Commutation Hell

Forecast: Gridlock
If rain can paralyze movement in downtown Washington, are we ready for a terrorist attack?

Thursday, June 29, 2006; A26

WHAT HAPPENS when rain knocks out a few traffic lights in downtown Washington? Thousands of commuters are stranded for hours.

And what would happen if al-Qaeda managed to explode a dirty bomb in the center of the city, sparking a mass exodus to the suburbs? Area homeland security and transportation experts can really only guess.

The region's torrent, which abated yesterday, was unprecedented and worse than unpleasant. The tropical downpour ruined cars, closed roads and brought parts of the federal government to a standstill. Tragically, five people died in rain-swollen creeks in Maryland. At the same time, the gridlock downtown Monday and Tuesday was a reminder of how vulnerable the District remains to sliding into logistical chaos during a major emergency.

Unpowered traffic signals on Independence and Constitution avenues made for interminable waits to get out of the city center -- and that was with a normal load of commuters trying to get home. Now imagine everyone in the District frantically trying to get out at the same time. Washington area emergency officials claim that if the city ordered an evacuation, it could extend green lights and put more intersection control officers on the street to promote traffic flow out of the center. Yet they also admit that, beyond models and a trial test after last year's Fourth of July celebrations, they don't know how effective these techniques would be.

Homeland security gurus counter that the chances of a citywide general evacuation are small. More likely are phased evacuations or public notices telling residents to stay put. But District and regional disaster planners should start assuming that D.C. streets will look like they did Tuesday should there be another terrorist attack. That means developing a better plan to communicate traffic and road conditions to tied-up motorists and a more robust regional infrastructure for coordination among emergency planners.

Terrorist attacks are still a phantom worry. Hurricanes are not and a mandatory evacuation here would be a surpassing nightmare.