Monday, December 31, 2012

Excellent Pike Bus Service Will Get Better, Why Waste $200 Million for a Streetcar System?

Hello Yupette,

I checked out WMATA's latest quarterly survey of customers (riders), the Voices of Customers Report for both bus service and rail service on WMATA's Website. Northern Virginia Metrobus riders gave WMATA an overall satisfaction rating of 94%, an 82% satisfaction rating for reliability, and 85% of surveyed riders stated they would recommend Metrobus to others.

The news will get better for bus commuters. General Electric has developed an advanced battery - fuel cell bus that will have zero emissions from the vehicle.

Why is Arlington County proceeding with a wasteful, extravagant, unnecessary streetcar system for Columbia Pike?

Susan 22204

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wild guess - one-party government for over 30 years that's in the pockets of corporations and special interests?

Anonymous said...

Advanced technology buses on the Pike? Something else you won't see mentioned in the local news blogs.

Anonymous said...

County Board and County Government are so controlled by corporations and special interests the County couldn't award 5 taxi certificates for a small test fleet of electric cabs.

Anonymous said...

Depending on who you talk to at Dominion, 98% or 99% of the electrical energy supplied to Arlington is derived from burning fuel of one type or another and from nuclear reactors.

Anonymous said...

End of internal combustion engines? Wonder how much energy they would get if they covered the bus roof with high-efficiency solar cells?

Anonymous said...

Wild guess....local media also in the pockets of special interests and corporations?

Anonymous said...

The fuel cell bus will be so quiet that the vehicle will have to generate sounds electronically to indicate its presence to visually disabled persons.

Anonymous said...

If the streetcar system and bus rapid transit were competing drugs used by a large federal healthcare system (e.g., Veterans Affairs) the V.A. Inspector General would never allow an old drug costing 5 times as much and having more side effects than a newer equivalent drug to be the drug of choice in the V.A. medical system.

Anonymous said...

Thumbs Up to Libby Garvey at today's County Board meeting.

Anonymous said...

Thought I heard Libby Garvey say today the cost of the Pike streetcar system is up to $300 million. Sheesh.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you ask the sixth County Board member - Venable Vornado?

Anonymous said...

FYI, recent change in local news blogs, if you want to comment about anything posted on the ArlNow blog you have to be a CivFed delegate or work at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

Media $$$uck...Here's Why... said...

So Libby Garvey made some persuasive arguments for a community process to evaluate transit options for the Pike? See any features in the local news media about all the state-of-the-art-in-2013 transit options available for the Pike? See anything produced on AVN and AIM, which are mostly drivel and propaganda?

2100 too said...

I work at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. and I am sick and tired of so much of my time being wasted by lawyers, planners, developers, etc. lobbying me and other county staff to sign on via staff reports for their greedy smart growth redevelopment plans that aren't smart at all.

Anonymous said...

Lawyers, planners, developers, etc.? You mean like Venable Vornado?

Anonymous said...

What the pols and local media do not want us to know - same design and engineering improvements occurred in BRT between 2006 and 2012 as occurred in commercial aircraft between 1957 and 1963.

Anonymous said...

Yes, BRT vehicles were re-designed and re-engineered to be attractive to riders and technologically advanced.

Anonymous said...

Gee I wonder why Arlington 'Independent' Media which has to be the world's drivel channel hasn't done a feature about BRT?

Anonymous said...

Why don't all the media geeks pack up their video equipment and take a Metro ride to Montgomery County or Alexandria to do video features about BRT planning in those jurisdictions?

Anonymous said...

BRT vs. a streetcar system is a serious subject. Besides, the local media might well lose their yearly stipends if they produced features about BRT.