Hello Yupette:
If you haven't seen WMATA's analysis of enhanced bus vs. streetcar service costs and benefits, you should go to www.piketransit.com and click on 'View the February Community Group Presentations' under Pike Transit Initiative.
For just over $50 million spent on higher capacity buses we can get about the same level of transit service on the Pike as we would by paying $250 million for streetcars. WMATA should analyze the economics of double-deck buses as well as so-called articulated buses.
Moreover, with enhanced bus service on the Pike there would be money left over for expanding the ART Bus network and for other new transportation projects. It appears the Pike streetcar system would consume all the revenue from the commercial property surtax that's supposed to fund new transit projects.
Zimmerman's Pike streetcar is all about massive development along the Pike, not about efficiently and effectively moving people. Why else would the County pay 5 times more than it needs to spend for public transit on the Pike.
Enough wasteful spending is enough. I'm going to send Zimmerman a strong message by voting for Audrey Clement on March 27th. You should too.
Pike Rider
29 comments:
There will be zero commercial real estate surtax dollars left over for ART bus expansion if the Pike Trolley is built.
I asked about double-deck bus service on the Pike a year ago. My e-mail was ignored .
WMATA transportation staff who are pushing this are Maryland residents.
I asked VDOT about double deck buses on the Pike in 2010 and VDOT responded there wouldn't be enough clearance at the new Wash. Blvd. bridge, but that isn't true, clearance will be more than 17 feet.
WMATA, VDOT and Arlington County Transportation Staff are totally for a Pike Trolley.
For a few million more you could buy a few tourist double deckers with the upper deck open during good weather.
My e-mail to WMATA about this has been ignored, although WMATA states it will respond to comments. I, also, want a high-capacity bus option for the Pike rather than the trolley.
Meeting of the so-called "Project Committee" will be held on Wednesday, February 29th between 3 PM and 5 PM at Fairfax County Mason District Government Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale.
Rail-to-Dulles is about development and redevelopment, not about efficiently moving people between East Falls Church and Dulles.
Time for an immediate moratorium on any more money being spent on the Pike streetcar project.
How much staff time are the Feds, WMATA, VDOT, Fairfax County, and Arlington County spending on this boondoggle?
This totally extravagant streetcar project is costing tens of millions in staff time at VDOT, WMATA, Arlington Transportation, and Fairfax County Transportation.
Zimmerman and Hynes are totally bull$hitting FTA about the Pike Trolley's financials.
I am calling both the Inspector General of WMATA and Fairfax County's IG about this. Why is this project going forward?
Call the U.S. Department of Transportation IG while you're at it.
County is getting ready to spend big on backyard chicken farms.
What will come after a chicken coop behind every McMansion?
A duck pond behind every McMansion.
The Pike "project committee' met today. Jay Fisette, Fairfax County Supervisor GPenny Gross and their corporate and lobbyist friends.
Jay was overjoyed that the streetcar is going forward, and especially at the prospect of the Pike becoming another Clarendon.
Oh, Jay and everybody else from Arlington drive to the Mason District Government Center, one per vehicle.
Let me guess, the conversation was all about development, not about how to quickly and efficiently transport anyone?
The meeting was all about gaming the Federal Transit Administration so the streetcar can help achieve massive development of the Pike corridor.
Right on Yupette. First you break the Bondi tax dead beat story and no this . RIGHT ON AND KEEP ROCKING
Jay Fisette and Penny Gross were (literally) peeing in their pants they were so excited about helping their good old boy developer buddies turn Columbia Pike into 'Clarendon II - the Streetcarscape'.
What today's 'Pike Transit' meeting proved: Penny Gross and Jay Fisette and their Arlington County Supervisors' and Fairfax County Supervisors' corporate cronies don't care about anything but making big bucks off Columbia Pike redevelopment.
They only really listened to their transportation lobbyists who are lobbying the FTA to turn Columbia Pike into another Clarendon.
I was there. Jay Fisette went totally like ga ga over the Pike in Arlington becoming like Clarendon and everyone bicycling like everywhere when not riding a streetcar. Penny Gross just wanted to hand over the planning for Skyline streetcar service to Target and Vornado.
They deliberately excluded double deck buses from the alternatives analysis because double deck buses, especially convertible double deck buses - that is, second deck open during good weather - would draw riders as much as streetcars.
The so-called 'decision makers' (the One Percenters) all live in sprawl suburbs and drive everywhere.
This whole thing isn't the “Arlington way” of engaging the community, it's about selling the streetcar the board’s already decided on.
The streetcar is basically identical to articulated (higher capacity) buses in terms of transit capacity, estimated travel time, transit volume to capacity ratio, and daily ridership, yet is estimated to cost about 5x ($200M) more in 2015 and have ~$3M higher O&M costs in 2016.
The only criteria the study claims that articulated bus (TSM-2) falls short when compared to the streetcar is unsubstantiated “support for growth and economic development” over and above the benefits of improved buses with super stops.
The pike is already gentrifying and a ~$40M investment in fancy buses should help nicely. Taxpayers shouldn't support a streetcar which is basically a hand-out to developers and the County who's in cahoots and wants a bigger tax base, in exchange for no transit improvement.
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