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Jazz-Cigarettes t1_ixdiq80 wrote

I mean it's really an issue of competing priorities. I get why if you come from an area with lots of free parking available all the time, you might expect it to be available everywhere, even in the heart of a city. But the local residents might not feel the same, and their interests may evolve over time even if there used to be more parking in the past. They might prioritize doing other stuff with the space, and their interests are as valid as yours.

Do you live in the areas you were visiting? If not, it seems kinda lame to feel that you have a right to a bunch of parking spots there when people who live nearby, or have no need for parking/no issue metroing/biking/walking to get around town may prefer more restaurant seating (or whatever else space gets repurposed for) instead. Not everything has to be built to prioritize cars first all the time.

The congestion issues you're talking about or the shitshow in Adams Morgan and the craziness of M St in Georgetown with millions of pedestrians always trying to get around, those seem like different issues if you ask me. Those places probably shouldn't be car thoroughfares to begin with, they're an absolute nightmare to navigate even before extra restaurant tables were ever brought into the picture.

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9throwawayDERP t1_ixdwcrj wrote

Honestly M St in Georgetown and most of Adams Morgan should be shut down to all non-resident cars period.

They were made without a car in mind and should remain that way.

BTW, M and 18th have never not been a shitshow...

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dry_zooplankton t1_ixel05t wrote

My very specific transit fantasy is closing the Georgetown part of M st to all car traffic, putting a streetcar down the middle, and expanding the sidewalks

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VulcanVulcanVulcan t1_ixo8z42 wrote

The sidewalks in Georgetown are hilariously narrow for such a busy area on the weekends. It would be easy to simply eliminate some of the driving lanes or street parking, but then people driving to Virginia via the bridge would get mad.

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giscard78 t1_ixefmlz wrote

> Those places probably shouldn't be car thoroughfares to begin with, they're an absolute nightmare to navigate even before extra restaurant tables were ever brought into the picture.

Extremely few people can park street side in any given area. I have never understood people who go to M Street, U Street, 14th Street or any of these major areas and plan on street parking. It seems so unreliable. It seems like a no-brainer to prioritize people enjoying the space, whether that be for increased sidewalk widths, streateries, or mini-parklets.

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MammothBobcat251 t1_ixerypd wrote

Especially going to U st to party all night and then drive home under the influence. The locals that don’t have off street parking get their property destroyed by these folks and I wish they would crack down on it.

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eablacksmith OP t1_ixf02z7 wrote

I agree, I believe Adams Morgan should get the Ellsworth treatment.

Shut it down to traffic, turn it into a promenade.

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soccerman55 t1_ixg2cb9 wrote

The Admo BID and Nadaeu are working to do that. I know there have been a number of hold ups (not sure on what) but hopefully it happens.

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