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

Epidemic of Streetcar-Related Injuries Continues

Hello, Yupette,

Thanks for your blog. I absolutely oppose spending anymore money on Zimmerman's ridiculous streetcar system.

A few weeks I visited San Diego to attend a conference about preventing epidemics. You will be interested to know that there is an epidemic of streetcar-related injuries in San Diego. If you search the Web you'll find the same is occurring in Portland and other cities where in-fill development and re-development are occurring. There are too many vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists packed into too small an area. Then streetcar tracks and streetcars are added. Recipe for serious accidents and injuries involving streetcars and streetcar tracks. Perhaps streetcar safety programs are preventing some accidents. But too many people are being encouraged to buy and ride bicycles everywhere, whether they want to obey the rules of the road or not. Same thing with pedestrians and, to some extent,  motor vehicles.

It appears the people elected to promote our best interests could care less about who is hurt by streetcars and streetcar tracks. That's why the law firms that represent streetcar-related accident victims are thriving.

Kathy, 22205

Alexandria, Montgomery County, Moving Forward With Bus Rapid Transit

Hello,

While Arlington County pursues planning and funding an obsolete, expensive, inflexible, and dangerous transit alternative for Columbia Pike - streetcars - adjacent jurisdictions, Alexandria and Montgomery County, are moving forward with bus rapid transit.

Although the Northern Virginia news media won't feature bus rapid transit you can read how BRT is being planned elsewhere by searching the Patch news blogs "Patch news bus rapid transit".

Here's another photo of a state-of-the-art bus rapid transit vehcile that's currently in service. No dangerous tracks, no overhead wires.

Cindy

DES: "Water Main Breaks Like This, Streetcars Going Nowhere for Days"

Hello,

A.Y. was on-the-scene at the water main breaks on the Pike today, between George Mason Drive and S. Four Mile Run Drive. Pike was totally blocked to traffic. DES repair crews had excavated down at least 10 feet in two places on the Pike to reach the broken water main. We spoke with a DES crew and some contractors and they stated that a streetcar system would be out of service for days if a similar water main breaks occurred with streetcar tracks in place.

Metrobuses were rerouted around the closed section of the Pike.

Cindy.

Canadian Police Investigation of AECOM Indicates Corruption Beyond Canada

Hello, Yupette,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding the ongoing investigation of AECOM by the Surete de Quebec.

Latest about the investigation of AECOM and other engineering and construction companies is it appears the collusion, bribes, payments of "consulting fees" to elected officials to obtain no-bid and sole-source contracts, and other activities extend way beyond the Province of Quebec and Canada.

Much of the investigation here in PQ involves collusion, i.e., elected officials award contracts to one or two engineering and construction corporations, excluding all others.

If you do a Web search on "AECOM Montreal corruption investigation" and "Charbonneau Commssion" you will learn a lot about what is occurring in PQ with regard to corruption in the engineering and construction sectors.

Regards,

Rene'

Zimmy's Newest Pike Streetcar Facilitator - Amtrak Joe Biden

Hey Yupette,

Think the reason Amtrak Joe Biden visited Arlington last Friday was to meet ordinary residents in a diner on Lee Highway? Nope. Real reason was to help Zimmy get his Pike streetcar through bottlenecks like a U.S. Department of Transportation IG investigation of Zimmy's corrupt streetcar alternatives analysis and grant application process and facilitate approval by the Federal Transit Administration.

Meanwhile, in beautiful Quebec, the Canadian Feds have launched a major anti-corruption campaign against big engineering and construction corporations, including Zimmy's consultant cronies at AECOM.

This streetcar mess is getting to smell like a garbage truck in July.

Thanks for your blog.

2100

Quebec Anti-Corruption Police Raided AECOM Offices on November 6th

Hey Yupette,

Check out this article from Canada's Financial Post national news blog (http://business.financialpost.com) published on November 6th.


"Anti Corruption police raid Genivar, other engineering firms in Quebec

MONTREAL - Police raided the Laval, Que. offices of U.S. Fortune 500 company Aecom and TSX-traded Genivar Inc. as allegations of kickbacks and corruption that have shaken the province seep into the capital markets.

The companies were among four targeted by investigators with Quebec's anti-corruption police squad Tuesday in Laval, a city bordering Montreal to the north. Local offices of privately held engineering firms Dessau and Cima+ were also searched."

The report was written by Financial Post reporter Nicholas Van Praet.


Ted 22204