Alternatives to Congestion

The blog has focused a lot lately on the clash between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the effort to extend Metrorail out to Dulles, and it's certainly the top issue in local transportation at this moment. But heavy rail is just one of many options travelers need in a region as big and complex as ours.

At a forum tonight in Manassas, we'll be talking about some of those other options. Three are in the planning stages here: bus rapid transit, a ferry service and high occupancy or toll (HOT) lanes. A fourth is working right now: The informal carpooling arrangement known as slugging.

The forum, is sponsored by the Prince William Committee of 100, which begins the evening with a dinner, but there's no charge if you'd like to come for the panel, which starts at 7:45 p.m. Each of the panelists will take 10 minutes to discuss one of the four transportation methods, and then we'll have a question period. (I'll be the moderator.)

It's at the Four Points Sheraton, 10800 Vandor Lane, Manassas.

Slugging is a rare thing: A successful popular response to a government program (the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes). It gives hope that other combinations of government programs and private initiative can solve some of our transportation problems. The HOT lanes, ferries and bus rapid transit systems all should be on a menu for a densely populated and constantly growing region.

Let's keep talking about those and other viable options for giving people choices on getting from here to there.