Virginians would rather drive than ride Metros Silver Line
Metros Silver Line in Northern Virginia has been 20 years in the making, cost huge sums of money and caused major traffic delays during construction. But will it, in fact, take many drivers off the road and so ease congestion?
Dont count on it, according to a recent Washington Post poll. Only 12 percent of Northern Virginians take Metrorail often, down from 19 percent in 2010 and 23 percent in 2005. Of this group, only half say they would ride the Silver Line frequently or sometimes.
A whopping 85 percent of Northern Virginians drive to work, compared with 75 percent in Maryland and less than half of District residents (where nearly 40 percent of households dont own a car). Metro is planning for 25,000 new passenger trips on the Silver Line in the first year, 15,000 of whom could be people who drive now.
You wont find it heavily patronized when it first opens, Ronald Kirby, director of transportation for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, told the Post. It is designed to stimulate development around stations in Tysons and around Loudoun County.
The first section of the line, from Tysons to Reston, will open next year. The second section, going to Dulles and into Loudoun County, is scheduled to open in 2018.
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