RVA Rapid Transit

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This week in transit: A bus to Short Pump?

RVA Rapid Transit

TAKE ACTION

At their two-day retreat this past weekend, the majority of Henrico County supervisors said they'd like to expand bus service to Short Pump, and they'd like to do it as soon as possible. Supervisors Lynch, Nelson, and Thornton all called on the Board to find the money to extend the #19 bus further west, and, not only that, but County Manager John Vithoulkas said staff would prepare a budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes service to Short Pump. Supervisor Branin suggested a more incremental approach, and Supervisor O'Bannon "wondered if a private company could partner with Henrico to expand its bus service."

I agree with Supervisor Nelson: Extending one bus line a few miles is not an opportunity for incrementalism—getting folks to the job-rich areas in the western part of Henrico County is a "2018 need." And the region already has an excellent transit partner in GRTC, so there's no need to create a confusing set of multiple systems.

If you're a Henrico resident, please take a moment to contact your Supervisor and tell them you support bringing bus service to Short Pump as soon as possible!

AROUND THE REGION

Due to all the snow we had recently, you've got two extra days to trade in your old GRTC Go Cards for passes of equivalent value: January 17th and 18th. Look for the white mobile command unit vehicle at the Temporary Transfer Plaza.

GRTC will have their quarterly Pulse public information meeting on Tuesday, January 23rd at the Children's Museum (there's a meeting at 9:00 AM and one at 6:00 PM). These meetings give you a chance to talk to the folks directly involved with the construction of the Pulse and ask them all sorts of questions.

ELSEWHERE

A committee of Nashville's regional council voted 29-1 to recommend that Mayor Barry's expansive transit referendum end up in front of voters on a May ballot. If the referendum does end up on the ballot, and if voters do approve it, the region would increase four different taxes to pay for $5.4 billion dollars of transit infrastructure improvements.

Seattle's City Council has adopted a resolution in support of racial equity and social justice in transportation planning. You can/should read more about the Seattle Department of Transportation's Transportation Equity Program. P.S. That's a great example of an informative and transparent website for a pretty in-the-weeds government program.

This is fantastic: Denver's new head of Public Works does not own a car. He says experiencing the city on foot and via transit helps him get a ground-level view for how transportation in his City works (or doesn't work).

If you'd like to support RVA Rapid Transit's work to bring a truly regional transit system to Richmond, consider picking up an awesome transit map T-shirt or making a tax-deductible donation.

—Ross Catrow