A CommuterPageBlog fan points us to a great article on the front page of today's very cool WorldChanging - Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future - web magazine about Seattle's current and surprisingly good experience with shutting down two lanes of its main arterial, Interstate 5 (I-5), for construction (Congestion as Incentive, Erica Barnett, August 17, 2007). Reporter Erica Barnett describes how after weeks of locals officials and media predicting disaster when the lanes were shut down (there's even a blog dedicated to the closing called "The Clog") that everyone is surprised that now that the construction is here that the drive is smoother than ever.
Now that they've had a moment to process things, Seattle officials surmise that "Drivers are adaptable. When faced with the prospect of gridlock—and given ample warning and time to prepare—people found alternate routes, rode transit, worked from home, and avoided unnecessary trips." Ms. Barnett goes on to point out that people adapted when this happened after the 1989 San Francisco earthquake too. She goes on to posit that congestion, whether it is of the I-5 ilk or of the congestion pricing kind, can effect people's decision making process and provide them with an incentive to not drive. She continues:
"For congestion-as-incentive to work in the long term, it has to be paired with alternatives that are viable in the long term--flexible work schedules that allow workers to stay home a few days a week, mass transit that is affordable, frequent, and convenient, and an infrastructure that supports bike and pedestrian commuting, among other things."
All good points. And it sounds like Seattle's I-5 experience is similar to our own Douglass Bridge experience. 
D.C. officials did a good job of warning people about the construction and discussing alternatives and lo and behold people adapted with a bunch switching to Metro.
Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and a biking/Metro commuter from Rosemont in Alexandria.
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