Two of our favorite local bloggers have articles worth a read. Matthew Yglesias at ThinkProgress.org says there's no way around the high cost of well-done mass transit (TOD Pays, June 3, 2009). He's says its expensive but worth it. Says Matt:
"In the DC area, we have a great example of the difference as the Orange Line goes out in Virginia. In distant Fairfax County they built Metro on the cheap, in the I-66 median, and wound up with what amount to park-and-ride venues for a commuter rail network. That’s a useful asset for the county, but it’s nothing compared to what they got in Arlington County where they buried Metro beneath Wilson Boulevard and built a series of relatively close-packed stations, creating an extended corridor of walkable neighborhoods."
Hey cites Greater Greater Washington blogger Dave Alpert saying: “Arlington’s Rosslyn-Ballston corridor covers only 7.6% of the county’s land area, but generated 33% of its tax revenue.” Thus worth the investment in many different ways.
Alpert informs us that Alexandria is considering alternatives for potential locations of a new Potomac Yard Metrorail station between National Airport and Braddock Road (Alexandria Weighing Metro Station Alternatives, June 3, 2009). The alternatives range from building the Station along the existing track where it would serve less people and generate less development to building more costly options that would actually move the track to the center of the new community where it would generate more development and serve more people. Alexandria made the mistake 30 years ago, like Fairfax County, of taking the path of least resistance for it's Metrorail stations. It will be interesting to see if they've got the political will to do the more costly but more worthwhile option of moving the tracks. Let's hope they do.
If Alexandria officials need some inspiration they need look no further than this video documentary about "Arlington's Smart Growth Journey."
Chris Hamilton is the Commuter ServicesChief for Arlington County in the Transportation Division of the Department of Environmental Services, manager of CommuterPageBlog and a Metro/biking commuter from Rosemont in Alexandria.
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