Purple Line would contribute to congestion, not solve it

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Purple Line would contribute to congestion, not solve it

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At times it is discouraging to be confronted with yet another communication from a reader on the imagined merits of the Purple Line, and the sins of commission and omission of those who dare oppose it.

A good example is the message in the June 25 letter, ‘‘People’s safety takes precedence over trail users’ wishes.” It states, ‘‘Millions of tax dollars were spent buying the CSX right of way in order to build a light rail, not a nature trail ...”

Surely the writer was aware that the right-of-way was obtained under the provisions of the Rails to Trails Act, and under the terms of that act the trail in question can be reclaimed by the CSX for freight use if ever so needed.

It might have been wiser for light-rail enthusiasts to have stuck with the County Council’s original plan for that right-of-way: running old-fashioned trolleys through the woods to take people to the trestle over Rock Creek. But those plans perished with the Chevy Chase Land Co.’s decision to build the ‘‘New Friendship Heights” where the trail crosses Connecticut Avenue and borders the company’s own properties. As those familiar with mall operations suggest, there can be no successful mall that does not offer rail transit connections. A ‘‘New Friendship Heights,” therefore, demands a rail transit link, which is what the Purple Line is all about.

It speaks for itself that, after all this time, big questions about the Purple Line remain carefully unanswered. How would the Purple Line reach the Silver Spring Transit Center? How will the clear cutting and removal of thousands of tall trees on the trail be accomplished without seriously damaging whole neighborhoods? More important still, what will be the effect of this mammoth public works project on the Rock Creek watershed and so on the Potomac and the Bay itself? And can the state and the county afford such an undertaking?

And at this juncture what more relevant comment on the Purple Line can there be than the quote, recently released and attributed to the state’s man in charge of the project, that its purpose is not and never has been to reduce congestion on the roads. But saying that is not the way to get financing for a New Friendship Heights on a small area centered on Connecticut Avenue where it, Jones Bridge Road East-West Highway and the Beltway access ramps all converge. But the Purple line will be a splendid way to increase the congestion that there already abounds.

J.A. Warnock, Chevy Chase