Putting Charlottesville traffic in perspective

This comment from a cvillenews commenter and the ensuing discussion lead me to think more about our traffic issues.

Further, just because traffic may be worse in DC it doesn’t mean ours isn’t bad.
I disagree. It’s not bad, period. Our versions of what ‘bad’ are surely differ, but I’m sure if you look at any traffic survey of worst traffic cities, Charlottesville won’t even come close to registering on the list.

One of the appealing things about the Charlottesville area has been the relatively high quality of life. Regarding traffic – we’ve always had a different perspective, at least in the twenty years I have lived here.

Is our region marketing the lifestyle of “Charlottesville” from seven to ten to fifteen years ago, when one could go from one end of town to the other in ten minutes, or the lifestyle of today, when that same trip takes thirty minutes? Those from other markets (Boston, San Francisco, LA, etc) scoff at our complaints about traffic (much as westerners scoff at our “mountains“). Charlottesville has always been a little bit different, and for that people flocked here. Is that difference disappearing?

Commuting patterns within and without the CharlAlbemarle area are fascinating (no longer available). Within our region, we are becoming more and more segmented – 29 North (North), Pantops (East), Crozet (West) and 29 South – and the desire for self-sufficiency and sustainable businesses within these regions is growing (fodder for another story).

Just as we market the characters in neighborhoods in addition to the actual house, the question is – when marketing homes for sale in the Charlottesville area, which lifestyle are we marketing? Whose perspective matters?