WASHINGTON — Thousands of people live within a half-mile of a Metro station, but some of them still drive because it’s nearly impossible to access the station, according to new report.
The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) identified 25 underused Metro, MARC and VRE stations that could support more riders if access were made easier to pedestrians or bicyclists.
“A lot of times we look at a radius around a station and say ‘Oh half-a-mile, people should be able to walk it. But in fact, it’s not realistic’,” says John Swanson, who assisted in the report.
“This is low hanging fruit. We could add pedestrian access, sidewalks, crosswalks. Some basic low-cost things that could increase ridership at locations where we know the station can handle it,” he adds.
Other options popular are overhead pedestrian bridges, cut-thru access in malls or shopping centers, and walking or biking trails.
Metro points to Southern Avenue and Greensboro as two stations where pedestrian improvements could increase people using the station. Less than one-third of both stations are accessible by foot, and otherwise might be difficult to get to. Places like Court House, Clarendon, Silver Spring, Capitol Heights and Union Station are examples of stations with high accessibility.
“It’s not just providing the access, but also it’s comfortable, safe and attractive for people to use,” says Swanson.
Fairfax County transportation officials are already addressing these issues with several projects in McLean, Greensboro, Tysons Corner, Westpark and Spring Hill.
To listen to the full presentation and the entire TPB meeting, click here.
