Monday, December 6, 2010

County Board Set to Veto More Green Taxicabs, Promote More Traffic and More Bicycles

Hi Yupette,

Take a look at the County Board's agenda for the December 11th County Board Meeting. Two taxicab companies want to add 100 Green taxicabs to their fleets. The County Board is set to veto this proposal (which will cost taxpayers nothing). Instead, the County Board will add to Arlington's traffic, by, among other things, approving a new parking garage. The County Board's primary traffic mitigation strategy is to promote bicycles, a mode of transportation that is weather-dependent and unsuitable for most of Arlington's residents. The County Board's "traffic plan" is for more of the same, more traffic followed by more traffic calming. Don't want to drive? Buy a bicycle. Or, share a bicycle.

Arlington County refuses to promote, or even mention, shared vehicles as an important transportation option, then complains that demand for taxicabs is stagnant.

I'm 55 years old and I don't like bicycles. Enough of using millions of tax dollars to promote something I and most County residents won't use, while ignoring a mode of transportation almost everyone can use.

Peter - 22205

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Zimmerman also wants to spend $350 million for expensive and inefficient streetcars on Columbia Pike and Crystal City, where he and the other County Board members will approve the construction of tens of thousands of new parking spaces concomitant with new constriction.

Jeff said...

County Board is appalling. These jerks drive everywhere themselves and want us to ride bicycles on snow-covered streets.

Better Fairlington said...

To: Arlington County Board, (countyboard at arlingtonva.us)

Re: Addition of 100 Green Taxicabs to Arlington taxi fleets.

Better Fairlington is a citizens group dedicated to improving the quality of life in Fairlington. We are not associated with the Fairlington civic association.

We endorse the addition of 100 Green taxicabs to Arlington's taxi fleets. The costs of the additional taxicabs will be borne by the taxicab companies.

We also ask that County Government promote taxicabs and other shared vehicles as an alternative to more single occupant vehicles on our streets and roads.

Sincerely,

Better Fairlington
(betterfairlington at yahoo.com)

WMATA Sucks..Here's Why said...

Zimmerman wants you to take Metrorail, Metrobus, or an ART bus to go everywhere and do everything. If you live in South Arlington and you doctor is in North Arlington he wants you to take a Metrobus to the Pentagon and take Metro to a station near your doctor's office, then take an ART bus the rest of the way. No matter how long that takes.

Anonymous said...

More of the same insipid stuff - Metrobus's ridership is down. Zimmerman is on WMATA's Board of Directors.

Anonymous said...

Typical County Board -

"Shared vehicles? We can't offend WMATA."

"On-Site Renewable Energy? We can't offend Dominion Resources."

"Affordable Housing? We can't offend the REITs."

"Year Around Homelessness Prevention / Treatment Facility? We can't offend the Yuppie Nimbys".

22205 said...

Take a look at the so-called "transportation planning" agenda items for December 11th - more traffic followed by more traffic calming.

fairgrrl said...

Ask Mr. Zimmerman how early a person would have to get up Saturday morning to take Metrobus and Metrorail from my neighborhood in South Fairlington to be at the County Board meeting room by 8:30.

2100 said...

Where do you think the reference to Chris Zimmerman as the 'Guru of Gridlock' came from? A couple of transportation planning staff who have since moved on to other urban areas where 'transportation planning' is not an oxymoron.

Anonymous said...

Any mention of telework and work at home in any of these County Board agenda items?

F Y I said...

Feds are letting some employees in some agencies telework two days a week.