Getting to the new museum at Dulles

[Keith F. Lynch]

There was an article in the Washington Post about the new museum (the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a new annex of the National Air and Space
museum at Dulles airport), which is to open in less than a week.

It describes just two possible ways to get there: Drive, and pay $12
to park (despite it being in the middle of nowhere), or take a special
express bus from the downtown museum for $7.

There's no mention of how to get there on a regular 35 cent (with
subway transfer) bus. Or how to bike or walk there.

I live in Vienna Virginia. Apparently I'm expected to take Metro
downtown and then take the express bus right back past my apartment,
going about twenty miles out of my way, and spending lots of money for
the privilege.

Worse yet, a tourist whose plane lands at Dulles is apparently
expected to take the 5A express bus downtown, and then turn right
around and take the new express bus back to Dulles, a 56 mile round
trip. And then do it again when he wishes to fly home. Judging by
the aerial views I saw, there's evidently no connection between the
museum and the airline terminals. Nor are there any restaurants,
hotels, stores, or anything else within reasonable walking distance,
other than whatever's internal to the museum.

Possibly one could take the #20 Metrobus from the Vienna station, and
then walk about half a mile. But that bus may only run during rush
hour, and may only be inbound in the morning and outbound in the
evening, which would make it pretty useless for this purpose.

Also, almost any plausible way of getting there would involve Route
28, which I've heard there are plans to downgrade to a limited access
highway, i.e. to ban all bikes and pedestrians from it, seriously
screwing up transportation in the western half the the county.

[Access Systems]

Post by Keith F. Lynch
There was an article in the Washington Post about the new museum (the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a new annex of the National Air and Space
museum at Dulles airport), which is to open in less than a week.
It describes just two possible ways to get there: Drive, and pay $12
to park (despite it being in the middle of nowhere), or take a special
express bus from the downtown museum for $7.

take a subway to the end of the Vienna line, catch the shuttle to the
airport, walk/catch a cab to the museum.... cabbie probably would not be
happy, is there a minimum fare out of Dulles, never took a cab. nice
walk on a nice day, not so nice when the wind howls and the snow blows.

Bob

Post by Keith F. Lynch
There's no mention of how to get there on a regular 35 cent (with
subway transfer) bus. Or how to bike or walk there.
I live in Vienna Virginia. Apparently I'm expected to take Metro
downtown and then take the express bus right back past my apartment,
going about twenty miles out of my way, and spending lots of money for
the privilege.
Worse yet, a tourist whose plane lands at Dulles is apparently
expected to take the 5A express bus downtown, and then turn right
around and take the new express bus back to Dulles, a 56 mile round
trip. And then do it again when he wishes to fly home. Judging by
the aerial views I saw, there's evidently no connection between the
museum and the airline terminals. Nor are there any restaurants,
hotels, stores, or anything else within reasonable walking distance,
other than whatever's internal to the museum.
Possibly one could take the #20 Metrobus from the Vienna station, and
then walk about half a mile. But that bus may only run during rush
hour, and may only be inbound in the morning and outbound in the
evening, which would make it pretty useless for this purpose.
Also, almost any plausible way of getting there would involve Route
28, which I've heard there are plans to downgrade to a limited access
highway, i.e. to ban all bikes and pedestrians from it, seriously
screwing up transportation in the western half the the county.
--
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[Jack May]

Post by Keith F. Lynch
Worse yet, a tourist whose plane lands at Dulles is apparently
expected to take the 5A express bus downtown, and then turn right
around and take the new express bus back to Dulles, a 56 mile round
trip. And then do it again when he wishes to fly home.

I fly in and out of Dulles very often. I didn't even know that there was a
bus and no way would I use it if I had ever seen it. Dulles is set up for
rental cars and the museum is easy to get to on highway 28

I doubt there many people at Dulles that would even want to use a bus, so
there is no reason to set service up in this very lightly populated area.
A lot of people using Dulles are on business trips to locations that are in
Virginia which are all over the place and can not be served by a bus at a
reasonable cost. Most of those business people are also high income and
want nothing to do with busses.

I certainly see no reason I would waste my time on long, go nowhere bus
trips. Does not serve my needs and has no positive value to society.

[James Robinson]

Post by Jack May
I fly in and out of Dulles very often. I didn't even know that there was a
bus

Your incredible powers of observation missed the fact that there are
three different bus services at the airport: Greyhound, Metrobus, and
Washington Flyer.

Post by Jack May
and no way would I use it if I had ever seen it.

Who cares? Obviously with three services, there are people who do use
it.

Post by Jack May
Dulles is set up for rental cars and the museum is easy to get to on highway 28

Some people, like me, don't want to pay for a rental car for a trip into
the city and back out again, when a simple bus connection will do the
trick without having to pick up a rental car, remember to fill it up
with gas again, and drop it off.

Post by Jack May
I doubt there many people at Dulles that would even want to use a bus, so
there is no reason to set service up in this very lightly populated area.

Again, there are three bus services at Dulles, no need to set anything
up. Obviously there are people who use it.

Post by Jack May
A lot of people using Dulles are on business trips to locations that are in
Virginia which are all over the place and can not be served by a bus at a
reasonable cost. Most of those business people are also high income and
want nothing to do with busses.

Many aren't elitist, and will use buses.

Post by Jack May
I certainly see no reason I would waste my time on long, go nowhere bus
trips. Does not serve my needs and has no positive value to society.

Then don't. They do have positive value to society, since they are safer
than cars, save fuel and reduce exhaust emissions.

[Jack May]

Post by James Robinson

Post by Jack May
I fly in and out of Dulles very often. I didn't even know that there was a
bus

Your incredible powers of observation missed the fact that there are
three different bus services at the airport: Greyhound, Metrobus, and
Washington Flyer.

Tough, I am not looking for them since they do nothing to solve my travel
needs. Transit is absurdly expensive to me in lost time.

It may come as a surprise to you, but most traveler don't hang around an
airport to find all about what is around it. They have reservations for
all parts of the trip and head directly to their next reserved what ever.

Post by James Robinson
Then don't. They do have positive value to society, since they are safer
than cars, save fuel and reduce exhaust emissions.

It is well known that transit has about the same fuel economy as cars,
sometime much worse, sometime better. The particulate matter out of diesel
busses is about two orders of magnitude more deadly than auto exhaust. Auto
exhaust has been steadily dropping faster than Gov regulations.

There are even stories that people that have tried to commit suicide by
running a car in a closed garage are now failing. Don't know if the
stories are true or not

Safety inside or both inside and outside the bus. Data I remember said
that sure they are safer for passengers but cause a lot of deaths to
pedestrians and drivers which makes their safety record no better than cars.

In other words, in general there are few if any socially redeeming qualities
to public transit except possibly to those people that have wet dreams about
trains. The high cost of transit and the damage done to society by the
wasted money negates any possible benefits.

[Keith F. Lynch]

Post by Keith F. Lynch
Worse yet, a tourist whose plane lands at Dulles is apparently
expected to take the 5A express bus downtown, and then turn right
around and take the new express bus back to Dulles, a 56 mile round
trip. And then do it again when he wishes to fly home.
I fly in and out of Dulles very often. I didn't even know that
there was a bus and no way would I use it if I had ever seen it.
Dulles is set up for rental cars and the museum is easy to get
to on highway 28

So you'd just as soon spend $50 to rent a car, and then $12 to park
that car at the museum, which is elsewhere on the grounds of the same
airport. Great. I'm glad to hear you have that kind of money to
burn. And that you're a licensed motorist in good standing.

Post by Keith F. Lynch
I doubt there many people at Dulles that would even want to use a
bus, so there is no reason to set service up in this very lightly
populated area.

Lightly populated? Yes, few people live at the airport or the museum.
I don't see how it follows that few people would wish to travel to the
airport or the museum. Or that everyone who wants to travel there is
a licensed motorist who can't think of a better use for $62.

Post by Keith F. Lynch
Most of those business people are also high income and want nothing
to do with busses.

I thought snobbery was out of fashion. I guess not.

Post by Keith F. Lynch
I certainly see no reason I would waste my time on long, go nowhere
bus trips. Does not serve my needs and has no positive value to
society.

Positive value to society consists entirely of things which serve your
needs?

If there are no buses, then how will you snobs continue to stand out
from the rest of us by refusing to make use of buses?

[Wesley McGee]

Post by Keith F. Lynch
There was an article in the Washington Post about the new museum (the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a new annex of the National Air and Space
museum at Dulles airport), which is to open in less than a week.
It describes just two possible ways to get there: Drive, and pay $12
to park (despite it being in the middle of nowhere), or take a special
express bus from the downtown museum for $7.
Worse yet, a tourist whose plane lands at Dulles is apparently
expected to take the 5A express bus downtown, and then turn right
around and take the new express bus back to Dulles, a 56 mile round
trip. And then do it again when he wishes to fly home. Judging by
the aerial views I saw, there's evidently no connection between the
museum and the airline terminals. Nor are there any restaurants,
hotels, stores, or anything else within reasonable walking distance,
other than whatever's internal to the museum.

I can't possibly believe that they won't have some sort of shuttle
from the terminals to the museum. It would defy all common sense, plus
confuse and anger travelers who happen to notice all the promotional
displays Dulles had up for this museum for years.

I just checked today's Weekend insert of the Washington Post, and at
the end that "transportation to and from Dulles will be arranged".
Whew... they're not stupod... Just slow.

Though from a mass transit POV, it'll still cost you $2.50minimum one
way to get there, hoping that transportation arrangements between the
airport and the museum are finalized.

[Brian Robinson OR Carol Goter Robinson OR Bill Robinson]

Post by Wesley McGee
I can't possibly believe that they won't have some sort of shuttle
from the terminals to the museum. It would defy all common sense, plus
confuse and anger travelers who happen to notice all the promotional
displays Dulles had up for this museum for years.
I just checked today's Weekend insert of the Washington Post, and at
the end that "transportation to and from Dulles will be arranged".
Whew... they're not stupod... Just slow.
Though from a mass transit POV, it'll still cost you $2.50minimum one
way to get there, hoping that transportation arrangements between the
airport and the museum are finalized.

Why not extend the internal airport-only people mover they are now
building past the midfield terminals to the center? Why the f---
did they build the thing in the middle of nowhere (nowhere near the
historic Dulles terminal building, a landmark in its own right and
where the Metro is going, and where people in rental cars know where
to go for that matter) to begin with???

If they want people to take transit why build 12 THOUSAND parking spaces
for a single museum?? That's counterproductive. When METRO builds that
many parking spaces at a station, it is considered a controversial
transportation investment to be discussed for decades on end.

But for the Smithsonian or a private developer to build hundreds of
parking spaces, even underground or in bedrock, with the resultant
-guarantees- of more traffic and more trips unsurpassed by the mere
provision of a road, such a project can be easily financed in the US.

Of course the NASM has basically been turned back into a military
institution anyhow, so why should we be surprised?

--BER