If there is no parking at the Metro, then it is absolutely required to have bus
service as long as the Metro is running. I’m too old to walk even 3/4 of a
mile at midnight.
It may be the intent of the developers to get us all into our cars and drive
downtown, which is probably what I will end up doing. Maybe they have an
interest in the parking garages downtown? It’s certainly something to look
into.
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 27, 2022, at 10:37 PM, Richard P. Cember <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Here's my two cents' worth on this. (OK, more like twenty cents' worth.)
1. Construction waste accounts for something like 20% of municipal solid
waste nationwide. It is not a trivial environmental impact. Neither is the
manufacture and transportation of the construction materials.
2. Even parking lots are a kind of open space. I know it is heresy to say
that. That is not to say that all parking lots serve that function, nor that
they should proliferate. And usually a park would be better. But small
surface lots in particular do loosen up the urban fabric just a little here
and there in a way that provides a kind of relief. The current T.P. metro is
kind of a cross between a park and a parking lot. It's not unpleasant.
3. In regard to density, Metro is already not able to handle the ridership
that it has. It's also a rotten experience. It's also on limited service half
the time. I avoid it when I can. I know that's heresy, too. But let's be
honest about it.
4. Unless you are a civil servant or you own your own stable business, you
can't rely on living near your work for more than a few years, until your
next job change. I have twice worked in Silver Spring as a contractor for
NOAA, and walked to work there in both cases, in all seasons. That accounts
for a total of about five of the twenty-one years that I have lived here. If
you have kids in day care, in most cases you need your car. That last one is
a very strong reality.
5. No parking at the Takoma Metro means no use of the Takoma Metro station by
people who live more than a short walk away. I guess people could park in the
Bonifant-Dixon garage in Silver Spring and get on the train there. In fact,
that is what I do whenever I do need to use the Metro. So I suppose losing
that station parking is no big deal.
6. Living where I do, for most of the twenty-one years that I have been in
T.P., I used Silver Spring for most commercial needs. Now it is much less so
for me. It is no longer possible to move around there by car. It's overbuilt
and too congested. Every trip is interrupted by construction, or just plain
traffic. You could say I should go on foot, but I am not going to do that
for, say, grocery shopping, because I don't want to be doing that every two
days, or carrying milk for a half hour in 90-degree weather. Or when I am
busy and I need something from the hardware store. For an hour's walk on a
nice day, sure. For practical purposes, no.
Does this add up to a policy argument against the development? No, because I
have not carefully studied the issues. Plus, even with careful study of the
issues, how you come out depends on what you think is important among valid
competing concerns.
Does it mean that, honestly, that I would greatly prefer it if the project
just goes away? Honestly, yes.
Richard Cember
Boston Ave.
