Transportation / Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Region

Credit: Kevin H/Flickr

Recently ranked the most tightly packed metropolitan region in the nation, the National Capital Region (4,000 square miles in the District of Columbia, northern Virginia, and the suburbs of Maryland) also earns a place among the top 15 Smarter Cities for transportation, thanks to its aggressive efforts to offer commuters alternatives to driving.

Clocking nearly a million one-way trips each weekday, the region’s Metrorail system already holds fifth place in the nation for its high percentage of local commuters riding the rails, and is second only to the New York City subway in total ridership numbers. Now city planners are working to relieve pressure on the roads—and the rails—by improving the region’s bus system and growing its newest transportation mode, Capital Bikeshare.

Bike-Sharing

Launched in September 2010, Capital Bikeshare supplies 1,100 bikes available for pickup at any of 111 solar-powered docking stations throughout D.C. and Arlington County. For a fee ($5 per day, $25 per month, or $75 per year), members can check out a bike for any local 30-minute commute and return it to the most convenient station. Longer trips incur additional charges.

Though the program is still in its infancy, interest is growing, according to Monica Bansal, former transit planner for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG). “What we’re finding so far,” says Bansal, “is about two rides per bike per day”—a fair number for a thousand new bikes in the winter. The system’s proposed expansion would provide an additional 2,578 bikes available for pickup at 331 stations throughout the greater metro region. “We’re hoping that every year that goes by it will continue to grow,” Bansal says.

“While we still want more people to ride the rail system,” says Wendy Klancher, principal transportation planner for the MWCOG, “there is a capacity constraint on our Metrorail system for the future. The buses are more flexible in that you can serve certain areas a lot cheaper than you can by building whole new rail lines.”

The Washington, D.C., metropolitan region is prioritizing bus projects that have recently been funded by a $58.8 million Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. Roughly half the funds will help create bus transit connecting D.C. with Prince William and Fairfax counties and Alexandria, in Virginia, as well as funding a Takoma/Langley transit center in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The other half is focused on fine-tuning existing bus lines with efficiency upgrades, like bus lanes and traffic signal priority, and commuter comforts, like express services, real-time passenger information, and bus stop shelters.

DC Streetcar

It’s been almost 50 years since streetcars last operated in the Washington, D.C., district, yet they’re making a comeback, thanks to a new plan presented by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and approved by the D.C. Council. Construction of a streetcar line is under way in Anacostia and is expected to be in service by the fall of 2012. The DDOT is also laying tracks on H Street and Benning Road for a second line, with plans for additional streetcar connections across the city.

The DDOT has partnered with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to develop a report demonstrating how the D.C. Streetcar will improve travel in the District for residents, workers, and visitors by complementing existing transit options. The D.C .Streetcar network is designed specifically to connect neighborhoods within the District, benefiting local communities, while Metrorail focuses more on connecting the District to the rest of the region. A new website for the D.C. Streetcar launched in January 2011.

Transit Access in Washington DC Metropolitan Region (light green lines indicate location of metro region with darker brown regions showing higher transit access), Credit:CNT H+T Affordability Index

The WMATA has also created an array of web tools to help riders simplify their commute, including the Trip Planner, available for bus and rail, which provides riders with destination-to-destination itineraries, and the Rail and Bus Service Status page, which alerts riders to the latest delays and changes in service. For cyclists, the WMATA created the Bike ’N Ride Bicycle Program, which provides information and resources to help commuters integrate biking with bus and rail trips. Residents in the region can now even calculate the costs and benefits of their transit choices with the WMATA Savings Calculator.

For those steadfast single-occupancy vehicle commuters who need extra incentive to expand their transportation modes, Commuter Connections, an online carpooling network sponsored by the MWCOG, launched the Guaranteed Ride Home program (GRH). GRH provides commuters who use a high-occupancy commuting method at least twice a week with an occasional free “emergency” ride via cab, rental car, bus, or train—up to four times per year.