AROUND THE REGION

Have you seen the new GRTC bus stop signs popping up around the Northside? See above if you haven't stumbled on one yet. The new signs look great and help riders know which routes serve that particular stop. You can learn more about the new sign project over on GRTC's website.

The Washington Post has a wrapup of the first week of the new dynamic tolls on I-66 in Northern Virginia. The tolls are designed to maintain speeds of 55 mph by increasing toll amounts for single-occupancy vehicles every couple of minutes. The high tolls eventually are expensive enough to discourage drivers from using I-66, thereby reducing congestion. This is an excellent way for folks taking the bus or carpooling (and even driving by themselves if they're willing to pay the toll) to spend less time commuting. You can read a more detailed explanation of how it all works here.

ELSEWHERE

I'm into this plan out of Boston to introduce pilot projects that include some of the elements of Bus Rapid Transit. This makes me think about slapping down some pilot bus-only lanes or adding signal priority to our busier corridors like Chamberlayne or Broad Street out to Short Pump.

Speaking of BRT, Indianapolis just awarded the $46 million construction contract for their Red Line. This is the first of three bus rapid transit lines they plan on building over the next couple of years. For some context, Richmond is the 44th largest metro area and Indianapolis is the 34th.

TAKE ACTION

And, as you're thinking about making end-of-year gifts, consider supporting RVA Rapid Transit. Your gift of $10 or $25 or $50 helps us continue advocating, educating, and organizing for a frequent and far-reaching transit system in Richmond.

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