Hello:
AY sent a correspondent to cover the County Board's Transportation CIP Work Session this week. The topic of transit service on Columbia Pike came up repeatedly. County Board Member Christian Dorsey dememaded higher capacity rush-hour transit service on the Pike. County Trasnportation Staff responded: 'Don't worry, be happy, plenty of excess capacity if everyone moves to the center of the bus'.
Insofar as bus rapid transit and double deck buses on the Pike, the County Board went along with County Transportation Staff's disapproval. County Board Chair Libby Garvey didn't mention bus rapid transit, articlulated buses, double deck buses, anything besides County Transportation Staff's recommendation that the County purchase new 40-foot buses, paint them blue, and designate them 'premium service' on various routes. Oh, same old lies from County Transportation Staff that a double deck bus won't fit under the new Washington Boulevard - Columbia Pike bridge which has over 17 feet of clearance over the Pike. Same old lies from County Transportation Staff that BRT 'won't work' on the Pike. Same old County Transportation Staff that throws cold water over traffic mitigation (except for bicycles) after including thousands of new vehicle parking spaces concomitant with new office and residential mixed-use site plans every year
So, after months of lobbying for bus rapid transit on the Pike two years ago, Libby Garvey is settling for premium Metrobus service by 2019. That's what we get for re-electing Democrats to the County Board -- more of the same-old, same-old.
Cindy
56 comments:
Why no doble deck buses on the Pike? I see double deck tour buses everywhere else.
Yes, clearance on the Pike under Wash. Blvd. is over 17 feet.
What this tells me - they're saving money to spend on the gondola from vibrant Rosslyn to vibrant Georgetown.
Also no mention of the proposed bus rapid transit in Alexandria and along Route 7. The Alexandria BRT was intially planned to come down Beauregard Street - Walter Reed Drive to Shirlington.
At least the Pike is being repaved.
No mention of massive Smart Growth mixed-use redevelopment of Bailey's, Seven Corners, Annandale just approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
I doen't beliee or trust County Transportation Staff. Same old same old here as at WMATA. Time for a RIF and/or early retirements.
Agree. There is no comprehensive traffic impact analysis for site plams, let alone for sector plans. Meaning the impacts of hundreds of additional pedestrians, motor vehicles, and bicycles trying to use the same streets and sidewalks at the same time.
Arlington Economic Development is sponsoring the Gondola Forum on July 7th.
Also at CB CIP Transportation Work Session -- County is significantly behind on street repaving.
Car Free Diet? Last County Board meeting County Board approved three vibrant mixed use site plans with 686 condos and apartments and 928 parking spaces.
Fire Victor Hoskins and do a 20% RIF of Economic Development Staff. What else do they do except hand out corporate and non-profit welfare checks?
Stay tuned for the $250 million Arlington Convention Center in Potomac Yards.
Wait till you see now much money they pee away making Rosslyn into an upscale hedonist enclave.
Check out beautiful downtown Annapolis if you want to see where Rosslyn is headed.
County Government is already peeing hundreds of thousands away on Rosslyn waterfront design, check out the exhibit in the lobby at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.
Gondola will connect vibrant LGBT Georgetown luxury enclave with vibrant LGBT Rosslyn luxurty enclave. Former Mayor of DuPont Circle Carole Mitten was hired as Deputy County Manager for Upscale Hedonization.
Want to end these ongoing charades and total waste of tax dollars? Elect Audrey Clement to the County Board in November.
Want to be really appalled? Check out the County Board's CIP work session with Parks and Rec.
If Gourmet Jay runs for another term it will because he would spend his next term in office completely making over Arlington into an urban and upscale LGBT enclave.
What is the charm with Georgetown? It's been an overcrowded tourist trap for at least 40 years.
When does my crumbling road get repaved?
Georgetown was a zoo 40 years ago and it's a zoo today. Why does Arlington want to connect with that?
Arlington's vibrant Economic Development Director, Victor Hoskins, lives in vibrant Georgetowne and wants to commute to his vibrant luxury office suite in vibrant Ballston via a vibrant Gondola connecting to vibrant revitalized Metrorail. That's why.
State-of-the-art BRT vehicles, aka articulated buses, can literally turn on a dime. Arlington's so-called "transportation planners" should be given early retirement.
I'm new here and a little concerned about the fact that all comments are from Anonymous ... it's not very interesting to me if there is only one person here (we could correspond directly) and people will say non-constructive things anonymously that they wouldn't say if we knew they were.
Anyway, Transiters.com, a transit advocacy group, works to promote more and better transit -- read our comments on 6/17 at http://www.transiters.com/blog/northernvirginiashouldimprovetheworstperformingtransportationservicesfirst to the NVTAuthority opposing plans to build 50 miles of new highway on I66 because the project is transit-inadequate.
Dude, where have you and your group been for the past 35 years while Arlington's been run and ruined by the New Urbanists, starting with Ellen Bozman?
And John Milliken, and Al Eisenberg, and Mary Margaret Whipple..etc.
Not interested in going along with the program. People who do the Smart Growth "planning" only listen to each other. They won't even test double deck buses and BRT on the Pike.
I've had it with Libby Garvey and all the other Democrat politricksters. I'm voting for the Independent candidate for County Board (Audrey Clement) as I did last year and in 2014.
They are so lame. After three decades of building an oversupply of expensive commercial office space they are now building an oversupply of expensive residential apartments and condos.
Another transit organization that did and said nothing while Metrorail - literally - crashed and burned. Never mind 6 years ago, where were all these transit advocates 6 months ago?
Of COURSE almost everyone posts as Anonymous on AY. The Regime is so corrupt who wants to use an ID that will allow the urban village idiot Zimmycrats to guess who is posting comments here?
Motto of the transit advocacy groups: "Everyone move to the center of the bus". Alternatively: "Use the front and rear cars of the train".
Wikipedia suggests you are right about seventeen feet being plenty of height for double deckers: " The maximum permissible length of a rigid double-decker bus and coach in the UK is 15.0 metres (49 ft 3 in), and although there are no theoretical restrictions on height, coaches are normally built to 4.38 metres (14 ft 4 in) high, while 'highbridge' buses are normally about 20 centimetres (8 in) taller."
Because the underpass was constructed to accommodate streetcars with overhead power wires connected to insulators connected to the ceiling of the underpass.
BRT and double deck buses got thrown under the Rosslyn-Georgetown gondola done-deal.
Know what sucks?...County Board won't even run a test double-deck bus on the Pike.
Everyone's energy is going to hyping the gondola.
I also have had enough of Lyin' Libby.
FYI - They all listen to Victor Hoskins and do whatever he tells them.
Why is the moderator blocking my comments?
Neverland-on-the-Potomac? Check out their plans for the North Rosslyn Waterfront.
Maybe because Metrorail riders are tired of do-nothing transit activists who use blogs as a forum for their do-nothing prognostications.
I gotta agree. Where were the transit activists when Metrorail was crashing and burning? Are the transit activists even able to lobby to get the trains and stations cleaned once in 40 years?
Transit activists were and are anti-safety and for decades vocally demanded high-tech passenger amenities from WMATA, which WMATA provided rather than focusing on basic maintenance and upgrades.
Why are the trains and stations still dirty?
It gets worse. Did the real estate trusts, real estate brokers, chambers of commerce, corporations, individuals who live in Metrorail corridors, politicians appointed to the WMATA Board who approved site plans in Metroerail corridors ever do anything over 40 years to significantly improve the overall safety and appearance of the system?
Another reason New Urbanism sucks.Everything is allowed to deteriorate until it becomes totally shabby and needs massive renovation or replacement.
All Mr. Smart Growth, Chris Zimmerman, ever did when he was on the WMATA Board was make excuses for derailments, track fires, etc. while lobbying for expensive passenger amenities.
After many breakdowns of escalators at Metrorail stations caused by rain and smow canopies were finally installed over escalators.
Classic New Urbanist 3 Step:
Allow infrastructure to deteriorate over decades;
Point to the deteriorated state of the infrastructure;
Invite real estate trusts, planning consultants, developers, to replace deteriorated infrastructure with upscale mixed-use in-fill redevelopment with the developers and REITs receiving massive public subsidies.
What were the 500 'surplus' WMATA employees who are being laid off doing at 'work' for the past decade?
I don't want to read anything more from jive turkey "transit activists".
Yes, all the time Chris Zimmerman was on the WMATA Board every time there was a train derailment he made an excuse.
Second that New Urbanism sucks.
Transit activists should buy $100 worth of buckets, sponges and liquid cleaning detergent and have at 40 years of dirt, grease, and grime built up at Metro stations.
Second that also.
County is behind on street paving, replacing old street lights, street trees are poorly maintained or not maintained. But always plenty of $$$ for a vanity gondola transitway.
Latest from Liberal Libby: Bus Thrown Under Gondola
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