Baltimore-DC Traffic Frustration Blog

Bus Bay

As I contemplated switching lanes to get from behind a bus about to stop during my morning commute, this thought came to me: why is it that buses always slow down the progress of traffic in the far right lane? 

It’s almost like that lane is being held hostage temporarily — you can’t drive behind the bus without being paranoid that it will stop literally at any moment.  

Since bus-only lanes aren’t always feasible, isn’t there a solution that would allow traffic in that lane to flow as freely as the other two lanes?  The answer is yes — a bus bay would be an easy fix to this problem. 

I’ve seen bus bays around the Washington, D.C. – Baltimore area, but why aren’t they used at every bus stop, considering this area is heavily congested with automobile traffic on a daily basis? 

Not having them creates delays for those frustrated drivers who get stuck behind buses at bus stops only to watch the other two lanes whiz on by.  A road rage inducer for sure. 

Just wanted to share a quick thought…what do you think?

O'Malley and Ehrlich Televised Debate 10/11/10

On one hand, you have O’Malley’s plans for light rail.  On the other hand, you have Ehrlich’s bus rapid transit system.  Which one do you think is better for Washington, D.C. metro area commuters? 

As per usual, there are plenty of pros and cons on each side.  Bus rapid transit would involve setting aside bus-only lanes (not sure if this means stealing existing lanes from automobile traffic or not) along portions of existing routes.  The light rail would be built along an existing route and would not create additional traffic. 

Baltimore Sun’s Michael Dresser says Ehrlich’s bus rapid transit system would be a little cheaper to build — estimates are $1.2 billion — as opposed to $1.68 billion for O’Malley’s light rail project.  However, at an estimated $5.9 billion, the annual operating costs for buses quickly turn that positive on its head — light rail would only cost about half of that — an estimated $3.2 million annually.  

Ehrlich — who is not opposed to not building anything at all — says the money is simply not there to build.  Light rail proponents at Maryland Transit Authority disagree, saying that money could be made available soon through President Obama’s long-term transportation bill.  

Developers, proponents of transit-oriented development, the Prince George’s County council, the Montgomery County council, and a host of area businesses like the idea of light rail because it has a permanency that rapid bus transit does not that would make it ideal for becoming hubs of future business activity, creating much-needed jobs in the area.     

There are more pros and cons of both, but I’ll stop right here.  Personally, I’m for O’Malley’s decision to go with light rail.  It would be a shame to waste almost a decade of planning and the $40 million that MTA has already invested into deciding which way to go, only to implement the more expensive of the two — or even worse — nothing at all. 

Do you have an opinion about this one way or another?  Don’t be shy – I’m very interested in learning your thoughts.

Courtesy of Steven Johnson

When it comes to driving, I can admit to being prejudiced against SUVs (and minivans, too, for that matter) merging in my lane ahead of me because I drive a compact car.  To others, this prejudice may seem like just a shallow opinion or preference.  But to me, this is a safety concern. 

My issue is that I can’t see around SUVs.  In a compact car, driving behind one is like driving with a wall in front of you.  Can you see through a wall?  No, not unless you’re Superman!  What makes this worse is that SUVs usually have tinted windows.      

Driving behind large vehicles creates a visual impairment that severely limits my ability to make quick decisions should something bad happen on the highway ahead in my lane.  For example, if there was a multiple car pileup ahead, I may not be able to see it in enough time to get out of harm’s way.  I also wouldn’t be able to avoid running over/into that large thingamajig in the road that would give my little car a flat tire.  And there have been many times when I had little to no notice to react because the SUV ahead of me suddenly changed lanes (without signaling) to avoid a turning car or stopped traffic in our lane.  

I am an alert driver who prides herself in knowing who is around me at all times.  That is how I was taught to drive.  So I am not comfortable driving on the road if I have a huge blind spot directly in front of me.  

My solution?  Ultimately, that people would stop buying at least the mammoth-sized SUVs and purchase regular-sized automobiles.  In the meantime, my modus operandi is to seek out a spot behind a vehicle I can see around and then change lanes.  Unfortunately for me, sometimes this means changing lanes often because — ever since the blizzard of 1996 — the roadways are evermore crawling with these menacing behemoths.  

P.S. – Another alternative would be to drive one of these nifty vehicles from the imagination of Steven Johnson — although I don’t foresee carmakers cranking out any of these for public use in the near future.  Oh well!

Why aren’t more people concerned with safety first?

Why is it that more and more, drivers don’t seem to think it’s important to signal their intent to turn or change lanes?  Here’s my take: drivers don’t use their turn signals anymore because they are on the phone, they have become lazy, and because they are just plain selfish and inconsiderate of other drivers.  That’s right, I said it, yes I did. 

According to national car insurer Response Insurance, 57 percent of drivers admit they don’t use their turn signals.  Of the drivers surveyed, here’s the breakdown:  

• 42% of those drivers say they don’t have enough time
• 23% admit they are just plain “lazy”
• 17% don’t signal because when they do, they forget to turn it off
• 12% admit they are changing lanes too frequently to bother
• 11% say it is not important
• 8% say they don’t signal because other drivers don’t
• 7% say forgoing the signal “adds excitement to driving”

I am shocked and appalled!  Almost half of the people surveyed who don’t signal say they don’t have the time.  Don’t have the half a second to ensure a safe lane transition and/or turn??  Can you believe this??  My mouth dropped on the floor when I discovered these numbers. 

When did safety become so…unwanted…not important…optional?  I mean, really.  Has the driving public become that careless?  Apparently! 

I have to admit, after I became a more experienced younger driver, I started getting lax about using my turn signals — until I started understanding the potential impact of not doing so.  After I got into a small accident, I discovered that if I hadn’t used my signal, I could have been found at fault instantly.  

The fact that I did signal my intent to change lanes saved me from automatically being declared at fault.  Talk about a light bulb moment!  I decided from then on that, as a safety measure and just plain the right thing to do, I need to use my signals every time I need to change lanes or make a turn.  

Perhaps a public service announcement about the importance of doing this is in order?  Do you think educating people on the importance of doing this would spur a change in thinking, and thus, behavior?  Tell me what you think.

Does this driving behavior make you feel like this?

Today, as I was returning back to the office from my lunch break, I encountered a very common problem — a female driver who didn’t know how to properly merge onto the highway.  I got so angry at her apparent lack of driving skills, I didn’t know what to do!  

Here’s what she did — and this is soooo classic — instead of yielding to the driver getting off the highway (me), she decides to speed up, pass me on the right (on a short exit ramp!) and merge onto the highway ahead of me, despite the fact that I was going a little too fast for that, both of us are running out of exit ramp (!), and there was a large slowish moving vehicle in front of me.  What she should have done was to yield and then merge in behind me when it was safe to do so. 

This is really a problem that I’m noticing more and more.  And, quite frankly, it’s got me worried for my safety.  For some reason, many people do not seem to realize that: 

• exiting vehicles have the right of way by law
• entering vehicles are supposed to YIELD to exiting vehicles
• entering vehicles are not to attempt to pass vehicles on the right as exiting vehicles are trying to complete their exit

Roileen Miller of Miller Driving School gave some useful merging pointers on the Road Warrior blog, including that drivers should use their signals and that entering vehicles should check their blindspots for exiting vehicles and merge accordingly.

Here is what I’ve noticed: when I wait an extra second before signaling my intent to exit, most drivers will assume I am continuing on the highway, yield, and just merge into traffic behind me.  However, if I signal before that, there is confusion because other drivers may not yield to me otherwise.  To mitigate this problem, I try to signal at a precise time that safely alerts others I am about to exit, just before I am about to pass the merging vehicle while they are still on the exit ramp.  

Okay, I know what you’re thinking.  She probably passed you like that because you drive like a grandma!  Au contraire!  Those who have ridden with me will tell you I most certainly do not drive like a grandma. 

Unfortunately, many drivers these days tend to do exactly what that lady did to me today — although most of them do not go to such great lengths as to actually attempt to pass me on the right before merging!      

What do you think about this behavior?  Do you drive just like that lady?  Or does this kind of unsafe, illegal driving tick you off, too?  Tell me, and please feel free to share this blog post/site with others!

Tell me...do you think this would work?

What if we could help ease traffic congestion by merely installing traffic signs?  Nothing fancy here.  These signs would simply suggest a desired driver behavior to achieve a desired outcome: moving traffic along in a more expeditious manner. 

Highways all over the country already have these.  Imagine my awe as I rode past, staring at them with my mouth wide open as I had an “ah-ha moment.”  There was a sign that blatantly said: “Steep Upgrade, Maintain Speed.”  Wow, what an idea!  A sign that strongly suggests that drivers hit the gas pedal to maintain speed because — pay attention now, this is deep — we are now driving on a steep incline on a highway, and in order to not slow the people down behind us, we need to STEP ON IT.  What a novel idea!  Why haven’t the transportation authorities in MD, VA, and D.C. metro area caught onto this??  

We could use this one, too!

Study explained traffic jams

Years ago, I remember watching a news story about a traffic study that explained why traffic jams and slowdowns occur on our highways.  Among their conclusions were: (1) rubbernecking to see the source of a police stop; (2) rubbernecking due to a disabled car or accident; (3) sheer volume; (4) curvy highways; (5) hilly highways (the steeper the grade, the slower traffic gets); (6) construction and or repair.

We have many highways that are curved and are downright hilly in this area.  I understand slowing down a little for curves in bad weather, but not to the degree that most people do.  I’m quite sure they were built to accommodate highway speeds (at least during fair weather).  But, for some reason, people don’t compensate for hills by simply accelerating.  Guess they just feel that they don’t need to or are not paying enough attention to notice that their car is slowing down.  I wouldn’t want to be a passenger in that car! 

Wake up, people!

I believe that this problem could be helped just by strategically installing the right signage.  Traffic merging onto I-95 North is always slow because there are two steep upgrades before you even get to Exit 33 Rt. 193.  After this exit, traffic usually speeds up exponentially (with some exceptions, of course).  I am convinced that merely suggesting that people accelerate to maintain their speed would go a long way to relieve congestion caused by hills.  It’s worth a try!  

Tell me…what do you think of this solution?  Don’t be shy — leave a comment.

Wash Post reader's commute during this morning's storm

When I started doing this blog, I promised myself that I was not just going to vent about my frustrations commuting in the Baltimore-D.C. area.  But today, I really need to vent.  My commute to work this morning took at least twice as long as it normally does — even on the bad days (queue the violin). 

What happened?

It rained this morning — real hard.  The Washington Post reported that a 60-mile storm dumped one and a half inches of rain in about an hour on the Baltimore-D.C. region.  As I looked outside after just getting up this morning, I thought, “Uh-oh, this may not end well.”  And I was so right.  Every major road I traveled on (which is all of them) was back up to East Jiblip (this is not a real place, it’s just a saying).  

Wash Post reader's pic of downed tree

Power was knocked out to about 10,000 residents, and as a result, many traffic lights were dark.  Trees were also knocked down, one of which came down on Metro’s tracks, forcing Metro to use only one track on the Red line.  When I heard that some residents faced more power outages, my heart went out to them.  This is the second time in only a month that D.C. area residents have had to endure power outages due to severe rains.

I was so upset this morning, wondering if there was anything that could have been done to make it go even just a little better.  The only thing that came to mind was if the still working traffic lights were timed better to accommodate traffic flows.  I wrote briefly about this in a previous post.  If this solution were implemented — especially during times like this — I think that a whole lot of congestion could have been avoided this morning.  (trying to hold back a low growl).

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is what Governor Martin O’Malley is embracing by moving the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) into Prince George’s County.   Transit oriented development is defined as an area with residential and/or commercial mixed-use buildings that are strategically anchored to a source of public transit, thereby maximizing its access and use. 

In an unprecedented move by O’Malley, hundreds of jobs could potentially now be held by those who live in P.G. County — something that has been long overdue.  This move is the result of O’Malley’s Smart, Green, and Growing initiative, a key component from his 2007 Executive Order to focus development around Maryland’s transit facilities.  O’Malley has invested millions in infrastructure and mass transportation, and this newest development would be the culmination of all these initiatives.

P.G. County is the most wealthy county in the U.S. that has a mostly black population.  Many residents are highly-educated and are skilled at working white collar jobs.  Yet, for decades, this county has been underserved by businesses (small and large) that could supply the kind of high-paying white collar jobs these residents are accustomed to.  P.G. County provides amenities that other surrounding counties can’t: cheaper land and commercial space, proximity to D.C., and acres of underutilized available commercial space.  This ongoing lack of business development has not been because of a lack of demand from P.G. residents.  Many P.G. County residents would absolutely jump at the chance to finally be gainfully employed in the county they live in – a luxury that Northern Virginia and Montgomery County residents have enjoyed for decades. 

This is just the start of what is to come.  Smart growth is the wave of the future, and it is the antidote to urban sprawl.  The benefits for P.G. County residents will be accumulative.  As more agencies and businesses relocate near other transportation hubs in the county, residents will reap shorter commutes, housing closer to their jobs, less pollution from traffic, less wear/tear on their cars, better health, and a better quality of life that comes with more sustainable living.

Expand this highway from four to six lanes NOW!

Connectivity — it is what viable transportation is all about.  Commuters between the Baltimore and Washington D.C. metro areas aren’t currently able to go back and forth between the two metro areas efficiently and expeditiously, and it is because the two metro areas are not adequately leveraging the power of connectivity. 

We have very few commuter options between the two metropolises: either drive on I-95 or 295 Baltimore-Washington Parkway or take whichever combination of MARC and Metro trains work best for you.  That is it as far as I know (let me know of others) — and that is a darned shame. 

We need more options, people!  But, here is a little ray of light: recently, measures have been taken to allow SmarTrip users to access MTA’s facilities (buses, subway, and light rail) and MTA smart card holders to use Metrorail and Metrobus.  Isn’t that great progress??  We need more, more, more of this kind of collaboration between and amongst transportation entities! 

I’ve been saying this for a long time – lawmakers, politicians, heads of MD and DC municipal-run transportation: provide more solutions to connect Baltimore to Washington D.C NOW!  

• Expand 295 Baltimore-Washington Parkway from four lanes to six lanes – I can’t say this enough.  This parkway is congested every day of the week at all times of the day.  It is unbearable during rush hour.  We need more capacity!
• Create another major highway route that connects the two cities and their suburbs – even if we expand the parkway, eventually we will still need additional roads to handle increasing traffic between the two cities.
• Expand Metro — We need to get real about the fact that the entire suburban area needs this service for more than just commuting into D.C.  Stop being so conservative when making plans to add stops.  Plan to extend at least out to the White Marsh area.  Don’t shortchange any of the surrounding suburbs!
• Expand MARC capacity to cover all of Baltimore’s and D.C.’s suburbs and add stops that intersect with Metro for even more connectivity.
• Develop express bus routes that usher commuters between the two cities and their surrounding areas.  

I understand that there are plans in place to address some of this but, in my humble opinion, the plans currently in place don’t go far enough.  There is so much that needs to be done to improve the connectivity between these two areas.  Everyone stands to benefit from two major metropolises that meet the needs of its inhabitants by being well-connected.  We need to get busy!

This chart helps us evaluate which options will work best.

I can admit, I am very attached to the convenience of being able to hop in my car and go wherever I want, whenever I feel like it.  It’s a necessary evil when you live in the Washington, D.C-Baltimore metro area, and I am thankful that my 13-year old Honda can still take a licking and keep on ticking.  

But, by the same token, it would also be great if I could walk out my door and have several convenient affordable and viable transportation options at my disposal.  This could include being able to walk, take a short and cheap bus/light rail/subway ride, or bike to my destination.  If everything were so conveniently located — or at least so easy to get to—maybe I wouldn’t feel the need to always defer to my car.  There are several benefits to this on all sides: improved health from more exercise, lessening my carbon footprint, saving money, etc. 

One other thing that I would really like to see is more sustainable ways to get around — the apex of which would be “green” transportation options.  These options would satisfy the goal of devising and implementing transport that would be bearable, equitable, and viable on the social, environmental, and economic levels. 

Although the upfront costs and initial sacrifices may be significant (i.e. financial resources, worsened traffic congestion), the long-term benefits would definitely be worth it — especially when you consider that the problem will not simply “fix itself.”  Since demand for public transportation solutions has quickly risen in the D.C. metro area, we need to hastily make up our minds about which solutions to use — and then implement them without further delay.