published on July 25, 2024 in Quick Update

Annapolis to D.C.? Try the Train

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Regarding your letter from Ellen Flanagan, who is moving to Annapolis from Germany and is seeking advice on commuting to her job near the Kennedy Center.

I have been commuting from Annapolis to D.C. for the last 10 years and use the MARC train out of Odenton. The train takes 30 minutes from Odenton to Union Station and is very reliable. Odenton can be reached from Annapolis by taking Route 97 north and exiting at Route 32. She can also catch the train in Bowie, which is a short ride down Route 50.

Some neighbors who work in D.C. drive to New Carrollton in Prince George's County and take the Metro from there. Other neighbors drive the whole way.

I have driven on occasion through the years and generally leave about 6 a.m. At that hour, it takes as little as 45 minutes to reach my office near the MCI Center, Seventh and F streets NW.

Going home at 4:30 p.m., it almost always takes an hour. The train might be a little slower, but it is a lot more relaxing and much less subject to disruption.

Glenn Furbish

Severna Park

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I am the marketing specialist for the Annapolis Department of Transportation and am responding to the question from Ellen Flanagan of Frankfurt, Germany, who is moving to Annapolis and needs commuting information to her job in the District.

The Maryland Mass Transit Administration contracts an excellent commuter bus service (Routes 921/922) from Annapolis to New Carrollton and downtown D.C. through Dillon's Bus Co. It runs through downtown Annapolis and also serves the Harry S. Truman Park-and-Ride on Riva Road.

Call the MTA at 1-800-543-9809 or visit its Web site, www.mtamaryland.com, for specific route information, or call Dillon's at 1-800-827-3490 or contact them through www.dillonsbus.com.

If she decides to drive to the New Carrollton Metro station, I suggest she arrive early to get a parking space.

If I can help with more information about Annapolis or about the bus service provided in and around town by Annapolis Transit, she may contact me at 410-263-7964, Ext. 1109, or foerp@ci.annapolis.md.us.

She might also wish to contact the Annapolis Regional Transportation Management Association at 410-269-7433 for car-pooling or commuting information.

What useful information, and how kind of you folks to share it. We'll try to forward this to Ms. Flanagan, who might still be in Germany. I suspect the information also may be of use to other folks.

If readers have other "what's the best way to get to work" questions, please contact Dr. Gridlock. I'm encouraged from this exercise. You folks are good resources.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Regarding construction on the Seventh Street SW bridge, and on the Second Street SE to 11th Street SE segment of the Southeast-Southwest Freeway [Dr. Gridlock, July 20], I commute from the same area as your correspondent and have experienced similar delays of growing proportion and frustration.

I commute from Charles County to Arlington, so I need to get through that area to get to work.

The best solutions I have found are your suggestion of the Green Line Anacostia Metro station, or--try this--the Yellow Line Huntington Metro station in Fairfax County.

Huntington is slightly less desirable because of the need to cross the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, but the station has more parking spaces. And if commuting is timed right, it is not much longer than the normal delays experienced with the Southeast-Southwest Freeway construction.

I am waiting for the day the Branch Avenue Metro Station opens in Prince George's County. I trust that the folks at Metro realize the crush of riders they will see and have planned the station to accommodate enough cars and people.

I know from Metro's Web site, www.wmata.com, that the Branch Avenue station will have 3,000 parking spaces. I just have to make it to the opening in January.

Chris Saitta

Thanks for the tip on the Huntington station. Metro says it has planned for enough parking at the new Green Line stations.

Meanwhile, Dr. Gridlock is interested in hearing from Maryland residents about construction problems along the Southeast-Southwest Freeway and about suggestions of other routes to bypass it.

Route 50 Update

An update: The latest timetable for converting the left shoulders on Route 50 in Prince George's County to HOV-2 lanes calls for a start next spring and completion 18 months later. This is from the Capital Beltway to a point just east of the Route 3/301 exit near Bowie.

Keep Dr. Gridlock posted on your Route 50 observations.

Drag Racing Dangers

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

For months now, Martin Luther King Jr. Highway between Ardwick-Ardmore Road and Forbes Boulevard in Palmer Park turns into a drag strip on Friday and Saturday nights. This continues into the wee hours of the morning.

There is motorcycle and automobile racing, which hundreds of young adults line both sides of MLK to watch. Where are Prince George's County's finest when you need them?

This past Saturday night/Sunday morning, I happened to be coming home and almost struck a cycle doing wheelies in the middle of the highway. And as I turned right on Ardwick-Ardmore Road, there sat one of Prince George's County's finest, sleeping in his cruiser.

I guess a terrible accident must occur before someone does something. Would you investigate?

Lenwood Daughety

Mitchellville

According to Cpl. Timothy Estes, a spokesman for Prince George's County police, patrols are dispatched regularly to cite people who drag race on streets or private property. Drag racing is illegal in the county.

"The commanders of the Palmer Park and Bowie District stations have taken steps to deter people from congregating in and on the property of businesses in the areas of Ardwick-Ardmore Road, Corporate Drive, Forbes Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Highway," Estes said.

"On a nightly basis, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, officers from each district conduct patrols and premise checks in the above areas," he said. "The officers on a consistent basis move any potential violators from the parking lots of businesses in those areas. They also make traffic stops."

Estes acknowledged that drag racing on public roads and private property in this area has gone on for years.

I share in your frustration, Mr. Daughety. You paint a picture of rampant drag racing, watched by hundreds of people in a relatively confined area, and police evidently can't stop it.

Estes asks that residents report any incidents to the police stations at Palmer Park, 301-772-4901, or Bowie, 301-390-2100.

Dr. Gridlock asks that you note the name of the officer you report incidents to and that you notify me of time, place, direction, nearest cross street and any other details about drag racing you see in the county.

As for the alleged sleeping policeman, Estes also asks that you report any possible improper behavior by police.

The Inside Line on Turns

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I do not believe drivers (particularly those on Columbia Pike) are familiar with the prohibition of crossing double yellow lines to execute a turn. I thought this was a basic rule that drivers needed to know to receive their driver's license, but I have seen significant backups on Columbia Pike because cars attempt to turn across two lanes.

Traffic would flow more smoothly and safely if drivers would follow this rule. Your column is a perfect medium to remind drivers of some basic rules.

Bill Hayes

Springfield

When I received driver's education long ago, I also was taught that you can't cross double yellow lines to make a turn. But that is not the case in our metropolitan area.

Apparently, there is no such prohibition. Police say that in many cases, crossing the double lines is the only way drivers can get to a residence or business.

Live and learn.

What Are They Thinking?

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

You asked in your column on June 22 whether other folks had seen anything as crazy as the couple riding a tandem bike, towing a child in a baby coach in the middle of the highway.

I think this one comes close enough: One evening, I was driving north on Route 1 between Old Town Alexandria and Crystal City. This area has become increasingly congested of late because of the retail development of Potomac Yards.

What I saw was a young father who had gotten halfway across Route 1 and was stuck at the median. Not so unusual right? Well, this father was on in-line skates, pushing a baby stroller and hanging onto a good-size Labrador on a leash.

This combination seemed like disaster waiting to happen. What do you think?

Alexa VanLandingham

Alexandria

I cannot understand how adults can ferry children in those tow-carriages in traffic. Are they as oblivious to the obvious danger as they appear?

Now you're telling me a father on in-line skates stops at a median, pushing a baby stroller and holding a Labrador? What is he thinking?

I have a question for readers: How can we get parents to protect their children by not towing them in traffic and by not pushing them into a busy street while on in-line skates and clutching a big dog?

This one is chilling.

Endangered Pets

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Cyclists towing animals on the road is dangerous, too. My husband and I were taking our evening walk, and I saw a man cycling on George Mason Drive in Arlington during rush hour with his dog in tow. To make matters worse, the back flap of the tow tent was unzipped.

Not only was the dog's life at risk because a vehicle could have struck the innocent and probably fearful animal but that poor dog could have jumped from the tow tent and caused an accident.

Animals are unpredictable. Not only is towing animals dangerous but putting dogs in open truck beds or leaving the windows open enough for them to escape while you're driving are also unsafe.

I am a pet owner and animal-rights advocate. My pet is part of my family, and I would never put my pet in danger, just as parents should not risk the life of their child. Please share this letter with readers, so they think twice.

Jeannie Smith

Done. Add pets to that list of children who shouldn't be endangered.

Smoothing Out an 'S'

The Maryland State Highway Administration will begin work Monday on smoothing out the ramp from westbound Route 175 (Little Patuxent Parkway) to northbound Route 29.

The current ramp has an S-curve, and the state plans to reconfigure it to allow a smoother curve between those two major roads in Howard County.

Work is supposed to be done outside rush hours. There will be some lane closures on both roads, so watch for signs and look out for workers.

The project is to be completed by year's end.

Dr. Gridlock's assistant, Lori Fischer, contributed to this column.

You can write to Dr. Gridlock, P.O. Box 3467, Fairfax, Va. 22038-3467, or e-mail him at drgridlock@washpost.com. The Doctor's fax number is 703-352-3908. Please include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers.

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