Centreville Station

Redevelopment for Tysons Would Make the Area Safer for Walking

2010-06-24T15:32:00.003-04:00

Ever try to walk to Tysons Corner? Clark Tyler has, and he vividly remembers attempting to get to Tysons by foot from his nearby home.

“It was the dumbest thing I ever did,” he says, describing his harrowing experience crossing roads in the Tysons area.

Tyler, who chairs the Tysons Land Use Task Force, thinks the region’s retail mecca and surrounding commercial space could do with some improvement, and he wasn’t alone among a group of 45 people gathered to tour Tysons Corner by foot last Saturday.

The walking tour, led by Stewart Schwartz, the executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, provided attendees with a first-hand pedestrian perspective of the area as it is today and a walking discussion of what’s in store for Tysons in the future.

Schwartz and his staff guided the tour from the mall to a nearby office building, pointing out the kind of obstacles that make walking unpleasant—incomplete sidewalks, broken or badly-timed walk signals, “goat trails” on the grass, dangerous intersections, and intimidating crosswalks across major roadways.

“Highways that speed people through tend to be barriers [to pedestrians],” Schwartz says.

But pedestrian concerns aren’t the full picture. In a few years Tysons Corner is scheduled to have four Metro stations and direct access to the Beltway’s high-occupancy/toll lanes, with which planners aim to transform Tysons Corner into a real city.

The proposal, which was approved Tuesday by Fairfax County officials, envisions Tysons with transit-oriented districts and a grid-like street system. Denser and taller, mixed-use development would be positioned around the Metro stations. In areas farther from the stations, development would “tier down to the surrounding residential areas,” explains Barbara Byron, a representative from the county’s Office of Community Revitalization and Reinvestment.

"Getting in and out is really a challenge," says Byron, referring to the difficulty of urbanizing Tysons without making traffic worse. Planners hope to reduce vehicle trips in the long term by 45 to 65 percent, according to Byron's presentation, and to do so, they have to think of ways to get people out of their cars, such as better transit, walkability, and amenities for bicyclists.

There's been a “philosophy shift from parking minimums to parking maximums” among planners for Tysons, she says.

Bruce Wright, chairman of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, and who also walked the tour, spoke out for better bicycling facilitates, especially on Routes 123 and 7 -- central roadways in the current plan that lack bicycle facilities. He also suggested setting up a bike-sharing system, a concept that’s taking hold around the world and in neighboring jurisdictions.

"There are ways for us to avoid getting in huge cars to go short distances," he notes.

The hope shared by many of the tour’s organizers and participants is that the redevelopment of Tysons Corner will complement the commercial success of existing retail while making the area a more walkable, less car dependent place than it is now.

“How does it feel to be a pedestrian? Feel like an endangered species?” Schwartz called out to the group, trying to make himself heard over the cars at a busy intersection. “That’s what we’re trying to change.”

[This article originally appeared on the Annandale blog.]

Photo credits:

Skyline of Tysons Corner, Va. Image from Wikipedia.
Some streets in Tysons don't have sidewalks, so tour participants walked on the road when necessary. Image from the Coalition for Smarter Growth via Flickr.
Rendering of proposed redevelopment. Image from the county's "Transforming Tysons" website via Flickr.

More for Metro?

2010-03-14T20:34:00.004-04:00

Despite grim budget situations, some transit advocates are calling on local governments to contribute more for transit services. The regional transit authority that operates Metrorail and Metrobus has a dire budget situation of its own and may have no choice but to make serious cuts to service and hikes to fares.

How could Metro ask local governments for more when most other government operations are expected to be cut drastically? And if I drive, why should I care?

Service cuts, fare hikes, or a combination of the two could lead to what many have described as a "death spiral." As transit services get slower, become less frequent, lose capacity, cost more, and serve fewer neighborhoods, more people will switch to driving themselves where they need to go, further reducing transit ridership and revenue while putting more stress on highways.

According to a recent I-66 transit study:

...approximately 60 percent of work trips from the corridor to the D.C. core in the morning peak period are made by transit. The Metrorail Orange Line experiences particularly heavy ridership and experiences major congestion during the peak periods due to passenger capacity constraints. This peak period congestion can be addressed by increasing the use of eight car trains which increases the passenger carrying capacity of the service. [Emphasis added.]

Sixty percent is a lot of people who could potentially get fed up with degraded service. Eliminating the use of eight-car trains -- the opposite of the study's recommendation -- is one of the options Metro is considering to balance the budget.

As witnessed on the post-snowpocalyptic Friday, when transit isn't running smoothly, traffic can get much worse.

Photo credit: Andrew Deci

Students Hope to Pilot Campus Bike-Share Program

2010-03-09T15:08:00.010-05:00

George Mason University may feel like a commuter school with large parking decks and campus streets ruled by cars, but some students are trying to change that dynamic. Surrounded by bicycles in various states of repair, boxes of bike parts, shelves of donated tools, and a borrowed repair stand, organizer Christi Kruse fixes bikes as she jokes with friend and co-organizer Jake Knibb in a trailer on the university's Fairfax campus.

Kruse and Knibb, both biology undergrads, have dubbed their trailer the Bike Village and with help from a student environmental group and the GMU Sustainability Office, they're trying to turn their village into a part of campus transportation services. Their vision, according to Kruse and the group's Facebook page, is a cheap bicycle rental service, providing students a two-wheeled ride to class on a semester basis for less than the price of the average textbook and without the hassle of having to transport their bicycle from home. Students and visitors arriving to GMU by bus or car could hop on a bike to zip around campus. Those living on campus or in the area could ride these low-cost bicycles around GMU and the greater Fairfax area.

At the core of the program would be the Bike Village itself, a student-run bicycle co-op that refurbishes donated bikes for the program, rents them out on a daily or semester basis, provides service and repairs, and hosts workshops where students can socialize and learn more about fixing bikes and bicycling in general.

That's the goal, which -- along with free cookies -- is what brings these young cyclists to the open shop night in the trailer each week. Organizers and volunteers are amassing and refurbishing donated bicycles, filing paperwork, and reaching out to other students and school authorities to bring their ideas to bike racks across campus.

Kruse and Bike Village volunteers aim to pilot the first on-campus bicycle-share program in the state.

Photo credits: GMU sign and street by tj hanton. Bike Village volunteers by author; from left to right: Christi Kruse, Tiffany Guinn, and Jake Knibb.

Contingencies

2010-02-16T10:18:00.004-05:00

After witnessing last Friday's traffic jams, one wonders if maybe the I-66 corridor needs more contingency plans. Friday's gridlock was like the entire region returning to work as if public transportation didn't exist. The government's delayed opening meant rush hour started around the time HOV restrictions were lifted. We all had no option but to drive.

The Orange Line's aerial track between Vienna and Ballston was impassable, and commuter buses that run on I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road couldn't feed into Vienna and West Falls Church stations. But Metrobuses running on major roadways like routes 7, 29, and 50 ran when road conditions improved. It seemed as if VDOT did a better job clearing major roadways than WMATA did with railways.

What if the commuter buses weren't completely reliant on the Orange Line? Had they run Friday, could they have attracted enough ridership to reduce the gridlock or would the buses from Centreville and Reston simply have gotten stuck in the two-hour traffic jams and produce busloads of irate passengers vowing never to ride a bus again? Would they just create chaotic overcrowding at snow terminal stations like Ballston, which were already overloaded and running at reduced capacity?

Blizzards aren't frequent, but Metrorail disruptions seem to happen almost every week. A derailing happened near Farragut North on Friday. The deadly crash on the Red Line last year disrupted service for months.

If something happened to the Orange Line, would we be reduced to daily crippling gridlock like Friday's?

Even if the regional priority bus network doesn't get TIGER funding this week but especially if it does, we need to think about a more resilient and flexible transportation system.

Photo credit: Paulo Ordoveza

Post-Snowpocalyptic Roundup

2010-02-12T21:07:00.008-05:00

Seems like it's mostly over.

The I-66 corridor was paralyzed pretty much all week.

To sum it up:

A major snow storm hit Friday and Saturday (starting on Feb. 5) and another on Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 9).
Conditions even on the highways were reportedly quite bad at least for the first 24 hours after each storm hit. White out conditions were reported in the metropolitan region on Feb. 10. Total accumulation after the second storm was over three feet.
Orange Line trains from East Falls Church to Vienna weren't running most of the week and most Fairfax Connector west county bus service was suspended. West county buses and western Orange Line trains ran limited service Tuesday and limited service in the afternoon Friday.
The rest of the Metrorail and Metrobus network was running with limited service. Underground trains ran packed like sardines and with headways as long as 30 minutes. Buses provided limited service on only the most cleared roads.
The government was closed from Friday afternoon (Feb. 5) to a delayed opening Friday (Feb. 12).

Anything I missed? Let me know in the comments.

The worst I-66 traffic jam in recent memory happened Friday morning (Feb. 12), the day the government decided to reopen, but before the aerial Orange Line or the west county bus service had been restored. The result was a huge traffic jam stretching from Route 50 in Fair Lakes to Constitution Avenue. (I traveled from Centreville to Falls Church, and the leg eastbound from Vienna to Route 7 took me nearly an hour.)

Snow is expensive. Besides costing taxpayers heaps in lost government productivity in Washington, Virginia has gone way over its snow budget and is eating into maintenance funds. Talk about having trouble with the snowbanks.

General Assembly is in session, and a number of transportation items were in committee, including:

Defeated in House vote: a bill to lift Virginia's ban on radar detectors.
Failed in committee: a bill to require environmental impact study on the high-occupancy/toll project on I-395.
Failed in committee: a bill to create a Western Bypass corridor (often described as part of an outer Beltway).
Going to House floor: a bill to increase the required passing clearance between bicyclists and cars to three feet.

Redevelopment plans for a Metro-fied Tysons Corner is nearing the finals. Anyone who lives, works, or shops in Tysons or who may live, work, shop, or visit friends and family there in the future (i.e. everyone in Northern Virginia and the metropolitan area) should take note on what could become Fairfax County's "downtown."

The storm has upset some of the public meetings, so there's still time to participate and voice support for Arlington-style smart growth, transit-oriented development, traffic calming, and urban density designed not to bring traffic but to bypass it with first-class transit, bike, and pedestrian transportation choices.

And in case you were getting disoriented with all the clear skies lately, the weather service is forecasting more snow by Monday night.

Photo credit: Dave Elmore

Meeting Cancellation

2010-02-04T14:14:00.005-05:00

As expected, the public forum on I-66 traffic this Saturday has been cancelled. We'll have to save our transportation ideas for another day.

A message from Rep. Frank Wolf says:

Since the announcement of this forum, many of you have e-mailed or called me to share your thoughts and suggestions for improving traffic flow on I-66. I appreciate your taking the time to provide your comments. Citizen involvement is critical in finding ways to improve traffic congestion in the northern Virginia area. Please continue to submit your thoughts on this or any other issues of concern to you, by e-mailing me through my Web site -- wolf.house.gov.

And if you get tired of shoveling this weekend and collapsed trees haven't knocked out your internet connection, you might want to review the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation's most recent study on the I-66 corridor.

Photo credit: Robbie Sproule

Town Hall Meeting on I-66 Traffic

2010-02-03T16:13:00.011-05:00

Local politicians including Rep. Frank Wolf and county supervisors Mike Frey and Pat Herrity (all representing the Centreville area and western Fairfax County) are hosting a town hall meeting about traffic on Interstate 66 with a panel of experts.

Wolf has long been a proponent of bus rapid transit, but BRT is a nebulous term so here's his chance to explain exactly what he means and discuss options. Are we talking an Orange Line extension via BRT with Metrorail-like service? Are we talking priority buses that can avoid congestion and bottlenecks? Are we talking something marginally better than the west county Connector buses we have now?

Wolf's press release also mentions:

increasing the use of shoulder lanes, opening the Monument and Stringfellow interchanges by non-HOV vehicles outside of normal HOV hours, and improvements to the interchange at I-66 and the Beltway.

And how about revising high-occupancy vehicle restrictions on the highway, huh? Considering (1) how slow HOV "express" lanes can get and (2) how bad I-66 can be get as soon as HOV restrictions lift, and (3) how long it's been since the last HOV update, we should be at least thinking about better HOV rules.

The public meeting is scheduled for this Saturday (Feb. 3) at 10 am in Chantilly High School. Weather forecasts at present are implying the event is likely to be postponed. But please attend this meeting whenever it is held. Stay tuned for details. The meeting has been cancelled.

Belated New Year Roundup

2010-01-25T18:57:00.008-05:00

Well, it's almost lunar new year.

The new overlords are in. Virginia's new governor, Bob McDonnell (R) says transportation is not on his agenda this year but he is using emergency money to reopen highway rest areas. He also wants to raise highway speed limits in rural areas.

Meanwhile the Beltway is winning accolades. If you thought the congestion at I-495 was bad, you weren't alone. The Daily Beast says the Capital Beltway is #3 among national bottlenecks. No surprise there.

Mind your vehicle occupancy. There have been many media reports of high-occupancy vehicle enforcement on I-66 since December. Fines are pricey and violations have been many. If you need a review on the region's HOV restrictions, check with the Commuter Page.

Metro is seeking input on its big budget decision. The region's transit backbone (Metrorail and Metrobus) has to cut service and/or raise fares and is presenting four options.

And some sorta good news. Fairfax Connector has adjusted schedules, including Centreville's 442 and 444 to Sully Station and Stone Road. This should mean a little more service and more frequent buses during peak periods. Check out the new schedules if you're a minute minder.

Sorry for the holiday hiatus. We're back.

Photo credit: Tom Saunders, VDOT

The 15 Minutes the Earth Stood Still

2010-01-19T16:31:00.007-05:00

Just before 10 am this morning on eastbound I-66 approaching the Beltway interchange, an incident brought traffic to a 15-minute standstill. Traffic reporters said a motorcade was moving through the Falls Church area and on the Beltway. People got out of their idling cars to stretch. WTOP confirms that the president was visiting a local school.

Motorcades are another traffic incident the area deals with, but backup at the Beltway happens almost everyday with or without the Obama administration dropping by. Traffic getting on the Beltway on the left and right lanes of I-66 often often clog the middle lanes for through traffic.

Partly to blame is the ongoing construction of high-occupancy/toll lanes on the Beltway, which worsens the bottlenecks at the I-66/I-495 interchange. This interchange is being reconfigured to accommodate HOT lanes and ramps, new bridges, and toll facilities. Honestly, I don't know what the interchange will be like in the HOT era, but it has to better than it is now, right? Right...?

Today was just one of those days I wish I took the bus.

Photo credit: Ryan Sandridge

Thanksgiving Roundup

2009-11-27T19:25:00.007-05:00

The Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments is finalizing Region Forward, a proposal for comprehensive region-wide guidelines on sustainable long-term growth and development. The report identifies regional problems and goals in land use, transportation, environment, energy, economy, and housing. Comments on the proposal are due by the end of the week (Nov. 30).

If you were worried the gas tax might go up, you have less to worry about. WTOP predicts hikes are a no-go with the incoming administration in Richmond. What's interesting is that both the pro- and anti-highway advocates want a higher gas tax (to fund and discourage automobile lifestyles, respectively). Virginia's (17.5 cents per gallon) is the lowest in the region (D.C., 20; N.C., 26.6; Md., 23.5; Pa., 31.1; Del., 23; W.Va., 20.5).

Meanwhile, the federal gas tax is still subject to adjustment and the problem of taxing gas is open to debate. One recent study points out that highways are largely subsidized (just like rail, buses, and other modes) and that non-users of road pay a large share of that subsidy.

Are budget shortfalls even news anymore? The Virginia Department of Transporation is facing more big cuts, with a public hearing Dec. 1 in Richmond.

A concept that Gov. Tim Kaine ran with this past summer is back: telework. Now Rep. Gerry Connolly is touting the concept for the federal government and working on legislation that would push government agencies toward more teleworking, according to WAMU. What if I-66 as it is in August were a year-round phenomenon?

The Fairfax County Times has a lot of eye-popping stats on deer and deer-related accidents, including "an estimated 400 deer per square mile" in Bull Run Regional Park, next to Centreville. (According to the Times report, a number above 20 is a reason for environmental concern.) Always drive safely, folks, and watch out for deer.

You know what suburbs are, you've heard of exurbs too, but what about boomburbs? USA Today brings us another story along the lines of housing trouble in bedroom communities. Is Centreville a boomburb? Centreville is one of the bigger clumps of residential housing in the county without a town center. Sociology professor Robert Lang recommends boomburbs become "a little less sprawly, a little more village-like with clustered development, denser housing."

A Case for Priority Buses on I-66

2009-11-25T22:28:00.007-05:00

Today was a rarity. I actually got to work faster by bus than I would have by car. I monitored traffic on the web before I left, and I saw the backup from the Orange Line train out of Vienna. I was at work in an hour. The rain and pre-Thanksgiving Beltway bottleneck would have meant at least an hour and a half in a car. Usually public transit just can't compete with the door-to-door service of an automobile; time savings isn't one of the benefits with taking the bus.

So, how did this happen?

One factor was just luck. Buses arrived just in time to make transfers. Usually you have to wait like ten minutes or more for transfers.

Another factor was flexibility. My default way to work involves a bus-to-bus transfer -- the most direct route to the doorstep of my office. Today I took a more circuitous option (bus to Metrorail to another bus) but arrived at my destination faster. Why?

Buses going inbound in the morning (such as my direct option) get caught up in delay just as any vehicle with wheels on the road. Texting NextBus confirmed that bus was indeed very late. So I took Metrorail past the mess and then hopped a bus going outbound (opposite peak traffic).

A third factor was circumstance. Usually buses on Interstate 66 get stuck in traffic just like any vehicle, regardless of occupancy. The high-occupancy vehicle lane on the far left is useless to buses from Centreville after Route 123 because they have to get off on the far right, onto Nutley Street to get to the Metro station. (That express lane is also useless to through traffic after Nutley because the backup getting on the Inner Loop is so bad.)

Today the driver of the bus stayed in the HOV lane till the last minute, cutting across traffic lanes rather late in the game. I'm pretty sure the bus isn't supposed to do that and I'm pretty sure the collective grumpiness of the situation wasn't letting the bus in at its usual merge point. This is actually a dangerous situation, especially in the rain, but the effect was that the bus cut ahead and didn't inch along in traffic as much as it usually does.

A personal factor was willingness to walk. I opted to take the first bus available, which dropped me off three blocks from office instead of the one that drops me off in front. The weather even cooperated with me enough to stop raining when I was on foot. With all the extra time, I dropped by a store to pick up some stuff. I could have sat down for a full breakfast with the morning paper in the pancake house with all that extra time.

So what's that all mean?

Having various ways (and modes) to get to work is a Good Thing. If you aren't ready for the situation, you can't just jump on the best option. In my case, I'm familiar with the traffic patterns and how the highway bottlenecks impact my drive -- I even get updates on my phone. And I know public transit options -- with or without Metrorail, plus their pros and cons. If I hadn't been prepared, I would have been stuck in traffic or waiting over an hour for a bus. I would have been late to work, which isn't a tragedy, but it is annoying and no where as rewarding as time for a sit-down breakfast.

Flexibility is important on a macro scale as well. What if an accident closes down I-66 or the Orange Line or a glitch shuts down traffic lights along Routes 29 or 50? These kinds of incidents aren't rare lately, and transportation choices help people avoid jams and the region accomodate the occasional mishap.

Today's scenario highlights how the perfect and exceedingly rare alignment of factors puts the bus (plus Metrorail) ahead of a car commute. It doesn't instill confidence in buses, but it shows how buses could be better, how so-called priority buses could benefit all users of I-66, drivers and riders alike.

Most people don't take the bus because it takes too long. In my case, I actually have to transfer to another bus, which is a total deal breaker for most. And buses have to wait in the same traffic as single-occupancy vehicles. But is that fair and what if they didn't?

If an SOV is held up in traffic, one person loses, say, 20 minutes. If a bus is held up, a busload of people lose 20 minutes each -- many hours of lost productivity on a single trip. That's also a busload of discouragement with transit and a busload about to get back in their cars, which makes the I-66 situation worse.

What if the bus didn't wait in traffic like all the SOVs? What if a more exclusive express lane wasn't as clogged as the others? What if the ramps at Vaden Drive, as proposed, let buses bypass the mess at Nutley? What if the Beltway high-occupancy toll lane contruction made the HOV lane usable by express buses clear to downtown? What if today's rarity wasn't so rare?

Suddenly the bus would be winning over more hearts and minds because it wouldn't be running at such a time deficit. It would be more marketable to more people and more competitive against the highway. And the real win-win is that the more people taking transit (because it benefits them!) makes the road more pleasant for those who can't take transit.

Playing Chicken on I-66

2009-11-04T16:35:00.006-05:00

I often travel Interstate 66 eastbound to Route 7 late in what is called the peak period. That's incredibly annoying, as if rush hour in its peakiness weren't annoying enough already. Traffic between Route 29 and the Beltway is hard to predict -- WAMU and WTOP don't mention it unless it's really bad, and anything less than really bad can vary between not bad and bad. Lately has been really bad.

Points of congestion are many. But the mess approaching the Beltway is usually the worse bottleneck. Traffic backs up in each lane, waiting for the glorious opportunity to get on an off ramp or break on through to the other side. (What can only pray that the Beltway's high-occupancy toll lanes will offer relief.)

But here's the tricky part. I, like most of my fellow drivers, am not party to a high-occupancy vehicle, so going solo isn't statutory inside the Beltway. As I idle before Nutley Street, my last chance to bail before the Beltway, the time is 8:43.

Do I risk getting through too early and getting pulled over by a motorcycle cop at 8:57? Or do I pull off on Nutley for a new sense of bumper-to-bumper stop-and-go on Route 29? The former is an expensive slap on the wrist (if caught), the latter a detour to more delay.

For the record, I usually take the bus. If I'm driving at the height of rush hour I have to allot about the same time anyway. Or leave later and risk being late.

But what about you? If you drive eastbound when I-66 inside the Beltway is a no-go, how do you go about it?

Photo credit: Nutley Street sign by Luigi de Guzman.

The "Switching Costs" to Transit

2009-11-01T17:20:00.003-05:00

Taking the bus or train instead of the car to work is a lot more costly than the gas you might save. There's a psychological hump to get over and there are habits that have to change. That's not money from your wallet but it's still mentally expensive.

Marketplace Money has a report on the resistance to that kind of lifestyle change in the Denver area, where the mass transit system is set for big expansion. Getting people to the point of actually ditching their cars can be tough, so says a scholar of consumer decisions to Marketplace's Andrea Bernstein:

If I've always driven, I don't have to think about when to leave, I just leave. If I switch to mass transit, I have to actually figure out what the schedule is and that's a cost that's keeping people perhaps from changing.

Getting transit options to a competitive price point and time-savings advantage is tricky enough for planners, and it's trickier when it's so difficult to get people on board in the first place. That lifestyle change could save individual commuters and the communities at large from the big collateral costs and rush hour headaches of car-dependency.

With transit, the walk to the bus stop could be as uphill as the motivation to change a morning ritual. You have to coordinate with schedules and spouses. You have to plan ahead more, at least initially, and manage time differently. And you'll have different factors that affect you on your way -- and that's going to be irritating at first. It can be kind of like getting a consumer to try an unfamiliar brand, after years of name brand loyalty.

For some people, transit is like green eggs and ham, for many it's a mix of pros and cons, and for others it's still not a feasible option. But getting people who can take transit to blink at the status quo and seriously consider changing a routine for long-term benefits is the first mountain to move.

Autumnal Roundup

2009-10-28T11:25:00.005-04:00

It's back to school season or at least townhall-style meetings in school cafeterias.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation held public meetings in September discussing preliminary findings from their study of short- and midterm transit options on I-66. They're thinking mostly bus service improvements, and the study will be finalized next month.
Metro is facing a budget shortfall and has held public meetings to discuss the topic in D.C. and Virginia. (Maryland meetings are scheduled for next month.) Service cuts, fare increases, increased contributions from participating jurisdictions, and other options are to be considered.
Fairfax County is holding a series of meetings on its 10-year plan for bus service. Attend the meetings to learn about bus service, give input, and participate in the development of service recommendations. The remaining meetings are all scheduled weeknights, 6 to 8pm.

Interstate 66 is what state transportation secretary calls Northern Virginia's most congested and challenged corridor and he says its high-occupancy vehicle program needs to be updated (possibly longer, higher, and/or both directions). Others are calling for high-occupancy toll lanes. That said, if nearly half of I-66 commuters take transit, imagine what the highway would be like if more or less took transit.

For Tysons commuters, Fairfax County is starting a free lunchtime shuttle bus operating every ten minutes on two routes in Tysons Corner. If you bus or carpool to Tysons or if you want to just give your car a lunch break during the mid-day rush hour, then this service is probably for you.

Foreclosure rates in the outer suburbs have increased, according to a report in The Examiner. Looks like Fairfax County isn't in as bad a shape as Loudoun, Prince George's, and Prince William counties. But Fairfax's rate is still more than twice as high as its other neighbors.

Metro Talks Finances, Seeks Input on Budget Shortfall

2009-10-22T20:49:00.012-04:00

At a public forum last night in Northern Virginia, transit officials, representatives from local jurisdictions, and Metro riders discussed the value and needs of the area's major transit operator in the wake of the economic recession. Metro faces a projected budget shortfall of more than $100 million for operations in fiscal year 2011 in addition to capital improvements estimated to cost $11.4 billion over the next 10 years, according to the opening presentation by John Catoe, Metro's general manager. Officials responded to comments and questions from forum participants about how Metro can balance its budget.

Most commentators emphasized that service cuts would be detrimental, both to the region as a whole and to the lives of many users reliant on the transit system. Some commentators viewed fare increases as unwelcome but preferable to service cuts. Users of MetroAccess, a paratransit service operated by Metro for people with disabilities, were concerned that the level of service they receive now, higher than what is mandated by federal law, could be reduced.

Fairfax County supervisor Pat Herrity (Springfield) recommended consideration for contracting bus service and "giving these bus routes back to the jurisdictions," citing how his county contracts bus operators for the routes assumed from Metro in Reston and Centreville. "Competition is something that could lead to lower fares, increased service, and a better system," Herrity said, after noting that Fairfax Connector's contractors have saved the county money and improved service.

Metro's biggest expense category, "personnel" in the presentation's pie chart, led to discussions about Metro employee salary and the benefits packages. Catoe insisted that reports that some employees receive extraordinary compensation due to overtime are rare cases that should become rarer. Pensions, another large personnel expense, are in a sticky situation, according to Metro director Chris Zimmerman, who explained that Metro's obligations to fund pensions for employees was inherited from the bus operations the infant transit agency assumed 30 years ago, and for legal reasons can't be modified without arbitration.

A number of commentators and officials, including Herrity and Zimmerman voiced support for priority bus improvements -- road and route modifications that allow buses to bypass normal traffic -- which could reduce costs by allowing buses to move more people faster with fewer vehicles and less fuel. Catoe was recognized for his personal experience implementing dedicated bus lanes in Los Angeles, and he said busways that once existed in the D.C. area's past should be brought back.

Catoe's presentation detailed the value of Metro service to the greater community in terms of transportation, economics, and the environment before providing a background on the budget situation.

Metro's biggest sources of funds are state and local contributions (39%), fare and parking (33%), and federal contributions (20%);
Metro's biggest uses of funds are personnel (45%) and capital costs (i.e., new buses, trains, stations, etc., 35%); and
average fare subsidies per passenger (i.e., estimated cost of a ride not covered by its fare) are $37.89 for MetroAccess, $2.46 for Metrobus, and $0.54 for Metrorail.

Also noted are some of the "cost drivers" of the budget gap (slide 16 or page 9):

contractual union wage and benefit obligations,
pension contributions,
fuel and energy inflation,
escalating claims costs,
security,
maintenance of an aging system, and
decreased due to ridership decline.

[I actually had to leave at 9pm before the meeting wrapped up (to catch a bus, naturally). So if anyone at the meeting, especially anyone who stayed to the end, has anything to add, please comment.]

Photo credit: Metrobus by Jason Lawrence.

Stone Road Park and Ride Full

2009-10-19T11:34:00.001-04:00

I wandered the aisles around 8:35am (just before the 8:40 departure of FC 442) and there was but one parking spot left. (The two cars pictured are probably going to find that one spot already full.) Maybe I don't pay a lot of attention to the parking situation because I prefer to bike to the park and ride, but it seems like it's been quite a while since the Stone Road park and ride has been at capacity.

Ironically, on the way to Vienna, Interstate 66 seemed surprisingly uncongested -- with no backup within sight of Nutley Street as the bus got off toward the Metro station.

Photo by the author.

Comprehensive Bicycle Plan: a beginning?

2009-10-08T19:15:00.004-04:00

Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay (D) asked the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Board Chairman Sharon Bullova (D) to consider the creation (or in his words, to "endorse the concept only") of a bicycle master plan for the county at Monday's board meeting. Such a plan would be a blueprint for integrating bicycling into transportation infrastructure and is a popular step among jurisdictions nationwide toward comprehensive multi-modal transportation planning. The motion, which simply called for county staff to investigate the matter and make recommendations, passed unanimously.

McKay expressed alarm at how many parents drive their children to school, the small number of students who walk, and the amount of fuel wasted driving children to school. "We have trails, but trails are only so good as they are connecting to other trails that take people to places like schools," McKay said, further arguing that fuel savings in the transport of children to school has "budget implications" and is "one of the components of why we need to look at an overall plan, both for kids to walk and to bike to school."

A number of supervisors voiced concerns or related issues, including John Cook (R-Braddock) and Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) who emphasized that numbers need to be collected or projected on users and usage of existing and planned bicycle facilities for cost/benefit analysis.

"The numbers right now are low because the facilities are non-existent," McKay explained. Both McKay and Herrity alluded to a "chicken and egg" egg problem or as Bulova -- who seconded the motion -- put it, "build it and they will come."

Supervisor Lynda Smyth (D-Providence) recommended coordination with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's regional bicycle planning efforts and consideration for bicycle parking ratio requirements at shopping and business centers.

Prompted by Bulova's mention of his flat tire, Herrity prefaced his remarks by talking about his own bicycle commute from his house in Centreville to the Government Center to Fairfax Corner to his office in west Springfield along trails.

Video of McKay's bicycle master plan "in concept only" proposal and the board discussion is available on the county's website. Fast forward to 3:01:30 for the segment on bicycling. The bicycle plan is board matter 44 (page 30) in the board summary (PDF).

Photo credit: bicyclists on trail by Kathleen Tyler Conklin.

Number Crunches in the County

2009-10-07T13:23:00.016-04:00

The 2008 data from the American Community Survey has a lot of new numbers to bask in and some unsurprising information on the home front.

Fairfax County has one of the lowest percentages of commuters who take take transit among jurisdictions around or inside the Beltway. Almost three quarters of commuters drive alone to work. Farther out jurisdictions, such as Loudoun and Prince William counties, score even lower in transit use. But Fairfax has a high percentage of carpoolers and Prince William has even higher, likely owing to slugging (carpool lines) along interstates 95 and 395. And even though Fairfax's transit commute numbers are below average inside the Beltway, they're above the national average.

Moreover, transportation patterns reflect housing and land use. For Fairfax County, the same survey data also show:

96.6 per cent of households have a car, almost half of households have two cars, and about a quarter of households have three or more;
more than half of housing units are one-unit detached structures (suburban-style single-family houses unconnected to other buildings), and about a quarter of housing units are one-unit attached structures (single-family houses that are clustered together); and
construction of new housing units has come down considerably since the 1980s.

BeyondDC crunched population numbers and noted that Fairfax County -- the most populated jurisdiction in the region and "20th-century sprawl champion" -- is now the slowest growing jurisdiction in the area between 2005 and 2008. Growth in Fairfax was outpaced by that in neighboring areas, both inner-Beltway suburbs and far-flung bedroom communities, and mostly before the recession.

Decades ago Arlington -- already fully built out and suffering from pollution, traffic, and a shifting demographic that was taking a tax base with it -- faced much the same situation. As the nests of the baby boomers empty and media reports herald an end of the era of single-family cul-de-sac developments, what choice does Fairfax have but to pursue an Arlington-style transit-oriented reboot?

Photo credits: map of mean commute time by the Census Bureau, two-car garage by Rich McGervey, Rosslyn and Courthouse aerial view by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Bicycle Parking at the Colonnade at Union Mill

2009-10-04T19:12:00.007-04:00

I was at the Colonnade at Union Mill today. Bicycle parking is very poor at this shopping strip. The only store with a bicycle rack is Giant Food (and props to them for that). That one rack is pretty far from the ends of the strip and is only convenient if you're riding to Giant or the shops next to Giant. I do like getting groceries by bicycle, but, frankly, that's one of the more complex tasks to accomplish by bike. On the other hand, many of the other shops are excellent candidates for bike-by errands.

If you wander behind the parking strip, you'll notice what I presume to be employee bikes locked to pipes behind the building. Actually, putting bike parking in the back of the stores at the end (like Panera) isn't a terrible idea, but parking that's somewhat hidden or cabled to the building's pipes is not recommended.

With a large residential area (Union Mills and Little Rocky Run), Centreville High School, Braddock Park, and good shared-use trails along Braddock Road so closeby, there's no reason why bicycle parking shouldn't be more existent and prominent. Maybe the Colonnade should do what Centreville Square did with a bicycle parking rack on an actual parking spot.

This is a good strategy because bicyclists are treated the same as other customers (not second-class shoppers), and the parking spot's prominence close to the storefronts highlights to other customers how nice a ride to the Colonnade might be in the future. People might bike to the Colonnade not because they don't have a car but because they want to ride a bike. Good bicycle parking is attractive and fun, but if you have to lock up to a sign, that's not attractive and and not fun.

TIGER on the I-66 Corridor?

2009-09-25T11:50:00.011-04:00

Last week was the deadline to apply for grants under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, part of the federal stimulus packaged passed earlier this year. The criteria by which TIGER grant proposals are judged are many, but long-term benefit gains with short-term implementation (i.e., projects that can begin now), economy-stimulating potential, and innovation look like they lead the list. The Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments put together a proposal of three packages, each with some impact on the I-66 corridor.

The first package describes a network of priority bus corridors, the centerpiece of which is the K Street Transitway subpackage focused on improving accessibility and mobility in the city core, the final destination for many surburban commuters. The only component actually on I-66 is a ramp in the median of I-66 providing direct access to and from the left express (HOV) lanes to the Vienna Metrorail station. That could mean big time savings for commuter buses that get caught in the rush-hour backup around the Nutley Street exit. It can also mean less disruption to traffic and a safer situation for buses trying to weave from leftmost HOV lane to the rightmost turn lane.

Also mentioned in the package are new park-and-ride lots and information technology improvements such as real-time bus information (with a mobile web application), bus information displays, cameras on buses, computer-aided distpatch and automatic vehicle location technology, and clean-fuel bus replacements.

The second package is a regional bicycle-sharing program that would put bike-share stations across the region, including Arlington County and the City of Fairfax. The region-wide program also includes so-called high-tech intermodal smart hubs that provide transit information and facilitate transfer from different modes (such a bicycle to Metrorail or Zipcar).

The third package details some accessibilty and capacity improvements to the overcrowded Rosslyn Metrorail station.

The U.S. Department of Transportation will announce which projects will receive TIGER grants between September 22, 2009, and February 17, 2009.

U.S. DOT: "TIGER Grants Frequently Asked Questions"
MWCOG [PDF]: "Priority Bus Transit in the National Capital Region" (proposal overview)
BeyondDC: "TIGER!"
Greater Greater Washington: "Regional Plan Recommends Regional Bike Sharing but Disjointed Bus Improvements"
The Washington Post: "A Fast Track to a Busway" (July 15, 2009)

Graphic credits: diagram of proposed priority bus corridors by MWCOG, Montreal Bixi bike-sharing by Comrogues).

Post-Labor Day Roundup

2009-09-09T16:02:00.006-04:00

Stimulus now hitting commuter rail. Virginia Railway Express is reported to receive $9.8 million in federal stimulus money for 12 new locomotives and a canopy at the Manassas Park station. A VRE spokesman said via The Washington Post that new running stock is more efficient and can pull more passengers than the 20 aged locomotives currently in use. VRE operates commuter trains along the I-66 and I-95/I-395 corridors to downtown D.C.

The Post: "Two Transit Agencies Get $14 Million From Stimulus"

Ridership is up across the state but not so much in Northern Virginia. So says a recent transportation report, according to Inside NOVA. VRE ridership is up, and buses in the Prince William area are also seeing a modest increase, but ridership in Fairfax County and Alexandria is actually a bit down.

Inside NOVA: "State Transit Ridership Slowly Increases"

It's a bad year for pedestrians in Fairfax County. Fatalities are way up. Please drive and walk safely.

The Fairfax County Times: "Pedestrian Deaths Soar"

An I-66 corridor transit study will be complete this fall. And the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) will be hosting public information meetings to review findings and receive comments in the last two weeks of September. The study was commisioned to evaluate short- and midterm improvements to the corridor, such as bus rapid transit, car- and vanpooling, and park-and-rides.

DRPT: I-66 Transit/Transportation Demand Management Study

A Virginia megaproject has been defered. Plans for high occupancy toll lanes on I-395 and I-95 have been put on hold and a Virginia official explained via The Washington Examiner that the current credit market and community concerns are big factors in the reassessment. One such concern is Arlington County gearing up for a lawsuit in opposition. Residents of Arlington and Alexandria are alarmed over the potential negative impact HOT lane construction would have on their communities, especially around Shirlington Circle.

The Examiner: "HOT Lanes on I-95/395 Put on Hold"
Greater Greater Washington:"Economy, Opposition Push VDOT to Postpone I-95/395 HOT Lanes"
Alexandria Gazette Packet: "A HOT Mess (Alexandria leaders consider joining a lawsuit Arlington County is preparing against feds)"

The HOT lanes currently under construction on I-495 (between the Dulles Toll Road and the Springfield interchange) are unaffected by the I-395 decision.

Dog Days Roundup

2009-07-29T19:10:00.008-04:00

Faster, better buses on I-66 and into the city. The I-66 corridor is part of a regional priority bus network plan taking shape in an attempt to snag federal stimulus money for transportation improvements that can be implemented quickly (i.e. "shovel ready"). Regional planners are putting together a proposal of "phase one" improvements that can be completed by Feb. 17, 2012, and qualify for TIGER grant funds. Rapid bus service on managed lanes on I-66 and I-95 (which could include "trunk line facilities, including new inline stations, and director indirect access to major destinations, including the Pentagon, Tysons Corner, and Franconia/Springfield"), priority bus improvements on the freeway bridges across the Potomac River, and a K Street transitway are on current proposal materials. Planners will finalize the proposal by August and submit for the grant in September.

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments: "TPB Votes to Submit Application for Stimulus-Funded Regional Priority Bus Network"
The Washington Post (June 15): "A Fast Track to a Busway"
Greater Greater Washington: "'Priority Bus' a Valuable Part of the Transit Mix When Done Right"

Preventing buses from getting stuck in the same traffic as single-occupant vehicles between Route 50 and the beltway would give transit a leg up to consumers, but let's see how this plays out next month.

Wider I-66 with better buses. Rep. Frank Wolf (R) is in the news for what he's pushing in the annual transportation bill that passed the House last week. Wolf wants the following considered: extending the rushour window for usage of the highway's shoulder, spot improvements and widening outside the Beltway, and HOT ramps at Monument Drive and Stringfellow Road. Wolf is also a proponent of bus rapid transit.

Inside NOVA: "Transportation Bill Could Ease Travel for I-66 Drivers"
Loudoun Independent: "House Approves $85 Million for Dulles Rail"

The stimulus starts to hit the region. And the Fairfax County Parkway is the local "shovel ready" favorite apparently. Money goes to an interchange over Fair Lakes Parkway (between the existing interchanges at I-66 and Route 50) and an extension past Rolling Road in Springfield to Fort Belvoir, a major mecca for military-related jobs. Metro and VRE are also getting money.

The Post: "$260 Million Earmarked for Va. Roads, Interchange"
Washington Business Journal: "Virginia to Get $1B in Infrastructure Stimulus"

How many in Centreville commute down I-66 to the Pentagon? What happens when they take their commute down to Fort Belvoir? Rep. Jim Moran (D) says the region's roads and transit network aren't ready the massive military job relocation to come.

WTOP: "BRAC Move to Fort Belvoir Will Create 'Chaos'"

Chuck a workie (not a sickie) on Aug. 3. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) is promoting Telework Day to encourage more individuals and organizations to consider telecommuting or work-at-home arrangements. Anything that increases business productivity and worker flexibility, such as skipping a long commute whenever possible or avoiding rush hour should be explored. If you need a reason, tell your boss the governor said so.

WHSV 3: "Kaine Asks Virginians to Telework August 3"
CommuterPageBlog: "Go Green with Va. and Telework August 3"

Gubernatorial hopefuls vie for Richmond by way of Northern Virginia. Republican Bob McDonnell announced a transportation plan. Democrat Creigh Deeds hasn't released as much detail yet. The two nominees do agree on tax credits for businesses that have telework programs.

The Fairfax County Times: "Candidates Grapple with Transit Problems"
Richmond Times-Dispatch: "At Debate, Hopefuls Clash over Road Funds"
The Post: "As Candidates Ponder Taxes and Traffic, Specifics of Road Proposals Remain Elusive"

Transit fare prices increase across the region. Riding VRE or driving the Dulles Greenway is now pricier. The Dulles Toll Road will likely increase fares soon as well to fund the Metrorail extension. And the Fairfax Connector buses that took over Metrobus routes around Centreville are a tad pricier than the old Metrobus special fare. On the other hand, gas prices are kinda sorta almost low or lower than before at the moment.

News Channel 8: "VRE Budget Gap Forces Commuters to Pay"
The Post: "Greenway Revenue, Traffic At Odds"
The Fairfax County Times: "Hearings Scheduled on Toll Increase"
Los Angeles Times: "Gasoline prices drop as crude oil hits eight-week low"

A plan to privitize potties fails. The Virginia Department of Transportation is shuttering the rest area off I-66 in Manassas in September; other areas throughout the state already closed down. A number of politicians called for the privitization of the potties by changing the federal law that prohibits such, but the amendment by Rep. Frank Wolf failed in committee.

VDOT: "Rest Area Closures to Begin July 21"
The Post: "If Drivers Have to Go, They Have to Go Far"
WHSV 3: "Amendment to Change Federal Rest Area Law Fails"

And Virginia has a website to keep track of so-called megaprojects in Northern Virginia.

Independence Day News Roundup

2009-07-02T16:11:00.011-04:00

Start thinking about more transit on the I-66 corridor. Reps. Gerry Connolly (D) and Jim Moran (D), both of Northern Virginia, are pushing for federal funding to begin study of an extension of Metrorail's Orange Line to Centreville. Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is moving forward with an environmental study on a proposed expansion of the Manassas Line to Gainesville and Haymarket. Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is studying the I-66 corridor for more short- and medium-term fixes, such as bus rapid transit.

The Washington Post: "Up Next on N.Va. Transit: Planning for Everything"
Washington Business Journal: "Gerry Connolly, Jim Moran Push Rail Extension in Transportation Bill"
The Washington Post: "Plans to Extend VRE To Haymarket Advance"
VRE: Gainesville/Haymarket Extension (archives)
DRPT: "I-66 Transit/Transportation Demand Management Study"

The county has no money. And as a county, Fairfax is reliant on the state transportation department (VDOT) and federal handouts for most transportation projects. VDOT allocated the county virtually nothing for new secondary road construction this year, but federal stimulus is funding highway construction at the Fair Lakes interchange and the extension of the Fairfax County Parkway to Fort Belvoir.

The Washington Post: "Ailing Budget May Lead Fairfax Back to Car Tax"
The Connection Newspapers: "Fairfax Out of Road Money"
The Fairfax County Times: "County's Fiscal Outlook Remains Grim"
VDOT: "Virginia Obligates More Than Half of Discretionary Highway Stimulus Funding"
WTOP (AP): "Va. Receives $285M in Highway Stimulus Funding"

What if the county were a city? If Fairfax County were a city, as the county executive recently suggested, Fairfax would be the largest city in the region, bigger than Baltimore, D.C., Richmond, and Virginia Beach. And Fairfax as a city would have more independence from the state's central departments of transportation and taxation to take such matters into its own hands.

The Washington Post: "Fairfax Executive Suggests Dropping 'County'"
WTOP: "Should Fairfax County Change Its Name?"
The Examiner: "Unhappy with Roadwork, Fairfax Eyes Becoming City"

Fairfax Connector took over former Metrobus routes in western Fairfax County. If you take a bus in Centreville, Chantilly, or Oakton (12's, 20's, 2W), check the Fairfax Connector website for new route numbers and any schedule changes.

WMATA: "Metrobus Service, Fare Changes Begin June 28"
Fairfax Connector: Centreville, Chantilly, Oakton Routes
Fairfax County Department of Transportation: "Fairfax Connector to Absorb Centreville and Chantilly Metrobus Service Effective Monday, June 29, 2009"

Offbeat: Centreville Baptist Church has moved its sign off Route 29. The sign facing southbound traffic was of the large wheeled flashing variety usually used to alert drivers to dangerous or special conditions, but the message was an invitation for men to attend the church's prayer service.

WTOP: "Church Asks Foregiveness, Moves Road Sign"