The plan to build a rapid bus line in Crystal City and Potomac Yard, and then eventually replace it with a streetcar line, is drawing criticism from the Washington Examiner’s editorial board.
“This colossal, unjustified waste of tax dollars has been deliberately concealed from the public,” the Examiner alleges. However, the plan to convert the transitway into a streetcar line has been discussed in public meetings.
The Examiner editorial also alleges that the planned streetcar line along Columbia Pike will hinder traffic, especially during rush hour. The paper says the county should release the results of a simulation that attempted to find out how much vehicle travel times would be affected by the streetcar.
“A previous study showed that streetcars on the pike will turn an easy 15-minute commute to a 50-minute marathon,” the editorial board wrote, adding that the planned narrowing of traffic lanes along the Pike will present a safety hazard for drivers and cyclists.