Flashbacks:
The RNGC Caddyshackpocalypse
Bollards!
Who doesn't love a hawt Powerpoint slide? This fancy survey of travel habits (PDF) by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments gives them to us in spades, reminding us that "residents in densely developed communities with homes above or near stores, restaurants and offices are more likely to forgo driving to walk, ride a bike or take public transit," as our BFFs at the Washington Post put it.
This "web log" aside, we're not quite as dense as some of the other neighborhoods in D.C. and Maryland surveyed in the study, but 14 percent of Restonians' "daily trips" involve walking, which is above the regional average of 9 percent. When looking at commuting habits, though, nearly eight in 10 Reston residents drive to work alone, according to the study's preliminary findings. Way to go!
Of course, that will likely soon change:
Area developers and community planners have seen signs of such a trend for years, particularly among young adults and empty nesters who are moving to such places as Tysons Corner and the White Flint area of North Bethesda, which are morphing from sprawling suburbs into high-rise mini-cities focused around Metrorail stations.Coincidentally, we're getting one of those.
Other fun facts? Around one in three Reston households are "cell phone only," meaning they don't have one of those old-timey contraptions bolted to the wall you have to jingle the hook to get Doris on the party line. Also, there are .83 bicycles per household, meaning... the average Reston resident is slightly more likely to have a two-wheeler than a unicycle? We had trouble with statistics in college. And the median length of residence in Reston is 11 years, meaning it's taking some folks a while to graduate, the end.
Reston has always been a place of percentages...
ReplyDeleteFor example, 94% of the retired goverment mule alcoholic wonk Reston residents that hang out at Lakeside Inn Restaurant and Pub at South Lakes Shopping Center waiting for the doors to unlock at the VABC next door for the latest discount booze saleathon on flesh eating whiskey imported from India can also do a wheelie on their '.83 bicycles per household' unicycle down the sidewalk to the CVS to pick up their ExtraCare 2-for-1 special on Viagra.
Of course, being able to perform a wheelie on a unicyle is impressive, afterall. The rabbit ears on my old black and white Zenith told me earlier today that Facebook did a wheelie on a unicycle, too. Wow. I thought that only in Reston could you possibly find a high percentage of tech nerd idiots that would spend more than $38 per share to watch a company do a wheelie on a unicyle, which is what a company is doing when it's true value is mostly found in the Golden Gas being passed by the Goose the Laid the Golden Egg, rather than in the monetized value of said actual golden eggs.
I took that survey. That was back when I was unemployed and had time to take long walks with dog and baby. Now, I'm employed and drive a car. Sorry for skewing the survey.
ReplyDeleteThe Convicts had been in the cell phone only group, but when we switched to FIOS, it was actually cheaper to buy the Triple Play than just internet and TV. Of course, now that the incentives are starting to time out, it may be time to look at these services once again.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, thank gawd I'm a NoVan and not a RoVan, or even a LoCo.