[RP TownTalk] One last thought on purple line

[Dwight Holmes]

I'm forwarding this message to the list - somehow I messed up the
approvals process and I haven't seen it come through to the Town Talk
list (not as yet, anyway). Apologies to Melissa - fortunately she had
cc'd me and so here it is in its entirety.

Dwight Holmes
TownTalk Moderator


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Melissa Avery <m.avery at rocketmail.com>
Date: Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 7:45 AM
Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] One last thought on purple line
To: Dwight Holmes <dwightrholmes at gmail.com>
Cc: towntalk at riverdale-park.org


Metro has either electric fences or sound barrier walls around it. the
reason is noise reduction and safety.
If we did not have this protection, there would be more than dead
chickens on the tracks.
Also, the "light rail" (marketing hype terminology) travels up to 55
mph, only 10 mph less than metro, or the train. there will still be a
need for two way track.
If people want this kind of thing in there community, they should
chose to live in Rockville or Gaithersburg, not spoil the only thing
Riverdale Park has going for it, the open spaces and slower way of
life. Change of this kind is not inevitable or normal, it is the
result of poor community planning, ignorance and apathy.
________________________________
From: Dwight Holmes <dwightrholmes at gmail.com>
To: TownTalk <towntalk at riverdale-park.org>
Sent: Wed, November 10, 2010 11:13:11 AM
Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] One last thought on purple line

It's never possible to know with certainty what would have happened in
the "counterfactual" case - if there had been no Metro these last 20 -
35 years - but it's reasonable to conclude that the traffic we now
face on our major arteries would only have been much worse.
Population growth is what it is, people need to find a place to live
and work somewhere. Change is normal. To make the best of it, we need
good planning.

It's kind of ironic, perhaps, it was the street cars that first
brought people out here to these far flung suburbs, as that made it
realistic to live here and commute to DC. then the prevalence of
private cars and better roads made it feasible and attractive to live
further away, in more far flung areas.  the "inner ring suburbs" such
as where we live became less attractive and in some cases run down.
(this is true nationally, not just here).  now, with climate change
and the inevitable peak oil pointing to continued higher commuting
costs, and all of this combining with the perceived failed model of
the "exurban" McMansion model, has people looking back towards our now
suddenly-more-desirable inner ring suburbs again.  We are in
transition from an era of largely unplanned growth to one, hopefully,
of a truer "smart growth".  For the sake of our sanity, health,
well-being, and for the health of the planet, we simply can't afford
to keep extending the suburbs indefinitely nor can we provide a
cul-de-sac for every household.

As Brian said earlier, what is required is adequate investments in the
amenities that make our life both better and more environmentally
rational: schools, parks, public transportation, infrastructure in
general.

Parenthetically, I'm curious about the idea that sound barrier walls
are being considered for the Purple Line light rail. Really? I have no
idea - haven't looked at plans or reports. But it seems we get along
fine without insulation from the CSX tracks running through the heart
of town, and the neighborhoods of College Park near the Metro station
have the sounds of the Metro and the CSX trains.  These are both much
louder than what the light rail will be. So I'm curious as to what the
rationale behind including sound insulation in this case.

I've only seen sound insulation where major expressways bisect
residential communities - we see them in Montgomery County on the
Beltway - not in PG that I'm aware of (I'll resist making any snide
PG-Montgomery comparisons!) I would think sound barriers along
East-West Highway would do more for our quality of life than along the
light rail. But what do I know.

On Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 9:20 AM, Sue Collins <wheadle at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> RE the purple line reducing traffic on Rte. 410 and in the general area; well, I
> would hope so and it would be great. The same thing was said back when the Metro
> system was started, that it would reduce traffic in the DC area.  However, here
> again, with the huge influx of new homes, condos, businesses, etc., traffic
> hasn't improved all that much.  Guess I'd better take plenty of photographs of
> the town now, so in future years I can remember how nice it used to be....
>
>