RVA Rapid Transit January 2015 Update

Ebony Walden

New RVA Rapid Transit Staff

Ebony Walden joined the RVA Rapid Transit staff in August. Ebony has 9 years of City Planning experience and will be working to coordinate future efforts. In 2015, RVA Rapid Transit will help garner support for a land use and economic development vision along the Broad Street corridor to compliment the BRT project and ensure its success. We will also continue to promote the regional vision. Contact ebony@rvarapidtransit.org if you know of an organization that would like a presentation or if your organization wants to officially support the regional BRT vision via letter or resolution.

Dominic Carter

Dominic Carter joined the RVA Rapid Transit staff in November to focus on Church and Clergy Relations. Churches have played a significant role in our promotion and advocacy efforts as mission driven social institutions with multijurisdictional membership. Dominic will organize clergy and churches in Metro Richmond to promote and advocate for a BRT focused regional transit system. If you would like to get your church involved please email dominic@rvarapidtransit.org.

Broad Street BRT Update

In September, GRTC received a $24.9 Million federal grant to fund the Broad Street BRT project. The project will service a 7.6 mile route from Rocketts Landing to Willow Lawn, including 14 stations and over 3 miles of dedicated travel lanes. The design process is underway, with construction starting in 2016. Service is expected to begin in October of 2017. For updates and more information go to www.ridegrtc.com/brt .

Richmond Magazine wrote a recent article on the Broad Street BRT.

BRT News & Research

Bus Rapid Transit has gained a lot of prominence in the US and abroad. Click on the links below to learn about recent BRT and other transit related happenings. Like us on Facebook and get regular news updates: www.facebook.com/RVARapidTransit

• Bus Rapid Transit Nearly Quadruples Over Ten Years
• Interactive Map of BRT Successes Worldwide
• Study shows Millennials prefer walkable places with good transit and other options
• Metro Detroit colleges support transit, say riding buses a part of educational experience
• Southerner increasingly want to be taken for a [transit] ride!

Join Virginia’s Transit Action Network

Virginia Transit Association has launched a new e-action program to direct folks to their legislators when it’s time to push support for transit. This program allows target alerts for any level of government – even the local level of Board of Supervisors! To register go to the VTA website: www.vatransit.com.

Happy Holidays and thank you for your support. Please help us spread the vision…tell your friends, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and recommend presentation venues or partnerships

Metro Richmond Clergy Ride Buses to Bring Awareness to Rapid Transit

http://wtvr.com/2014/10/16/150-clergy-members-board-grtc-buses-looking-praying-for-transportation-changes/  

Bill 597 - A New Start for Regional Transit Cooperation in Richmond

In a recent post, our team at RVA Rapid Transit reported on State Delegate Manoli Loupassi’s efforts to bring the City of Richmond, Chesterfield, and Henrico County together in what House Bill Number 597 is calling the “Richmond Regional Transportation Authority.” House Bill 597 would make some significant changes to the current Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA) by equalizing the membership distribution of a sixteen-member board. The City of Richmond and the counties of Henrico and Chesterfield will each have five members on the board, one of whom may be an elected official from each of the jurisdictions. Previously, the Authority consisted of eleven members, one appointed from Henrico, one appointed from Chesterfield and three appointed from the City of Richmond.  Equal representation on the Authority would be the first step to greater regional cooperation around transportation in Metro Richmond.

Also, contrary to previous reporting, Bill 597 will not only give the Richmond Regional Transportation Authority (RRTA) the ability to build and maintain toll roads, but also the capacity to operate a regional transit system. In the words of the legislation the RRTA would be able

“to own, operate, maintain, and provide rapid and other transit facilities and services for the transportation of the public, and to enter into contracts with said City and County or Counties and any public service corporations doing business as common carriers of passengers and property for the use of Authority facilities for such purpose, to enter into contracts for the transportation of passengers and property over facilities of jurisdictions other than the Authority, as well as the property and facilities of the Authority, and construct, acquire, operate, and maintain any other properties and facilities, including such offices and commercial facilities in connection therewith as are deemed necessary or convenient by the Authority, for the relief of traffic congestion, or to provide vehicular parking, or to promote transportation of persons and property, or to promote the flow of commerce that the Council of the City of Richmond and the Boards of Supervisors of the Counties of Chesterfield and Henrico may request the Authority to provide.”

In other words, this bill would provide the political structure for a regional transit system.  This is a vital step the State House of Representatives is taking toward a more cohesive transit system for the Richmond Region. House Bill 597 will be voted on in committee on Friday.

Regional Cooperation: The Key to a Connected Richmond

The new year brings new efforts for regional cooperation in Metro Richmond. One of these efforts is being lead by State Delegate Manoli Loupassi, who is the only delegate in Virginia to represent the City of Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield.  According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, Loupassi is proposing legislation that would give Chesterfield and Henrico equal representation on the Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA) board. This change has been on the legislative agenda for Henrico and Chesterfield since the beginning of the 48-year-old institution, which mainly operates toll roads in Metro Richmond.  The legislation would require that all three jurisdictions agree on a project before it could be undertaken.

Such legislation could pave the way for a larger Metro Richmond transit authority. Regional cooperation is vital for the Richmond metro area to obtain federal funds for transportation and infrastructure development.  That’s why Loupassi is seeking to expand the authority of the RMA or to form a new regional body. According to a recent article in Richmond Magazine, Loupassi will introduce legislation into the General Assembly that would join Richmond localities in a partnership to manage and maintain roads shared by all Metro Richmond residents.  Loupassi is calling this new body the Richmond Regional Transit Authority. Though it would not initially include public transit, Loupassi sees it as a first step to a group that would one day administer public transit in the greater Metro region.

RVA Rapid Transit supports taking steps to achieve the goal of connecting our region using an efficient, effective system of rapid mass transit.  The need for public transit and the job access and economic development it provides is becoming increasingly evident to both city and county citizens. Chesterfield county alone has seen a 75% increase in its poverty rate over the last ten years.  Many of these individuals need access to job training and employment through public transportation. And regional businesses need access to the workforce that would be available via a rapid transit system.

The Richmond Regional Planning District Commission (RRPDC), recently held its annual breakfast, where it laid out its  Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Richmond Region. A need for greater access to transportation was one of the main findings of the study. The study found that 18% of households in the City of Richmond alone do not have cars, and 27% have only one car.  CEDS pointed out that the Mayor’s Anti-Poverty Commission called for the development “of a functional regional transit system.”  The CEDS recommended beginning with incremental steps such as giving GRTC control of bus route changes instead of having city Council approve them, a recommendation that has been implemented since the report was written.

It’s encouraging to see Delegate Loupassi, other elected representatives and government administrators working to create a more prosperous, connected and unified Metro Richmond. But our elected officials and the civil servants who implement policy are constrained by what they believe to be politically possible and what they believe their constituents support. Bringing rapid transit to Metro Richmond is more than possible as long as residents of the region raise their voices and let their representatives know that exceptional public transit is a priority. In the coming months we will be organizing opportunities for you to make your voice heard, so be sure to stay tuned.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons