streamlining bus service.
Bus lanes, queue jumpers and other road features would help the buses avoid getting stuck in traffic. A bus stuck in traffic not only delays riders but costs a lot of money in driver time and forces Metro to buy more buses. Metro believes that the top priority spot to try a bus lane is on H and I streets around the White House, where traffic congestion is high and there are many, many buses.
Unfortunately, DDOT Director Terry Bellamy has not made bus priority much of a priority thus far, though DDOT did agree to work with WMATA on a study. That study took a while to fund, then got stuck in WMATA procurement for even more months. But it's finally underway and generating some results. The study is looking at H Street from 17th Street to New York Avenue, and I Street from 13th to 19th.
PlanItMetro posted some findings that underscore the need for bus lanes. 50 different bus services use H and I, including Metrobuses, Circulator (where the 14th Street line turns around at McPherson), Loudoun County commuter buses, and PRTC (Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Fredericksburg) commuter buses. They transport 40% of the people using only 2% of the vehicles, but the buses get stuck in traffic and even are only able to travel half as fast as the other vehicles, not counting the time they spend at stops.
If buses got their own lane during rush hours, the road could move even more people than it does now. The curb lanes on H and I are already devoted to parking off-peak and are travel lanes during peak, so a simple approach would be to make one of those part-time lanes remain parking off-peak but serve only buses in the peak.
There are some operational challenges to ponder. For example, what do drivers turning across the lane do? Do they merge into the lane before an intersection? If so, and if they then have to wait for pedestrians before turning, will that back up the bus lane? New York does it this way on its new(ish) 1st and 2nd Avenue bus lanes, and they have been working well.
DC actually already has some bus lanes, on 7th and 9th Streets, which don't work well at all. One reason is that there aren't that many buses on those streets, and so the lanes stay mostly empty of buses most of the time. Also, partly since there are not so many buses, people drive in the lanes all the time, and DC doesn't do anything about it.
Drivers will do the same on H and I lanes unless there is enforcement. New York has cameras, and DC probably needs to do the same. The cameras could simply look at 2 spots, one before and one after an intersection, and give a ticket to a car that appears in both spots, proving that it was in the lane but didn't turn.
As with other camera tickets, the fine probably does not need to be very high to work. It just needs to be high enough to make it more worthwhile to wait in the regular lanes. Or, perhaps the fine could even be lower, and serve as a kind of toll; you can use the bus lane, if you want to pay a few dollars.
This video describes New York's lanes. They also have protected bike lanes on the same street, but those are far wider than ours; here, the bike lanes will go on L and M, and cyclists can also use the closed Pennsylvania Avenue.
The PlanItMetro post also suggests that Metro will look at another, stranger but possibly (or possibly not) more effective option: a contraflow lane. Instead of putting a bus lane on the right side of the street, it could be on the left and buses would travel in the opposite direction of traffic. Then, left turning cars would cross the lane but not need to merge. On the other hand, if someone accidentally drove into or double parked in the lane, it would really block the buses, which can't just drive out into another lane to go around an obstruction.
London has many contraflow bus lanes:
According to Metro planning director Tom Harrington, they have now begun studying alternatives for how to design the lanes, and expect to finish 1 or 2 conceptual designs for the most promising options by December. The onus will then shift to the District government to actually build a bus lane, since it controls the roads, signs, parking, enforcement cameras, and so on.
Hopefully riders, stuck in traffic, will not have to wait even more years to see the fruit of this important project, which we've already talked about for years. It could be the biggest win for both transit costs and quality of service in a long time.
- Fairfax's answer to neighbors' transit plans: Light rail, streetcars, and BRT
- The DC zoning update has already had triple the public input as the enormous 1958 zoning code. Enough is enough.
- Today's problems were visible decades ago, but zoning has blocked solutions ever since
- Federal board wants "dignified," dull Southwest Waterfront
- MARC's chief engineer wants to allow bikes on some weekend trains
- Montgomery County added 100,000 residents since 2002, but driving didn't increase
- Downtown DC could have been more like L'Enfant Plaza
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2013 Sundance Film Festival: Most-Anticipated Flicks
The Sundance Film Festival is upon us and with countless independent submissions and reviews, it's time we take a look at some of the premieres we're most looking forward to. From Shia LaBeouf drug trips to Ashton Kutcher gone Steve Jobs, 2013 is packed full of some highly anticipated flicks.
Don Jon's