Sunday, March 26, 2006
Md.: Rush-hour traffic is fast slowing to a crawl
From the Baltimore Sun
Rush-hour traffic is fast slowing to a crawl
Report confirms increased congestion - and a few improved spots - in Baltimore area
By Michael Dresser and Rona Kobell
Sun reporters
March 26, 2006
Five years ago, Barbara Grey thought her half-hour commute from Catonsville to Annapolis wasn't so bad. Traffic jams were only an occasional headache as she drove to her state job.
But now, Grey says, she runs into backups all the time, and the drive takes 40 minutes to an hour. She has had to learn alternative back-road routes. She's beginning to think it's time to change jobs.
Grey is hardly alone among Baltimore-area commuters in concluding that roads in the region have become more jammed the past few years.
Now an eye-in-the-sky study provides photographic evidence that the problems they perceive are real and that rush-hour traffic congestion has gotten significantly worse on many major highways over the past six years.
[snip]
"Overall, the problem is getting worse," said Victor Henry, senior transportation planner for the council, a planning group that represents local governments in the city and surrounding counties.
Henry's conclusion is based on aerial observations by Skycomp Inc. of Columbia. Since 1999, the council has hired the company at three-year intervals to use airplanes with cameras attached to the wings to take pictures of the traffic on 575 miles of freeways and major arterial highways.
[snip]
She tries to commute at off-peak times, in hopes of keeping her drive to about 45 minutes. But when she has to be at work for an early meeting, the trip can take twice that long. The road is often clogged with commuters from Pennsylvania. If she leaves late to avoid the Pennsylvania traffic, she said, she runs into traffic from the closer-in suburbs as she nears the city.
"If I have to be here for something at 8:30 a.m., it's just a killer," she said.
According to Pedersen, Selway's commute along I-83 is consistent with the growth patterns highway planners have been seeing - with formerly rural areas turning into bedroom suburbs.
[snip]
Along with signs of increased congestion, the aerial survey provided evidence of successful countermeasures.
Traffic approaching the Fort McHenry and Harbor tunnels - rated "severely congested" in 1999 - were classified as "not congested" in 2002 and 2005. The metropolitan council's Henry attributed the change to the increasing use of E-ZPass to breeze past tollbooths.
The report is expected to be posted online this week at
www.baltmetro.org.
A few comments:
(1) Improving highways does help.
(2) Imposing Smart Growth (including "protection" of rural areas from growth) has not worked out so well, at least when it comes to highway congestion relief - consider the reference above to commuters from Pennsylvania - people who have "leapfrogged" the Baltimore County Urban/Rural Demarcation Line.
(3) None of Maryland's Smart Growth measures have slowed the decline in population of Baltimore City.
Rush-hour traffic is fast slowing to a crawl
Report confirms increased congestion - and a few improved spots - in Baltimore area
By Michael Dresser and Rona Kobell
Sun reporters
March 26, 2006
Five years ago, Barbara Grey thought her half-hour commute from Catonsville to Annapolis wasn't so bad. Traffic jams were only an occasional headache as she drove to her state job.
But now, Grey says, she runs into backups all the time, and the drive takes 40 minutes to an hour. She has had to learn alternative back-road routes. She's beginning to think it's time to change jobs.
Grey is hardly alone among Baltimore-area commuters in concluding that roads in the region have become more jammed the past few years.
Now an eye-in-the-sky study provides photographic evidence that the problems they perceive are real and that rush-hour traffic congestion has gotten significantly worse on many major highways over the past six years.
[snip]
"Overall, the problem is getting worse," said Victor Henry, senior transportation planner for the council, a planning group that represents local governments in the city and surrounding counties.
Henry's conclusion is based on aerial observations by Skycomp Inc. of Columbia. Since 1999, the council has hired the company at three-year intervals to use airplanes with cameras attached to the wings to take pictures of the traffic on 575 miles of freeways and major arterial highways.
[snip]
She tries to commute at off-peak times, in hopes of keeping her drive to about 45 minutes. But when she has to be at work for an early meeting, the trip can take twice that long. The road is often clogged with commuters from Pennsylvania. If she leaves late to avoid the Pennsylvania traffic, she said, she runs into traffic from the closer-in suburbs as she nears the city.
"If I have to be here for something at 8:30 a.m., it's just a killer," she said.
According to Pedersen, Selway's commute along I-83 is consistent with the growth patterns highway planners have been seeing - with formerly rural areas turning into bedroom suburbs.
[snip]
Along with signs of increased congestion, the aerial survey provided evidence of successful countermeasures.
Traffic approaching the Fort McHenry and Harbor tunnels - rated "severely congested" in 1999 - were classified as "not congested" in 2002 and 2005. The metropolitan council's Henry attributed the change to the increasing use of E-ZPass to breeze past tollbooths.
The report is expected to be posted online this week at
www.baltmetro.org.
A few comments:
(1) Improving highways does help.
(2) Imposing Smart Growth (including "protection" of rural areas from growth) has not worked out so well, at least when it comes to highway congestion relief - consider the reference above to commuters from Pennsylvania - people who have "leapfrogged" the Baltimore County Urban/Rural Demarcation Line.
(3) None of Maryland's Smart Growth measures have slowed the decline in population of Baltimore City.
Comments:
(1) Improving highways does help.
FICTION ---
The highways along the route she takes were improved. The results were the same and worse. Studies have shown expanding highways increases traffic congestion and not the other way around.
I happen to think she has a relatively short commute. I live in the New York Metro and my commute approaches 1 hour and 18 minutes each way. However, it's all rail so the stress level is much lower than the someone driving.
Her only hope is they build a commuter rail line because the traffic is going to get worse. The roads in her district have already been overbuilt and no additional expressways will every be built.
(2) Imposing Smart Growth (including "protection" of rural areas from growth) has not worked out so well, at least when it comes to highway congestion
INCORRECT ---- Those living in Smart growth commuties have short commutes to work. The woman in the article lives in the burbs and will not benefit the joys of living in a Smart growth community. Smart growth will not benefit those living in the burbs trying to drive into the city. There is no remedy for those individuals.
(3) None of Maryland's Smart Growth measures have slowed the decline in population of Baltimore City.
Smarth growth is not designed to slow this kind of development. Smarth growth is designed to allow those who wish to work, shop and live in the same community.
FICTION ---
The highways along the route she takes were improved. The results were the same and worse. Studies have shown expanding highways increases traffic congestion and not the other way around.
I happen to think she has a relatively short commute. I live in the New York Metro and my commute approaches 1 hour and 18 minutes each way. However, it's all rail so the stress level is much lower than the someone driving.
Her only hope is they build a commuter rail line because the traffic is going to get worse. The roads in her district have already been overbuilt and no additional expressways will every be built.
(2) Imposing Smart Growth (including "protection" of rural areas from growth) has not worked out so well, at least when it comes to highway congestion
INCORRECT ---- Those living in Smart growth commuties have short commutes to work. The woman in the article lives in the burbs and will not benefit the joys of living in a Smart growth community. Smart growth will not benefit those living in the burbs trying to drive into the city. There is no remedy for those individuals.
(3) None of Maryland's Smart Growth measures have slowed the decline in population of Baltimore City.
Smarth growth is not designed to slow this kind of development. Smarth growth is designed to allow those who wish to work, shop and live in the same community.
> (1) Improving highways does help.
>
> FICTION ---
>
> The highways along the route she
> takes were improved. The results
> were the same and worse. Studies
> have shown expanding highways
> increases traffic congestion
> and not the other way around.
Which "studies" would those be?
> I happen to think she has a
> relatively short commute. I
> live in the New York Metro
> and my commute approaches
> 1 hour and 18 minutes each
> way. However, it's all rail
> so the stress level is much
> lower than the someone driving.
Last time I checked, the NYC
area had the longest (as in
slowest) average commute times
in the United States.
> Her only hope is they build a
> commuter rail line because
> the traffic is going to get
> worse. The roads in her
> district have already
> been overbuilt and no
> additional expressways will
> every be built.
Again, what, if anything, do
you know about Md. poltics?
> (2) Imposing Smart Growth
> (including "protection" of
> rural areas from growth) has
> not worked out so well, at
> least when it comes to
> highway congestion
>
> INCORRECT ---- Those living
> in Smart growth commuties
> have short commutes to work.
Like New York City?
> The woman in the article lives
> in the burbs and will not
> benefit the joys of living in
> a Smart growth community.
> Smart growth will not
> benefit those living in the
> burbs trying to drive into
> the city. There is no remedy
> for those individuals.
Best tell that to Maryland's ex-Gov. Parris N. Glendening.
> (3) None of Maryland's
> Smart Growth measures have
> slowed the decline in
> population of Baltimore
> City.
>
> Smarth growth is not designed
> to slow this kind of
> development. Smarth growth
> is designed to allow those
> who wish to work, shop and
> live in the same community.
Funny, that's not what the Smart Growth Web sites say. Such as the one below. Who to believe?
http://tinyurl.com/ju2hg
Post a Comment
>
> FICTION ---
>
> The highways along the route she
> takes were improved. The results
> were the same and worse. Studies
> have shown expanding highways
> increases traffic congestion
> and not the other way around.
Which "studies" would those be?
> I happen to think she has a
> relatively short commute. I
> live in the New York Metro
> and my commute approaches
> 1 hour and 18 minutes each
> way. However, it's all rail
> so the stress level is much
> lower than the someone driving.
Last time I checked, the NYC
area had the longest (as in
slowest) average commute times
in the United States.
> Her only hope is they build a
> commuter rail line because
> the traffic is going to get
> worse. The roads in her
> district have already
> been overbuilt and no
> additional expressways will
> every be built.
Again, what, if anything, do
you know about Md. poltics?
> (2) Imposing Smart Growth
> (including "protection" of
> rural areas from growth) has
> not worked out so well, at
> least when it comes to
> highway congestion
>
> INCORRECT ---- Those living
> in Smart growth commuties
> have short commutes to work.
Like New York City?
> The woman in the article lives
> in the burbs and will not
> benefit the joys of living in
> a Smart growth community.
> Smart growth will not
> benefit those living in the
> burbs trying to drive into
> the city. There is no remedy
> for those individuals.
Best tell that to Maryland's ex-Gov. Parris N. Glendening.
> (3) None of Maryland's
> Smart Growth measures have
> slowed the decline in
> population of Baltimore
> City.
>
> Smarth growth is not designed
> to slow this kind of
> development. Smarth growth
> is designed to allow those
> who wish to work, shop and
> live in the same community.
Funny, that's not what the Smart Growth Web sites say. Such as the one below. Who to believe?
http://tinyurl.com/ju2hg
