TAKE ACTION

Henrico's Transit Development Plan meetings continue to be our focus through October and into the beginning of November. The County will hold their final public meeting on November 2nd at the Tuckahoe Area Library (1901 Starling Drive) from 5:30–7:00 PM. Regardless of whether or not you can attend one of the public meetings, consider taking this online survey to weigh in on what the future holds for public transit in Henrico County.

Hey, did you know we have T-shirts featuring a cool-looking version of the Greater RVA Transit Vision Plan map? You can pick one up over on Bonfire, and the proceeds support our work in advocating, educating, and organizing for a better regional transit system in Richmond!

ELSEWHERE

This article in the Atlantic does a great job of explaining how Seattle runs one of the country's best bus systems. A lot of what makes Seattle's system so great is not giant and expense infrastructure but "small, surgical fixes" that begin to add up. We could learn a ton from Seattle!

We could also learn a ton from this transportation action agenda (PDF) from Nashville's Mayor Megan Barry. She's laid out a concrete strategy to quickly improve transportation in Nashville through a lot of those small, surgical fixes mentioned in the previous article about Seattle. It's not just about buying new buses or painting dedicated bus lanes. A huge part of this plan is making transit easier and safer to access through pedestrian safety improvements.

Finally, pair those articles about Nashville and Seattle with this piece from TransitCenter that says all ridership is local. Here's a good quote: "It’s time for transit agencies and city governments to take responsibility for transit’s success or failure, by using the wide array of tools they have at their disposal to improve the fundamentals."

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