This week in transit: Welcome your newly-elected officials

TAKE ACTION

Now that elections are in the past, it’s a great time to let your newly-elected officials know (or remind the folks that got reelected) that public transportation is a priority for our region. Take a couple minutes today and send your councilmember or Board of Supervisors representative an email telling them that buses rock!

If you need help getting your email started, here are a few things to ask for—one for each jurisdiction:

  • Richmond: Email your City Councilmember and let them know you’d like the span of frequent, daytime bus service extended until at least 10:00 PM (it ends at 7:00 PM today).
  • Henrico: Ask your Board of Supervisor representative what their plans are for building better pedestrian infrastructure along Broad Street to improve access to the Pulse and #19 bus.
  • Chesterfield: Let the new (and returning) Board of Supervisor representatives know that you support the soon-to-launch #111 bus along Route 1 and are excited to see where the County chooses to run bus service next.

You can find contact information for Richmond City Council here, the Henrico Board of Supervisors here, and the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors here.

ELSEWHERE

Tulsa’s new Bus Rapid Transit, Aero BRT, opens today—congratulations Tulsa! Obviously, I’m biased, but I do think Richmond’s BRT is a bit better. We’ve got 10-minute service for most of the day, and our “weekday” service includes Saturdays. Aero BRT only sees 15-minute headways during peak times on weekdays and has no real frequent service on Saturday or Sunday.

The Pedestrian Observations blog has a great post up about fare evasion. Here’s the biggest takeaway: To limit fare evasion, make it easy to follow the law. In some cities (maybe Richmond!) that means giving deeper discounts to folks with lower-incomes and to folks who choose to buy monthly passes. In Richmond, speeding up fare validation at the ticket vending machines would certainly help, too.

Are scooters a legitimate mode of transportation? A new study in Santa Monica says yes. Folks used scooters to commute to work (29% of respondents), access recreation (26%), dine out (14%), get home (11%), and to go shopping (8%). “Nearly half of those trips replaced a short drive that users would have made with a car or taxi.”

—Ross Catrow

This week in transit: Thoughts on the proposed GRTC Transit Center

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

 

This week in transit: Remember to vote on Tuesday!

TAKE ACTION

This Tuesday, November 5th, is Election Day! Set a reminder, mark it on your calendar, put a sticky note on your fridge—just remember to get out there and vote. To help you literally get to your polling place, the City and GRTC will offer free bus rides all day long.

Remember: Every seat in Virginia’s General Assembly is up for grabs on Tuesday, but some folks also have local candidates to vote for. Henrico and Chesterfield will elect new Boards of Supervisors, and Richmond City’s 5th District will pick a new representative for City Council in a special election. If you live in either of those counties or the 5th District, make sure you check out these transportation-related questionnaires to help inform your vote on Tuesday:

Also, Wyatt Gordon at Greater Greater Washington has a nice piece about how the City’s 5th District special election has centered, in part, around better transit and safer streets.

AROUND THE REGION

You’ve probably read about the Mayor’s proposed North of Broad redevelopment project—it’s almost all anyone can talk about lately. Part of that project includes a new GRTC Transit Center, and, while RVA Rapid Transit is thankful for the Mayor’s centering of public transit in such a landmark project, we have serious concerns about the proposed location and design of that transit center. Specifically:

  • In 2018, Richmond redesigned its old hub-and-spoke bus network to a more modern, grid-like system that does not require a central transfer point. Before the network redesign, almost every bus route ended up at the Transfer Plaza. Today, very few routes do. A large, centralized location to make transfers is no longer needed.
  • Additionally, the proposed Transit Center is too far from the nearest Pulse station, requiring a two- to three-block walk to make transfers to local bus service. For those with mobility impairments—or any who are walking in extreme heat, cold, or precipitation—this distance is a deterrent to using transit. Any future Transit Center must be adjacent to a Pulse Station.
  • The proposed 12-bay Transit Center is larger than the existing 10-bay Transfer Plaza. The size and scale of this investment does not align with GRTC’s new streamlined bus network where fewer routes require a centralized transfer point. As such, a large capital investment in a Transit Center may be less valuable to increasing ridership and improving rider experience. A similar capital investment—one that would align with Richmond’s new bus network—could be made by building a handful of smaller transfer stations at critical points throughout the city.

RVA Rapid Transit believes that the transit-related investments in the North of Broad proposal can be made in a more efficient and effective manner. You can read our full statement over on our website.

ELSEWHERE

Indianapolis continues to show the rest of America how to do rapid transit. After the successful launch of their new BRT, the Red Line, they’ve increased their transit agency’s operating budget by $6 million to fund fare inspectors, bus stop improvements, increased service hours, and planning for their second BRT (the Blue Line). Something to keep in mind: IndyGo, Indianapolis’s bus company, has about a third of their budget come from “a tranist income tax voters approved in 2016.” Virginia localities don’t have access to that type of funding, but, with state approval, they can create a regional sales tax to fund public transportation.

Just look at this beautiful new red bus-only lane in Portland! Look at it!

—Ross Catrow

RVA Rapid Transit’s statement on the North of Broad development’s proposed Transit Center

RVA Rapid Transit is thankful for the Mayor’s centering of public transit in such a landmark project and looks forward to future collaboration on how best to integrate transit into our city. Nevertheless, we have serious concerns regarding the public transportation components of the North of Broad project—specifically the proposed location and design of the GRTC Transit Center. RVA Rapid Transit believes that the transit-related investments in the North of Broad proposal can be made in a more efficient and effective manner.

We believe in building high-quality public transportation into the fabric of every major city development. The Mayor’s proposed North of Broad project sets an important precedent in centering public transportation as one of its core and required components. We commend and recognize this commitment. That said, investments in transit should meet the needs of our current and future transportation system with an emphasis on improving the experience of riders and promoting equitable transit access.

We applaud the Mayor’s dedication to public transportation and believe GRTC’s bold implementation of the Pulse and simultaneous redesign of the bus network serves as a model for the nation. However, the proposed location and design of the North of Broad project’s Transit Center does not align with the incredible progress Richmond has made in public transportation over the last several years. Specifically: 

  • In 2018, Richmond redesigned its old hub-and-spoke bus network to a more modern, grid-like system that does not require a central transfer point. Before the network redesign, almost every bus route ended up at the Transfer Plaza. Today, very few routes do. A large, centralized location to make transfers is no longer needed.

  • Additionally, the proposed Transit Center is too far from the nearest Pulse station, requiring a two- to three-block walk to make transfers to local bus service. For those with mobility impairments—or any who are walking in extreme heat, cold, or precipitation—this distance is a deterrent to using transit. Any future Transit Center must be adjacent to a Pulse Station.

  • The proposed 12-bay Transit Center is larger than the existing 10-bay Transfer Plaza. The size and scale of this investment does not align with GRTC’s new streamlined bus network where fewer routes require a centralized transfer point. As such, a large capital investment in a Transit Center may be less valuable to increasing ridership and improving rider experience. A similar capital investment—one that would align with Richmond’s new bus network—could be made by building a handful of smaller transfer stations at critical points throughout the city.

To be clear, the existing Transfer Plaza is unacceptable, leaving riders to wait for their bus in the heat, cold, rain, or snow. While the proposed Transit Center addresses that particular problem, it creates other problems that will continue to impact bus riders far into the future. We believe a better investment exists—one that provides a humane space for bus riders to wait and makes transfers to the rest of the bus network easy and efficient. In fact, possible options within the North of Broad project area include creating a transit mall on Marshall between 3rd and 5th or using the “N Block” on the south side of Broad Street between 4th and 5th Streets.

We encourage the Mayor, GRTC, and the NH District team to find a better location for the proposed GRTC Transit Center that will continue to build on the exceptional transit momentum in the Richmond region and best serve riders. RVA Rapid Transit appreciates the opportunity to contribute to these important discussions, and should the Mayor or his staff have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@rvarapidtransit.org.