Looking Into the Future: Washington D.C.

Transportation is a means to access, service, jobs, recreation, social interactions, community events and more. In order to keep up with the needs of an increasing population and leverage the economic potential that is intrinsically tied to centers of transit; Washington D.C.'s transportation must expand in the coming decades.

Parking Requirements in D.C.

Parking Requirements

There are three things you can consistently rely on a neighborhood and residents to raise concerns over: auto-traffic is moving too fast, auto-traffic is cutting through my local streets; AND the big one, they are trying to take away my parking.

The District’s Office of Planning may not necessarily be taking away people’s parking, but they are currently working to amend the code which hasn’t been updated since 1958. One topic which has come under scrutiny are possible changes to parking regulations. Parking regulations is one strategy for travel demand management. The idea is that if parking is scarce and driving is difficult, people will have fewer cars.

Washington D.C. Transit

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) was created by an interstate compact in 1967 to plan, develop, build, finance, and operate a balanced regional transportation system in our nation’s capital. The Authority began building its rail system in 1969 and acquired four regional bus systems in 1973.

Transit Oriented Development in Washington D.C.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (METRO) system serves a population of 3.5 million within a 1500 square-mile area. In partnership with local and national developers, Metro promotes smart growth principles throughout this system by fostering a robust Transit Oriented Development (TOD) program.

Para Transit Dilemma in D.C.

Public transit providers are required by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide complementary para transit service to people with disabilities who cannot use regular fixed-route services. Para transit is a an alternative mode of transportation, typically provided by minibuses, that will pick people up from their homes and drive them to their destinations. The para transit service is required to be comparable to fixed-route service in cost, accessibility, and operating hours. This creates a serious equity challenge for agencies like WMATA, who are facing increasing costs of up to almost $100 million per year due to growing populations of senior citizens and people with disabilities.

D.C.'s Express Lane

The District is jumping into congestion priced highways with the opening of the 495 Express Lanes on November 17th, 2012. The 495 Express Lanes is a 14-mile HOT lane(s) (high-occupancy toll) designed to provide a consistent minimum 45 MPH commute to anyone to anyone who wants to pay.

History of D.C.

President Obama starts his day getting dressed like everyone else, one pant leg at a time. So it goes with the history of transportation in Washington D.C. With few notable exceptions, our nation’s Capital has followed similar growth trends throughout history as several other cities in the US.