Tough Questions about Metro to Tyson's and Points Beyond.

By: HeathPulaski
Published On: 9/20/2007 8:06:52 AM

Do we really want Metro coming into Tyson's?  Issue one is we would have non-stop gridlock until it is built and then after it's built we would have the issue of the large Metro Buses clogging Rt7 and 123. 

Then there is a the dark side of metro.  Sure Metro also brings crime to the areas where it has come in.  My grandparents live in Maryland and they moved from Silver Spring to Potomac, Maryland when Metro opened its Forest Glenn Station.  They noted how petty crimes were up as a result of the Metro station.  The number of crimes in Montgomery County do seem to center around Metro stations within a few miles.  That was the reason behind the people of Georgetown opposing metro when it first came into DC.  They understood that Metro along with the benefits it would also bring crime. 

Do we really want to see more crimes in the Tyson's area with the new metro station?  Do we really want all that congestion on our roads while the construction of an above or below rail line?

This is just something to think about, as we talk about Metro to Dullus lets not forget that Metro will also bring Crime.  There was a good reason why they have no metro in Potomac, Maryland or in Georgetown.


Comments



Metro brings crime? (Lowell - 9/20/2007 8:23:44 AM)
Please back that up with statistics.  Here in Arlington, which is filled with Metro stops, our crime rate is extremely low.  Personally, I feel very safe in the Orange Line corridor.  Do you seriously think that criminals take Metro to suburbia to commit their crimes?  Puh-leeze.


Short answer: YES, we want Metro serving Tysons! (Lowell - 9/20/2007 8:25:00 AM)
That's a no brainer, the only questions revolve around the details -- contract terms, above or below ground in Tysons, cost, etc.


Criminals targeting areas where there are people? (TheGreenMiles - 9/20/2007 11:29:02 AM)
I'm shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, that the number of crimes in Montgomery County would center in the densely-populated areas around Metro stations and not in the more sparsely-populated northern sections of the county.  Really, I thought muggers targeted forests and farmers.  Who knew they'd go after pedestrians?


Excellent sarcasm! (Lowell - 9/20/2007 11:48:17 AM)
Seriously, that rocked! :)


You can tell the Red Sox are tanking ... (TheGreenMiles - 9/20/2007 11:51:53 AM)
... because I'm especially bitter this week.


Tough Questions? (Glant - 9/20/2007 1:42:22 PM)
Not at all.  They have all been answered long ago, in numerous public hearings.

"Do we really want to see more crimes in the Tyson's area with the new metro station?" 

Classic straw man question, also known as assuming facts not in evidence.  There may have been a time when mass transit meant more annonymous access, but that time is long gone.  Today's metro is well patroled and has numerous monitoring cameras.  I don't have the statistics, but it would not surprise me to learn that a thief has a higher chance of getting caught if he or she takes metro than if they stay close to home.

"Do we really want all that congestion on our roads while the construction of an above or below rail line?"

Those of us who can look ahead further than tomorrow realize that without rail to Dulles, our roads in this area are going to be more messed up for a lot longer.  So no, we don't want our roads messed up, but we realize that the inconvenience is needed for future good.



Road Congestion will continue with Rail too (HeathPulaski - 9/21/2007 8:19:42 AM)
You are aware that the Congestion on the roads won't go down just becuase you put Rail in to Dullus? 

Portland, Oragon after putting in a rail in Portland Congestion has gotten worse.  While cities like Houston and the Dallas Ft. Worth area who have built more roads have far less congestion then we do here.

Rail isn't the magic bullet that will solve the congestion problem. Most likely it will stay the same.  Like i said my grand parents lived in Silver Spring, before Metro came to Forest Glenn then thety moved to Potomac.  There is more traffic where they use to live today then when Metro came in.



Completely flawed reasoning. (Lowell - 9/21/2007 8:28:04 AM)
There's more traffic in this region because population has exploded along with "sprawl."  People own more cars, drive them more, live further away from where they work, etc., etc.  To expect Metro alone to solve that problem, or even to put a serious dent in it, is absurd.  Having said that, I strongly support expanding Metro, in combination with strong measures to discourage sprawl and encourage "smart growth."  The bottom line is that we have to grow "up, not out."  If we keep growing "out," the associated traffic and environmental problems will continue to get worse.