Viva Las Vegas - Business Leaders Want Vegas Lighting? Let's Have Vegas Buses on the Pike

Hey Yupette,

Check out the video of County Board's discussion of the proposed sign ordinance (agenda Item 50) on the County's Web site, and the push by the Economic Development Commission and Chamber of Commerce boosters for Las Vegas lighting in Rosslyn, the Pike, and on the other arterials.

If they like Vegas lighting, they'll love Vegas buses, like the ACE articulated bus in the photo. Maybe not, the lighting in the photo looks well-planned and is not facing national monuments.

Larry

Clement Asks All Pike Bus Options be Evaluated, Prefers Double Deck Buses

Hi Yupette,

I just received a press release from Audrey Clement's County Board Campaign.

Like her Republican opponent, Matt Wavro, Audrey wants to scrap the trolley and evaluate all bus transit options for the Pike. Unlike Matt, Audrey wants to see double deck buses on the Pike, like the double deck buses entering service in London.

The entire Pike transit alternatives process has been a charade and a fraud perpetrated by the County Board and its developer cronies and inflicted on citizens who are being kept clueless about what 21st Century buses even look like.

I'm attaching a photo of a new double deck bus that's entering service in London.

Pike Rider

Mountaintop Coal Would Power Pike Streetcar

Hey, Yupette,

Who does the $ierra Club think it's fooling about "green energy" powering the Pike streetcar. The coal companies are going to be blowing the tops off mountains for decades to get at the coal to generate the electric energy to power everything in Virginia, including the Pike and Crystal City streetcars, if the County Board is foolish enough to build streetcar systems on the Pike and Crystal City. Any 'green' electric power generated in the Northeast and Southeast is miniscule compared to the power generated from mountaintop coal and nuclear reactors. The 'green' power Dominion buys and resells (almost all generated out-of-state) at a big mark up is a tiny fraction of all the electric power consumed by Dominion's customers.

Next generation of city buses will likely be powered by compressed natural gas fuel cells. Prototype CNG fuel cell buses are already being tested. Save our mountains, clean air, and water. Scrap planning for the Pike and Crystal City trolleys.

Terri

County Board Imposes Massive Censorship on Pike Bus Alternatives Information

Hello, Yupette,

I tried to find information about articulated buses, double deck buses, hybrid city buses and other rubber-tired transit buses that the County is supposed to be evaluating for service on the Pike. Information about anything except streetcars has been totally censored by the County Board. The Columbia Pike Library had no information when I visited last week.

Appears that the news media and blogs (except for your blog) have also been threatened in various ways. That's what one person who works for the for-profit blogs told me when I called to ask why no information about articulated or double deck buses has ever appeared on the blog.

It's totally unacceptable for us to be stuck with a $200 million transit system where the streetcars will sit for days on the Pike if the power goes out for days. We can have a great bus system on the Pike for much much less.

Thanks for your blog.

Pike Rider

Arlington Bicycle Groups Ignore Streetcar Dangers

Hey, Yupette,

Thanks for your blog.

I ride a bicycle and have visited Portland several times recently. Portland bicyclists are up in arms about streetcars and streetcar tracks.

Where is the concern by Arlington's bicycle groups? It's bad enough there are so many bicyclists running stop signs and traffic lights and don't wear helmets. Anyone who thinks bicyclists will stay off the Pike if streetcar tracks are installed is living in a fantasy world.

I am all for rubber tired buses to provide transit on the Pike.

Marty 22204

Derailments, Prolonged Power Outages Make Streetcars An Even Worse Alternative

Hello, Yupette,

I have been looking at the four options for transit on the Pike, same bus service, improved bus service, articulated buses, streetcars, and streetcars make no sense at all.

No one has even spoken about derailments and prolonged power outages. It's a huge operation to get a derailed streetcar back on the rails, the Pike would be closed in both directions for many hours.

If there were a prolonged loss of power, and this could occur for a number of reasons, streetcars would be immobilized, possibly for days. It would take hours for power to be restored if an overhead wire providing power to streetcars were to be damaged.

I've looked at cities that have had streetcars for decades (like Toronto) and many residents of these cities are exasperated at the problems streetcars cause.

It's beyond me why anyone with common sense would want an expensive and antiquated mode of transportation in a high density corridor with a high volume of pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle traffic.

Pike Rider

Zimmerman Contemplating Retiring from County Board

Hey Yupette,

Talk of the ACDC Insiders is that Chris Zimmerman is going to retire after his current term on the County Board. Possibly move out of Arlington. So the Streetcar is his Legacy to Arlington, Which is why he's pushing it so hard.

Thanks for your blog. I'm three years from retirement and don't want to live in a condo where the power is going to go out every Fourth of July for 3 days. Too old for that. So I'm going to be moving on myself.

Old Democrat