Public Transportation - a panacea yet unrealized

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Tom writes: Recently I saw an article in the Washington Post about how they are extending the Metro, the Washington DC subway, out to Dulles Airport. It will go right next to where I work, even. But it still does not help me too much. Here is this great map of approximately what my route would look like if I took public transportation today:

I start at the bottom and go to the top. Going by Metro would be a route of about 25 miles, as opposed to 10 driving; would take 1.5 hours during rush hour, as opposed to 45 minutes or less on a normal day, and would cost $5.70 (just one way). That much money would buy me two gallons of gas, which would take me to work for the whole week, with some to spare. The new Metro line will only mean that I ride the last leg of the trip on train, as opposed to a bus, so I would still be going the same path and would probably be going faster. But still, I look forward to the day when public transportation is a viable alternative... (sigh)

Comments

Anonymous said…
Did you check the bus routes? That would be interesting to see in comparison... .
9:57 PM
Tom said…
Good point. The route shown is what Metro recommends, combining both train and bus routes. I figure that going just by bus would yield a similar route.
7:46 PM
Erin said…
What they really need is a loop line--one that kind of follows the Beltway path.
8:11 PM
Tom said…
Erin - exactly! With shuttles or bus lines going up and down the major arteries that feed into it.
10:06 PM
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