AROUND THE REGION

Last week, we talked to Roberto Roldan at VPM about our concerns related to the GRTC Transit Center that’s part of the proposed North of Broad development. You can read our full statement here, but to summarize:

• In 2018, Richmond redesigned its old hub-and-spoke bus network to a more grid-like system that does not require a central transfer point. A large, centralized location to make transfers is no longer needed.
• The Transit Center is too far from the nearest Pulse station, requiring a 2-3 block walk to make transfers. For those with mobility impairments—or any who are walking in the heat, cold, or rain—this distance is a deterrent to using transit.
• The 12-bay Transit Center is larger than the today’s 10-bay Transfer Plaza. This investment does not align with the new bus network where fewer routes need a centralized transfer point. A similar investment could be made by building smaller transfer stations throughout the city.

New GRTC CEO Julie Timm also talked to Roldan and gave a statement related to the Transit Center, which you can read in full below:

“GRTC has been searching for a permanent facility in the Downtown Business District for more than two decades, and our community is forced to stand in the rain, snow, and heat to wait for buses and walk several blocks on uneven or obstructed sidewalks to make transfer connections. The current Temporary Transfer Plaza (which has been used for the past five years) is served by 13 bus routes (1A, 1C, 2A, 2C, 3C, 5, 7A, 7B, 12, 14, 39, 78, 87) in the evenings and on Sunday. During the daytime, the Plaza is served by five bus routes (5, 7A, 7B, 12, 39). Without reservation—Richmond needs permanent and dignified infrastructure to provide our residents with safe, accessible, and comfortable system connectivity.

The Navy Hill development could be transformative for downtown Richmond, and I am excited that transit is at the core of this conversation. Such a significant investment in Richmond’s future must include clear objectives for mobility and accessibility in downtown as the City grows—not just for how mobility functions today. The Navy Hill development team has been working directly with GRTC staff to include effective and accessible public transit connectivity throughout the design including a large transfer facility at 9th Street two blocks north of the Pulse. This location and design has promise and does warrant further community conversation on how to align and fund transit and local mobility connections. Without further conversations on these topics, there is a real risk that the location could lock the system into less than optimal connections to the Pulse now and in the future. I am excited and encouraged that these conversations are happening!”

ELSEWHERE

While not about Richmond, this post on the New York-based transit advocacy blog Cap’n Transit Rides Again, put to words a lot of the hopeful feelings surrounding Richmond’s public transit picture. 15 years ago, the vision for a truly regional public transportation system in the Richmond region existed, for sure, but it didn’t feel attainable. Now, almost every year, the region as a whole has started taking concrete steps toward building that vision.

Public transit playlists pop up every now and then, and here’s another via Streets Blog. Queue it up, and let your inner transit nerd dance like nobody’s looking.

—Ross Catrow