TAKE ACTION

On October 12th, RVA Rapid Transit (that's us!) and Partnership for Smarter Growth will host an event with the excellent transit experts from TransitCenter. We'll discuss where Richmond fits in with national trends regarding bus networks, BRTs, transit-oriented land use, streetscaping, and how cities and transit agencies work together. If you're a transit fan or just transit-curious, come on out and learn from some serious experts! It's a free event, and you can RSVP here.

AROUND THE REGION

Below you'll find some more events that you should be aware of—time to pull out your calendar and a pencil!

On October 17th—along with Richmond Hill and Hope in the Cities—we're hosting a faith-based screening of Free to Ride, a documentary which examines the intersection of public transportation and civil rights. Check out the trailer here. If you're a faith leader or part of a congregation that wants to get involved in the work to expand the region's public transit, please RSVP here.

Henrico County will host three meetings (October 5th, October 16th, and November 2nd) to ask the public for feedback and guidance as they consider improvements to their portion of the region's transportation network. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for the County to improve and expand the public transportation they provide and a great way for citizens to get involved. If you'd like to learn more about this process, I recommend taking a look at the Henrico County Transit Choices Report (PDF).

Important note! If you need transportation to any of these meetings, please reply to this email and let us know.

ELSEWHERE

As Eugene, Oregon finishes up their BRT expansion, a collection of seven artists have added wildlife-themed art—poetry, ceramics, concrete and metal—to the new bus stations. I love this idea, especially using public art to cover bland-but-necessary pieces of equipment like electric boxes.

Is Bus Rapid Transit the right transit tool for Atlanta? Maybe! But maybe not! The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an article about how the region can use BRT, express lanes, and trains to help folks avoid some of the nation's worst traffic.

Cities with massive transportation systems (like Seattle and LA) have recently won dedicated transit funding through ballot referendums. This article looks at what Denver needs to do to follow suit. Richmond's transit network is definitely something on a smaller scale but will still need dedicated funding at some point. There's a lot we can learn as Denver moves through this process—like, who will be our political champion??

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