On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments will present a Climate & Energy Leadership Award in the Educational Institution Sector to Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) for its Electric School Bus program. According to the COG agenda materials, ACPS will have 15 electric school buses, representing 12% of its fleet, and will be the second largest electric school bus fleet in Virginia and the third largest on the East Coast after Fairfax County, VA and Montgomery County, MD public schools.

"VDOT's study is inherently biased because they determine their own conclusion even before doing detailed study. By defining the Purpose to be "extend the express toll lanes," they are intentionally foreclosing other options," said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

Closing the WMATA budget gap would cost a fraction per Metro system user compared to proposed subsidies for new Commanders stadium seats.

Today the Moore Administration announced it will seek a federal grant to advance former Gov. Hogan’s defective plan for toll lanes on I-495 across the American Legion Bridge to the I-270 spur, and the I-270 west spur.  Our partners and policy makers have proposed a range of toll-lane alternatives that can provide congestion relief alone or in combination. These include bus rapid transit networks on parallel roads; incentives for telework and flexible work hours; converting a lane on I-495 for bus, vanpools and HOV; reversible lanes during rush hour; metered ramps and other features included in the successful Innovation Congestion Management Program on I-270; addressing the East-West economic, racial and commuting divide through transit-oriented development; quickly completing the Purple Line and planning for Metrorail or light rail over the American Legion and Woodrow Wilson Bridges.

In short, the public understands that “induced demand” is real, even if they are not aware of the term itself. Today, when officials in the DC region are planning for at least 900 more lane miles of highway and arterial road expansion and amid the ongoing debate over high-occupancy toll lanes for 495/270 in Maryland and 495 through Alexandria, the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) urged officials to reconsider these plans.