Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Kaine Telework Initiative Gains Momentum

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has lined up significant support for a Virginia telework initiative, collecting pledges from 32 Northern Virginia technology companies to “expand or implement telework within our organizations” and to encourage their colleagues to do so as well.

According to Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra, the Kaine administration also has set ambitious goals for the state — 20 percent of the eligible workforce will telecommute by 2010. Said Chopra: “The Commonwealth must play a role in leading by doing.”

Telework is only one piece of the larger transportation solution but it’s probably the easiest to put into place. It’s encouraging to see the state committing to getting its employees off the roads. Even more encouraging is to see members of the Northern Virginia Technology Council agreeing to participate actively in the initiative. (Read the NVTC press release.) Beats lobbying for higher taxes.

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7 responses to “Kaine Telework Initiative Gains Momentum”

  1. Toomanytaxes Avatar
    Toomanytaxes

    This is positive leadership by the Governor. Not everyone can telework, but those who can do so, can make a difference.

    A study several years ago by a George Mason University professor, whose name escapes me, concluded that, for every one percent of the drivers removed from the roads in Metro D.C., we experience a three percent decrease in traffic congestion. There was quite a bit of publicity in the Post and other area media. The study suggest that a plan that removed 10% of the drivers would produce a 30% improvement in traffic congestion.

    We need to address the demand side of the equation as well as the supply side. Moreover, I suspect that many of the demand solutions produce a much higher rate of return than would supply-side solutions.

  2. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    Your comment about reducing the traffic congestion three perccent for every one percent decline in traffic might actually be understated. I think if you plot the curve it is asymptotic to infinity. At least that is what I remember from queuing theory.

    But the anti-road crowd doesn’t seem to understand that it works the same way in the other direction. If you icrease capacity by one percent, you also decrease congestion by three percent.

    However, if you believe in induced demand, then either way the extra capacity will atract more divers, and you are back to square one. Same goes for Metro: you take some drivers off the road, and new ones appear, so the part of Metro money that you thought you spent for traffic congestion relief was wasted.

    The real benefit from teleworking is that you get to spend a lot more time at work, so you get more done.

    Now if we can just get the Feds to sign up. I still see a lot of antipathy around my present office.

  3. Jim Wamsley Avatar
    Jim Wamsley

    Before everyone gets their hopes up, we should remember that congestion is measured in hours. A reduction in congestion from 7:00am to 9:15am to 7:00am to 9:00am is an 11% reduction in congestion. Reductions of this size are lost in the day to day variation and measurement accuracy.

    The beltway EIS examined adding capacity and congestion. Adding four lanes to the current eight lanes reduced congestion form 12 hours to 10 hours or a 17% reduction in congestion for a 50% increase in lanes.

    Traffic flow does not follow one equation. You have to plot free flow as one condition and congestion as another. This is like bridge design calculations for a bridge with two different types of spans. Through put for free flow is equal to demand. Through put for congestion is related to volume in the queue. When the number of cars exceeds capacity, capacity drops. In the Washington region, most congested roads operate at about 75% of the peak capacity.

    This is why environmentalists favor demand pricing to solve congestion problems.

  4. Toomanytaxes Avatar
    Toomanytaxes

    A little bit more on the GMU study. The work was done by Dr. Laurie Schintler. She actually concluded that that traffic delays would drop by 10
    percent for every 3 percent of commuters who work at home. I’ve never been able to locate Dr. Schintler’s paper, but here is a citation to a WaPo article on the study. Eric Weiss, “Government, Business to Encourage Telecommuting,” Washington Post, February 19, 2004. Her work has been cited in a number of Internet articles as well.

  5. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    Excellent, Jim W.

    That is why four two lanes roads carry more traffic than one eight lane road.

    We need more places.

  6. Toomanytaxes Avatar
    Toomanytaxes

    And at least a few of those new places need to be in Fauquier County! We cannot handle all the growth in Fairfax County!

  7. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    Right, we are probably not gong to put many more roads in Fairfax, either two lane or eight lane.

    Meanwhile, the poster child for graowth, Loudoun County has turned down a major development effort, and PW is about to enact a one year moratorium on home building, thereby throwing thousands out of work. Eventually. At present they don’t have to worry because there are still 26,400 homes in the pipeline.

    And there are 13,500 other jurisdictions across the country that have some kind of anti-growth initiative.

    Maybe we can send them to Montana, I’m sure EMR would like that.

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