Finding the Right Balance

Something we’ve been demanding for White Flint is that we strike a balance when creating spaces for people to get around.  This means that car shouldn’t be king – nor should any other group.  We must find ways to encourage people to walk and bike, but also acknowledge that many will still drive (and need to park).  For too long, road design has skewed toward vehicles and created unsafe conditions for other modes of transportation – it’s time to shift that paradigm.

Yesterday on Greater Greater Washington, our friend Ben Ross looked at the ways public funds are still being spent to prioritize the car.  One project on which he focuses is the parking garage proposed for the Bethesda North Conference Center property.  Now, this is a project that we really like.  It allows expanded capacity of conference center parking, while also allowing us to build the western workaround, which requires the realigned Executive Boulevard to cut through the existing surface lot.  But, Ben suggests that the funding of the project could be executed in a smarter way that would result in more money for increasing pedestrian-friendliness around our area.

It’s just some food for thought… we’re curious what you think.  Read Ben’s whole piece by clicking here.