Arlington Transportation Plan for the Next 30 Years- Short on Detail.
November 15th, 2007 Categories: Around Arlington County, Commuting, Going Green
Arlington issued this press release this week on adopting the 2030 transportation master plan.
While I commend the county for even having a plan, I don’t see how it can plan out until 2030 when the local area can’t even agree on how to extend the metro to Tyson’s corner.
I guess it’s good to have a plan. Whether you can meet it or not. And I guess that’s why the plan is short on details and long on objectives. That’s ok– they got 27 years to think about it.
The county’s overarching goals are:
- Provide high quality transportation services for all users & modes
- Move more people without more traffic
- Promote safety (why is this a goal & not an assumption?)
- Establish equity
- Manage effectively & efficiently (I should hope so!)
- Advance environmental sustainability (What does that even mean?)
With emphasis on:
- Expanding system of high-frequency transit routes
- Upgrading walkways
- Expanding the bikeway network
- Expanding the traveler information program
For once I want more from the county on transportation issues than goals. Traffic is the one issue in Northern Virginia that will make or break any elected official. Maybe second only to raising taxes. (Even that is debatable!) I’d like to see some solutions and I don’t want to wait 27 years. I’ve already waited 20.
Upon further research– it’s good to know that Arlington has also supported the Regional Transportation Plan. That plan has more details:
Double the number of Metrorail stations in Northern Virginia as a result of Metrorail extensions in the I-66, I-95 and Dulles corridors.- Add light rail transit and/or bus rapid transit to the Route 7, Route 28, Crystal City-Potomac Yards and Columbia Pike corridors.
- Add 600 miles of on- and off-road trails.
- Increase highway capacity by 8 percent above what is already planned in the region’s Constrained Long-Range Plan.
We should be hearing more about this TransAction 2030 Transportation Plan in the near future. Because, well you know, it has it’s own web site. Let’s hope they do something more than issue press releases.
Mary - I have only been to Arlington and the DC area once and the traffic was horrendous. I bet commute time is a huge issue for buyers relocating to there.
Plans don’t do much, especially when they are 20 years out!