300 Million and Counting

This past week, the population of the United States surpassed the 300 million mark. So now what? We live in a nation that can't support the numbers we have now. I don't have a solution but it makes you wonder when the shortsightedness of the American politician might stop and they begin to realize that ignoring the problems of tomorrow is no longer an option as tomorrow is here.

One interesting sidebar to this story. While note was made of the 300 million mark, I later heard an associated story regarding the impact on transportation. Here in the DC area, they are forecasting that road gridlock will occur in about 25 years. Only with dedicated funds to transportation plans will some breathing room occur.

We have all seen the futuristic movies. Levitating cars and high speed traffic lanes covered with automatic driven vehicles. While that is some time off, something better be done soon. The DC area is trying to do something. Here in Maryland, the Inter-County Connector has been approved and construction may start soon. It is the first step toward what has been termed the "Outer Beltway." The purple line, a new Metro line is also scheduled to be constructed that will alleviate some of the congestion. High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes are being planned for the Beltway in Virginia. HOT lanes allow people to drive in a dedicated lane and pay a graduated toll based on the traffic on the rest of the roadway. Car pools would be allowed to drive in the HOT lanes for a reduced or no cost, driving along would cost you the most, particularly if the road is congested.

Another root problem is the American attachment to their automobile. Until we find a way to make car pooling more palatable to the American commuter, single drivers will still pack the roads every day. My current commute is about fifteen miles. I take the Beltway east (the Inner Loop) in the morning, for the most part without incident. In the afternoon, I go the opposite direction, also usually without delay. The other side however, is usually slammed with traffic. There is usually no reason for the delay, what seasoned commuters simply call, "too many cars, not enough road." Listening to the traffic reports is usually interesting, will you hear about something, or will the traffic stop without explanation.

Another problem with the traffic is there is no good infrastructure for people to take if the Beltway is bad. Surface roads are not capable of handling the increased traffic from people trying to escape the stop and go of the Beltway. It is also noteworthy that "traditional" rush hour has gone the way of the dodo. It used to be that traffic would start at a reasonable hour of 7:00 to 7:30am and be over between 9:00 and 9:30am. But with people moving further and further away from their offices, commuters are hitting the road as early as 4:30-5:00 am and flex time schedules are pushing workday start times to 10:00 or later. Of course this all trickles down to the afternoon rush, which now starts in the 3:00 hour and continues unabated until 8:00pm.

With the increased crush on the roads, a simple car breaking down on the side of the road can cause backups of miles on the Beltway. The other day, I was on my way home and my trip on the Beltway was delayed by nearly 20 minutes because, wait for it, it had rained over Interstate 270 in Rockville, some ten miles from the Beltway. But the traffic to get on I-270 slowed and pushed the delays back onto the Beltway. It is inconceivable how these things occur and somebody better think of something quickly.

In another post, shortly, I'll propose one solution.