Monday, May 25, 2009

HOT Lanes on 395 Not Our Burden To Bear

Residents of Parkfairfax and Fairlington have started up a petition to oppose HOT lanes inside 395 (here's a letter to the editor about it in Alexandria Times). I can't agree with them more on the impacts to neighborhoods inside the beltway. Just like the partially approved widening of I-66, the only people that stand to benefit are those who chose the suburban life. Those big, cheaper houses with lots of land come with a cost that they do not want to pay: long commutes. It is not the responsibility of inner communities to pony up quality of life when those in the outer suburbs get tired of the traffic.

There are numerous options on the table that come at the cost of those who serve to benefit (HOV 3 and congestion pricing come to mind). Repeat: communities inside the beltway should not be expected to sacrifice to benefit the commutes of those outside the beltway.

Sign this petition
if you oppose HOT lanes inside the beltway on 395.

1 comment:

Diana M Rodriguez said...

You are 100% right! If you chose to live outside of the area, in order to live in a giant house, that is YOUR problem. I do not wish to fund or endure the aggravation for helping to enable this mess. I think VRE and other viable options NEED to be explored. MORE cars in more lanes is NOT a solution. Especially for those of us who don't have issues with our commutes.