Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Keep Carytown Safe for Cars

—

by

Bob Rayner
in , ,

by Jon Baliles

The debate about making Richmond’s Carytown a car-free zone is edging closer to the forefront in recent months with strong opinions, interesting suggestions, some good ideas, and some bad ones.

The Times-Dispatch Editorial Board weighed in with its opinion, and it was vocal. It’s worth the entire read and filled with stats you probably never heard of, such as that of the 250 or so pedestrian malls created in the U.S. since the 1960’s, only about 10 remain. The piece is filled with great information and two quotes worth noting:

Making Richmond a walkable paradise is certainly a worthy goal. But turning Carytown into a pedestrian mall, and undercutting the businesses that have made it into a regional shopping destination — is not.

The editorial points out that making Carytown car-free could lead many shoppers (who come from near and far) to go elsewhere, and worries that the owners of the unique mix of shops and merchants could be driven out of business, which is also a way of making it a car-free zone. It also points out that many in Carytown are open to new ideas, and certainly to making it safer, but skeptical of closing it to cars.

Dismissing constituent calls to make Carytown safer, and more pedestrian-friendly, would be politically imprudent. A citywide influx of young professionals and families seeking refuge from hyper-trafficked suburban centers — places like Northern Virginia — has emboldened a coalition of progressive, environmentally conscious Richmonders who see a dangerously congested West Cary Street. They care, and they see a solution.

But it’s a solution in search of a problem. Carytown is already flourishing as a suburban shopping district (in other words, because of the cars). It is vital to a city tax base that sorely lacks retail.

Rocket science, this is not: Carytown’s strength is its ability to draw shoppers not just from the city, but from across the region. It’s a destination retail district, a tourist draw that is heavily dependent on suburban shoppers from bordering Chesterfield and Henrico counties, and beyond. It’s located just off Interstate 195 and the Downtown Expressway, making it easily accessible to car-bound shoppers.

Making Carytown carless would be a grievous mistake.

Jon Baliles is a former Richmond city councilman. Republished with permission from RVA 5×5.

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67 responses to “Keep Carytown Safe for Cars”

  1. Thomas Dixon Avatar
    Thomas Dixon

    It’s about the globalist 15 min city push. More of the infection trying to enter our free nation.

    1. how_it_works Avatar
      how_it_works

      15 minutes from the crib to the liquor store?

  2. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    They try car-free every once in awhile in downtown Hampton. They have about one block closed in front of half dozen restaurants. It’s nice. Not so much as to disrupt traffic. It would be nice if one particular street was made one-way.

    As for walking in Virginia, Jaywalking is the best answer. They can only run you down from one direction. Corners and crosswalks are lethal zones.

    The following is a description of walking in Richmond circa 1960…
    https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52776/52776-h/52776-h.htm

  3. James A. Bacon Avatar
    James A. Bacon

    Richmond city planners have struck the right balance in Carytown. They have zoned for higher density for some commercial properties, which has sparked some pretty high-quality redevelopment. But not too much density — not enough to threaten the integrity of the neighboring single-family neighborhoods of the Museum District.

    Another consideration: Eliminating flow-through traffic on Cary Street would take out a significant traffic corridor serving downtown. Turning Cary Street into a pedestrian mall would create headaches for downtown.

  4. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    They try car-free every once in awhile in downtown Hampton. They have about one block closed in front of half dozen restaurants. It’s nice. Not so much as to disrupt traffic. It would be nice if one particular street was made one-way.

    As for walking in Virginia, Jaywalking is the best answer. They can only run you down from one direction. Corners and crosswalks are lethal zones.

    The following is a description of walking in Richmond circa 1960…
    https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52776/52776-h/52776-h.htm

    1. how_it_works Avatar
      how_it_works

      “As for walking in Virginia”

      Always found it interesting that the neighborhood where my dad bought the house when we moved here in 1988 has curb cuts for sidewalks..but no sidewalks were ever put in.

      The builder sold the neighborhood as “luxury homes”, but as I’ve discovered, in Virginia a luxury house is one that wasn’t towed in.

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        I believe you’ll find that your folks’ property line ain’t at the road either. It’s set back for those nonexistent sidewalks.

        Now for the fun part, you can’t park your car on the sidewalk right-of-way even if there is no sidewalk.

        https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/TsGUutsNKtKVx4gETmtu7g–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/nca_newswire_424/0ebf3d753f152d5dae2cce4f1ce4cc44

      2. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        I believe you’ll find that your folks’ property line ain’t at the road either. It’s set back for those nonexistent sidewalks.

        Now for the fun part, you can’t park your car on the sidewalk right-of-way even if there is no sidewalk.

        https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/TsGUutsNKtKVx4gETmtu7g–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/nca_newswire_424/0ebf3d753f152d5dae2cce4f1ce4cc44

        1. how_it_works Avatar
          how_it_works

          I never saw a survey plat for that house, so I have no idea. (It’s since been sold, dad passed away).

          My house, the property lines go to the middle of the road, but that road has existed since probably the 1700s; definitely since the 1800s. No sidewalks here, nor any curb and gutter. Property lines going to the middle of the road is apparently common on these old roads.

  5. Paul Sweet Avatar
    Paul Sweet

    I lived right outside Charlottesville and worked downtown and on the mall when they converted Main Street to a mall in the mid 70s. Parking was a real hassle, but it was convenient to stroll to the bank, post office, restaurants, and shops once you were there. They built a parking garage neat City Hall and there were some parking lots a block away. Water St. & Market St. were made into one-way streets, but both had businesses along them.

    Cary St. is a major route for workers to get to and from downtown Richmond. The streets on either side of Carytown are quiet residential streets. Directing traffic onto them and building parking lots and garages to replace the present parking would destroy them as residential streets. I guess the city could force commuters onto the Downtown Expressway and make them pay the toll. I doubt that many people would take the bus to go shopping, so sales would decrease. I don’t think anybody would be very happy.

  6. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    Part of issue is pedestrian and bike deaths. In areas where there
    are existing numbers of ped and bikes – and injuries/deaths, efforts are made to address the issue. Folks talk about “banning” cars as not a good thing but how about the idea of “banning” bike and ped? Or another way of putting it, don’t change the car access and let the bike and peds look out for themselves.

    That’s not very responsible but it’s been an unstated policy also
    and now transportation folks including VDOT and cities and towns are taking it more seriously and trying to find a better balance.

    THe thing is, in places where there are a lot of people on foot already, cars these days are a bigger danger than before for some reason. Red on right is particularly a problem. Apparently when people turn on right, they don’t look for peds as much as they used to. People on bikes are getting slap run over / killed.

    Too many people drive irresponsibly these days. Not only ped and bike deaths but car accidents themselves despite the fact that modern cars are much safer and easier to control.. we’re actually seeing increases in accidents.

  7. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    One of the interesting things about mixing vehicles with pedestrians is the malls.

    Invariably, a traffic lane runs next to the mall and it’s entrances
    and everyone in a vehicle has to park then walk to the entrance across that travel lane. There’s the usual jerk who doesn’t care
    about those on foot but most in cars do yield to the folks on foot.

    So, it “works” and one might wonder if the travel lane in front
    was taken away and/or severely restricted to handicapped , so
    that once people parked.. they could go directly into the entrance without having to “negotiate” with the vehicles.

    When the venue changes from mall to downtown, it’s seems not
    the same. People are supposed to use the cross-walks at the signals which sometimes have the “walk” lights. Sometimes they are on automatic cycle and sometimes they have buttons that can be pushed to activate on the poles.

    The problem not yet solved is right-turn-on-red and there is some talk of outlawing it altogether because too many drivers simply do not look before turning…

    One might argue that people on foot should be subjected to no more danger than people in vehicles.

    Others seem to think if you are on foot or on a bike, it’s on you to stay clear of the vehicles and accommodations for ped/bike at the expense of vehicles is not a good thing.

    1. how_it_works Avatar
      how_it_works

      One of the things I’ve found that works best when driving in parking lots is to NEVER drive in that lane between the parking lot and the building if you can avoid it. Go to the back side of the parking lot and look for a space from that end.

      1. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        Amen. I always regret it when I forget to do that.

      2. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        agree…. but if you come UP the lane and there is no parking.. what then?

        AND once you’re on foot, you
        have to dance with all the vehicles using that lane…

        ALL in all, it’s STILL safer than trying to walk across an intersection… where many drivers simply don’t give a rats behind for pedestrians…

        1. how_it_works Avatar
          how_it_works

          I’ve rarely had that happen. Unless the place is exceptionally busy, there is usually parking available at the back of the lot. I don’t mind walking.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            but don’t you still have to cross the travel lane on foot in and out of the store?

          2. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            Yea, you can’t avoid that. I just try to avoid DRIVING in it.

        2. WayneS Avatar
          WayneS

          With very few exceptions (holiday shopping season, etc.) there are always parking spaces at the back of the lot.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            I totally agree but I’m asking mostly about on-foot folks having to cross travel lanes… and pointing out that malls configurations put that travel lane right in front of the mall – verses
            not doing that and people walk direct from the parking lot to the entrance without crossing
            that travel lane? Weird idea, right?

          2. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            Please sketch up (and post here) a rough site plan for a mall or other large building open to the public that includes a [workable] parking lot that does not have some kind of vehicular travel way between the majority of the parking area and the building(s).

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            why?

          4. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            and pointing out that malls configurations put that travel lane right in front of the mall – verses not doing that and people walk direct from the parking lot to the entrance without crossing that travel lane?

            That cannot be done in a mall or shopping center parking lot. At least not without pedestrian (or vehicle) flyovers or tunnels of some kind.

            Vehicles have to be able to circulate throughout a mall parking lot or it will be a continuous traffic disaster.

            Traffic must be able to move from parking row to parking row at each end of the lot, so regardless of how you lay it out, pedestrians end up crossing a travel way.

            You can put some parking spaces right up against the curb adjacent to a building, but those few spaces will be the only ones from which the occupant(s) will not have to cross a travel way to get to the building.

          5. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            and pointing out that malls configurations put that travel lane right in front of the mall – verses not doing that and people walk direct from the parking lot to the entrance without crossing that travel lane?

            That cannot be done in a mall or shopping center parking lot. At least not without pedestrian (or vehicle) flyovers or tunnels of some kind.

            Vehicles have to be able to circulate throughout a mall parking lot or it will be a continuous traffic disaster.

            Traffic must be able to move from parking row to parking row at each end of the lot, so regardless of how you lay it out, pedestrians end up crossing a travel way.

            You can put some parking spaces right up against the curb adjacent to a building, but those few spaces will be the only ones from which the occupant(s) will not have to cross a travel way to get to the building.

          6. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            and pointing out that malls configurations put that travel lane right in front of the mall – verses not doing that and people walk direct from the parking lot to the entrance without crossing that travel lane?

            That cannot be done in a mall or shopping center parking lot. At least not without pedestrian (or vehicle) flyovers or tunnels of some kind.

            Vehicles have to be able to circulate throughout a mall parking lot or it will be a continuous traffic disaster.

            Traffic must be able to move from parking row to parking row at each end of the lot, so regardless of how you lay it out, pedestrians end up crossing a travel way.

            You can put some parking spaces right up against the curb adjacent to a building, but those few spaces will be the only ones from which the occupant(s) will not have to cross a travel way to get to the building.

          7. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            and pointing out that malls configurations put that travel lane right in front of the mall – verses not doing that and people walk direct from the parking lot to the entrance without crossing that travel lane?

            That cannot be done in a mall or shopping center parking lot. At least not without pedestrian (or vehicle) flyovers or tunnels of some kind.

            Vehicles have to be able to circulate throughout a mall parking lot or it will be a continuous traffic disaster.

            Traffic must be able to move from parking row to parking row at each end of the lot, so regardless of how you lay it out, pedestrians end up crossing a travel way.

            You can put some parking spaces right up against the curb adjacent to a building, but those few spaces will be the only ones from which the occupant(s) will not have to cross a travel way to get to the building.

          8. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            travel lane at the opposite end of the parking lot with “bays” and each bay has sidewalks
            that go to the entrance? can you visualize? Make sense?

          9. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            I can picture it. And it doesn’t work in real life.

            Unless there is a way to drive from one parking row to another at each end of the parking lot, you will have a dead end at one end of every row of parking spaces.

            Everyone who enters a parking row in their car and does not find an open space will have to turn around at the dead-end and drive back out the way they just came (or, God forbid, try to back out). They will then have to drive down another row of parking spaces, possibly finding no open parking space along that row.

            Forty or fifty cars doing this exercise at the same time in a mall parking lot will cause, as I stated above, “a continuous traffic disaster”.

            Anyone who experiences something like that more than once or twice is unlikely to shop at that mall again.

            And, of course, once you have a travel way at each end of each parking row you’re back to a situation where pedestrians must cross one of those travel ways to get to the mall.

            NOTE: It is possible to lay out a parking lot with alternating dead-ends on adjacent parking rows. This allows a sidewalk along every other ‘median’ for direct access to the building(s) without crossing a travel way.

            However, this results in every car that enters the parking lot having to zig and zag along every row of parking, until they find a space. There is no flexibility to ‘skip’ a row if you notice it has no spaces available. This causes its own kind of traffic nightmare. It also means at least half of the people who park in the lot must still walk among moving cars to get to one of the sidewalks.

          10. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            you could connect the nodes, right and still not have a continuous travel lane in front.

            How about ALSO if at each node, there was a sign saying “x vacancies”? So if it said zero, you’d
            skip it….

          11. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            How about ALSO if at each node, there was a sign saying “x vacancies”? So if it said zero, you’d
            skip it….

            $$$$?

          12. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            How about ALSO if at each node, there was a sign saying “x vacancies”? So if it said zero, you’d
            skip it….

            $$$$?

          13. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            sensors and LEDs are CHEAP these days. It could even be done in an “app” and those without the apps just do what they normally do…

            I’m thinking the right turn on red thing could be fixed with sensors – on street or in car…where
            the right turn is provisional, not automatic. blink red is provisional, hard red is no turn.

            We need to do a better job with pedestrian safety and mobility IMO. ( I sit on a transportation
            advisory board).

  8. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
    f/k/a_tmtfairfax

    I too don’t know enough about Cary Street to address it specifically. But if it’s a major artery and it’s closed, the motor vehicle traffic will not go away. It will move to nearby residential streets and become permanent cut-through traffic. Needless to say, that will be a major problem for the nearby residents and will send their quality of life tumbling down.

    The decades-old refusal of Maryland to address capacity issues on I-495, when coupled with Maryland’s poor business climate when compared to Virginia’s, caused many Maryland residents to commute to jobs in Tysons and the Dulles Corridor. The lack of capacity on the Beltway and the evening commuters back to Maryland (plus normal interstate traffic) caused huge backups from the American Legion Memorial Bridge to Tysons every afternoon and evening. Quickly, drivers learned to take residential streets in McLean, Vienna and Falls Church to enter the Beltway at the Georgetown Pike interchange causing traffic havoc for neighborhoods. Fortunately, Governors Hogan and Moore have addressed the capacity problems.

    This can happen anywhere government officials forget reality.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      cut through traffic can effectively be stopped by the use of “diet”/traffic calming structures that make such paths significant time delays.

      Those changes also slow down others who
      drive too fast in the neighborhoods themselves.

      They’re used quite effectively in Fredericksburg. It’s a substantial time loser to try to cut through a neighborhood with these changes.

      Back in the day, in fact, “bypasses” were all the rage… towns would ask the DOT to build them a “bypass”.

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        No disrespect meant, but I rather remove my teeth with a tweezer than drive within 20 miles of Fredericksburg.

        It marks the beginning of a nightmare that doesn’t end until the Mason-Dixon line.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          Oh I quite agree but Fredericksburg was a nice place before it was Fairfaxed by NoVa folk – come-here’s who have atrocious driving habits to go along with their propensity of wanting to live in a “nice rural area” but commute daily solo to their high dollar NoVa job.

          It’s not Fredericksburg per se that is your problem trying to drive north – it’s NoVa , DC, MD in general… and they’ve expanded…. to include Fredericksburg.

          Better now on I-95, new bridges over the river (for CD lanes) and toll lanes to buy your way to a more sane drive but it ends before getting through Md.

          1. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            a “nice rural area”

            … which these days is largely indistinguishable from the hellscape that is Northern Virginia.

            It’s just cheaper.

          2. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            in the minds of the come-here’s it’s the “nice rural place” they are moving to…. until
            they realize it’s been Fairfaxed!

          3. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            No, it’s “I can get a townhouse in F’burg for half the price of one in Manassas!”

          4. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            that’s a big part of it but I have heard so many talk about the “rural” and how
            it’s being ruined by more people moving here…

          5. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            That’s the problem with relying on the Federal Government for employment.

            Now, if they’d have managed to score an automotive manufacturing plant or something like that, the locals could have gotten a well-paying job putting nut “A” on spindle “B” for 8 hours a day and nobody would be complaining.

          6. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            I’ve been to quite a few METRO areas in the US and I don’t think this one is unique and they
            are not so “federal”. It’s the same thing. Urban areas are more expensive that suburban commute areas in general. Charlotte is a mess, as is Raleigh, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, LA, Seattle and a lot of urban areas in-between… The urban areas have the jobs… and it’s cheaper to live in the burbs. Works that way in Richmond… even..

            We’ve had a lot of land gobbled up by NoVa Retirees… they sell them homes in NoVa for
            big bucks and come down here and build a bigger, better house and still pocket money
            from the sale of their NOVa home.

          7. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            I truly don’t understand why someone would want to retire in Fredericksburg.

          8. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Because they consider NoVa their home and the burbs are “close” especially if
            they have kids in the region. It’s not just Fredericksburg. get the burg on a map
            and draw a semi-circle and you’ll find these folks all over the place.

            Truth is , many do not really want to live in the “sticks” far away from amenities.
            THey’ve totally messed up prices for things like plumbers..and electricians and such.
            They’ll pay NoVa prices and all the local service workers are more than happy to
            charge that level!

          9. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            I guess they must enjoy paying $40 tolls or a 3-hour backup on holiday weekends.

          10. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Oh they complain. “Too much growth”.. after they came… 😉 oh, and… their favorite NoVa restaurant and grocery chains are not here yet.. They came to NoVa from somewhere else
            but NoVa changed them then they bring NoVa mindsets with them to the burbs when they retire.

          11. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            I hate driving to Fredericksburg. If I never had to go there again it’d be fine with me. When you finally get there, the traffic on Route 3 is insane. The downtown is pretty much a tourist trap I have no interest in.

          12. DJRippert Avatar
            DJRippert

            All fast growing areas eventually reach the human settlement pattern equivalence of adolescence. The question isn’t whether places like Charlotte will reach adolescence, the question is whether they can sustain continued, well planned growth and reach adulthood. Because nothing is worse than a 30 year old acting like a teenager.

          13. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            It’s a normal thing IMO. there is only so much land available in a dense area and as it grows, land becomes more valuable and using it for single family homes goes up dramatically. It takes
            generations for people to transition from wanting to live in a single family house to an apartment surrounded by hundreds. As long as we build highways to the suburbs, they will become a way
            for folks to continue to be able to afford to live in a single family house.

            In my life, I’ve lived in a wide variety of abodes and living in close quarters with all manner of diverse folks is a challenge… throw in a couple who ought not be living in close quarters and
            it’s not hard at all to find better digs if you can afford it. Roaches and rats accelerate that move.

          14. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
            f/k/a_tmtfairfax

            Granted I don’t drive from Wake Forest to Downtown Raleigh but I have driven to RDU in rush hour multiple times. There is traffic but the volumes are just no way near those of the D.C. Metro. The biggest traffic problem in the Triangle is speeding.

          15. DJRippert Avatar
            DJRippert

            Ah, yes – the clear edge. If I ever retire (again) I’ll try to summarize Ed Risse’s Shape of the Future.

            Ed used very dense terminology (the Zentrum of the National Capital Subregion, for example). However, if you cut through the terminology, Ed was right.

            Here is a column from 2007 about the planned Metro in Tysons that accurately foresaw the problems that have actually occurred since the Metros opened.

            https://www.baconsrebellion.com/archive/issues/07/12-27/Risse2.php

          16. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Ed was(is?) a visionary that helps folks understand the issues but I could never get
            past the idea that somehow the govt was only going to allow growth in some places
            and not allow it in others… Not a realistic direction IMO.

          17. DJRippert Avatar
            DJRippert

            Unfortunately, Ed passed away so the right verb is “was”.

        2. how_it_works Avatar
          how_it_works

          “It marks the beginning of a nightmare that doesn’t end until the Mason-Dixon line.”

          Actually, I find that things get better once you cross the Potomac on US15. No need to go all the way to the Pennsylvania state line.

      2. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        …traffic calming structures…

        Four-way stops are a quiet neighborhood’s best friend.

      3. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
        f/k/a_tmtfairfax

        Larry, a road diet anywhere Tysons would slow traffic and create longer periods of cut-through. Increasing capacity of the ALMB and the Beltway on both sides of the Potomac would not only provide express lanes for cars but also the first reliable express bus service between Bethesda and Tysons/Dulles Corridor. Express bus service on the southern portions of the Beltway to Tysons has been very successful.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          sorta two issues here? road diets for neighborhoods anywhere no matter what the regional roads look like? And then,
          second issue what to do about regional roads to make them flow better? New BIG roads are dang near impossible these
          days and usually should be tolled …congestion tolled….. IMO.

    2. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Yes! Two points! And the reason why there’s no good way to get past the Washington Metro area without risking multiple hours of delay! Hell, even 301/5/50 is a nightmare.

    3. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      I drove in from DC to Great Falls yesterday at rush hour. The problems in McLean still exist. So, not so sure that Hogan and Moore have solved much of anything.

      What we really need to do is end our tax treaty with Maryland and make Marylanders who work in Virginia pay Virginia taxes. Although Virginians working in Maryland would have to pay Maryland taxes, the traffic flows I observe say that Virginia comes out way ahead on that deal.

      Or, put a toll on the entrances to the American Legion Bridge.

      Either way, the extra money raised could be used to build overpasses instead of stop signs and red lights.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        people hate tolls but dyanamic tolls with carpool/transit option are the way to go IMO. THis problem does not get fixed by building more roads. That only increases driving! And I agree. use any surplus tolls for fixing bottlenecks and such.

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          A drive from Falls Church to Leesburg on Rt 7 will convince anybody of the value of overpasses. Getting to Dulles Town Center (Going west) is an endless congested hack. Then, the overpasses begin and the traffic just flows like water.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            I agree but they are expensive as all get out. It’s a double whammy. First the cost of grade separated infrastructure, then the cost of the right-of-way and impact to properties that
            get stranded from grade-separated. A grade-separated can cost 5-10 times what an intersection
            does not counting the right-of-way costs.

          2. DJRippert Avatar
            DJRippert

            Perhaps the slimy developers who have the boards of supervisors in their pockets ought to pay a “development tax” on each and every new unit built in order to fund the overpasses.

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            We’ve actually had some fine infrastructure built as a condition of approval. We’ve created special tax districts to collect extra taxes to pay for the infrastructure but the amount of land available to be developed far, far exceeds what the roads can handle at peak levels. Some people are dissuaded by time delays at peak times, many others are not. THey’ll travel at peak hour –
            not because they have no choice, but because they want a burger or such.

      2. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
        f/k/a_tmtfairfax

        Clearly, the I-495-ALMB situation is not fixed but work in in progress at some level. The current situation is likely worse because of the rebuilding of the GW Parkway.

        A number of community groups proposed applying a toll at the Georgetown Pike NB ramp during the PM weekday rush. But opposition to the tolls came from nearby residents who also demand a fix to cut-through traffic in their neighborhoods.

        I’ve noticed NC DOT has built a number of so-called “Super Streets” on busy primary roads. These use righthand only entrances at stop lights with a U-Turn to go left. I’ve also learned the value of single-lane roundabouts.

  9. Super Brain Avatar
    Super Brain

    Meals and sales tax will be about 14% in Carytown if the Gov gets his way.

  10. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    I don’t understand the Careytown situation well enough to comment.

    However, I do know Tysons – America’s Next Great City (sarcasm indicator = “on”).

    Government poured money into Tysons, mostly with the multiple Metro stops.

    Yet, Tysons remains (in my opinion) a dystopian collection of disjointed places with nearly no walkability.

    Reston, on the other hand, seems to be coming back from Covid quite well.

    Why?

    It seems to me that “core Reston” is quite walkable. The big parking garages are on the edges of the core area and, once you park your car, there is no need to get back in that car until you’re ready to leave.

    Other than getting items delivered to the stores and restaurants in Reston, the streets in “core Reston” could be closed to cars with little adverse effect. One answer to the delivery question would be to close the streets to traffic on certain evenings, especially during the warmer months. The prohibition against drinking in public could also be lifted during those times.

    New Orleans has Bourbon St. Louisville closes streets and allows drinking in public for a small area downtown on certain evenings. When I was in Nashville to run the Rock and Roll Half Marathon, the NFL Draft was being held the same weekend. Nashville closed the streets downtown in the evening, allowed the sale and consumption of alcohol in public and it turned into quite the party.

    Whether Carytown should be closed to traffic or not – Richmond (and NoVa) need to learn from other cities. Walkability increases real estate values (and real estate taxes). There should be a walkability plan. While Bourbon St is a bit over the top, well managed block parties and weekend pedestrian malls seem like a good plan.

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