In today’s DMV (D.C., MD, VA) news, we get a joint announcement from the two state govenors about the next, shiny, big plan to alleviate the acknowledged traffic woes around the nation’s capitol.
It’s a rare metropolis that can design and maintain a transportation network that can stay ahead of that region’s economic and population growth. Certain countries have managed to pull it off: Scandinavia, Japan, China have great national systems, while also having smaller city congestion. The U.S. could fall in with this group. Germany stands out from these names, but only due to massive devastation from the war. But even now, their growth is surpassing their transport network.
As it bugs anyone of the commuting amoeba of the planet, whenever some politician gets to announce ‘shovel ready’ projects (Who remembers that term? Bueller? Bueller?), normal people’s eyes pop after the multimillion dollar mark. Or used to pop. Figures of one billion or more are tossed around a) good infrastructure doesn’t come cheap, b) pols that organize big ticket items prove they can be entrusted with national-scale projects (hint, hint).
For those of you who didn’t follow the link, it’s about widening the western sde of the Capitol Beltway of Washington D.C. Those of you who live or traverse this area, you’re well aware that morning rush-hour starts around 0430 and, if lucky, ends by 1000. Only to repeat itself between 1400 to 1900. Ten hours a day, Monday to Friday, people starting their day.
A major factor in this mess is the local geography. D.C. sits between two rivers, the Potomac and the Anacostia. The original residential areas have expanded from within the district itself (c. 1860) to counties in MD and VA, which comprise almost two million citizens (c. 2010).
The second major factor is the centralization of the federal bureaucracy in this area. Originally kept within the District’s borders, the reality of government bloat, archaic restrictions on building (nothing can be built taller than the Washinton Monument), and the refusal of agencies to locate themselves away from the seats of power (can’t get funding / favors if the power brokers don’t interact with you constantly), you end up with overstaffed (autocorrect suggests overstuffed 🙃) agencies.
Last (maybe);
[jeez; it’s the end of the year, and this post got lost in the ether… and is going to be seriously affected by a 90 minute conversation I had with my coworker-in-crime, yesterday]
During lunch (12-30-19) we started talking about traffic-congestion-present infrastructure projects on the I-95 corridor around the Delmarva and points south of D.C.
We agreed that present activities were productive – based on traffic and population models of the early 1990’s. We noted the problem of the bureaucracy’s* amoebic growth along with their attending parasites.
(*Bureaucracies are neither liberal or conservative. Their tendrils expand and consume resources, whoever appears in control. It’s just that identifiable recipients are seen dependent on agendas: left = social beggars, right = military-corporate beggars.)
Having the Great Oracle of Google at our command {relatively – the Oracle only let’s you see what It wants you to see}, we pulled up multiple tabs, windows, and maps. For a Monday, prior to the rush hours, it was pretty green – except for I-95 from Stafford to Thornburg. Little to no construction, it was all accident and rubbernecking delays.
This got us talking about other metro areas and our mutual knowledge of foreign metro traffic problems. Ring roads or beltways are always behind the curve carrying traffic. Simple fact, everyone admits it. But, less than one hundred years ago, the U.S. could: think up a project (roads or other); design multiple options of that project; finance that project (with accompanying graft, etc.); implement the same; and complete the project – often under time and budget, in five years.
By today’s (enlightened) “standards”, it takes in some cases, over thirty years to get to a murky point between the first two stages. In ‘murica. Meanwhile, a strong majority of the rest of the planet – learning from US advances and mistakes, are accomplishing projects that are exponentially greater than those of the past, with longer (planned) life expectancy).
Believe it or not, it is now the year 2020. The italicized bit was written mostly last night. Dick Clark still remains dead, so I remain uninterested in the frivolity of the tee-vee. (Here’s a New Years gift: due to lack of originality in programming, I propose the removal of the 2nd and 4th ‘e’s from the term. Or until reality programming dies an ugly, painful death. Orrrr – with a couple of signed waivers, we up the game to “REAL LIFE PROGRAMMING” that exceeds anything A&E can mooch from various police agencies.
AKA: full-biological Running Man shows. Drop 6 sensory-deprived people of color into NE Arkansas (or N Idaho) on a booze filled Friday night, followed on Saturday by another 6 sensory-deprived Caucasians into Compton, CA. Whoever makes it back to a neutral network’s (ha!) studio by the morning’s teeth and Botox barf parade wins bragging rights. No money: that comes from whatever winning contestant’s agents can cudge from sponsorships over the following five days (updates daily on TMZ with their new host – anybody but that annoying Botox boy).
Someone else can check this post, but I believe this may set the record as the longest post since this blogs’ inception.
Remember to layer your body armor. This newest iteration of a Cold-War will require it. As to multiple outlets for social/electronic media: no worries – mini EMPs will be on the consumer market soon 🌘
Rants Unto the Ether 