A piece of the puzzle

[resqgeek]

Anyone who has ever tried to get around the Washington, DC, metropolitan area on a regular basis understands how bad our traffic has gotten. We hear a lot of debate about how to solve the problem, with proposals for road improvements and smarter development flying around as thick as the mosquitoes in July. But one thing you don't hear a lot about is the Potomac River, except that it presents a barrier to efficient traffic movement. But what if we were to use the river itself to move people? In today's Washington Post, columnist Steven Pearlstein discusses this very concept. I doubt it would be a magic solution to our traffic woes all by itself, but it makes a lot of sense to consider it as an integral part of a comprehensive transportation plan for the region (yeah, like that's ever going to happen...).

Steve Pearlstein's column from today's Washington Post.

Comments

[martisman.livejournal.com]

I want to know where are the damn flying cars I was promised from the 50s.

[miketroll.livejournal.com]

Washington should go for it!

London ia another major city with a tradition of turning its back on the river running through its centre. This was understandable in the old days when the Thames was full of shit, but now it's very clean. They have at least managed to exploit the tourist potential of London river boat trips, but few Londoners think of commuting on the Thames. Its a waste of a fine resource.

[florafloraflora.livejournal.com]

I love Steven Pearlstein's columns. He always seems to have an intelligent, outside-the-box take on things.

One of the problems right now is that there are so few immediate passenger destinations right along the Potomac. But with a few new bus routes I could see the river as a great alternative to the GW Parkway or Canal Road for commuters, either to Rosslyn or the Mall area, both from the north and from the south. And what about a ferry terminal at National Airport?