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thirsteefish t1_iu43xpi wrote

"We’re not the New York City Subway, we are a hybrid system,” Clarke said. “We are a commuter rail, and a subway system combined – and that is a big difference.”

Imagine if Brooklyn residents were subsidizing Metro North residents in Westchester or Stamford.

That's essentially what this map is saying for the Silver Line.

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colglover t1_iu46dzm wrote

Ehhhh. This argument might hold more water if DC wasn’t so sprawling. But going to Reston and the airport on the metro is different than going to bedroom communities in Stamford. There are integral parts of the city infrastructure out there.

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thirsteefish t1_iu4cnid wrote

The fact of sprawl is reflected in the recognition that Metro is a combo of commuter rail and rapid transit subway. As a combo, fares should reflect that.

Many cities have their most recent iteration airport well outside the city center (most notably Tokyo) and it costs more to get to than other closer-in destinations. Even Chicago which has a flat rate system charges extra to get to ORD (vs MDW).

More to your point about sprawl, on one hand I agree that we don't want people priced out of the city center to be penalized (and discouraged from transit) with nosebleed high prices, but there should be a balance of fairness. For every working class household pushed out, there's probably a more well off one that either wants a fancy new apartment that's cheaper in the exurbs than Navy Yard (vs an older unit in Columbia Heights) or a sprawling McMansion that's cheaper in Ashburn-upon-Dulles than Spring Valley (vs an attached home in Chevy Chase).

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colglover t1_iu4isjd wrote

Those people you talk about that “want a McMansion in the exurbs” aren’t using metro to get into the city. Unless you propose a taxation solution that captures drivers, you aren’t going to catch their revenue whether the fare is $3 or $50

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thirsteefish t1_iu6vya8 wrote

If I were king there'd be a $10/day additional tax on parking for more than 4 hours within 1/4mi (or perhaps 1/2mi) within a metro station in the urban core. Parking is way too cheap downtown vs other cities.

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RDPCG t1_iu5gyxr wrote

Imagine if DC's rail infrastructure was even remotely the size of NYC's, and similar to NYC, riders paid a flat rate to traverse the entire system. Weak excuse, IMO.

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CaptainObvious110 t1_iu6ykop wrote

Yeah I hear you there. Ok instead of expanding out the Silver Line take care of the problems the existing system has first. If people aren't able to get to and from where they need to go efficiently then that needs to have been addressed years ago.

Also, the issue of safety needed to be addressed years ago as well.

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