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Is Metrorail in Prince William County the Answer?. The Current Situation in Prince William County. Daily commuter traffic congestion Safety issues Pollution Longest mean commuting times in Virginia Less time for family, recreation, community activities Frustration, road rage
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The Current Situation in Prince William County • Daily commuter traffic congestion • Safety issues • Pollution • Longest mean commuting times in Virginia • Less time for family, recreation, community activities • Frustration, road rage • Dependence on gas • growing economic hardship • dependence on foreign fuel
Negative Effects of Traffic Congestion: Safety Traffic Fatality Rate in Virginia ~950 Annual ~12.5 deaths/100,000 population (PWC population in 2000 was 280,813 equates to ~35 deaths) ~1.1 deaths/100 million miles ~1/3 of deaths occur in Northern Virginia • National Safety Statistics (1) • Fatality Rate: ~1.5/100 million • Injury Rate: ~100/million miles • Total Annual Crash Costs: ~$250 billion National Safety Statistics (2) Annual Bus Fatalities: ~40 Annual Bus Injuries: ~12,000 Annual Transit Rail Fatalities: ~15 Annual Transit Rail Injuries: ~600
Negative Effects of Traffic Congestion: Pollution • Transportation accounts for one third of total CO2 emissions from energy use in the U.S. • Passenger cars and light duty trucks account for more than half of total transportation emissions. (Source: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks:1990-2004 (EPA))
Emissions Criteria • CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) • No direct effects to human health. Most prevalent greenhouse gas. • CO (Carbon Monoxide) • Degrades ability of blood to carry CO2 • NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen) • Precursor to lung infections, exacerbates asthma • HC (Hydrocarbons) • Irritates eyes, increases respiratory problems
1993 Toyota Land Cruiser Per mile in pounds CO2: 1.8654 CO: 0.05815 NOx: 0.00707 HC: 0.00413 Fuel Consumed 0.077 gallons/mile 2004 Toyota Prius Per mile in pounds CO2: 0.3490 CO: 0.01667 NOx: 0.00058 HC: 0.00044 Fuel Consumed 0.018 gallons/mile Example Calculation
Negative Effects of Traffic Congestion: Commuting Time (Source: 2005 U.S. Census American Community Survey)
How are we commuting everyday? (70%) Route 66 Route 29 Manassas Warrenton Route 28 Interstate 95
PWC Current Public Transportation (5.5%) • OmniRide • Monday – Friday service • Destinations along I-66 corridor to Metrorail Stations • Virginia Railway Express • Departs 5:05-750 Monday-Friday • Destinations include L’Enfant Plaza, Union Station, Backlick Road, Burke Centre • Roundtrip fare from Manassas to Union Station or L’Enfant • $14.90 per ride • $206.50 monthly
Why do people go out? • People take daily trips for a variety of reasons. • One fourth of the trips are regularly taken. (Source: U.S. DOT 2001 National Household Travel Survey)
Proposed PWC Metrorail Stations Warrenton Vienna Centreville Haymarket Fair Lakes Gainesville Nissan Pavilion Manassas Warrenton
Overview of Prince William Metrorail Stations • Fair Lakes: Fairfax County Government Center, business, shopping, dining, and residential areas • Centreville: cinema multiplex, shopping, dining, residential areas • Old Town Manassas: historic district, tourism, shopping, dining, courthouse, residential • Nissan Pavilion: recreation • Gainesville: residential, shopping, dining, tourism, Manassas Battlefields • Warrenton: historic district, tourism, shopping, residential
Population by Census Tract in PWC • 2004 Total PWC Population: 280,813 • Total Fairfax County Population: 969,749 • Western tracts encircled: 79,013 Manassas City
Conclusion • Metrorail is an answer for Prince William County • Alleviate traffic congestion • Environmentally conscientious solution • Improve travel safety • Meet commuting and recreational, family, etc travel needs • Population warrants it • Paradigm worth emulating