|
The rail system established by the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority is considered by many to be successful. However, there is a significant missing link. The system does not yet serve the Dulles corridor which includes the largest commercial employment centers in the region: Tysons Corner, Reston, Reston Town Center, and the International Airport which serves the nation’s capitol. Expectations for increased ridership were optimistic based on straight-line projections. However, the real impact will be felt when we add the missing link.
Connecting the corridor with the rest of the region will dramatically increase the choices available to commuters, shoppers, and tourists. If this increases ridership, presumably it will justify improvements in the system. This, in turn, should also result in increased use of transit. Stringent enforcement of DUI laws and filling in the missing links in the system will also have an impact on transit use. Georgetown is making noise about a transit service. The Verizon Center and the National Stadium will be served by the system. The activities around the National Harbor, which I suspect may eventually become a casino location, could also support connectivity to the metro system. All of this will provide the Washington metropolitan area with a very impressive assembly of entertainment-oriented places, interconnected by a rail system.
Major activity centers not yet in the link include the FedEx Field, the Potomac Mills mall, and potential activity centers in Loudoun County. If the BWI Airport connects, we may be headed toward a transit-supported region in this period of rising gas prices, reducing the importance of the single-occupancy vehicle and dramatically increasing the value of real estate and housing in transit-oriented development areas. Instead of arguing about parking place assignments, residential clusters may apply their concerns to increasing comfort at bus stops.
The factors discussed above have not been introduced into the straight-line projections. We can really anticipate a great system when they kick in.
©Patrick F. Kane
04-21-06
|
