[box][featured]Parking is a hot-button issue in the District. At the intersection of transportation and land-use, it touches the lives of almost all D.C. residents. As DDOT and the Office of Planning work to reform transportation planning and zoning in the District, there’s a lot to know about the issue![/featured][/box]
Getting Around D.C. in 2013
A large and growing number of D.C. residents don’t own a car or use their cars sparingly in their daily lives. And survey after survey shows that many more want to live that way.It’s important that our local leaders understand how big a part of life this is for a large percentage of D.C. residents. That way they can make decisions on emotional issues like parking with all the facts and a better sense of how our diverse city moves through every day.
Please share with us a snapshot of your daily mobility decisions. We’ll be picking out the best, most representative examples and using those to educate local decision-makers about how average D.C. residents move around town in 2013.
[toggle title=”Stories to help get you going”]
From CSG Communications Manager Aimee:
I love my apartment in Dupont Circle, because I can walk to everything I need. Groceries, post office, bookstore, restaurants, a playground, pharmacy – and so much more – are less than 5 minutes away on foot. Making some mac and cheese last night around 9:00, I forgot we were out of milk, but I was able to run down the block and get some before the pasta even finished cooking. Mac and cheese disaster averted!
From Patricia in Eastern Market:
My husband and I lived for 11 years in DC without a car (6 years just the two us and 5 years as a family of four after our twins were born). My husband has never driven a car due to his disability. During our time without a car, we used our tandem bike and our bike trailer as well as the grocery delivery services. We also shopped more frequently at the neighborhood store even though the prices were higher than the grocery store because we were saving so much in car maintenance, operation, insurance, and registration. During our time without a car, we were home owners – first a one bedroom coop and then later a 3 bedroom and 2 bathroom house. And to add to it, during half of that time, we were both reverse commuters working in Virginia but living in DC so we were bringing in tax dollars to the city. We have quite a few friends with various disabilities who cannot drive – try walking through a large parking lot when you have cerebral palsy which makes your walking extremely slow or are blind and cannot see – parking lots are large dangerous places to cross for non-drivers – including the elderly and children.[/toggle]
[line]
[clear][topline][/box]