D.C. Council Member Discusses Urban Sprawl And Transportation at GU

POLITICS D.C. Council Member Discusses Urban Sprawl And Transportation at GU By Andrew Tein Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown students should assume an active role in shaping transportation policy in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson said Thursday.

Mendelson discussed frustrating political processes and transit issues and their effect on the environment in the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia region. He also spoke about the future of the proposed Georgetown Metro stop to the audience of nearly 40 students in the Walsh building.

“All I’ve been doing is push, push and push harder,” Mendelson said. “What more can you do? We need you to push too,” he said, encouraging the audience to get involved in transportation policy. “People need to focus lobbying on the state capitols. They’re the center of the action.”

Although students are welcome to change policy at state capitols, finding transportation there will continue to be difficult since the construction of a Georgetown metro, for example, has not even begun.

“Things are in a very, very early stage,” Mendelson said, referring to the proposed new stop.

“An enormous tension exists as we make slow progress towards cleaner air,” Mendelson said, referring to the politics within area transit. “Because it makes things very difficult for the highway lobby — and many people, especially in the state of Virginia, want highways — problems arise.”

Mendelson sought student feedback and support toward reducing urban sprawl, improving air quality and extending public transportation throughout the region.

“Our behavior is not as environmentally sensitive as it should be,” Mendelson said, acknowledging the “at-least-we’re-making-progress” policy of some local officials. “The vast majority of people want cleaner air. Public officials just have not presented it well.”

Mendelson has been championing environmental causes for many years. A lifetime member of the Sierra Club, Mendelson serves currently as the chairman of the Council of Governments’ Metropolitan Air Quality Committee and first vice chairman of Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board. The Council of Governments acts as the governmental body for the region comprising Maryland, Virginia and D.C. He has alsobecome a regional leader in the debate over improving air quality.

According to Mendelson, while D.C. has reduced dangerous emissions significantly, improving air quality within the District remains a primary concern.

Last year, the District endured 13 days of dangerous ozone levels.

Mendelson said the rapidly growing numbers of cars and highways continues to threaten the ozone level.

Citing the severe traffic congestion of area highways, Mendelson noted the D.C. and Maryland areas’ support of a Purple line Metro as an alternative to lane expansion and the construction of an outer beltway.

The state of Virginia, however, remains staunchly opposed to such efforts.

“We have a three-state jurisdiction,” Mendelson said. “Unfortunately, all three states are completely different.”

Funding also continues to be a major obstacle in making the Metro expansion plan feasible. Mendelson is not without ideas though.

“We thought about using parking tags to raise funds,” Mendelson said. “It would become a disincentive to motorists, and over three years it would raise $1.16 billion. Still, Virginia’s against it ... it’s not likely to get approved.”

Mendelson was invited by Eco-Action members Joseph Tyler (COL ’03) and Ben Wheeler (SFS ’02) and the event was sponsored by Eco-Action, College Democrats and the Center for the Environment and Georgetown’s Government Department.

“It was nice to have such a strong showing of students,” Eco-Action Co-Leader Geoff Johnson (COL ’03) said. “Showing up in numbers will hopefully encourage other D.C. politicians to come to our campus and [encourage] students to get involved in politics.”