Transit Diary: A planning professor crisscrosses state lines on trails & rails

Transit Diaries is a series in which residents of Greater Washington track how they get around the region for a week, shedding light on what’s working well and not so well with our transportation systems. Read past Transit Diaries.

I’ve had a mixed relationship with driving. Like many, apparently, I failed my first driving test at the parallel parking phase and generally found driving to be a chore. Problem? I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta where the only way to be move around was to drive. So I drove.

I spent my 20s organizing my life so I could be more independent by living in transit-rich spaces with walkable amenities. Whether I lived in Baltimore, Austin, Richmond or DC, I looked for coffee, groceries and corner bars within walking distance. Yet because of the policy decisions that created and maintain historic inequality in the built environment (including restrictive zoning, racialized devaluation of property and unequal distributions of transportation), it also placed me squarely in internal conflict related to affordability, sustainability and gentrification wherever I lived.

Last summer I sold my Honda Fit for two reasons: 1. I spent a couple of years watching it collect dust, pollen, and dings on the street; and 2. I got a new job directing the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Because I live on the Hill and work in College Park, I have three ways without a car to get to work: the wonderful bike trails, Metro and MARC. UMD also offers incentives to non-drivers. Initially I thought I would bike to work daily on my gravel bike, but REI had a massive bike sale (and I wanted to still love biking for fun after commuting all week), prompting me to pick up the Co-Op Cycles e1.2 Electric Bike. My job entails significant travel across the region in addition to the commute, and so in the past three months, I’ve put more than 800 miles on the bike, and commute on my gravel bike about once a week.

I chose this week because there is a lot to talk about – both because of the disparate locations and because the time change complicates my commute, and that seems important to highlight.

Day 1: Thursday, November 2

It was 32 degrees when I left the house and hopped on the Anacostia Trail via Benning Road. I had to be at the Hotel at UMD for the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network’s conference opening keynote for the day so I opted for the e-bike. I ride from Capitol Hill (NE) to the University of Maryland campus (Here’s to all the daily Anacostia Trail commuters I greet as we pass!). Luckily, the bulk of the ride is off street.

Highlight: Happily, the Hotel has accessible bike parking near the front door so I was able to walk in and get coffee in time for the opening speaker. The feeling only just began to come back into my toes when I had to head out for a meeting across campus.

Hitch: As the leaves have fallen, the edges of the Anacostia Trail have been increasingly hard to see. Just as challenging, the curves are a little dicey with the unpredictably loose leaves. This has slowed me down a little in the last few weeks. It also reminds me that when it snows/ices, the trail typically does not get cleared.

Wildlife Count: 2 multi-point bucks, 1 large doe, a chunky marmot, a friendly cormorant and a number of bold squirrels.

Bike Miles: 23.5

Day 2: Friday, November 3

Today was a remote workday combined with lunch in Long Branch as part of a Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC) tour. I opted for the e-bike as per usual. It was a little windy, but not terrible, and the ride was mostly MBT (off street ~6 miles and a mix of small streets and bike lanes for the remaining 3 ½ miles). But it was definitely hilly on the Maryland side, so I was happy to have the e-bike!

Long Branch was notable because many of the areas around the future Purple Line stations – particularly as you move east - are clearly the area not designed for the people living in the area, many of whom are immigrants from around the world, as well as many other working-class families. Instead, it is designed for people passing through. The result is a lot of small and local businesses, unsubsidized affordable housing – some of which has been preserved as part of PLCC’s goal of helping to preserve or create 17,000 affordable homes - and pedestrians amid 6-lanes of traffic.

Highlight: It was exciting to see Long Branch and get a sense of some of the real small business work of the PLCC. Unlike a lot of my meetings on the Purple Line Corridor, this was easily accessible by bicycle. Long Branch has a delightful neighborhood retail area that has been working with the Montgomery Housing Partnership to support the long-standing businesses and renovate buildings and public spaces through community-engaged processes.

Hitch: That evening we headed up to The Avalon Theater in Chevy Chase, DC to see Rustin. Sadly, 18 miles (round trip) on a bike were too much for a movie that ended at 9:30, and transit took two buses and more than an hour so my partner and I drove up and back. Given the history of this community, it is not terribly surprising. While design is not everything, living patterns are sticky, and it often takes a disruption to make big changes, arguably because it’s difficult to reimagine your world once you’ve settled in it. (One hopes the neighborhood’s small area plan, which could bring more life to the downtown of the neighborhood on a Friday night, could help to improve access – both in terms of transportation and affordable housing).

Bike Miles: 19.25

Driving Miles: 18.5

Day 3: Saturday, November 4

Errands! We had to hit up Lowe’s and Costco for some pre-Thanksgiving things. Ft. Lincoln, which has the same design as was planned during its 1972 Urban Renewal/New Town Plan, is sadly, not conducive to biking, walking or easy bus access. Frequent subjects of conversation whenever we go to Ft. Lincoln are:

• They broke ground well after we knew that you don’t need to have enormous parking lots and single-use zoning;
• Why is Bladensburg Road completely unplanned between Maryland Avenue and New York Avenue??
• A Bus Rapid Transit system that goes down Bladensburg Road and NY Avenue would be pretty transformative.

Driving Miles: 9

Day 4: Sunday, November 5

Sunday’s primary mobility activities were grocery shopping and exercise. I used the e-bike to get the household groceries at Safeway. This trip (3/4 mile) is walkable, but not for a full shop on my own. Honestly, the e-bike made neighborhood errands in which I need to purchase heavy or plentiful items (Frager’s, Safeway, etc) so much more manageable without driving.

In the afternoon we took a ride up the Anacostia Trail to Riverdale Park’s Town Center Market for a drink. We were not the only ones with this idea. Between NFL fans inside and cyclists outside, the market was full and lively. The downside was that the Camden Line doesn’t run on the weekends (like the Penn Line does) so the train traffic was minimal at the station.

Bike Miles: 18

E-bike Miles: 2

Day 5: Monday, November 6

I was giving a guest lecture at UVA, so…It was time for an Amtrak ride! I chose Amtrak for several reasons:

1. There is no glory in sitting on I-66 in Fairfax County,
2. I could get 4 hours of work done on the train so it simplifies my day,
3. Virginia’s investment in rail means reliable service and $11 tickets; and
4. It’s hard/illegal to eat a cheese plate/drink a beer on the highway.

I spent a lot of time on Amtrak up until May of this year due to my previous job at Virginia Commonwealth University. While I lived in DC, I taught at VCU, and so every Tuesday, I took the 7:20am Northeast Regional South to Main Street Station, and every Thursday, I took the 5:00pm back. The train gave me a chance to prepare my lectures, decompress, etc.

Highlight: I walked from my house to Union Station and spent the ride south prepping my guest lecture and catching up on work for an 11am meeting. I then walked from the Charlottesville station to Grit Coffee near campus to have my meeting, get a snack and meet up with my colleague for whom I was giving the lecture. I was able to walk around Charlottesville and even check out the UVA Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. I caught up with a friends for drinks by the station and made my 7pm train home without incident. My partner picked me up in the car from Union Station at 9:30pm. I could have walked, but after a long day, it is nice to get home in 5 minutes, rather than 15.

Walking miles: 6.7

Train Miles: 240

Driving miles: <1

Day 6: Tuesday, November 7

Back to the office on the e-bike.

Hitch: The shift to standard time makes my commute challenging for a few months. The Anacostia Trail is largely unlit, and, because it runs through a heavily wooded area once it crosses into DC, the trail is particularly dark when the sun goes down. I have lights and have skated pretty close to darkness, but it still feels a little unsafe due to the curves, wildlife and leaf cover.

Highlight: The good news about the region is that there is an alternative that is almost equidistant. It takes me onto more city streets, which means more opportunity for riding among cars in the dark. Typically, it’s not a terrible ride – Trolley Trail > Anacostia Trail (NW Branch) > Varnum (via Allison Street) and crossing to the MBT on Taylor Street NE, and today it was fine. The MBT was the most challenging given the high volume of e-bikes, scooters and regular bikes swerving around the high number of pedestrians.

E-Biking Miles: 21.2

Day 7: Wednesday, November 8

My last day of the transit diary.

Highlights…all highlights: I had to be at a professional meeting back in the District in the afternoon so I took the e-bike (I needed to look professional, and I don’t after 10 miles of biking). After the meeting I biked over to Red Bear to meet my partner for drinks. The magic of the last day of the transit diary was coming out of REI and finding that someone had left four unopened DC Brau beers on the rack of my bike. So…thanks to the beer fairy, whoever you may be.

E-Biking Miles: 22.6

Final tally: 15 trips

Mode	Number of Trips	% of the Total Number of Trips
Walking	2	13%
Biking	1	7%
E-bike	9	60%
Driving	2	13%
Amtrak	1	7%
Total	15	100%

What I learned

This week has come after a recent change in my transportation behavior from weekly Amtrak, biking short distances in the city of Richmond and biking long distances largely for exercise to daily commutes of 10 miles up the Anacostia River, so it was nice to reflect.

I did a bike trip in northern Europe a couple of years ago, and I was struck by the way that American parents make work for themselves when they don’t vehemently demand bike paths. As I traveled between cities, I got stuck behind kids from eight to 18 biking to school. Meanwhile American parents are sitting in a long line of cars to drop their kid off, pick them up, take them to another activity, etc etc. What has been exciting is that in parts of Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties – particularly the parts inside the beltway and close to the University, the paths have really expanded. This has made more things – commuting to work and school, working out and walking – possible off-street. In DC, the addition of bike lanes like 9th Street NW, C Street NE, Pennsylvania Avenue SE, 15th Street NW/SW have made commuting viable for more than insane cyclists (like me) who ride Massachusetts Ave and other unprotected routes.

But this is not universal. This year, I’ve biked to the Takoma-Langley Crossroads twice, Lanham once and navigated Rockville via bike. Other than for work, I can choose when and whether I go there. But I’ve watched families cross East-West Highway, University Boulevard, New Hampshire Avenue and Adelphi Road to get to and from school, work, shopping and childcare, and it was clear, the neighborhood was not for them.

Whether a neighborhood was designed to be exclusive and exclusively navigated by car, designed to be isolated and poorly served by city services, or designed for those driving through, rather than those living in it, the built environment is difficult to shift. I always tell my students that thinking critically about planning and engaging with the community is important because when we as planners mess up, we do it in concrete that lasts generations.

In short, once things are built, it is hard to have them unbuilt because it is difficult to imagine that it has not always been there. While this is not impossible to change, it does take a radical reimagining. The construction of highways in this country was not bad because we got the number of lanes wrong; highways were a mistake because we fundamentally did not think the communities they destroyed mattered. That was what the Emergency Committee on the Transportation Crisis and other protests against Urban Renewal, gentrification and other forms of displacement were and are about.

In this new position, I’ve been excited to watch the work of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition in the work of radically reimagining who transit should serve and what it means to actualize that in affordable housing preservation and creation, small business support and transportation advocacy. To be clear, this is not a particularly difficult or hidden solution. Maryland Avenue SE felt like a minor highway when I moved to the Hill in 2007. Cars would speed through en route to 295, putting neighborhood residents at risk as they cut through. But during lockdown, construction began on Maryland Avenue, reducing the number of lanes, adding turn lane, adding bike lanes and narrowing the distance people need to walk across through Complete Streets design.

We can do this – we just have to be bold enough to rethink who we plan for.