It looks like my attempt has flopped to encourage some discussions on the traffic impacts in Bloomingdale arising from the McMillan Sand Filtration site development.
This morning's Greater Greater Washington Breakfast Links post references Lydia DePillis's WCP Housing Complex post on development project traffic studies:
"Neighbors often don't believe traffic consultants when they say new development will cause minimal new traffic, but those consultants are counting on mixed uses, transit, and changing behavior."
Spot on? Off-base?
What you do you think of the "art of traffic impact assessment?"
I will throw in a comment - but preface it that I have no knowledge of traffic studies.
ReplyDeleteNCap and RIA are very congested already. First St, NW, a primarily residential street, is already quite congested and a major ambulance route. If McMillan includes lots of medical offices to go with the hospital center, I don't think many of their clients will be using public transportation, even if it is enhanced as part of the development.
If a grocery store is added, it would also tend to increase car traffic - many of the people I know who are carless get a zipcar once a week or so for big shopping.
So, yes, if I am told that a lot of development will have a minimal effect on traffic, I will be skeptical.
Thanks for your feedback. I trust that a DC Circulator bus route between Columbia Heights and Brookland via Michigan Avenue NW would provide a welcome non-personal-car alternative to get to and from the McMillan site. But what percentage of the total visits to the site is estimated to be addressed by an east-west DC Circulator bus route?
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