Until recently, there were only a few choices for how to get around Washington, DC. Today, however, there are over a dozen services that make it easy to borrow a car, hire a taxi, grab a bike or catch a ride, and they’re using mobile web applications to make these choices possible. As a result, getting around DC has never been faster, more diverse or more convenient.
Transportation choices are a big part of smart growth strategies. Traditionally this has meant creating sidewalks, bike lanes and public transportation in addition to roads for driving. But the next generation of transportation choices—things like car sharing, ride sharing and bike sharing—bring a new dimension to that conversation. How will these new options affect where Washingtonians chose to live, work, dine or shop? As it becomes easier than ever to get across town, how will DC’s neighborhoods and development throughout the city change?
We’ll be asking these and many other questions at next week’s Transportation in the City event. If you’re in the Washington, DC area you’re invited to join us on Wednesday, September 25 from 6:30—8:30 PM at 1776. This event is free but registration is required: click here to register.
“In DC, everyone relies so heavily on Metro,” Clara Brenner, CEO of Tumml said to ElevationDC, our co-sponsor of next week’s event. “I lived on Rhode Island Ave, and there was a bus, but it only ran certain times. It’s nice to be able to go to a neighborhood and not have to rely on only one form of transportation.”
Staff from a number of innovative transportation services will be on hand at next week’s event, including Capital Bikeshare, Car2Go, Hitch, myTaxi, RidePost, RideScout, Taxi Magic, Uber, WMATA and Zipcar. They’ll join a panel of transportation experts who will discuss the larger trends in Washington, DC.
Can’t attend in person? Join the conversation on Twitter at hashtag #TranspoInTheCity. Share your thoughts, comments and ideas about the next generation of transportation choices—and what they mean for DC’s neighborhoods—there.