courtesy of philliefan99
It seems to me that the first two months of 2009 have been a commuting nightmare. The morning traffic report on NPR is always citing a series of major delays on the metrorail, metrobus or the DC Metro area roadways. In recent days it’s been an Orange/Blue line derailment and traffic ridden lane closures on Route 50, not to mention the havoc caused by Monday’s Snowpocalypse. Even for those of us on foot, the congestion and hecticness of navigating the DC streets seems to have multiplied in 2009. Pedestrians and drivers are more irritable, hasty and almost reckless with their decision making. Yesterday, I saw a jaywalker hastily cross the “Vortex of Doom” (aka the Farragut North junction) without looking both ways and he quite nearly got creamed by a double decker bus. Could the state of the economy and the accompanying angst be trickling down into the state of our daily commutes?
A born and bred New Yorker, Rebecca made the big trip “down south” to DC in 2006 and hasn’t looked back. She spends her days strategizing/planning/ideating how interactive products can help her clients and change the world. In her free time, she explores DC’s ever expanding bar, restaurant and small business scene, plays a crap ton of soccer, attends concerts that contribute to her sleep deprivation and embarks on local adventures. Read why Rebecca loves DC or follow her on twitter.
It does feel different. There’s a lot out there that feels just wrong about the way cars are stacking up, how hard it is to get around the middle of town. I’m not sure if it’s just how crappy this winter has been, weather wise, economy wise, life wise. I’m hoping it gets better, rather than worse.
Part of it, though, starts with each of us. We have to drive better, ride better, walk better, think better, and hope that the rest follows.
My commute from NoVA out to DC has been terrible so far – the trains keep breaking down, and next thing you know, there’s NO TRAIN FROM L’ENFANT TO THE PENTAGON. Just three green line trains down to Branch Ave.
Ugh.