The lanes would be paid for by private contractors, who would recoup their expenses via the tolls on the new lanes. Taxpayers would pay virtually nothing. That arrangement allows the state to bypass the inept Montgomery County Council, which has only worsened congestion since the MoCo political cartel seized control of the Council in 2002.
Why Hogan would capitulate to the noisy 1%, who have received outsize coverage from the cartel-controlled local press, is mind-boggling. It's not the first time. When Hogan had the advantage to choose early voting sites favorable to his party in 2016, he buckled and agreed to a Democratic-favorable site plan. What's the point of being governor if you don't exercise the power you hold?
Treasurer Nancy Kopp sounded confused and unfit to serve on the board, claiming to be unfamiliar with the details of a plan Hogan announced two years ago. She sounded an awful lot like our Council, which spent the last four years outlawing Styrofoam, Raid and teenage tanning beds, when they weren't debating whether or not to ban circus animals. Good God. Once again, Beltway commuters have been hung out to dry by our elected officials at both the county and state levels.
Hogan deserves tremendous credit for coming up with a brilliant end-run around our corrupt, criminal and utterly-incompetent County Council that has failed to reduce traffic congestion AT ALL over decades. His plan could theoretically one day deliver the express lanes on the Beltway via yesterday's vote. The problem is, by capitulating to the delay on the Beltway part, Hogan will be long out of office by the time that phase would begin. Instead of locking it in now, Hogan has left it up to the political winds of 2022 and beyond. We know from painful experience, and the child-like ballot choices of low-information voters, how that's likely to end.
Montgomery County is currently at rock bottom in the region in economic development by every relevant measure, from job creation to new business starts to business growth. Meanwhile, Virginia has successfully built the same type of Express Lanes from D.C. to the Fredericksburg area, and is winning all of the jobs and corporate headquarters. Montgomery County, by contrast, hasn't attracted a single major corporate headquarters in over twenty years.
We cannot reclaim our old status as an economic player in the region until we build the long-delayed new Potomac River crossing to Dulles, the M-83 Highway upcounty, and Express Lanes on the Beltway and I-270. Our County Council is one of the few in America actively trying to prevent infrastructure from being built. It's insane.
Transit is not a viable alternative for the vast majority of those using both interstates. The people who propose it with a straight face know that better than anyone - which is why they have to resort to brute force. No one wants to spend two-to-three hours commuting each way daily via transit. The Council's goal is to maintain and worsen congestion to justify their $10 billion Bus Rapid Transit boondoggle, and deliver massive profits to their developer sugar daddies.
The Council must be replaced. We need elected officials who respond to the majority of their constituents who commute by car - not to tie-dye advocates of 1960s bus plans, greedy developers and the Rockefeller Foundation. What irony that Hogan, et al, delayed Maryland Beltway relief at the same time Virginia is starting on the final leg of their Express Lanes to Fredericksburg. Montgomery County is now the bedroom community for the booming job centers in Northern Virginia and the District.
The silent majority must rise up and oust these criminals in 2022.
38 comments:
Prove it. You have been saying for ages a new river crossing and more lanes on 270/495 would be paid for by mostly private funds. However you can’t prove it.
Publish cold hard facts. EXACTLY where the new lanes would go. EXACTLY where would the new bridge go. What homes and businesses would be torn down. What company would build them? How much will it cost? How many jobs will be created?
Oh and who do you think would build? Yea that is right evil developers!!!!! The more roads you build the more EVIL developers will swoop in.
Don’t weasel out by screaming at me that all I have to do is look at google earth to see the empty space set aside for the new bridge. You give no information on who owns what along that so called emptiness.
If you can’t provide useful data to prove your point then you are just an angry blogger.
You want to know why you didn’t win? It is because all you do is rant and rave on how people are out to get you and how you are the ONLY person who can fix the County.
You will probably insult me with name calling or just delete my comment? No matter people still know deep down you are just that creepy guy with the backwards hat inn YouTube
6:20 AM
First of all, the election is over, time to move on. But if you want to talk about it, Dyer had detailed policy proposals and deep knowledge of the issues. He didn't run on "people are out to get me". If you're saying he did, please cite that, otherwise you're just lying again.
Now, his opponents refused to debate and the legacy media had more coverage of Mr. Leventhal's socks (hello WTOP!) than they had of the At-Large race. So, it is understandable you might not have a grasp of the campaign if you weren't paying attention.
Secondly, I notice Dyer's haters have no sense of humor. My God, lighten up a little and occasionally have some fun.
5:38 AM
Someone says something I disagree with = conspiracy
This is the Internet in 2019...lol
So “6:20”. You STILL can’t come up with the data? Deflecting much?
I concur with 6:54
“A well-orchestrated anti-highway campaign, backed by big cash funneled from developers who need congestion to justify their urban projects and shadowy dark-money groups from outside Montgomery County, somehow buffaloed Hogan into agreeing to delay the Beltway lanes.“
“Taxpayers would pay virtually nothing.”, unless of course they choose to actually drive in these hyper expensive toll lanes, likely adding more congestion to the remaining “free” lanes.
Why should we all be expected to all pay to allow remote northern suburbs a faster commute? Get a job closer to where you live, or move closer to where you work, or get a job where you can telework, or best of all, let’s all invest in mass transit like heavy rail, commuter rail, BRT, HOV lanes that we can all share equally. This area is simply too congested to have long distance commuters drive their own cars. Stop expanding and reinforcing suburban sprawl, and spend more energy to add density near existing transit stations to fully utilize the existing infrastructure.
7:00 AM agreed, but there is finite space around existing stations. Shady Grove is the last stop.
I appreciate your reporting about issues that impact our area, but would appreciate it more if it wasn't tinged with your personal political opinions.
Beltway can't be widened because Bethesda/Chevy Chase residents have too much pull. I live near the Beltway in Four Corners. Widening the Beltway would eliminate my barber's shop and the Senior Center.
"The child-like ballot choices of low-information voters"
"The silent majority must rise up and oust these criminals in 2022."
Which is it, Dyer?
LOL
"Now, I will change the topic and mention how grateful and proud I am of those who were fighting 75 years ago today giving all of us the opportunity to express out views, to live relatively safely, and pursue our individual dreams. And to all the women who, with few men home to work, took on the blue collar/white collar jobs to build the machinery needed to be victorious. We can never thank them enough."
Thank you, Anna.
But unfortunately Dyer will accuse you of "stealing valor for the inept Council and the MoCo Cartel."
Dyer, why are developers anti-highway? I think they would be PRO-highway. The reason is if you ease congestion to places like Clarksburg, then they can do more development out there and get higher prices. Sure, you could say the same thing about _keeping_ the congestion and Bethesda, but there just isn't much developer opportunity (land) compared to Clarksburg and beyond.
They can buy up one farm in upper MoCo and build a development of hundreds of homes, and those will sell better if there is less congestion on 270.
I agree Hogan capitulated somewhat, but I wonder if this was his plan all along? Come out with a big plan, have people object, then cut back one bit to appease them but still push forward with the bulk of the plan. He still comes out ahead as he (rightfully) comes out on the side of tackling congestion, while Elrich and his bungling counterparts on the Council just look like idiots who complain but have no alternate plan.
Not the ideal outcome, but it's going to be a big improvement, and that's a huge leap from the last 10 years of non-Hogan leadership where we had no improvements at all.
Any fool that buys a condo in Darnestown, and expects a quick drive down to DC, about 40 miles, deserves to sit in traffic for an hour and one half each way.
Plenty of space to add massive density near transit stations. Just look at how Bethesda is adding 6600 high rise apartments and condos within 1/2 mile of a Red Line and future Purple Line Station, roughly doubling the downtown residental population. They even have three free circulator buses for those that can’t or won’t walk or bike to the transit stations.
Do that at every station on the Metro and Purple Line, and at every MARC and VRE station, and build BRT and separated bike lanes out from there to extend service beyond core stations. Of course some downtown areas are already maxed out but easily 50 locations in the DMV could double their walkshed population close to mass transit. That’s maybe 300,000 more people who could use mass transit and also live in great walkable communities. Or just buy a home in the sprawling suburbs and suffer mind numbing commutes.
This really is not a difficult problem to solve. Reinforce density near existing stations to maximize the use of existing resources.
7:50am more Bethesda condos are great, but rents of $3,000 monthly for a 1 bedroom miss the mark for the sweet spot of folks who aren't wealthy nor qualify for mpdu.
Also, these new buildings skew towards studios, 1 bedroom and 2 bedrooms. Not ideal for family housing.
I'm imagining a family of 4 or 5 deciding to live further out due to housing costs.
Folks, let's be clear:
If you want to read relentlessly positive coverage of our Council, you have many choices. Everything from terrestrial radio (hello WTOP and Kojo) to newspapers and magazines that suck up to local politicians.
Now, if you want balanced coverage, turn to Dyer's network of local news sites.
Sam Eig is outstanding in covering the up county.
Let's be good to each other.
Well, Bobo, you may have a bit of a point. I guess it isn't fair to residents to not give much coverage to candidates with little to no chance of winning. They may have good ideas that people may not hear, and that could be a disservice.
Getting ideas out there is never a bad thing. Any ideas popular enough with voters can always be introduced by others.
8:30am Sounds like Russia where the election is pre determined. I wasn't aware the newsrooms of WTOP and other outlets decided winners ahead of time.
Larry Hogan certainly wasn't expected to win governor the first time. News outlets should cover all of the major races on the ballot, not guess winners.
It is sad there were no debates last cycle.
Bobo, of course you had to take it to the extreme. Of course you did.
It you're passing out blame, then make sure you hand most of it to Robert Dyer.
His campaign, his choices.
8:47am I agree, Dyer ran on solid proposals.
Lexus Lanes
Sam Eig is the up county node on Dyer's local news network. Very popular.
Please stop claiming commenters are Robert Dyer, without any proof.
10:07 AM Chicken or the egg: If you refuse to cover the races and the candidates, then why would folks contribute? Again, as someone else said, it sounds like Russia.
MoCo's Democracy is dying in the darkness
"Yes, others are running but they have no chance- we all know Putin will win"
10:45 AM Yes, I'm sure he was roused from his bed.
12:00PM Thanks.
We saw it all happen from our office windows. Windows on the world really.
1230 shocked dyer didn't jump on this since marriott is his favorite target.
12:34 PM We're shocked too.
We were riveted watching the rescue while having our Thursday catered lunch.
We delayed publishing today's Bachelorette episode recap out of respect for the injured.
Read all about it in our Winter 2019/2020 issue. In waiting rooms this December.
Everyone bookmark Sam Eig!
@#1:58 At least the main rapist was not white. Not sure about the others.
8:30: You just made a fool of yourself again: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one such candidate that everyone claimed "could not win."
The media's job is to cover the election, not pick the winners. It's because the media falsely claims "Republicans can't win" that few people are willing to donate to GOP candidates. You therefore cannot use contributions as a measure of Republican candidate credibility or support.
Robert Dyer: "Our Council, which spent the last four years outlawing Styrofoam, Raid and teenage tanning beds, when they weren't debating whether or not to ban circus animals."
-Styrofoam is an environmental hazard.
"Raid" has not been banned. The issue is lawn pesticides. Montgomery County Bill 54-14 explains in detail why the ban of certain pesticides for use on lawns is necessary:
Exposure to certain pesticides has been linked to a host of serious conditions in children including pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems such as ADHD, and the following conditions in adults: Parkinson’s disease, diabetes leukemia, lymphoma, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, reproductive dysfunction, Alzheimer’s disease, and a variety of cancers including breast, colon, prostate and lung cancer.
Clean water is essential to human life, wildlife and the environment, and the unnecessary use of pesticides and herbicides for cosmetic purposes contributes to the deterioration of water quality, as substantiated by several studies including the 2014 USGS study which found that 90% of urban waterways have pesticide levels high enough to harm aquatic life.
Bees and other pollinators are crucial to our ecosystem, and the use of neonicotinoid insecticides, which have been repeatedly and strongly linked with the collapse of honey bee colonies, as well as harm to aquatic insects and birds, pose an unacceptable risk to beneficial organisms.
-Excessive UV exposure causes skin cancer, including melanoma. Of course our children should be protected from it.
But no...to the perpetually adolescent Robert Dyer, whose perspective does not extend beyond his own nose, it's just "Waaah! You librulz just like to ban stuff!"
7:52: Styrofoam is most definitely not "an environmental hazard." Neither are plastic straws. In fact, the banning of plastic straws (probably next on the Council's "Ban Stuff" list) will have no impact on trash or marine life, scientists have admitted.
None of those claims have been verified, but the banning of pesticides over the decades has given us the glorious results of the return of bedbugs to hotels, trains, hospitals and other public places. Heckuva job, Brownie!
You are claiming that parents are not smart enough to advise their children about skin cancer? We need Big Government to step in? LOL.
I don't think classical liberals like to ban stuff, but the Communists on our County Council sure do. It's an easy way to look busy, get on the news, and it doesn't actually take any funds (of which they have little, thanks to the moribund economy they created), brains or insight, all of which are in short supply on this Council.
Since taking office in December, they've manage to increase our tax burden, stop traffic relief on the Beltway, jabber on about Trump and bash the men and women of our police department non-stop.
The Councilmembers are Total Losers!
Saith Dyer: "Styrofoam is most definitely not "an environmental hazard." Neither are plastic straws. In fact, the banning of plastic straws (probably next on the Council's "Ban Stuff" list) will have no impact on trash or marine life, scientists have admitted."
Dyer, you are the epitome of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
This is what actual scientists say about styrofoam (AKA polystyrene):
Polystyrene foam contains likely cancer-causing chemicals that can leach into the food and drinks they hold, making them dangerous to consumers. Littered polystyrene foam never fully degrades yet absorbs other chemicals from the environment, which bioaccumulate up the food chain affecting the fish, oysters and crabs that may consume them, resulting in potential harm to people who eat Maryland seafood. We must ban the foam because everyone deserves to enjoy Maryland's food, drinks and scenery without these harmful products.
Styrene, the main ingredient in polystyrene foam, is a likely human carcinogen, according to both the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Toxicology Program. In mice, it causes lung tumors. In people, it increases the risk for leukemia and lymphoma. Styrene-exposed workers in plastics and rubber industries suffer higher rates of cancer, and female workers may have increased risk of miscarriages. As far back as 1982, the EPA discovered styrene in the breastmilk of all of the women tested in four different U.S. cities. Heating up polystyrene foam containers can cause the styrene to leach into the food or drinks. This toxin has no place in our bodies, schools, restaurants or homes.
In addition to threatening our health, styrene threatens our waterways and the ecosystems that depend on them. In 2014, 28.5 million pounds of styrene made in the U.S. found its way into the environment. People litter polystyrene foam more than any other waste product. Though it's only 1 percent of all waste, it makes up 10 percent to 40 percent of litter found in streams. In our own Baltimore City, nearly 420,000 polystyrene containers have been collected in the Jones Falls Water Wheel since May 2014. That's more than one for every adult in Baltimore. In addition to being an eyesore, all that foam leaches chemicals into the environment, affecting the fish, crabs and other wildlife that may consume it. Polystyrene foam does not decompose and will continue to accumulate in the environment we depend on for our food until it is banned.
"George Leventhal's colorful socks"
"F Ton of Mayo"
"Hand-Lettering Society"
Just three of the tiresome talking points repeated ad nauseum by Dyer's Little Helper.
9:16: And yet they sum up the last 20 years of media coverage of Montgomery County so well.
9:10: Note how often you used the word "likely" in that argle bargle about Styrofoam.
Who are "we," and who says we "must ban" Styrofoam? It appears to remain legal across the vast majority of our nation.
Styrofoam packaging is now illegal in Maine, Maryland and in the following cities across the country:
New York City (and several other cities in New York)
Seattle, Washington
Washington DC
Miami Beach, FL
Freeport, Maine
Portland, Maine
Nantucket (City & County), Massachusetts
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Portland, Oregon (and several other Oregon cities)
Los Angeles County and San Francisco, California (and many other cities and counties in CA).
These are just some of the problems with styrofoam:
-It does not biodegrade. It may break into small pieces, even minuscule pieces. But the smaller EPS gets, the harder it is to clean up.
-Hazardous chemicals may leach if they come in contact with hot, greasy or acidic food. Yes, they keep your coffee hot – but they may also add an unwanted dose of toxins to your drink.
-Animals eat it. Turtles and fish seem to mistake EPS for food, and that can kill them. Not only can they not digest it, but the foam could be full of poisons that it has absorbed from contaminants floating in the water.
-It can’t be recycled. Some commercial mailing houses may accept packing peanuts, but for the most part community recycling centers do not accept throwaway foam food
10:31 AM Putting your cheap shots against Dyer aside, it seems like Robert's reporting isn't your cup of tea. Why continue to visit and personally attack him?
No one is forcing you to come here.
I know I'm feeding the troll here, but I'm really trying to help you. I know some good therapists if you want to private message me.
12:08 PM If the definition of "crazy" is doing the same thing again and again expecting a different result, then that would apply to you, right?
Remember, you've posted 10+ comments today, many of which Robert had to delete since they were off topic or offensive.
You continue to claim, without evidence, that I'm Robert Dyer. I've never met the man.
I'm willing to facilitate your first counseling session. Let me help you. Please.
@2:30 PM and 2:53 PM: Time to up your game. Tom Andrews made two points; neither of you addresses either one.
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