Comments

• On the article Fewer Marylanders Expected to Travel During 2013 Memorial Day Weekend

  Eric S.

  9:24 am on Friday, May 24, 2013

  We're not leaving town because of a wedding on Sunday. If it weren't for that, we'd have bailed already, gas prices or no.

  Now, airline prices, that's what really is the kicker.

  Reply

• On the article Corridor Cities Transitway, Traffic Relief in the Distance for Commuters

  Eric S.

  9:58 am on Monday, May 20, 2013

  Of course, if you own your house, good luck selling it right now for any sort of value, and then you're moving somewhere often more expensive, and after all of that. . . the company will likely lay you off in a year or two anyway. Or, you'll be there forever, afraid to change jobs and better yourself because the rest of the opportunities are way the hell away. . .

  Don't get me wrong, I work two blocks away from home, and I love it. Part of getting this job was because commuting from Chevy Chase to Elkridge was horrible. It's definitely not always so simple though. :(

  Personally, I'm more in favor of companies being more open to telework, but that's me.

  Reply

• On the article State of Maryland to Cancel 3 ICC Bus Routes?

  Eric S.

  9:10 am on Monday, May 20, 2013

  Nobody wants to ride a bus? Really? Then why are commuter buses from all over creation packed going to and from places like DC and Tysons? And what do Rockville Pike buses have to do with cross-county buses on the ICC?

  I think the issue with these actual buses having low ridership has more do with with the fact that cross-suburb transit is always a hard situation. Some people do it, but the mass isn't there compared to in and out of the city. And with the exception of Bethesda, none of those other places are even vaguely easy to get around without a car. On a similar note, some people who could really use those routes (either due to lack of a car or trouble affording gas) may not need them on traditional commuting hours. So unless you run these buses more often at odd hours, and make sure there's a good end way to get around when you get to the endpoints, they aren't going to get great overall ridership.

  And the ICC is relatively new. I hope they keep the idea of the buses and figure out what works. It's going to get a lot easier on this end of the ICC in the coming years to be without a car when you get here. The PG and Howard County sides are miserable without a car, but many of them (esp. PG) are way more affordable to live in, so I expect the bus haters are going to lose out here as people come in from there to here to work.

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• On the article Speak Out: Americans Are Driving Less, Is MoCo Following Suit?

  Eric S.

  8:58 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013

  Some parts of the county, particularly downtown Bethesda, Friendship Heights, downtown Silver Spring, and to some extent downtown Rockville and Wheaton near the metro are easy enough to do car free. In the rest of the county. . . I did it for a couple years in Gaithersburg, and it was HORRIBLE. I did it out of necessity for money reasons, but it was still a huge pain.

  Some of it I'm sure has to do with gas being expensive, and as the article says, people without jobs don't commute. Also, younger people tend to flock to cities where -- surprise surprise -- you are less likely to need a car if you're in the right city. I think generationally, it's just that some younger people of previous generations were more inclined to the suburbs or non-transit cities.

  And the other generational angle is that young people are less likely to get jobs and/or move out of home sooner than they used to, so again, no commute.

  Reply

• On the article Where in Bethesda or Chevy Chase?

  Eric S.

  8:46 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013

  I couldn't read the sign in the background, so I kept yelling "ENHANCE!" at my computer.

  Sadly, it didn't work.

  Reply

• On the article Can MoCo/Silver Spring/Bethesda Nightlife Compete With Hanging in DC?

  Eric S.

  2:32 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

  I'd rather hang out in Bethesda because frankly I really don't like Adams Morgan. It's funny to see this being a "problem" though, since I feel like nights are usually pretty packed in Bethesda at many places. That, and when I hang out with people who live upcounty, many of them come down to Bethesda, Clyde's in Friendship Heights, and Silver Spring to go out instead of all the way to DC. Half of the people there seem to be coming from Gaithersburg, Germantown, Wheaton, etc.

  Now, if they're trying to get more people to go out elsewhere in the county, i.e. farther up the pike, Wheaton, Olney, etc., then that's a different issue. Those places have a nightlife, but definitely a different crowd, mostly regulars it seems like.

  Curious to see how this pans out.

  Reply

• On the article Bethesda Eatery Update: Ri Ra, Panera, Max Brenner

  Eric S.

  3:40 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013

  Had no idea BD's closed. But Panera? Really? Ugh. The reason I leave Friendship Heights to go eat in Bethesda is because of the relative lack of bland uber-chains.

  Reply

• On the article Metro Updates: Adding Silver and Purple to the Red, Orange, Green Mix

  

  Eric S.

  10:14 am on Monday, May 13, 2013

  Because no regular mortal can afford a house anywhere near Bethesda, but plenty of people work in the area? Double that with the crapton of people coming in one stop away at Medical Center.

  The beltway is crowded enough as it is in that direction, and could use some relief. This is a way more useful East-West route than the ICC.

  (Apologies if this posts twice. Patch keeps eating my comments.)

• On the article MoCo Food Trucks Park It, Online

  Eric S.

  9:45 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2013

  Glad to see talk of food trucks that aren't just the DC ones. Wish I saw more of them (either DC or MOCO) in Friendship Heights, but still happy to see talk of any of them that are not downtown.

  Reply

• On the article Will You Bike to Work on May 17?

  Eric S.

  10:32 am on Monday, May 6, 2013

  No, because I live 2 blocks from work, in Friendship Heights, and walk every day. I don't have anywhere to put my bike anyway.

  Did I ever do it before? No. My last job was in Elkridge, and making that commute from Chevy Chase was bad enough in a car. I don't have 60+ miles a day in me, plus a full day of work.

  Before that. . . Rockville/Gaithersburg area. If I had time, and there was a direct route that didn't involve a stoplight every couple blocks, maybe. But even then, it's 15-20 miles each way. That said, I've loved to have taken Metro and biked the last couple miles, esp. when I worked off Shady Grove. Oh yeah, Metro wouldn't let me take a bike, even though the Red line headed TO Shady Grove in the morning is essentially dead (esp. once you pass Medical Center), so I'd have had to sit on the T2 bus for an hour. No effing way!

  So yeah, if I stay at this job and move out of Friendship Heights within a reasonable distance, I'd happily bike on Bike to Work day and any several other days a year.

  That said, my whining about specific commutes aside, I do have a valid complaint that while some commutes *should* be fairly easy on a bike, much of the area isn't set up for it. Imagine driving more than a couple miles up and down 355 to get to work -- that's what I have to do on a bike, since the trails are way the hell out of my way. Many of the ones we do have don't connect and don't get me started on public transit or the theft problem at metro stations.

  Reply