BETHESDA AVENUE DETOUR THIS WEEKEND AT BETHESDA ROW (PHOTOS)

Watch for a detour on Bethesda Avenue at Woodmont Avenue this Saturday and Sunday, between 4:00 AM and 9:00 PM. (Note that the person who programmed the electronic signs below did not have a 2013 calendar handy!)

It would be smart to allow extra time for driving and/or riding the Bethesda Circulator bus in that area of Bethesda. This could turn out to be a huge mess around the Row this weekend.

I might suggest using Elm Street if you are coming to Bethesda Row this weekend. All nearby public and private garages have access via Elm Street. You still may encounter backups on Elm, if they direct cars that way on the detour, however.

I'm sure nearby businesses will be thrilled by this closure! Obviously, this is due to the construction directly adjacent to the intersection.

VAMOOSE BUS TO RESTORE BETHESDA - NYC BUS SERVICE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31

Vamoose Bus has announced it will restore bus service between downtown Bethesda and New York City tomorrow.

Which is pretty impressive, given that their route travels directly through and into the states hardest hit by Sandy.  The company says to expect some delays, especially due to closures on the New Jersey Turnpike.

But bus service it is, and a good bargain if you need to get to NYC to visit family after the storm tomorrow, for example.  Great work by Vamoose, and the men and women who have been working around the clock to keep roads open for the rest of us: police, firefighters, road crews, rest stop employees, and many more - thank you!

RIDE ON PULLS 26 BUSES FROM FLEET AFTER LATEST BUS FIRE, SYSTEM ON HOLIDAY SCHEDULE THURSDAY, FRIDAY

Attention Ride On riders:

Your bus will be on a "modified holiday schedule" Thursday and Friday.

Montgomery County Executive has pulled 26 Champion buses from the Ride On fleet after yet another one burst into flames.

The bus drivers' union had urged Leggett to do so for months.

One exception to the special schedule relevant to the Bethesda area is that the Route 2 bus to Walter Reed will have full service both days.

All bus routes will run, but will have 20% less frequency.

DOWNTOWN BETHESDA'S NEW PARKING LOT DELAYED

DESPITE CLOSURE OF 3 DOWNTOWN

PUBLIC PARKING LOTS, NEW LOT 8

YET TO OPEN ON ST. ELMO

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Summer is almost here.  The weather is getting warmer.  College students will be returning home in the coming weeks.  In other words, the peak time of the year for downtown Bethesda is upon us.  With it comes more pedestrians, more outdoor diners and more cars.

With a whopping 3 downtown public parking lots now closed, where are they going to park?

It's unlikely the Bethesda Row public garage will be saying 100 vacancies on the electronic counter outside, when temperatures and weather turn wonderful.

One small band-aid was the new Lot 8 on St. Elmo Avenue.  Yet, it seems to have been abandoned for months.  As of Tuesday evening, it was still barricaded and closed to the public.  The lights were to have been installed, and everything else appeared to be in place.

So what happened?

Time's running out to get Lot 8 open for summer!  It's clear what has to be done.  Now, as James Carville would say, they "need to get down here and start doin' it!"

AMTRAK ACELA

IS THE

SMARTER CHOICE

BETWEEN DC & NYC

Yesterday's USA Today Money section had a front page article that again demonstrated the advantages of train travel from Washington, D.C. to New York City.

High-speed rail is the long term solution to air traffic congestion around New York. But we have a good alternative for now with Amtrak's Acela, a high-speed train slowed by a track configuration not designed for the larger curve radii high-speed trains need.

New York's airports are near the bottom in on-time performance.

Meanwhile, Acela averages 84% on-time performance according to a December 2011 report by the United Rail Passenger Alliance. Compare that to Liberty Airport, with a 66% on-time arrival rate.

While the article describes air delays in terms of hours, Acela travels from DC to New York in 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Beyond that, while both have obstacles to reaching perfect performance, consider that planes idling on tarmacs are burning exhaust. Even during its worst delay, the Acela is powered by electricity, with a far lower environmental impact.

Even today, rail travel to New York beats air travel hands down.