At a time when the Washington area is booming, the District Department of Transportation wants input from people who live, work and travel in DC on how to improve transportation.
DDOT held an event called The Move DC Idea Exchange Saturday to help shape future transportation improvement projects.
More than 200 people had the chance to talk to leaders, helping to contribute to plans that will hopefully make travel easier for drivers, rail and bus riders, bicyclists and pedestrians.
The event came only a few days after the Texas A&M Transportation Institute named the DC area the most congested metropolitan area in the country. At the same time, the area has added an average of 1,100 people a month for around two years.
“When we have that kind of rapid growth, we have conflicts between people trying to get where they need to go,” explained Sam Zimbabwe, DDOT’s Associate Director for Policy and Planning. “This is an opportunity to resolve some of those conflicts and think about how to balance the needs of everybody going forward.”
Zimbabwe said suggestions ranged from buses to parking, with a focus on capacity as well as safety.
“I don’t know if there’s one greatest area of need… we’re going to have needs all around,” Zimbabwe said.
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DDOT plans to hold similar discussions, starting with public workshops in March.
