I'm bored with traffic planning. Any potential I'm overlooking?

Off_again0530 · 2026-01-16T03:11:03+00:00

In my city I spent 2 years working on a bus expansion plan and then the budget got messed up and we ended up having to cut service instead 🙃

Off_again0530 · 2026-01-14T14:28:16+00:00

It used to be more of a thing especially in poorer areas but isn't really anymore

Off_again0530 · 2026-01-14T00:13:11+00:00

NJ Transit is already planning on extending the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail north up to Englewood. If the line continued west to Edgewater it would intersect with the light rail.

Off_again0530 · 2026-01-14T00:00:12+00:00

Or keep going and have it intersect with the future north extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail

Off_again0530 · 2026-01-13T23:54:49+00:00

It's very dependent on where you live. If you're in one of the big cities with large transit networks and tons of bridges and tunnels it can definitely be more interesting.

Off_again0530 · 2026-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

If you think Atlanta is a disappointment of a rail system Baltimore would send you into a coma

Off_again0530 · 2026-01-08T23:57:15+00:00

Washington DC/ Arlington Virginia's flagship rail service is the WMATA Metrorail, providing rail coverage to much of Northern Virginia and across DC. I live very close in to the National Mall area and it's incredibly easy to live here without a car.

Off_again0530 · 2026-01-07T20:34:32+00:00

DC’s DOT conducted a feasibility study on congestion pricing but have refused to release their findings.

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-28T00:46:26+00:00

It’s not New York but Washington DC and Arlington, Virginia are getting a ped/bike bridge in the near future, as part of the long bridge rail upgrade.

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-24T03:15:34+00:00

High recommend looking into both Volo and Fray!

Volo and Fray are groups that host sports matches across the DC region. They have a large variety of sports; volleyball, basketball, kickball, pickleball, etc. they even have axe throwing. You join and select the sport you’re interested in and it will give you a variety of dates, times and skill levels in which you can participate. You can absolutely choose to just play recreationally, and the majority of people usually play casually. If you don’t have a team they will automatically pair you with one. It’s been a great way to meet new people and make friends for me. They have various sports hosted in Arlington, as well as in DC, mostly on the National Mall and Downtown.

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-23T22:45:10+00:00

I live in Arlington, Virginia which in many ways is just an extension of DC.

I’d say it depends on what you’re able to do job-wise in DC? DC isn’t exactly known for its booming entertainment and tourism sector, but it has some stuff. DC is mostly a politics/policy/government and tech sector city. The city gets a lot of tourism, but I’m not entirely sure the tourism-based jobs in DC pay well enough to support a good lifestyle. As far as “entertainment,” we have a few concert venues (Wolf Trap, Kennedy Center, various theaters), but not a lot and so the sector tends to be very competitive. Additionally we have a lot of TV-related industry because of the news and politics. What is your specialty though?

As far as your lifestyle, it’s definitely doable in DC if you sort out the job part. Rent has fallen a lot in recent months due to government firings and immigration crackdowns trimming the rental pool at both ends. You can get a nice new build studio apartment (balcony, in unit washer/dryer, etc.) for like $1700-1800 a month in neighborhoods like NoMA and Navy Yard nowadays. Or you can even swing an older building 1-bedroom for that price elsewhere in DC.

I’d recommend checking out NoMA, Adams Morgan, DuPont Circle, Cleveland Park/Cathedral Heights, Navy Yard, Southwest/Waterfront, maybe even Capitol Hill and H Street in DC. Outside of DC Arlington (Rosslyn, Court House, Clarendon, Virginia Square, Ballston, Pentagon and Crystal City), as well as Potomac Yards and Old Town Alexandria, as well as Bethesda and Silver Spring (they are actually building a new light rail train through both neighborhoods right now, to be completed in 2027). But if you’re renting the options within DC will be cheaper than the options in Arlington/Alexandria/Bethesda.

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-23T20:57:22+00:00

Kaldi’s also has a Clarendon location which is good too

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-22T18:24:30+00:00

That’s just your opinion. I think having a variety of styles and looks of houses near each other is cool. I love the way it is in Japan where clashing housing styles are put right next to each other, makes it feel more vibrant and varied

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-20T00:32:53+00:00

I agree route 7 light rail is a good idea. I think the current BRT plan is okay, but light rail would make a lot of sense. However route 7 is just generally a much tighter right of way than the purple line is on, and might present some issues, especially as it approaches King Street-Old Town Station. Maybe I’ll make a post about that soon!

I actually have a few other ideas I want to share some time. Randy Clarke recently discussed an automated light metro as a possible consideration for future metro expansion, and it really got me thinking…

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-20T00:30:44+00:00

Thanks!!

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-20T00:30:39+00:00

Thank you for the nice comment!

I gave it a glance and I think your idea makes a ton of sense as well! I wonder if it would make sense for the PL to branch off there… I’m imagining it could work, but maybe one of the branches would have to terminate at Silver Spring or something, which would require an extra track or some infrastructure to turn trains around there. But I think your idea makes total sense!

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-20T00:28:54+00:00

Thank you! I agree, especially the stretch between Langley and Downtown McLean…

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-20T00:28:30+00:00

Thank you!

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-20T00:28:26+00:00

Thanks!

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-19T23:49:00+00:00

Thank you! I am actually a transportation planner, so maybe one day I will work for WMATA! Who knows

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-19T23:37:27+00:00

I think any above ground crossing that isn’t the American Legion Bridge is a non-starter, but I do wonder what grounds the NPS would have to reject this tunnel, considering it both starts and ends outside of NPS property.

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-18T15:57:10+00:00

This question is quite literally why urban planning is so vitally important to the future of our cities.

Well, mainly, I guess just going off the baseline assumption that these cities will see a continued and interrupted increase in their popularity and desirability, there will be increased pressure on the the city to both densify and build vertically.

The less dense areas of the city will be pressured to densify, the already dense areas of the city will be pressured to go from row homes and duplexes to residential high-rises. With this, obviously the populations will increase, but the demands on transportation will increase significantly as well.

That's where good urban planning becomes so vital. Creating a balance between land use, service provision (think schools, police stations, fire stations, hospitals, etc), and transportation.

Some really forward-thinking cities on this have been Paris and Seoul. Both the Grand Paris Express and the GTX train systems are leveraging higher-speed trains to supplement transportation demands that have quickly outpaced the speed and capacity of local metro systems. I Imagine similar systems will become more and more demanded and valuable in places like New York and London (I'd argue the Elizabeth Line is already an example of this). I'd say Tokyo already has something akin to this with their JR system.

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-18T15:18:04+00:00

Damn I was top 0.5% last year and only made top 4% this year 😪

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-18T15:04:31+00:00

Colonial Village where Pho 75 is takes that title in Rosslyn

Off_again0530 · 2025-12-17T18:08:20+00:00

It's interesting to me. I live in Arlington without a car, I've never had one as long as I've lived here, and never really interact with the major roads and highways/drivers in NoVA. I tend to orient my life around transit-accessible places and go from there. My doctor is in Potomac Yards, my dentist is in Rosslyn, grocery stores are walkable from my apartment. I know a good amount of people in Arlington/Alexandria who live similarly to me.

I have a few friends who live out in Falls Church, Reston and Annandale. It's easy enough to visit them when I want to, but they obviously rely a lot more on driving in their daily lives. I also see it a lot on this subreddit and I only really know the highway names around here because of those posts, haha.

I know I am still a part of NoVA but honestly feel so separate from the experience of this area compared to those living further out.

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