C2
R
KLMNO COMMUTER
to work while imposing the least stress on the D.C. region’s trans- portation system. He couches this goal in the language of com- muters: “It’s all about time and money.” The organization, part of the
Metropolitan Washington Coun- cil of Governments, uses a tele- phone poll called the State of the Commute Survey to help figure out where commuters are losing time and money and how they could save. Here’s a look at find- ings from the 2010 survey, con- ducted in the winter and spring and published in July.
DRIVING ALONE DECLINES As in previous surveys, done
every three years since 2001, the most popular option among com- muters is driving alone to work. In 2010, driving alone represents 64 percent of all commuting trips per week. But the study also notes a decade-long decline in the popularity of solo driving. In 2001, its share was 70 percent. The study looked at commut- ing in three geographic rings: a core, a middle ring and an outer ring. Driving alone was most popular in the outer ring, but even in the core, home to one of the nation’s most-extensive tran- sit systems, it was the choice of nearly half of the workers.
TELECOMMUTING UP The number of people who
worked from home at least occa- sionally grew significantly over the decade and now amounts to about 600,000 people. About half of the total number of telework- ers did so at least one day a week. Ramfos said the survey has a pretty strict definition of tele- working, tied to the reduction in car trips. If you drove to Star- buck’s to use your laptop, you didn’t telework.
TRANSIT USE RISING The transit share of the weekly commute rose from 17 percent to 21 percent over the decade. Com- muters who live in the region’s core were far more likely to use the trains and buses than those in the outer suburbs. More than eight in 10 respondents in the core said they lived within one- half mile of a bus stop. Fewer than two in 10 in the outer ring said they had such access.
RIDE-SHARING FLAT Carpooling and vanpooling ac- counted for about 7 percent of weekly commuting trips, the same share they had at the start of the decade. Sharing is a more likely choice in the outer suburbs than in the middle or core.
CHALLENGES
Although time and money in- centives increasingly favor com- muting alternatives, other fac- tors are obviously working against the abandonment of the solo drive. AWashington Post poll — con- ducted by phone in March and
Rating their commute
Percentage of respondents who say their commute was easier, more difficult or about the same compared with a year ago
Easier 12%
About the same 62
Reasons given by respondents who had easier commutes:
Shorter distance 34%
Route less congested, road improvements 26
Started using mass transit 5
Started driving to work 4
SOURCE: State of the Commute Survey
sampling a smaller part of the re- gion than did the Commuter Connections survey — found sim- ilar trends. More than a quarter of the workers were telecommut- ing at least occasionally, but most were driving alone. In both polls, commuters observed that traffic congestion is worsening, despite the growing popularity of tele- work.
Bob Chase, executive director of the Northern Virginia Trans- portation Alliance, an advocacy group for traffic relief, said the D.C. region is a national leader in promoting alternative means of
transportation. Demand man- agement can make “new bridges, parkways and other infrastruc- ture work more efficiently,” he said, “but do not eliminate the need for such investments.” In some ways, the region’s ro- bust and resilient economy hin- ders the single driver’s search for alternatives. “It’s a transient area,” Ramfos said. People move and change jobs a lot, making it difficult, for example, to establish and maintain carpools. Ramfos said there are plenty of
opportunities to work with em- ployers and individuals in pro-
Construction on route to work 14
Longer distance 11
Mass transit more crowded 8
More difficult 25
Reasons given by respondents who had more difficult commutes:
Route is more congested 59%
The private car is still king N
icholas Ramfos, direc- tor of the Commuter Connections service, wants to help people find the best way to get
A survey by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments provides insight into how our commutes have evolved since 2001. People are generally more frustrated about their trips to the office, but that has spurred some to change their habits. And technology has made it possible for many to ditch the office altogether, at least once a week.
7 9 22 7 1
6 6
34 9 65 46 65 76%
A regional survey finds that telework and public transit are making gains, but when it comes to the Washington area commute, the solo drive remains a tough nut to crack.
Changing state of our commutes
Commuting method by area Percentage of commuters in each area
OUTER RING
(Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Loudoun, Prince William counties)
MIDDLE RING
(Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties)
INNER CORE (Alexandria,
Arlington County and the District)
Drive alone Telework Carpool/vanpool Bike/walk Mass transit (bus/train)
Potential for teleworking
About 600,000 workers in the survey are currently teleworking, and an additional 500,000 say they could and would telework if their employers permitted it.
45% 25 Job not appropriate
Telework now
21 9 Could and
would telework if permitted
Could telework, not interested
’01 ’04 ’07 ’10 Private employers
Teleworking continues to grow
Teleworking has increased among all types of employers and has tripled at federal agencies since 2001.
Percentage teleworking, by type of employer
21 13% 15 7
’01 ’04 ’07 ’10 Federal agencies
Reasons for using commuting alternatives
By percentage of respondents who use alternatives
Save money 18%
Changed job/work hours 15
Save time 10
Tired of driving Moved
7 5
Congestion 4
TOBEY/THE WASHINGTON POST
moting alternatives to the solo drive. He sees enormous poten- tial for telecommuting but also is encouraged about the high-occu- pancy toll lanes’ capacity to carry carpoolers. Sometimes the shift to an al-
ternative commute begins when a traveler calculates the cost of driving. Sometimes it begins with a snowstorm. In any case, a commuter need not approach a decision to telework or to take public transit as a permanent shift in lifestyle. “Just try it,” Ramfos said.
—Robert Thomson DR. G’S TIPS
REBUILDING THE RED LINE The repair program on the Red Line moves into the middle of the District this weekend, cre- ating complications for travel- ers, including those who might be on their way to the final matches of the Legg Mason ten- nis tournament in Rock Creek Park. The transit authority ad- vises riders to add at least 40 minutes to their travel time. The work includes upgrading
a rail switch near Farragut North and installing new track. That requires trains to share a track between Dupont Circle and Judiciary Square until the system’s midnight closing Sun- day. All Red Line trains are scheduled to be eight cars long this weekend. Night owls: The last train from Glenmont will leave 11
THE DAILY QUIZ
What is the name of the school featured in the Education Review story “Separate But Equal” in today’s Washington Post Magazine?
EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to
washingtonpost.com/postpoints and click on “Quizzes” to enter the correct response.
minutes earlier than usual, at 11:26 p.m. Sunday.
LABOR DAY WEEKEND A track work project will have
a huge impact on Red Line serv- ice over the Labor Day weekend. To clear room for the work, five stations north of Fort Totten will be closed in what amounts to the biggest maintenance shut- down in Metro’s history. The project will involve 500
workers. They will replace two track switches at Silver Spring, install 750 track fasteners, 1,720 cross-ties, 525 feet of track, 500 rail insulators, heater tape, tun- nel safety lights and communi- cations cables that will upgrade underground cellphone service.
ANACOSTIA STREETCAR Installation of tracks for the
District’s first modern streetcar line has led to temporary turn restrictions and detours at South Capitol Street and Firth Sterling Avenue SE in Anacostia. Left turns from southbound South Capitol Street to Firth Sterling and right turns from Firth Sterling to northbound South Capitol are prohibited un- til Aug. 28.
Also, the intersection will be closed to northbound traffic from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 14 and again Aug. 16-18. North- bound traffic on South Capitol Street will have to turn right on Firth Sterling and then left on Suitland Parkway to return to South Capitol.
GW PARKWAY PROJECT Traffic delays on the George Washington Parkway are prob-
POINTS EVENTS
The PostPoints Link Has Moved Due to changes in the layout of The Washington Post website, the PostPoints link has been relocated. The link can now be found at the bottom of the page under the “Newspaper” section. And as always, PostPoints can still be accessed by visiting
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ably beginning Monday, when reconstruction is scheduled to start on the access point at the Daingerfield Island Marina and the entrance road leading to the Indigo Landing restaurant. The area is about a half-mile south of Reagan National Airport. Parkway drivers heading south to Daingerfield Island will not be able to turn left at the in- terchange. They should contin- ue south and turn right at the exit to Slater’s Lane and then left to the northbound parkway to Daingerfield Island. At least one parkway lane in each direction will be open at all times during midday construc- tion. Work should be done by the end of September.
BELTWAY/ROUTE 29 The HOT lanes project is
shifting the two northbound lanes of Route 29 (Lee Highway) to a new four-lane bridge over the Beltway. The new traffic pat- tern includes a shared left-turn and through lane for drivers heading north on Route 29 to Shreve Road.
Southbound Route 29 traffic will remain on the old bridge until about Aug. 22 before shift- ing to two temporary south- bound lanes on the new north- bound bridge. At that point, night workers will begin to de- molish the old southbound bridge. Drivers should expect weeknight and weekend lane closings and detours along Route 29 and the Beltway start- ing around 9:30 p.m. most nights. The demolition will continue through the fall, followed by
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construction of a new south- bound bridge, which is sched- uled to open by fall 2011.
FAIRFAX CONNECTOR CHANGES
The Fairfax County Depart- ment of Transportation is con- sidering changes to Fairfax Con- nector routes 151 and 152 to im- prove their on-time performance. The department also is proposing a new rush- hour Route 159 between Hun- tington Station and the Engle- side neighborhood. There’s a public meeting on the plans from noon to 2 p.m. Aug. 14 at the South County Cen- ter, 8350 Richmond Hwy., Alex- andria.
For more traffic information, go to
www.washingtonpost.com/traffic.
A complete list of PostPoints Spots can be found at
washingtonpost.com/postpoints.
16 12
Last week, as Metro began Phase 2 of the fare increases, riders reported malfunctioning gates at several stations, confusion over the new signs at the vending machines and kiosks, and systemwide delays getting through the gates. There were also problems for riders after the first round of increases June 27, but they were not as widespread because those increases were more traditional: Fares went up based on boarding time and distance traveled. Planners knew this second round would be a lot more complicated because Metro was introducing new styles of fares: a surcharge for riding at the peak of the peak and a surcharge for using a paper Farecard. They had hoped it wouldn’t be quite as complicated as it turned out. That’s why they gave themselves some extra time to get ready, splitting the fare increase into the June and August phases. But right at the start of August, the complexities of reprogramming the fare system forced Metro to create yet another phase. The paper cards, with their
magnetic strips, have small brains that can’t retain much information. It turned out that Metro couldn’t do all the reprogramming needed so that the paper cards and the fare gates could do the math needed to impose both morning and afternoon peak of the peak surcharges. So we got Phase 2a: Start charging the peak of the peak during the afternoon only. And Phase 2b: Wait till late August to add the morning surcharge. Meanwhile, Metro is boosting the brain power of the SmarTrip
28 27
Dear Dr. Gridlock: Metro is already a complicated system for newcomers and tourists to figure out. Now Metro has added this peak of the peak fare. It makes you want to laugh at this silliness, but it just makes our commute that much more frustrating. You would think someone at Metro would have figured out ahead of time that the SmarTrip cards would take longer to register the peak of the peak fare. Try figuring out the
instructions that are provided to the riders at the various stations. So sad that Metro has fallen so far so fast. Driving is looking better every day. Don’t even get me started on the escalator situation. — Frank Gainer, The District
hoped to avoid when they began planning last winter for this summer’s fare increases.
M
DR. GRIDLOCK Robert Thomson
The peak (of the peak) of frustration for Metro riders
alfunctions, confusion, delays — these were the things Metro managers
cards so they can handle a new set of calculations long sought by riders. Those include the ability to add passes onto the plastic cards and add value online. But the programming was slowing down the fare gates. Muscle memory tells regular riders how to tap their cards to the gate’s SmarTrip target and how quickly to proceed. The more complex programming requires the gate and the card to talk a tad longer. The extra beat would be noticeable only to regular riders — but there are hundreds of thousands of them, and many had close encounters with the gates’ orange barriers as they strode forward. Programmers will try to speed
that up, but for now, this is Metro’s advice: Hold the card on the SmarTrip target until the barriers part.
Another challenge had to do with our own brain power in absorbing the more-complex fare details on the signs on the vending machines and the station kiosks. Metro found it had to supplement those signs with two more signs, both in yellow.
A small circular one advised riders that the 20-cent peak of the peak surcharge would come in two phases. A larger, rectangular sign advised that riders using paper Farecards would be charged an extra quarter and that the bigger sign, the one showing the station-to-station charges, was showing the cost for SmarTrip users only. What’s next? A quiz? Some riders wrote in to point
out that the station-to-station signs are most useful to tourists and transit newbies. The regulars, the ones who take the same trips over and over and use SmarTrip cards, don’t stare at the signs. The new riders are more likely to look at the signs and put the exact fare on paper Farecards, so the signs should give the paper Farecard cost of a trip. In fact, that’s Metro’s plan now.
In the next few weeks, all the signs are going to get a makeover so they list the one-way trip cost with a paper card and include a line stating that SmarTrip users pay 25 cents less.
Dr. Gridlock also appears Thursday in Local Living. Comments and questions are welcome and may be used in a column, along with the writer’s name and home community. Personal responses are not always possible.
To contact Dr. Gridlock: By mail: Write to Dr. Gridlock at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. By e-mail:
drgridlock@washpost.com. On the Dr. Gridlock blog:
blog.washingtonpost.com/dr-gridlock. On Twitter: drgridlock.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 2010
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