Calling Dick Boyd -- History question

USA - that was a great site you referred us to. I didn't realize so much happened in the last 20-25 years. Thanks

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Originally posted by NoSUV
[br]Great link - and fantastic article. Especially good reading is the link within the link that gives the history of the reversible lanes. Much to my surprise, they were NOT constructed for slugs! Instead, they were built for express lane bus use. HOV-45 anyone?

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There is a little revisionist history in the claim that the reversible lanes were built for express lane buses. Don't be that surprised. Yes, there was discussion of limiting the reversible lanes to express buses in the oil crisis of 1973. The 29 route from Fairfax and a route from Springfield were the only express buses at the time. Something like eight runs, IIRC. There were a few mom and pop bus companies that were allowed to use the reversible lanes during construction.

The reversible lanes were originally conceived with no vehicle limits. First come first served. Shirley planning predated interstate planning. The reversible lanes were an interstate concession to local traffic which was directional.

There was a three way agreement called the Adams decision, or something like that. The Feds had to relinquish some power over interstate operation to local government. IIRC, Virginia, in the form of local governments, DC and the Feds had to agree on operating rules. A sticking point was the number of occupants for HOV. It started as four. The thinking being that the regular lanes would clog if fewer than four people per vehicle were allowed in the reversible lanes. Keep the reversible lane occupancy high to attract passengers from the regular lanes.

Stan Paris challenged the Brock decision with a rider to the Juliette Lowe Bill. In essence, Paris' bill gave operating power to Congress. Paris was reacting to constituents complaining about empty lanes. Paris was not reelected. Harris, the man who replaced Paris was even more out of touch on transportation and Paris got reelected as the lesser of two evils.

There was no effort to promote car pools. Slugs would be arrested for accepting or offering a ride at a bus stop. There was a citizen backlash at the congressional level. Several local merchants offered slug parking. However, as development grew, this parking reverted to use at the building. Bowling alleys and movie theaters went out of style and slug parking disappeared. Churches declined use of their parking unless indemnified for loss. Shopping malls allowed parking in docking areas on a non interference basis. That was abused and shopping malls banned slugs.

The corresponding decision on I-66 was the Coleman decision. Dulles access road had similar agreements. Mineta, Hammerschmit, Rostenkowski and two more congressmen preempted the Dulles access decision.

As I remember, Frank Wolf was the one to preempt the I-66 decision. Congress became the body to set operating rules on major federal roads. I-66 and Shirley run by FHWA and Dulles access and National access run by FAA. At one time, Crystal City parking area owned by FAA was leased as overflow parking for car dealers, rather than as parking for workers in Crystal and Airport Plaza.

Paid planners, Ron Kirby, Shiva Pant, Northern Virginia Planning District Commission and the like could not see the meed for casual car pools. Instead of recognizing and encouraging slugs, the powers to be promoted more expensive and more time consuming rail and bus.

The comment on limiting reversible lanes to buses started when the Pentagon mixing bowl was being rebuilt. The road was not in condition for use by a large number of vehicles. As segments opened, cars were allowed to use passable sections. The Pentagon exits were not built as had been planned. Sight distances were adjusted to buses. For a time after completion, cars were not allowed to exit the reversible lanes at the Pentagon.

Thank Dick Saslaw for going to bat to get the Pentagon ramps opened for car pools. There were alternate plans for reversible lane exits at the Pentagon that would have provided better service and allowed car pool formation and better use of the Fourteenth Street Bridge.

In general, local people don't participate in the operation of transportation to the extent where they can do any good. There is no one that is recruiting slugs.

Anyone can recruit a slug. What is the pay? Getting a shorter commute.

Paying for transportation is too easily passed to the federal level. Farmers in Iowa end up paying for the train to Dulles. Or the roads to Loudon County. (Where the septic fields may not operate as advertised.)

dickboyd@aol.com

Great link - and fantastic article. Especially good reading is the link within the link that gives the history of the reversible lanes. Much to my surprise, they were NOT constructed for slugs! Instead, they were built for express lane bus use. HOV-45 anyone?

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Originally posted by wdossel
[br]Dick:

In light of your historical knowledge re. Shirlington portion of the HOV lanes, how was it that there is no off ramp at King street for inbound traffic in the AM/onramp for outbound in PM? Thanks!

- Will

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When everyone is in charge, no one is in charge. That part of Shirley is where Fairfax County, Alexandria and Arlington County meet. At the time the reversible lanes were being planned, there were really no significant employment centers in Alexandria. Or for that matter, with the exception of the Pentagon and National Airport, inside the beltway in Virginia. The torpedo factory and local government was the extent of Alexandria employment. The waterfront was defunct as a seaport. Surface streets handled local traffic quite well. The rail yards and a rail car repair activity was about the extent of employment.

Traffic to Crystal City served a beer distributor and a swamp.

An associated question is why don't the surface streets in the area connect to Seminary?

Urban Interstates were intended to carry traffic through the city rather than carrying traffic into the city. Parts of I-95 within the boundaries of DC were never completed. Instead, interstate traffic used the Woodrow Wilson bridge and the American Legion Bridge. If the interstate through DC had been completed, the Springfield mixing bowl would not be as complicated and there would be both an eastern bypass using the 301 corridor and a western bypass with a new Potomac River crossing near Point of Rocks. In my opinion.

The NIMBYs in Arlandria did not want access to Shirley, as it was thought Shirley would attract cut through traffic. As I remember, housing in the area was zoned somthing like five dwellings to the acre in all three jurisdictions in that area. Then jurisdicitons began increasing land use at the borders with their neighbors. The borders began to look like the great wall of China with high rise apartments along the borders. The thinking being that the tax revenues would be available in the county where the high density was located and the cost of building the road and infrastructure would fall upon the neighboring jurisdiction. IIRC, there were a few elected officials that went to jail for selling land that was federal property or for making decisions where they had no jurisction.

Scott M. Kozel has an excellent web site with the history of road transportation in Virginia. I am away from my home computer for a few days. When I get back I'll post the link.

Interesting footnote. JHK was one of the lead Transportation Engineering companies doing traffic studies and the like. Jack Kay is a principal in JHK Associates. JHK office is near Shirley on Seminary. If you are interested in Shirley history, ask to read some of JHK's archives.

At the time Bailey's Crossroad was the beginning of Terra Incognito. There was a popular belief that if one went west from Bailey's, you would fall off the end of the world. There were several airports in the corridor. Lake Barcroft was home to several people that worked for Federal Highways groups. Lake Barcroft was out in the sticks.

There was a meat locker plant at Tyson's.

The City of Fairfax had a working dairy farm as the major employer.

The studies underway to expand the beltway for Springfield to Tysons had an alignment inside and parallel to the Beltway. I imagine in ten years someone will ask why the HOT lanes were built on the Beltway rather than improving surface streets on either side of the Beltway.

There are those in favor of adding more access points to Shirley Highway. In my opinion, that is the wrong approach. Complete the eastern and western bypasses and complete the Interstate THROUGH DC instead.

While you are at it, set up a strict inspection point for garbage trucks from New York City. Institute very heavy punitive fines for overweight. Employ a troll to live under the bridge to extract LARGE sums of cash from New York City garbage trucks. Use the troll extracted money to pay slugs to ride. (Including getmehomepweze and baz.)

The MPOs could provide the planning venue for interstate traffic, Maine to Florida. Instead, MPOs get hung up on what color scheme to use on METRO buses.

Trivia question. What does the "turnpike" in Little River Turnpike refer to? Where did the name "Little" come from?

dickboyd@aol.com