TAKE ACTION
As the end of the year approaches, so does end-of-year giving. Coincidentally (totally not a coincidence), we've just got online donations working on the RVA Rapid Transit website. If you're looking to support a worthy organization that has a worthy mission, look no further than us! Your contribution will help us continue to educated, organize, and advocate for metro-wide transit.
AROUND THE REGION
Rich Girset of the Chesterfield Observer has an excellent look at how a lack of public transportation impacts life for folks living along Jefferson Davis Highway. Extending fixed-route GRTC service from the city limits down to John Tyler Community College is a desperate need and one of our focuses in the coming year.
The Richmond City Council introduced the official resolution to support the Richmond Transit Network Plan (PDF). If things go as planned, the newly elected City Council will vote on it at their first meeting on January 9th. This will be an excellent opportunity for transit-minded Richmonders to head on down to City Hall to speak during the public hearing (aka we'll be in touch).
Speaking of public comment, we had speakers at both the Richmond City Council meeting and the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors meeting this past week. Speaking at your jurisdiction's public meetings is an easy way to get involved. If that sounds like something you'd be into, just fill out this form.
If you're a city resident, specifically a city resident living north of the river, GRTC is looking for feedback on their new (and awesome) signage and a couple planned adjustments to bus stop locations.
ELSEWHERE
An inefficient bus system leads to long commutes which then lead to big reductions in effective hourly wage. This specific example from Rochester shows how sitting on the bus for more than two hours a day can sink your hourly wage by over a dollar per hour. Dang! A ton of commute times in Richmond, especially from the Southside and the East End, will be much improved by the implementation of the Richmond Transit Network Plan—just one reason why getting this plan implemented (and implemented on time) is so important.
This week, Jarrett Walker writes about the dangers of cities answering transit problems with "Uhhhh, I dunno, what about Ubers?". Two key things to remember about Uber: 1) even the emptiest bus you see is probably carrying around more people per hour than the busiest Uber driver, and 2) Uber the company is unprofitable with its current business model. Beware building the future of your transit system around such a thing!
Here's an interview with another transit advocacy group, this one in San Francisco, about some of the advocacy tools they've used in the past and are planning on using. Lots to learn!